Google Updates and SERP Changes - October 2013

[reseller]

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System: The following 5 messages were cut out of thread at: http://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4606861.htm [webmasterworld.com] by robert_charlton - 10:47 am on Oct 1, 2013 (PST -8)

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Folks!

I think there is an update on Hummingbird today :-)
Have you noticed today remarkable changes in the volume of organic traffic to your site(s)? Also maybe some changes in the pattern of countries/stats referring organic traffic to your site(s)?

[ohno]

Do you see any change? De ja vu here :( Traffic killed off, server could be off it's that quiet. Wonder what we have done this time? Can't be anything big as there's no chatter on here.

[carlos the jackal]

@ohno - yep, dropped a few more positions on our main two keywords. All I have done since the original Penguin update is to add a few more urls to the disavow file that'd turned up in AHREFs.

We're clearly off Google's Christmas card list.

[ohno]

:( I'm still seing signs of something blowing through (foreign traffic). Although we've seen this go on for WEEKS in the past. Thanks again Google. So last week we have the best week in months, this week is turning out to the worst in YEARS. How can anyone run a business with this going on? Stock control etc is next to impossible. I really dunno what to make of Google, whatever the aim is it has no logic what so ever. I see #*$!ty new domains now ranking above poeple like us who have been in the sector for 13 years.

[carlos the jackal]

Very similar to us - we're an independent specialist in our vertical, but now have major chains and Ebay/Amazon above us. Good SERPs this does not make.

Fortunately we kind of saw this coming and have diversified our traffic sources but we're still feeling it massively.

[smithaa02]

We got a boost from the Oct 4, Penguin 2.1 update. Then another boost on Oct 14 (our competition got dinged). The boost from the 14th ended on the 15th for us though. Not sure if this relates to what everybody else saw.

[diddlydazz]

We got a boost from the Oct 4, Penguin 2.1 update. Then another boost on Oct 14 (our competition got dinged). The boost from the 14th ended on the 15th for us though. Not sure if this relates to what everybody else saw.

likewise on one site, except the boost on OCT 4th - traffic up on 14th and then dropped on the 15th. traffic dropped again 16th (today) to lower than pre OCT level

[webcentric]

Organic traffic from G took a nose dive on our main site at about 5pm Eastern time on the 14th of October and has not recovered. The animals at the "zoo" are all feasting on the visitors that normally come from there while traffic from all other sources is normal. I'm still seeing some very strong results for individual pages in the Google SERPS but many queries are returning apples when I want oranges. I'm also seeing completely irrelevant locale results e.g. search for widget service xyz in locale ? returns listings for a completely unrelated subject in locale yyy. I'm beginning to envision a world without Google in it and that vision is becoming clearer by the moment.

[ohno]

Well i'm glad we aren't alone, trouble is what is going on at Mountain View now?!

[carlos the jackal]

I'm beginning to envision a world without Google in it and that vision is becoming clearer by the moment.

Beautifully put. I used to be of the opinion that should our rankings tank, we'd have to shut up shop. Well, they have, and sales are still coming in.

For now, anyway.

[ohno]

Repeat customers? Thankfully we have them, 13 years in business & your name geta about :) However it STILL hurts when Google decides to switch us off for whatver reason. & when we hurt so do our suppliers......& so it filters down......

[carlos the jackal]

Repeat customers?

Alas no - we sell something you'd only buy every ten or fifteen years. Our company name is what we sell which is also our domain name. Unfortunately we've suffered for that lately.

Potential customers will find us - we have a healthy social presence in addition to adwords, and we're fortunately well exposed through Bing.

Some of our suppliers now rank above us, which they will initially think is great but when they think a bit more, well ...

[diberry]

I don't see anything new with Google this morning. Just a general downturn from all sources as this is the last day for Congress to put together a deal to avoid default.

[Panthro]

I'm seeing some pretty weird SERPs. Interesting choices of what sections of my queries to match, uncharacteristic Local results (sometimes none where historically has ben). Feels like a flux time.

[webcentric]

I'm seeing some pretty weird SERPs. Interesting choices of what sections of my queries to match, uncharacteristic Local results (sometimes none where historically has ben). Feels like a flux time.

Exactly! What a mess! Search for local widgets and you're liable to wind up at an out-of-state self-help website. After all, who needs a source of widgets around the block when you can get into a 12-step program half-way across the country? Certainly hope this is a short hiccup but have my reservations (which I found on a site dedicated to algorithms).

[Wilburforce]

What a mess!

Quite astonishing! Widget Service Localtown gives me:

#1 Coach Repair Localtown (this particular widget really isn't anything like a coach, or a vehicle)
#2 Doorway page (the Localtown version of hundreds of Anytown pages) of a different although related service
#3 Widget Service Distanttown
#4 Jobs in Localtown
#5 Employment agency in Localtown...

...via e.g. Motocross track Localtown and Baptist Church Localtown...

...to the first Widget Service provider anywhere near (and even then, not the closest to) Localtown, making an appearance at #17.

You would almost do better with your eyes shut using a pin and a telephone directory.

[jmorgan]

Google traffic continues to gradually drop each week. Has been steadily dropping since the end of September. Wonder if this will continue indefinitely. It's like my site is dying a slow, painful death.

[Panthro]

You would almost do better with your eyes shut using a pin and a telephone directory.

Haha! I feel the same way. I really wish they didn't have the autopilot audience they do.

[ohno]

Google traffic continues to gradually drop each week. Has been steadily dropping since the end of September. Wonder if this will continue indefinitely. It's like my site is dying a slow, painful death.

Yep, & checking this morning it's got worse over night :( I guess at least the SERP's are moving though!

[viral]

A client domain that has been doing quite well recently had a hit around October 12 to about half traffic then on the 13th doubled it's original traffic and is steady at double pre-hit value. In the end all good but was a bit of a shock on the 12th, thought I had lost a contract!

Anyone else see anything happen about the 12th?

[ohno]

Weekends have been awful for us for quite some time so can't pin it to the 13th here i'm afraid, but it was certainly knocked back after the best week in months. From here the "normal" pattern is good start to the week then usually Thursday it dies a death & continues until the following Monday. However this week Monday (14th) was OK then something hit late on Monday/Tuesday.

[carlos the jackal]

Yep, & checking this morning it's got worse over night :( I guess at least the SERP's are moving though!

I got that too matey. Surely it can't carry on indefinitely? There's the possibility that tomorrow will bring order restored to the SERPs.

I doubt it, but it's a possibility.

[Wilburforce]

checking this morning it's got worse over night

I'm not seeing that here (niche, UK). It hasn't got any better either: I wouldn't say there is any statistically significant change.

It isn't easy to figure out how this affects searchers. In yesterday's scattering of Google referrals in my server log, a good proportion of (mostly long phrase) searches were on page 1, but these include a couple that are not relevant (including e.g. a search for a specific brand I don't stock or refer to). It is fairly clear from the page titles/descriptions that the irrelevant results wouldn't answer the query, so presumambly this is either laziness or curiosity on the part of the searcher.

Quite a few referrals come a long way further down (e.g. one very relevant result - arguably the first that actually answers the query - on page 8), so I assume some searchers keep looking on Google rather than switch to Bing, where they can find it on page 1.

All-in-all, I reckon Google are now trading on brand-loyalty alone. That can't be viable in the longer term.

[ohno]

I see the same, some referals are coming from page 8+! We also see the same result on page 1 elsewhere. Trouble is I think it makes no difference, Google as the first stop is just automatic. It will take quite a while if ever for that to change. They can serve up poop & the average person laps it up......

[System]

The following 10 messages were cut out to new thread by robert_charlton.
9:21 am on Oct 17, 2013 (PST -8)

New location noted below.

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 5:48 pm (utc) on Oct 17, 2013]

[Robert Charlton]

Mod's Note: Following the suggestions of webcentric and of several other posters who followed, I'm splitting part of the discussion off to a new thread and moving it to the Webmaster Business Issues Forum, here...

Breaking my Addiction to Google
Google-proofing your business - is it possible?
http://www.webmasterworld.com/webmaster_business_issues/4617441.htm [webmasterworld.com]


Updates thread continuing here... for those watching updates in Google....

[ohno]

I'm seeing different results again today, a term that we used to be no 1 for had dropped to the bottom of page 1 yesterday, it's now back to 4. However this doesn't seem to be reflected by any change to the traffic to that page. One thing is for sure, the SERP's I monitor have been jiggling around a lot this week, I've not seen them this fluid for quite some time.

[edited by: ohno at 8:31 am (utc) on Oct 18, 2013]

[wockawocka]

Interesting today, some hard and fast keywords had ooooh, about 20% falls in general positioning. One of thos 'nothing gained' days.

Site had some decent crawling last week, we're approaching Googles time of the month again.....

[carlos the jackal]

A whole lotta shakin' goin' on here too. Keywords dropped around Tuesday/Wednesday again, now seem to be slow crawling up slightly.

Things are still shuffling so I still have hope :)

[ohno]

Well I guess it's good others are seeing change, until the dust settles there is still hope. The trouble is in Google land just when the dust does settle someone blows it all in the air again!

[Wilburforce]

All I have really is an impression, but referrals in my server log from yesterday suggest something might be happening.

Generally:

1. Shorter phrases than than the last few months
2. More first-page results, but
3. Relevance seems oddly inverted.

To expand the last point, there are several results of lower relevance than I would expect to see at #1 or in the top couple of results, while queries that are obviously well-matched by my pages (and are at #1 in Bing results) are typically page 2 or lower.

There isn't enough there to make any strong assumptions, but enough to raise a suspicion that something has changed or is changing.