Google Updates and SERP Changes - November 2014

[Anon]

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System: The following 8 messages were cut out of thread at: http://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4706161.htm [webmasterworld.com] by robert_charlton - 9:17 am on Nov 1, 2014 (PST -8)

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"Anyway, something happened in the past 24 hours and things have gotten MUCH worse. Spotty traffic, long zero runs, non converting, page sitters...GA seems to freeze too, anyone else noticing that? "

I have noticed further drops the past 24 hours also. Really hope these new changed are only temp.

[RedBar]

Virtually zero traffic yet serps look OK.

I'm not on zero traffic however it is down likewise with emails and spam, it's incredibly quiet and seemingly little activity ... has everyone locked themselves away for Autumn/Winter?

I'm tempted to send out a newsletter this week just to see what the reaction is.

[rbarker]

Hmm... Our serps show 4 sites with 2 listings each dominating the top 8 listings for our primary term. We are the last listing at number 9. The top 2 sites are homemade. Our Facebook business page is occasionally placing page 1 number 1 in foreign country Google serps for our primary term--which explains all the non-English speaking Likes we've been getting.

Crossing fingers and praying G fixes the bugs...

[SerpsGuy]

@ Itanium -Similar experience here. My competitors rankings and my own almost identically switched placements. Interesting. In my specific case I don't see any real reason we both should not be on page one. We both have excellent content, and its unique to the point they both benefit a person looking for this information.

He should probably rank higher than me, he does have an active forum and his site is larger than mine because of that. Otherwise though, very similar websites. Maybe I should start a forum... hmm...

[flobaby]

I just started a new ecommerce site last month and was quite pleased with the small Google traffic I was getting. Then yesterday happened. Almost the entire day with nary a peep aside from a couple short half-hour spurts where I'd get a few visits, and then...crickets. Same deal today. Something's up.

[superclown2]

Everyone's observations are welcome here. Even the ones you don't agree with. Even the ones I don't agree with.

The ones we don't agree with are the most useful ones. We may learn something from them.

I'm still seeing movement in the search terms I monitor here in the UK, sites moving up and down a few places almost daily.

[Itanium]

@SerpsGuy: Very interesting indeed.

For one main term we switched rankings exactly. I was at 1st place, he was at 3rd. Now it's the other way around. A few other minor rankings switched as well (not exactly though, but the tendency is there).

Like I said, his content is almost across the board thinner (not bad, but undoubtedly less in-depth) but he has a stronger backlinks profile (in general, not specific to a term or page).

AND he has a more active forum. 4 times larger than mine (which has some good activity too nonetheless).

I think the main reason for his ranking boost and my slow decline is the backlinks. His rankings skyrocketed the moment Penguin was announced. Before that our google visibility was more or less the same.

[Sand]

Friday was abysmal, but I'm chalking it up to Halloween. Yesterday and today have been well above average.

[GreenDog18]

The last two days I have seen record days.

[jmorgan]

Could be the autumn break and Halloween affecting traffic?

[Babadook]

I have been watching all this back and forth about Google over the last two years and have never replied to anything. I think it's sad to see what most are going through in regards to Google. After many problems of my own and reading between the lines, I found out the secret to the problem everyone is having. It has worked wonderfully. There is a way out.

[getcooking]

Friday was abysmal, but I'm chalking it up to Halloween. Yesterday and today have been well above average.

The last two days I have seen record days.

For Halloween, my particular site should have seen stellar traffic, but it wasn't there. It wasn't even an average Friday. However, Saturday and Sunday... whatever was suppressing traffic (supposedly Panda also ran sneakily while Penguin did) since the 24th was finally let free. I don't think it was some kind of "rollback" as was suggested as our traffic the past two days hasn't just been on track, it's been above average.

During Panda runs since Panda 4 in May, my site sees a dip before a gain with each run. This "dip" was horrible - worst since mid 2013 for us - but it looks like (fingers crossed, knock on wood, etc) we came out of it ok and then some.

[samwest]

Ok Babadook, I'll bite...what works?

[Wilburforce]

For one main term we switched rankings exactly

This was happening to my own and a couple of other sites in my sector a month or so ago. I still have no idea why, but it stopped shortly before whatever-we-call-this-penguin.

[toidi]

stable positions and even some new and positive moves, yet no traffic coming through. Virtually zero traffic yet serps look OK.

I am still floating around in the top 5 serps for my main keyword, but the traffic is not there. In my vertical, abode sales, the public is going directly to the big agragators who have the money to buy tv ads. G helped promote these sites by giving them top placement and now it looks like the public just bypasses g and goes strait to the big sites.

Just because g says their revenue is going up does not mean they are getting the clicks. Google used to be the online shopping mall where everyone went to shop. Now, just like walmart took business away from the conventional malls, the big sites are taking the business away from the online mall.

I run a small us service business with 15+ websites promoting my business. My main site went live in 1995. People who come to my site end up working with me on a very personal, upclose, face to face basis. All of them have been to the big sites before they come to me and have the big site apps on their devices.

the way people use the internet has changed and g is feeling these changes the same way we are. G just does a good job of hiding it.

[RedBar]

the way people use the internet has changed and g is feeling these changes the same way we are.

This is more significant than many realise, especially so in Europe, and I have touched on this before.

I'll give you an example. Yesterday a friend phoned me to say he had smashed his phone Saturday night, he sat on it heavily, where could he get one at very short notice, bearing in mind it was Sunday, plus he was going later that afternoon, to a major shopping centre some 20 miles away if that would help however it had to be almost immediate since it was work critical.

Within a couple of minutes I had found him even a better replacement in our own town from a well-known High Street electrical store. Within 20 minutes it was in my office and 90 minutes later all set-up and up-to-date.

Not once did I ever consider using any search engine and I know for sure many other people are like that, even Joe Public who we sometimes many say are not switched-on or know enough, but they do.

Interestingly the price the phone was bought for beat Amaazon and Ebay hands down!

[samwest]

Yesterday I actually had to buy at a store other than Amazon! My aquarium LED light power supply died and I had to go to a Mom & Pop electronics store. I was reminded why I don't shop there anymore...$7 for the part, $9 for shipping.

[superclown2]

Ok Babadook, I'll bite...what works?

Scamming webmasters is still a good way of making money.

[samwest]

Yeah...I know one company who does 60 billion /year doing just that.

[RedBar]

Yeah but they keep us busy with hours and hours of entertainment and heartache!

[aristotle]

Was there some kind of algorithm update on Saturday afternoon (Nov 1, Eastern U.S.)? At that time the traffic to one of my sites jumped about 15-20% to its highest level ever.

[nomis5]

I have been watching all this back and forth about Google over the last two years and have never replied to anything. I think it's sad to see what most are going through in regards to Google. After many problems of my own and reading between the lines, I found out the secret to the problem everyone is having. It has worked wonderfully. There is a way out.

Yes, I found out the same secret. Amazing isn't it! It's the same secret which always works whatever industry you're in. A bit of intelligence (though not much is required), a lot of hard work and determination, the guts to never give up and a dash of luck. Oh yes, and the ability to ignore those who pretend they have found a quicker way.

[Babadook]

This is no scam come-on, I truly found out what worked and the answer is within all the messages you see in this forum. nomis5 is right and yes, it is amazing when you see it!

[BillyS]

@Babadook I smell a troll

[Babadook]

Sorry if sounds that way, not meant to be. I wish I could say what it is, but focusing on these updates is fruitless. That's all.

[gdogsucks]

The secret is they are so unstable right now they are back tracking look at your stats its worst iv ever seen of 15 yrs, at least's I get a hint here n there usually. They no this update was completely BS, or else it would be over.

[gdogsucks]

301s are the way to go from my stats, do that for a few times a year n its golden lol 1 site for few months next site n so on! Amazing g gods!

[GreenDog18]

@aristotle I kept coming to the forums to see if anyone was talking about an update then as well. My website took a nice step forward on the 1st as well. About 20% increase.

[gdogsucks]

Good for you tell me how these 301s work exactly lol i always use what i can to beat someone fair

[gdogsucks]

lol, no hard feelings but if your ranking now ur sites been in link juice heaven for awhile because they are giving older sites credit "Check Your Stats"

[Sand]

@aristotle

I saw the same thing. Do you have a history with Panda?