Google Updates and SERP Changes - March 2018

[Martin Ice Web]

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System: The following 7 messages were cut out of thread at: https://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4885490.htm [webmasterworld.com] by robert_charlton - 1:35 pm on Mar 1, 2018 (PDT -8)

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Biggest drop ever. Much bigger than every panda or penguin.
All the work does not pay off. The only winner in this game is google itself.

[KaseyM]

We were one of the sites affected by the December 12th drop. Since Friday, we've seen traffic levels go back up to around that level. Maybe too early to tell just yet but something is happening again!

[Maximum44]

Daylight Saving Time in USA this morning does not help todays traffic pattern. We usually have less traffic half the day, not just the one hour dip :D

[jmorgan]

Just to avoid being someone who only posts when things go badly for me, I just wanted to add that on Mar 9, my average rankings in Search Console was 7.8, the first time since Dec 12, 2017 it has been better than 8.

[mosxu]

This update was designed to contradict glakes I guess

Yeah, plenty of zombies during this update

[reseller]

So it seems there has been a Google Algorithm Update on March 9, 2018 which has affected both Mobile and Desktop organic traffic. My guess it is the good old Panda Update :)

[RedBar]

So it seems there has been a Google Algorithm Update on March 9, 2018

Is that official?

I don't really need to be told looking at my sites from the 9th onwards, I have had traffic slashed again, some by as much as 50%, what's new G?

G pretends to be this almighty international company yet when it comes to their SERPs it is pathetically parochial.

[MayankParmar]

@Reseller I can confirm that, there was an update for sure.

[TravisDGarrett]

@RedBar, I am not here since a long time, but reading at your messages, it seems that, since years, your traffic from Google is collapsing months after months, by a lot each time. So I am wondering if you still have traffic from Google search ? Because if you loose 50% of your traffic every couple of months, you should have started from extremely high, to still have something remaining. Is it the same across your niche? Or do you thing you are more impacted than other sites?

[icaroh1]

Here in Brazil the adult niche (#*$!) had many losses, sites that lost 50%, 60% of organic searches. Many keywords that showed #*$! results are now showing results from sales sites for example, it seems that google is cleaning up the #*$! niche of the search.

[KaseyM]

@MayankParmar positive or negative for you?

[MayankParmar]

I'm seeing totally irrelevant results! I searched for my keyword "How to install xxxxx on xxxxx". But result is rather surprising, I see "xxxx launches xxxx for $599 in Australia". Totally irrelevant, as I searched for how to install something on my xxxxx.

My article which was ranking 1st is now pushed down to 4 position. 1st position occupied by featured post, actual SERP 1st position by the site which occupied the featured post, 2nd and 3rd both are YouTube videos.

Disgusting.

[mosxu]

Traffic is really bad, rankings are still there abouts

[MayankParmar]

@KaseyM Negative. Traffic is down by 40% :(

[TravisDGarrett]

I'm seeing totally irrelevant results!

What you see is not necessarily what someone else is seeing. Like for ads, search results are also customized based on interest. An example, if you keep searching for "how to xxx", but never click on the link, Google will assume that this result is not matching your interest, and will then try to refine the results, with other variants of the subjects.

This is why it's bad idea to keep checking your ranking, manually or automatically, because it creates searches with no click, so Google's AI risks to consider the results are not good, and will then experiment with all kind of other results.

The only information about your effective ranking is what you get with the search console stats.

[RedBar]

Because if you loose 50% of your traffic every couple of months, you should have started from extremely high, to still have something remaining. Is it the same across your niche? Or do you thing you are more impacted than other sites?

Until the Google image theft day I averaged more than 100K PVs a day then various other Google shenanigans over the past 3-4 years have subsequently reduced PVs to a pathetic level with the latest one in October/November being the localisation update and especially so in the USA.

My entire global trade outside of the USA has been affected in the US Google.com SERPs however I have easily been the most impacted since I dominated the SERPs from 1994 owards across all search engines.

These days I see for nearly every trade keyword(s) results in G's SERPs one specific USA company PLUS they also feature in nearly every G.tld SERPs as well. Ok, their pages are fine however many are "this product is no longer available" and, the most laughable thing insofar as I am concerned is, that they are actually a customer.

So there we have me (the realworld producer) supplying to the importer/wholesaler who is also the principal supplier to box store/retailer (Home Depot) ... I kid you not, HD's web pages for my products of one maybe two images and a bit of text can outrank me for a 100% totally dedicated site contianing mainy pages, factual imformation and many images ... it's an absolute joke.

If my sites were purely based upon AdSense/advertsing income then they would have been removed years ago however the vast majority of my genuine trade traffic comes in direct from existing customers or newly met ones through trade exhibitions etc. A single order for me will be valued between USD 10K-30K, a project order usually USD 100K to 5Mil therefore I actually do not rely upon hundreds of thousands of visitors clicking on AdSense or buying low value products. All my customers are repeat all year round buyers selling wholesale or direct.

Sure, it was nice when getting 100K PVs a day and earning USD 10K per month from AdSense, but that has never been the focus for my business, that was a very nice bonus however what is a concern is the removal from G.com US results of almost every trade supply site NOT based in the USA, that is a deliberate manipulation.

[RedBar]

I'm seeing totally irrelevant results!

Utterly bizarre something is way outta whack. I just performed a 3 keyword search and the first 10 results were:

books.google.com/

This search had nothing to do with books whatsoever, I reckon we're in a massive state of flux.

[MayankParmar]

@TravisDGarrett SEMRush confirms the result/position I'm seeing is correct.

I test the SERP on different devices/browser/network/operating system with and without any browsing activities, and the results are almost same.

[capulkit]

There is a confirmed Google update. All my keywords are down. One more update to kill small sites and rank branded sites on top.

[TravisDGarrett]

@TravisDGarrett SEMRush confirms the result/position I'm seeing is correct.
I test the SERP on different devices/browser/network/operating system with and without any browsing activities, and the results are almost same.

All these are creating lot of searches for your keywords, and since no click are achieved, then Google assumes that the results are not good, and experiment with other sorting.

By the way, just to say, since 3 hours, I noticed a significant increase of my traffic from Google. Twice more visitors from the USA than usual. And this all across my sites (I run 4 sites, on different hobbies themes). The increase is both for desktop and mobile, in similar proportions.

[RedBar]

TravisDGarrett - Do we assume you're US based etc?

[RedBar]

One more update to kill small sites and rank branded sites on top.

Can we tighten that to US retail branded sites on top with a smattering of wholesale?

If so, time for www2 SERPs for the remainder of us!

[TravisDGarrett]

Do we assume you're US based etc?

My sites target English speaking users., and in the Google Search Console, I set the target country to USA.

[widgetized]

This is hilarious. Everytime my conversion rate goes down inexplicably (lot of traffic and users online - no sales), I come here and find people talking about having the same issue / Google new updates. As usual, I hope things will go back to normal in one week or two.

[reseller]

A relevant post from Search Engine Roundtable of March 12, 2018:

Google Algorithm Update Over The Weekend - March 9th, 10th & 11th?
There may have been an algorithm update with the Google search rankings over the weekend, starting around March 9th, Friday through the whole weekend. There is chatter both at WebmasterWorld and Black Hat World and some sporadic complaints (which is not uncommon) in the Google Webmaster Help forums.

[seroundtable.com...]

[dollarsound]

Are you serious @redbar? you have 5 million dollars projects and still wasting your time here?

[RedBar]

you have 5 million dollars projects and still wasting your time here?

I have upwards of 50 projects on the go at the moment all of varying values plus our regular widget supplies business. Most of our projects are usually 2/3/4 years ahead of actual supply commencement. I go to countries where many would fear to tread and all legally:-)

Apart from my realworld job I am a code geek/monkey, I like to know how these things work and can be bettered, it's an interesting challenge to understand it all and make it work to one's advantage. Easy things don't interest me yet I do believe in the KISS principle!

Anyway, it's not a waste of time here if I can help someone else however the more I have posted under my various monikers over the last 15 years or so has made me realise that I seem to be the only one here who is a Non-US, primary products manufacturer who experiences a totally different www to most others.

[Shaddows]

Are you serious @redbar? you have 5 million dollars projects and still wasting your time here?

Why is being here "wasting time". And why does direct income preclude someone from commenting on Google traffic?

Re: the March 9th update. We had a good day on Friday (9th), a great Sunday(11th), and then probably the worst Monday in years. Rev is -50% on expectation. Sad.

(I wholly believe this to be a transient thing- we are seeing unsettled traffic. It will probably be an on-trend week overall)

[Shepherd]

Are you serious @redbar? you have 5 million dollars projects and still wasting your time here?

It's too easy to project one's own circumstances on others... It would probably surprise more than a few as to the level of revenue/income/wealth of some posters here.


We have seen some interesting traffic patterns over the last week, google organic down noticeably but conversion rate up, bing and yahoo traffic up, strange to say the least.

[RedBar]

we are seeing unsettled traffic

Google Ever Flux! The last couple of hours we have seen a tripling of PVs from all over with the least being from the USA.

As you said Shaddows, it's going to be one of THOSE sort of weeks :-(

[rustybrick]

Confirmed officially now [twitter.com...]