Google Updates and SERP Changes - June 2019

[EditorialGuy]

The following message was cut out of thread at: https://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4944194.htm [webmasterworld.com] by robert_charlton - 11:00 am on Jun 1, 2019 - (PDT -8)

Also, with the ad model a majority of people know that you are trying to get something out of them - a purchase, a signup etc - so there is a lesser level of trust there but if they find you through organic whilst they are in the research stage and you provide good info and value, then there is trust built and you get more sales.

On the other hand, people who are actively shopping for a product or service may regard ads as useful information. That was the concept behind Yellow Pages directories and magazines like Computer Shopper.

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 7:07 pm (utc) on Jun 1, 2019]
[edit reason] Cleanup after thread split to new thread [/edit]

[BushyTop]

Seeing throttled traffic this morning :(

[MayankParmar]

More drops for anyone today? Another 10% drop here :(

[DarkSilence]

-10% today :(

[MayankParmar]

[semrush.com...]

An update released yesterday?

5.0 / 10 (High range)

[paranoid android]

Googlebot is hitting our servers hard today...

[Nutterum]

Google made an update last two or three days. I am not complaining about the leading niche sites I work on are all up by 15% which is HUGE as some of them command more than 100k organic visits per day. On the flipside, the SEO local community handling mainly Eastern and Central Europe websites is going crazy from happy to rage. Something is up most definitelly.

[Milchan]

@steffanlv - thanks for the detailed post. Makes sense about EAT and various signals when I compare that to my own situation. The issue I see though is that it is the appearance of EAT not actual true EAT that is being rewarded (and has been like this for a long time just worse now). Basically I have never engaged in trying to get fake reviews and paid guest blog posts linking back and singing our praises as I always thought it to be dishonest yet it is exactly those tactics that are winning out in my niche. So it seems like google is trying to put sites that are "trust worthy" at the top and actually putting the ones that are using fake reviews and back links. Ironic really.

[southernguy]

Traffic down on several of my sites and.traffic throttled down to almost nothing on others WTF?

[KaseyM]

Yep lower today - entertainment niche.

[BushyTop]

Crazy how so many of us are seeing the same. Traffic for me today is dreadful, though ranking looks pretty similar

[Milchan]

ive seen a drop also, yesterday conversions very low and today also lower traffic no conversions. Seems to be a pattern this year though of there being an update, no conversions , lower traffic then after several days things creep back up again (although the overall trend is certainly down and I never recover back up to the level before the update) before getting hit again 2 weeks or so later.

[ichthyous]

After June 3rd I made a bunch of on-site changes to my site in terms of reducing errors like 301, 404, missing meta and doubled my site health score on Ahfrefs. I also disavowed spam links.

@bangkok baby 301 redirects are not errors and the number of 404 pages supposedly doesn't affect rank. However, I have suspected for a while that using too many redirects can cause the site to be demoted. My htaccess file grew to 1.6mb with thousands and thousands of redirects...i had a total site redesign a few years ago and Google still keeps looking for those pages.

Recently I decided enough was enough and I reduced the file down to 700kb... Still large but much better. I have not noticed any improvement in rank, but my TTFB improved somewhat. Have you noticed any improvement in removing redirects on your site? Anyone else?

[lostshootingstar]

I can also report a noticeable drop in traffic so far today today, though not much visible change in rankings.

As an aside, I'm curious to see how next week goes with the 4th of July on a Thursday this year.

[Treud]

already at almost 0 with Google, didn't feel anything :)

[steffanlv]

@BangkokBaby, I have heard from a few others about money sites coming back after this past major update. For the sites I am referring to it appears the far majority of the spam links built over the span of 3 to 4 years have disappeared. Though there are still many spammy links left. Though these sites are structured like a true blog and use WordPress they include keyword stuffing, several nodes on first tier of back links are from expired domains...basically optimized like going down a list of optimization tactics for your basic churn-n-burn website. The sites aren't even responsive at all.

[Milchan]

so traffic has fallen about 30% for me since this latest update . Hopefully will recover in the coming days but it is getting tiresome with my traffic being turned off every couple of weeks and costs me lots of sales.

[henryrandall82]

Ranking getting down from last TWO days 27-June, 28-June for Health niche. Is there any Google update rollout in these days again?

[MayankParmar]

There was an update, but positions have remained same and traffic dropped.

Will we have another official Core update this year?

[Martin Ice Web]

@martinly

When you take a look at the sites that are ranking right now, then you will see that 90% don't have any EAT on it. I doubt that the list you setup will boost your Traffic. When you are doing it for your customers, then it is fine.

[zeus]

Once again I also see in this June update that health related(natural related) sites are down huge. I wonder are google into pharma the last 2-3 years, have they bought any companies related to pharma.

[Martin Ice Web]

@Aristotle

From my understanding SEO is the key ground for having a working Website with good UE and without errors. I don't understand it as tricking SEs.
Having a fast, understandable and up to Date Website is a keyfeature for success.

[JesterMagic]

I have experienced a bit of a flux as well though checking keywords on Google doesn't show to much of a change.

Remember though in North America the first major summer holiday week is coming up. July 1 is Canada day and July 4 is Independence Day. Lots of people take extended holidays around this time.

[aristotle]

Martin Ice Web -- That's certainly a big part of it. But for many people, SEO also includes keyword targeting, artificial link-building, etc. From Google's point of view, it might include any attempts to gain higher rankings and traffic than the site actually deserves.

[Milchan]

Once again I also see in this June update that health related(natural related) sites are down huge. I wonder are google into pharma the last 2-3 years, have they bought any companies related to pharma.

this sounds feasible as I imagine the sales of anti depressants to webmasters have skyrocketed.

[Martin Ice Web]

@Aristotle

Where do you draw the line in SEO against a 100% functional compelling Site?
Is google saying that a Non brand Website with a >90% SEO satisfavtion score is allways trying to Play against the rules?
If so, is it good for google users?

[SweetPotato]

The best you can do now is hire any indian SEO company to build millions keyword rich anchor text links to your competitors.
Unless they are wikipedia or reddit google will punish them.
Disavow has no effect whatsoever.

[RedBar]

The last few days I've seen traffic across all my sites in different niches down a minimum 25% some up to 40%.

So what's on? Women's World Cup, very hot weather over much of Europe, Glastonbury Festival, all kinds of different holidays, a myriad of things and checking back only to last year I saw a similar drop in traffic for the same period.

Hopefully it's nothing to be concerned about as yet.

[aristotle]

Martin Ice Web -- We may be mis-understanding each other. When I referred to a likely google "Anti-SEO campaign", I meant the part of SEO that many people practice, such as link-building, keyword targeting, trying to optimize page titles, article word counts, and so on.

I didn't mean that google would have a problem with your "100% functional compelling Site". That would be a positive, not a negative.

[heisje]

In all recent discussions regarding extreme flux of organic results, extreme positioning of ads and Alphabet properties in serps, both in number and position, Google is perceived as all powerful, arrogantly acting whenever and however they please, despite increasing international scrutiny and awareness.

Are they acting likewise from a position of strength?

Seems to me it is panic & desperation rather than strength. Their revenue model of eternal quarterly growth is failing, with a rapidly decreasing legitimate real growth rate. All we see is desperate efforts to sustain the unsustainable.

They are selling the family silver, i.e. meaningful quality organics, to sustain the image of undiminished organic growth. it's a lie. Their model has exposed its limits to insiders, already some time now. Despite increasing international scrutiny, awareness and people taking notes for future use, they carry on regardless - for the simple reason they cannot afford to do otherwise, for the simple reason the boat will otherwise sink sooner than later.

This is not a position of strength. It is panic and desperation masquerading as strength.
.

[Milchan]

@heisje I hardly think they are struggling to make ends meet [macrotrends.net...] took a slight dip when the DOJ investigation was announced but overall it is up , up and up over the years