Google September 2019 Core Update

[MayankParmar]

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System: The following 22 messages were cut out of thread at: https://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4962430.htm [webmasterworld.com] by brett_tabke - 9:39 am on Sep 24, 2019 (cst -5)

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Holy #*$!, official core update will be rolling out later today!

[twitter.com...]

[BushyTop]

Stay safe out there

[ufo889]

@MayankParmar Congratulations, I have not seen any significant changes in the French and German markets.

[TeresaD]

MayankParmar + you have waited long enough I hope it continues for you. No change in Ireland yet

[Lisa01]

That's great news, Mayank

[arunpalsingh]

@MayankParmar! That's great. Hope it stays :)

[StupidIntelligent]

Stay safe and don't take candy from strangers.

[StupidIntelligent]

After @Samwest; it was @@MayankParmar who was the most frustrated. It seems his patience paid off.

[seomotionz]

@whoa182 Not seeing any movements here either. Checked in the US, UK, Asia - unchanged so far.

@MayankParmar! That's great. Hope it stays :)

@arunpalsingh @MayankParmar The June update was also like this remember, at first everybody thought it was nothing and then booom!

You guys are saying that no significant changes but I am seeing many good ranking kw's to fell today.

[samwest]

Hoping this update takes a right turn north before reaching the coast.

Since it is tropical storm season, this should be code named the "Hurricane" update.

From early reports, its outer bands have already wreaked havoc on many sites. Feels like we are now in the eye and waiting for the backside to strike.

[glakes]

You guys are saying that no significant changes but I am seeing many good ranking kw's to fell today.

Because of personalization, I believe static ranking was lost years ago. One person could see you in the #1 position on Google and the next person Google puts our site on page 2. Even when checking with multiple IP addresses across the USA, our #1 ranked keywords produce very little traffic because all the fluff above the fold. Google puts so much garbage at the top of the page, visitors get distracted and leave or click on something other than organic results. It's no wonder shoppers don't go to Google first to find products anymore. If anything, Google makes the matter worse by adding to the garbage pile of nonsense above the fold.

What I look at is total traffic, page views/bounce rate and conversions. Pageviews are a good indicator of traffic quality. Low pageviews ultimately means visitors have little interest. Right now we are seeing one page wonders from Google - very low pageviews and a high bounce rate. Conversions from Google are non-existent, which is expected because of the very low quality/poorly targeted traffic Google is sending. For us, Bing/Yahoo send higher quality/better matched traffic both prior to this update and to this moment. We will see how things play out later today and in the next couple of days. But I don't expect much. Even if we do well it won't equate to much since Google has polluted the SERPS with all the garbage above the fold.

[seomotionz]

@glakes I know about personalization. And I talked about those kw's who gets traffic usually because they rank well but today their usual traffic rate fell.

[TeresaD]

I have just done some comparisons, I sell pretty metal widgets so January is usually very quiet

Jan 2019
Pages/Session 4.73
Session Duration 2.22
Bounce Rate 16.23

Sept 2019
Pages/Session 2.43
Session Duration 0.59
Bounce Rate 70.51

On Friday 5th July bounce rate was 16.23, on Tuesday 9th July it was 65.42 (and no there are no duplicate tags or conflicting errors in the code I have always had a very low bounce rate when I was getting the correct traffic)

[Brett_Tabke]

550 keywords rechecked (from week ago)

Total position changes: 67
Total annihilations: 18 (now mia on serp)
Total up/down changes: - 192 rank decreases.
Page 1 to Page 2 changes: 19

Verdict - essentially a non-event, but again Google increases their share of the SERP. It appears as though the number of answer boxes and adwords has again increased.

[Selen]

I search for terms related to "mother" and I get highlighted (both in titles and snippet text) results for: "parents." Or I search for "e-readers" and I get tablets. Or I search for services in "Austria" and I get results from "Greece" or other EU countries. The fundamentals of a useful search engines are broken.

[RareBit]

I am seeing URLs with capitals in - that's the only change for me! (UK Interiors & electrical manufacturing)

[StupidIntelligent]

Bill Lambert again posted on seroundtable asking people to block gbot and start a new domain. He could be an imposter, but the way Google is behaving with its unhinged greed, destroying businesses; one cannot say for sure.

[samwest]

I search for terms related to "mother" and I get highlighted (both in titles and snippet text) results for: "parents." Or I search for "e-readers" and I get tablets. Or I search for services in "Austria" and I get results from "Greece" or other EU countries.

Just curious how many G affiliate product links are offered for those searches.

[Selen]

A lot. Btw - I suggest to run searches on IE or Edge (in private mode); today I see more tests like the URL is on top (above the blue title), there are favicons added, and the "Ad" word is just black bold text (no green border).

[edited by: Selen at 3:06 pm (utc) on Sep 25, 2019]

[TeresaD]

what is the point? the traffic and conversions may be low but Google is still sending traffic so why block it. As for starting a new domain why throw away years of hard work getting brand recognition, you would have to change all of the social media channels too

[StupidIntelligent]

Bill Lambert Update:

Your poll is too early, like I said, wait for the 26th/27th. In fact going by meetings today this will still be up in the air until next week.

[seroundtable.com...]

[nmbrsk]

Bill Lambert: "A I explained, prior to an update you will see traffic & metrics like you are used to. This is because while the core algo is updated the various "filters" designed to take your traffic away are not live. While the update rolls you will see flux. Post update you will see traffic levels around where they were prior to the update BUT these will slowly drop away. We are still in filter drop mode. Geo targeting will be out for the next few days too (as it was last week with the test)."

[HereWeGo123]

Bill Lambert: "A I explained, prior to an update you will see traffic & metrics like you are used to. This is because while the core algo is updated the various "filters" designed to take your traffic away are not live. While the update rolls you will see flux. Post update you will see traffic levels around where they were prior to the update BUT these will slowly drop away. We are still in filter drop mode. Geo targeting will be out for the next few days too (as it was last week with the test)."

Not sure if I can take this seriously. This is just pure speculation and baseless stuff. Obviously, there is an update, and anyone can “ride the wave” on it and say whatever. Except this guy has created some “platform” for himself.

[TeresaD]

I will be able to tell if the geo targeting is back, I mean seriously who in Alaska is going to be looking at a website in Ireland? At the moment it is all local with a couple of European countries which is normal.

[Globalshopaholics]

In past, It used to be that when people link to you, the link would either be a dofollow link or a nofollow link.

Well, that’s now changed in recent update of Google

They are now introducing 2 more link types "ugc" and "Sponsored" that will affect SEO

[Selen]

I've just done more research and conclude that based on the recent update history, "Bill Lambert" is definitely correct. Big drops (or small gains for others) will start tomorrow and will continue until about Oct 5.

[HereWeGo123]

@Selen

I've just done more research and conclude that based on the recent update history, "Bill Lambert" is definitely correct. Big drops (or small gains for others) will start tomorrow and will continue until about Oct 5.

Perhaps, but that's not the full story because there have already been reports of massive volatility and gains/loss since yesterday evening (US). Danny clearly said that it will take a “few” days to roll out. That's not to say that there won't be accompanying “aftershocks”, as there are with most broad core updates. In any case, I still stand behind the fact that I don't believe Bill Lambert is from Google. he's just a very calculated, clever and analytical (AND EXPERIENCED) individual. He's an SEO that's messing around.

[StupidIntelligent]

@HereWeGo123 - Yup, for a general perspective no sane individual should be believing in anonymous comments. We should all take his postings for fun and perhaps a vague to make ourselves feel better. Nothing else.

[JorgeV]

Hello-

I'll believe Bill is an insider, the day the Google Doodle will feature a "Bill was here" easter egg.

[Selen]

You may get "Kill Bill was here" instead =

[Selen]

Still, I believe this or future updates may be actually positive for small publishers / bloggers. It's possible that Google (via Google Home queries) realized that people don't want "professional" advice by PhD experts or celebrities, but prefer answers from common people. That's why, they updated their Quality Rater guidelines to include / promote "personal expertise."

For example, if you are going to build a house, would you prefer opinions of "building experts" or regular people who have actually gone through the process and blogged about it or shared it on a forum? To most people, the latter is the better answer.

[StupidIntelligent]

Bill could be working for the search team but at a lower level, perhaps neglected, not promoted even after working at Google for so many years; which could be one of the reasons he hates the company and makes every attempt to discredit it. A disgruntled employee who shouldn't be taken seriously.

[StupidIntelligent]

At best his usability is providing update dates in advance. Other than that he should be ignored for reasons mentioned above.

[HereWeGo123]

From my standpoint, the volatility in the SERPs calmed down for now. In the past, with major updates, it could be just left at that. But yesterday evening’s dance was crazy. That’s not to say that people weren’t affected or that more volatility won’t start up again.

What is everybody else seeing?

[HereWeGo123]

At best his usability is providing update dates in advance. Other than that he should be ignored for reasons mentioned above.

There’s no substance in what his last post said. It’s baseless.

[oleotio]

Bill Lambert is an AI discarded by google that has become self-awareness and wants to take revenge on google.

[StupidIntelligent]

@herewego123 - Yes. He sounded more like a woo-woo conspiracy theorist, more than anything else.

[TeresaD]

I am seeing very low sales compared to last year, a crazy high bounce rate and watching literally nothing happening.

I have live chat online visitors switched on every evening, on the laptop next to me on a table while I watch telly or talk to the kids, it rattles if a customer wants to chat.

Dead as a dodo and no strange geo targeting, no sales, very little hits, no nothing really, it is like a ghost town

[whoa182]

Still not really seeing anything, traffic is pretty much the same as it's been for the last few days. So far, no recovery.

Interesting that I'm seeing 5-minute-job "medium" articles ranking high though, and marketers are pointing the links to their affiliate pages.

[samwest]

Bill Lambert: "A I explained, prior to an update you will see traffic & metrics like you are used to. This is because while the core algo is updated the various "filters" designed to take your traffic away are not live. While the update rolls you will see flux.

Well, as you all know, I've been getting clobbered lately. BUT! Tonight I am seeing exactly what 'bill' describes above. Totally free flowing traffic again, and so obviously human. Plus THREE sales today after 4 days of absolutely nothing.

So yeah, this all makes sense but the cruel reality is that tomorrow it will likely revert to garbage drip traffic and zombies again. :(

[HereWeGo123]

@samwest

So yeah, this all makes sense but the cruel reality is that tomorrow it will likely revert to garbage drip traffic and zombies again. :(

Hypothetically, if someone is ranking for their important keywords at the top, where they always have, how would Google “regulate” the type of traffic that comes to you for the right intention? If you're ranking, you have an audience and there's a search volume, help me understand, how does google regulate zombie vs. good buyers that enter your site for the intended key phrase, which you're ranking for?

Perhaps I am missing something. I am not in the eCommerce business. We are a consumer information site, that relies primarily on ad revenue.

[glakes]

I am seeing very low sales compared to last year, a crazy high bounce rate and watching literally nothing happening.

Same here. Google cut our pageviews in half and a bounce rate that matches (doubled) as compared to the pre September update.

Hypothetically, if someone is ranking for their important keywords at the top, where they always have, how would Google “regulate” the type of traffic that comes to you for the right intention? If you're ranking, you have an audience and there's a search volume, help me understand, how does google regulate zombie vs. good buyers that enter your site for the intended key phrase, which you're ranking for?

Some call it personalization while others call it manipulation. There are no static organic ranks. You may rank #1 for a keyword but someone a hundred miles may not even find you on the first page. Google uses smart bidding strategies for Adwords, which rely on machine learning. There are a variety of signals Google uses to detect a likely buyer and diverts that buyer to whomever they want by displaying specific ads from what one would assume to be the highest bidder. This same technology is believed by some to power the "personalization" features in the organic search results too. Some believe Google does this to funnel people into Google owned/invested properties or to sites with Adsense ads. Yet others believe Google is simply rotating traffic to various pages because there are so many competing for traffic.

[whoa182]

Okay, now I'm seeing huge fluctuations. Some of my pages have gone from page 10+ to pages 2 - 5. Hasn't really resulted in any change in traffic, but seeing ranking improvements across multiple keywords that I'm looking at. Even if I gained a little back from what I lost in June, it would be nice.

[HereWeGo123]

@whoa182

Okay, now I'm seeing huge fluctuations

Now that's what I'm talking about. What niches are you monitoring?

After some big volatility yesterday evening, it was a bit quieter today throughout the day. But the volatility began once again a couple of hours ago. We saw a nice uptick in positions yesterday and they stuck ever since. Almost seems as if Google dials in closer in the evenings while people are unwinding so that people aren't obsessing over the volatility during normal working hours (That's me).

@glakes - Thanks for that. Appreciate it. I can see how that makes sense with the AdWords. In terms of organic, trying to wrap my head around. I can definitely see how results aren't static and can be different throughout various locations, but again, depends what niche, KW, etc. I guess this particular aspect is new to me. Is there any evidence or data to back this up?

[cabsco]

I'm getting my lost traffic back bit by bit. This is rather slow unlike the last update that went wild within 2 days. I'm gaining daily traffic boost since Monday, I'd say 10% increase day by day since Monday. Some of my lost keywords are back to page one.

@Whoa182 I hope you get your traffic back. We've all being in the same shoes (although I operate a tech informational site) since June, including MayankParmar, I hope things get better for us.

[sk7411]

Overall it looks like a good update until now but you never know ..

[sofie77]

For me this is another bad update:

Got hit in August 2018 (- 70%)
Recoverd half in March 2019 (+35%)
Got hit again in June 2019 (-20%)
and now arround (-15%)

that mean the 35% recovering from march 2019 is gone again.

I am in the medical sector with user generated content (seems to be evil for G). Some hospital, goverment and pharmacy pages rank me out for keywords they dont have on the site.

[BushyTop]

I really hope this is June reversal.... I suspect it wont be though. I've been scorned too often... lol

[BangkokBaby]

I have had around 60% jump in traffic from Yesterday, I was hit by the June core update and changed nothing to my site since then. I actually gave up.

These updates just go to show that when an update is rolled out, Google itself doesn't know if it will make search better or worse.

[mosxu]

Whatever happens during updates affects the conversions from ads as well which should not be the case.

[Cyril TechWebsites]

Yeap. Adsense is dead, traffic pattern changing again: the update is rolling out. Hope that these are final tweaks of the last update. And I'm pretty happy with it.

[imgur.com...]

Thanks, big G! Someday you'll make me trully rich!))