Google Updates and SERP Changes - November 2019

[engine]

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System: The following 8 messages were cut out of thread at: https://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4966830.htm [webmasterworld.com] by robert_charlton - 4:01 pm on Nov 1, 2019 (PDT -8)

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Not what i'd seen, it wasn't even that.
I'd class myself as an experienced searcher, and, sometimes, when I look at Google's serps it's trying to pre-empt my intent. More often than not, it's presenting either highly-optimised sites, or, in this case, it was all wrong. Something's broke.

It works that way these days.

I don't ever use "best" as that is spammed out.

[jmorgan]

Traffic recovering now after the wave of public holidays last week.

[Mark_A]

@mosxu

There is only one explanation why Bing traffic conversion rate is double.

And that is?

[renatovieira]

Extremely low traffic today.

Someone else?

Live Streaming Cameras, USA

[samwest]

the lowest - zero - knocked out again by the apparent rollback - it's a mess - midwest USA

[mosxu]

@Mark_A

Personalisation and a lot of marshmallows.

Bing fills the top converting space with a lot of ads but their ads show every time regardless who is searching so the buyer traffic is shared between advertisers.

[renatovieira]

Absolutely an update is happening now. Something big.

My two websites have no traffic at all. Something I never saw.

Search Console without penalty.

[BushyTop]

Review removed from the rich snippets again... I'm so tired of this. 6 months of search getting worse and worse. Its a joke.

[StupidIntelligent]

Someone else sensing an update; or is it just me?

[BushyTop]

8th November....?

[renatovieira]

@StupidIntelligent

Also here! Something big, because I see negative graphics never seen before ...

[BushyTop]

...... So you're all saying its going to get worse...? ¬_¬

[renatovieira]

@BushyTop

Yesterday things were not very good. Today has been confirmed.

I have zero traffic periods and my Real Time Analytics in the morning.

Keywords ok, Search Console ok too ...

Right now, my two sites are getting zero traffic ...

[topr8]

@redbar

All Saints

All Saints is a massive bank holiday in europe (catholic countries), my b&m business in the uk has a big upsurge on that weekend due to visitors from europe. (i am in a tourist area)

it would follow that lots of europeans, even if not travelling to uk - are doing other holiday type things and not shopping online (however it is a nothing day for uk people it is true)

[Jez123]

Someone else sensing an update; or is it just me?

Maybe... Looks more to me like the results I was getting 2 weeks ago. Or just before BERT anyway.

[PlinyTheElder]

I'm experiencing huge fluctuations in my niche right now (Google USA). I'm updating the SERP every second and see completely different result. I was thinking that this happens only to my website. But now I see that something happens with the entire TOP100. With every SERP update, my site can descend to the 27th place, next jump to the 9th place, after jump to the 6th place, and finally come back to the 5th place, where it was. All these shocking things are happening with every refresh of the page. Something sinister is going on, indeed.

First, I supposed that all these fluctuations are nothing but a "Google Dancing" between the data centers. But eventually, I concluded that this phenomenon is really happening real time. I assume that it's another huge Google Algorithm Update.

[samwest]

@PTE are you using incognito mode when you do that? I figured they would eventually try doing a roulette style SERP. Might explain the ON/OFF patterns, but I don't know many who will refresh the page all day to find it. I've been sitting at zero for long periods today, then a burst for a few minutes, rinse & repeat. That has been happening for quite a few years tho.

Yesterday I worked social media, got a 5 minute bump. Posted a youtube video, another 5 minute bump. Funny how quickly new content decays. The massive algorithmic foot stomp of diminishing returns. [youtu.be...]

[PlinyTheElder]

@samwest, As a rule, I use this formula [google.com...] to see the pure SERP in incognito mode, to avoid the personalized results as well. In addition, I've been trying different browsers, IP addresses, etc. Something really happening "online." However, it touches only some queries.

[westcoast]

I was hit really hard last week -- lost 10% traffic every day of the week.

Sunday 11/3 it bounced back, Monday 11/4 bounced back even harder. Today looking good too.

Weird.

[BoredMeteor]

Yeah, I'm currently on the Google Roller Coaster from Hell. The fun never ends.

[2clean]

Can we stop talking about Bing conversion rates please I am perfectly happy with the results in that channel without everyone waking up. The trouble with Bing is they mash data up and so you basically have to monitor that they are keeping their databases in order.

When we talk about a TRUST update we are talking about a Google reinforcement of fewer and fewer content providers around a larger and larger range of keywords. Is Google doing humanity a favour by showing results from an ever decreasing pool of websites? No they are not. But it's technologically and commercially convenient to "protect us" from the things we're not able to distinguish from apparently. Anyone over the age of 40 is left starting to feel as though they've just woken up as Not Sure from Idiocracy.

[youtube.com...]

I blame Facebook - everyone does so I am too - because they are forcing Google to take more and more aggressive positions on things like AI, auto-optimizations of campaigns, and other mechanisms that force their advertisers to jump through hoops disabling new features that lower conversions but increase or amplify reach. I was on the phone with someone yesterday who was telling me how when they audited their PPC campaigns they were not performing well but it looked as though they were. The famous efficiency KPIs on the ADs high, but no-one actually checking the second equation, visitors to conversions.

For me Google stopped caring about it's search results around the time of Rankbrain and now choice is so concentrated around just a few choice publishers that you almost get more choice from TV. A sad state of affairs that will continue to chase itself to the bottom.

Knowing when a direction is broken for years and not doing anything to change it really crystallizes policy statements on ethics, privacy, security and openness. So much potential lost.

How different it might have been had someone had the ba*** to do it.

2Clean.

[seomotionz]

Absolutely an update is happening now. Something big.

My two websites have no traffic at all. Something I never saw.

Search Console without penalty.

@renatovieira I am not so sure. Traffic is low than usual. But I am seeing any steep drop!

And SEMrush sensors are also showing nothing.

[RareBit]

No update here - my SERPs have been stable so far this week

[TaylorJones]

Traffic is slightly down but Top 3 rankings are all over the place at the moment.

On a side note, has anyone noticed Google not pulling in update title tags? All of my pages were crawled on November 2nd but are still showing information from mid-October. Any help appreciated

[PlinyTheElder]

I don't claim that this update touched every keyword. I'm experiencing "Google Dance" in a particular niche. However, in my niche, there definitely has been a huge Google algorithm update. In particular, the update affected the category pages.

[seomotionz]

Today traffic is very low. Its even worse then the previous week which was a holiday week.

[samwest]

My traffic seems to disappear the moment I start watching it...must be due to Heisenbergs Uncertainly Principle. ;)

What used to be certain traffic for page one results is now very far from certain.

Major changes daily in my niche. Seems they are beginning to employ the same annoying search function you find in YouTube. Try to page back once and the whole search result changes.

[samwest]

I'm experiencing "Google Dance" in a particular niche.

I can confirm that. This morning lost the home page and images again. This is the same thing that has been happening each week since September. Site at zero all day so far. There is no stability to the SERPs and if we were to rely on only Google for our livelihood, we'd perish.

[topaz]

No change in serp keywords, but zero traffic from amp, top stories or discover. Devastating for a news site.

[Subhodip]

Google announced “BERT roll out in October last week and it was a massive update. With “BERT”, Google aims to improve the interpretation of complex long-tail search queries and display more relevant search results. It will help Google to comprehend better about what people are looking for. This BERT update impacts 10% of search queries. If you see any rank drop, be sure to evaluate the content and match it with the search intent.

[samwest]

From what I see in my niche, Google's interpretation of search intent is to find and present the site with the most spun content and on-page ads. My niche is being decimated by content farmers. Whatever "BERT" does appears to be creating SERP chaos.