Google Updates and SERP Changes - February 2020

[Shepherd]

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System: The following 6 messages were cut out of thread at: https://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4978307.htm [webmasterworld.com] by goodroi - 6:54 pm on Feb 1, 2020 (utc -5)

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FWIW, seeing the featured snippet holder (wikipedia in this case) gone completely from the SERPs this morning, no longer listed on page 2 or anywhere.

[StupidIntelligent]

Update is now dying down. Congratulation to the winners. For losers, please shut off the computer and go brick-and-mortar.

[TeresaD]

zombie traffic is back and conversions down 29%,

[seomotionz]

So, this is the new normal now. People loosing 80% of their traffic. And Google says its just regular updates that they do all the time. I just can't imagine how much damage would it do when there is going to be a broad core update again this year.

[Adrian100]

@samwest that's exactly what my website experienced. Now it's all ghost traffic and no conversions... you need to roll back to the weekend Google...

[KaseyM]

Bit of a roller coaster here.

Came off a great weekend and gone straight down.

Seems to be broad update but certainly bouncing all over the place. Hopefully it's not finished yet.

[joamuk]

I'm like most here.

Been suffering with massive drops for some keywords (up to 50 places) - though not high enough to be money spinners; and a general lack of traffic and conversions, despite my main keywords remaining stable.

This morning started out that way too. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it was the worst day out of the last five. However, since around 1pm GMT, I've started getting loads more traffic again - even more than before the update began.

Is this the end? Am I a winner? Only examination of my rankings tomorrow will tell.

[widgetized]

I lost significant traffic and keywords ranking with this new update, actually my site was doing good in the last few months, results on SEM Rush started to finally look promising. Then the January update happened.

What makes me sad is that people still convert (= purchase my products) once they find my site. I like to think my site is still very valuable for my niche. If only more people could find it now... I'd just love to have the traffic I was used to have a couple of years ago.

[StupidIntelligent]

I take back my previous statement on this update ending. In fact, another separate update has started today. Wait a day or two for the impact.

[mhansen]

I know we all have different results from this latest update but to me, it does not seem to affecting positioning, as much as it about new layouts and added G widgets on the results page. This is true of both desktop and mobile from what I can see. Anything with buyer intent is loaded with every possible G can keep the visitor in the walled garden of it's "fair use of content" as long as possible. Of course, having users randomly or unknowingly click on ads due to their obfuscation is a bonus for them as well.

- "Featured snippets" now look like a slide-deck, and contain links to OTHER featured snippets. (I predict G will turn this into an ad space soon anyhow)
- Many more images
- 2 blocks of "people also asked", one near the top of organic 1, and another down around space 5 or 6. Additionally, the "people also asked" answers seem much longer than in the past as well, providing more detailed answers. (And taking your click from you)
- "Interesting reads" decks mixed into organic.
- On information queries, the right side of the screen has shown wiki or others for a while, but change that query to something with commercial intent, and the right side info box lights up with several added links similar to FAQ's on the topic.

Outside of my own 8-10 lead gen sites, we manage 15-20 for clients in many forms of local B2C services, SaaS, eCom, etc. Although sensors (SEMRush for example) are reporting big changes at the category levels, the sites have kept fairly static positioning in search (+1, -1 etc), across the many different widget markets.

It makes more sense to me in the light of G experimenting lately with Icons in serps, featured snippets and removing page 1 organic results, etc.

It's just opinion of course, but sensors like SEMR and others that are reporting huge fluctuations due to their own systems not knowing how to deal with these new layout features, thus reporting huge flux almost across the board. (Tin foil hat time) This also falls right in line with G's stance on SEO and it's distaste of us lowly website owners trying to improve our positions. As long as they can keep the sensors confused, just imagine what it does to us.

[cellist]

Love the nonchalant response of Google basically saying, "What? It's just another update like we always do."

Yeah, right, just an update that sent the sensors off the charts! It shows how out of touch they are.

As a symbolic act of defiance, I say we name this update.

[TeresaD]

I am in a religious widget season which for me is bigger than Christmas in ecommerce, my users this month are up 57.04% on last year my conversions are down 28.04%

It makes no sense at all as amazon UK has problems with WuFlu and Irish customers are wary buying from the UK after the Brexit announcement.

I am very competitive on price, I have watched customers all day in analytics from organic and ppc landing on the widgets they need that can be delivered the next day in their own currency.

Is the AI or Bert really that good that they are only sending window shoppers?

My ppc is extremely low so for me to get ppc clicks they must have scrolled through a lot of products to find me, today I have had no conversions from anywhere.

It does not add up at all and I am not sure what I am missing or how to fix it as I am page 1 in the serps for all my categories in my country.

[TeresaD]

I name this update Google Snowflake

[worker]

I name it Cluster

;)

[TeresaD]

Cluster Snowflake?

I did have an alternative but thought I might get banned :)

[mhansen]

ClusterFlake.... Sounds a bit more like it. Getting closer? :)

[glakes]

I say we name this update.

I vote for the acquittal update since it started right after Trump was acquitted.

Now that I think about it, maybe this update is the result of Google's AI throwing a temper tantrum...

[cellist]

ClusterFlake has some other meanings too...

Cluster headache caused by Google snowflakes

Google, a Cluster of Flakes

'ClusterFlake' BERT's favorite cereal


Added: I'll vote for "Acquittal Update". Good one!

[Athedian]

Man, when I look at how Google is not penalizing some of the sites with obvious link scheming in play and instead rewarding them with massive rank boosts in less than a month's time, it's just a huge devastation to morale and motivation. What's the point of doing SEO or "optimizing" for "great user experience" through "in-depth and beneficial content", if all Google is doing is hitting on sites that are actually following what they had suggested and getting hammered by these updates?

[apriljesser]

The recent update is that Google My Business Posts don't help in ranking. And also Google Webmaster has provided the option to remove the not needed URLs on the website.

[UpdatePains]

Athedian, I agree with this sentiment 100%.

I have a couple of test sites I use to play with and am trying out a strategy on there to see if, how and how long this will work for. After having spent so much time, money and resources doing things "the right way" according to G, I am sick of the failures to recognise this work in the SERPs. It just seems you can simply rank on paid backlinks with no relevance, just strong anchor text profiles and sheer number of links. Content doesn't matter, relevance doesn't matter, trustworthiness doesn't matter. Everything G tells us is right to do just stops us from winning.

[engine]

As was mentioned, Google is playing it cool.

Some have asked if we had an update to Google Search last week. We did, actually several updates, just as we have several updates in any given week on a regular basis. In this thread, a reminder of when and why we give specific guidance about particular updates....

[twitter.com...]

I suspect Google only wants to call out on algo updates, and to avoid mentioning what the other updates might be, leaving the SEO community to draw its own conclusions.

[rustybrick]

I suspect Google only wants to call out on algo updates, and to avoid mentioning what the other updates might be, leaving the SEO community to draw its own conclusions.

The good old days!

[RedBar]

Updates are updates, they've been happening on a regular, most likely daily, basis for years now, personally whatever has been happening in my widget sector has all been for the good, I'm seeing all-round improvements.

What would be useful for all of us is that those who are experiencing big changes is if they advise in which general widget sector they operate to see of they have a commonality such as the "medic" update.

If they do have something in common then it's useful for everyone and it can be discussed as to what has happened and why. For instance someone posted their 10 year old site had been hit, it's very unusual for G to hit anything in a big way unless they are having a purge or an attempted clean-up of something.

It's also useful as to whether it's evergreen informational, transactional, a blog, price / product comparison etc.

And for those who have "millions" of pages, just how thin and unique are your sites?

[universenet]

Now I see finnaly that people recognize that if they do somthing on website or not if change somthing or not if improve somthing or not if evaulate somthing or not if leazy somthing or not is same, will be same, google no follow it
When I said that before few months many did not belive it
Ideal acitvity is for google doing loop where other websites will be excluded in any possible wy or unpossible way or incredible way or amazing way or phantastic way or how you want explain to you

[SteveWrz]

I'm officially defeated. This roller coaster of traffic and rankings is just wrecking havoc on me mentally, especially when I have a family to provide for and mouths to feed. This is no way to run a business.

[sk7411]

Can anyone confirm if the update has settled down ? We saw an almost recovery yesterday however we see significant down trend as i comment this but cannot judge due to Valentine's day . Anyone ?

[ichthyous]

I'm officially defeated. This roller coaster of traffic and rankings is just wrecking havoc on me mentally, especially when I have a family to provide for and mouths to feed. This is no way to run a business.

That's exactly what Google wants, to wear us all down/out until we give up and just pay them. This is a business strategy on Google's part to squeeze anyone who doesn't currently pay and convert us to paying customers.

As I have mentioned here numerous times in the past, I would happily pay Google and not have to worry day in and day out if my traffic is going to get massacred, if only Google ads were effective for my business. They are not, when I have tried it over the years it was just wasted money.

[Lisa01]

3 days ago, the positions of all my keywords went up dramatically . Most of the posts were in top 3. Not just that, even the featured images started appearing in the featured section. Yesterday, almost all the posts were thrown to the 4th or 5th page. Some top ranking keywords were moved to the 2nd page. I just don't get it. The rankings improved and then went downhill. And just like most of the people here, I have no idea why it happened.

[seomotionz]

@sk7411 According to SEMrush its cooling down. Then again its v day and tomorrow is Saturday. So, what is actually what we have to figure out on Monday.

[sk7411]

@seomotionz Good Luck to all of us !