Google Updates and SERP Changes - March 2020

[Shepherd]

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System: The following 5 messages were cut out of thread at: https://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4982115.htm [webmasterworld.com] by goodroi - 12:19 pm on Mar 1, 2020 (utc -5)

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If you're in ecommerce this twitter thread is a good read, albeit a bit scary.

[twitter.com...]

[Robert Charlton]

RedBar, thanks for the article. I'm not surprised.

From the article...

On Wednesday evening, European Union commissioner Thierry Breton called on content providers to switch to standard definition feeds to prevent networks from being overloaded.

In the US, things very sluggish tonight online.

[mosxu]

Internet usage increases ...

Apparently Amazon needs 100000 extra workers to keep up with increased demand because of coronavirus but I see decreasing traffic and only zombies it is like ads show / ads don’t show maybe to confuse us when we se that our ads don’t show to real buyers.

We can see already who the winner will be in this crisis!

[BushyTop]

Seeing loads of changes in our verticles again. Fairly sizable. Seems like Google isn't taking any rest bite for CV

[glakes]

Seeing loads of changes in our verticles again.

Agreed. SERP trackers confirm as well.

Might be another profit quality update, to offset the Fed's help for small businesses, by capturing as much stimulus money as Google can.

Remember, Google is always there to help even in times of crisis. I mean Google is always there to help themselves.

[seomotionz]

SEMrush is now showing 6.7

I guess another debacle in the making!

[glakes]

Amazon needs 100000 extra workers

Amazon is prioritizing shipments for crisis related items (toilet paper, sanitizers, etc.) while many other items are experiencing delayed shipments. If you check Google's SERPS, Google has doubled down on domain crowding Amazon product pages where delayed shipments are to be expected.

We can see already who the winner will be in this crisis!

Yes, Amazon will be the big winner while many American small businesses suffer. Keep in mind that it is estimated over 40% of the sellers on Amazon live in China. Sellers - not simply products. What this means is that after Amazon takes their 15% commission from each sale, plus pick & pack fees, the bulk of what's left goes right to China and will not provide the economic stimulus the USA needs in this crisis. American based businesses are in the minority when it comes to selling on Amazon. Regardless, there's a paid story online referencing the Amazon Economic Stimulus Act of 2020 in the title and a worthy read if you can find it. Google is helping Amazon as well with excessive Amazon crowded SERPS knowing Amazon can't even ship these goods on a timely basis.

When all is said and done, Amazon, Google and China will emerge stronger from the coronavirus crisis in the USA and many small businesses will have closed. Google's Bert update hit us hard in November, which prompted us to cut hours and let staff go. The coronavirus is the second swift kick between the legs after what Google did to us in November. As job losses mount, and Google's anti-small business SERPS continue to drive consumers to Amazon, I'm expecting a sharp and prolonged period of low website sales.

[ichthyous]

@glakes Retail businesses large and small are about to take a massive hit and many will close. You are right, this leaves amazon, and amazon alone for many lower priced items. I shudder to think of how many service businesses will also go under...restaurant, bar, hotel, art gallery...any service based business. It's going to domino through the global economy. I don't see having an online presence as a refuge, not in my line of business

[BoredMeteor]

Looking at search console over the last 16 months...it's honestly depressing to see all the ground lost. Average position is basically a horizontal line, while clicks/impressions are just a steady decline. It's very difficult to stay motivated when it seems like nothing I do is having any impact at all.

And if the trend continues, by the end of this year I'll probably just have to pack it up and move on to something else.

Granted, things could always turn around. But I doubt it.

(Edit: And that's all without taking into account the current pandemic...that might just be my website's final blow, who knows.)

[glakes]

@ichthyous

Amazon has a lending program where sellers can get loans but must participate in FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon). Many sellers are upset that Amazon is not budging on loan repayments despite Amazon prioritizing receiving and shipping essential goods. Meaning these sellers can't replenish/sell the inventory they use to repay their Amazon loans. See quote below:

Hello from Amazon Selling Partner Support,

I understand from your message that you are wondering if reduced payments are being offered by Amazon Lending.

At this time we are not implementing any changes based on this.

Those domestic businesses that rely on Amazon lending may find it more difficult to keep the doors open. Amazon may confiscate the sellers goods currently in Amazon warehouses, suspend the seller's account and demand repayment in full because of default on the loan. This is how one of the worlds richest multi-national corporations treats their domestic sellers in a crisis. This is despite Amazon not processing their inbound shipments and/or fulfilling customer FBA orders of non-essential items on a timely basis.

Google isn't much different when it comes to money. Crisis or no crisis, Google has a large appetite that must be fed. Despite an apparent algo update today, paid clicks are elevated and no sales from either paid or organic results. Other sources of traffic are converting, albeit at a much lower rate which I blame on the coronavirus.

[NickMNS]

Wondering what happens to google if every webmaster decides to remove google analytics.

Can we please stop with this pointless trope. Nothing is forcing you to use GA so get rid of it and move on.

Let's use this backward logic, using GA is preventing you from gaining ranking because Google knows everything about and thus can manipulate you. Ok! got it. Google is bad, and they are doing bad things and nothing can stop them. So let me remove GA and now Google is too stupid to know so I will rank number 1. "Yeah I win!". Or Google is evil and bad and can manipulate everything, so not using GA will result in Google penalizing my site. "Boo I lose again!"

The bottom line is that this has been tested by many people over the years and the conclusion has always been it makes no difference. So if you don't like Google, then fine, use something else but please can we stop the insinuation and conspiracy theories.

[glakes]

Wondering what happens to google if every webmaster decides to remove google analytics.

I doubt much would happen. Many sites still load Google ads, fonts, embedded YouTube videos, use recaptcha, etc. Plus Google owns Chrome, which is the leading browser that sends data back home. This is to name a few of the data collection points Google has at it's disposal plus some conversion data from emails sent to Gmail accounts. Because of the Corononavirus, Google and other big tech companies may also share phone data with the USA Government. See [webmasterworld.com...] for more info.

My website uses Stripe to process credit card transactions, which is a Google Ventures company. My host also moved their servers to Google Cloud without any advance knowledge.

There is no escaping Google's reach.

[maccas]

Yeah traffic and hence adsense revenue down about 30 percent, virus related obviously as sites are travel and my other main site is maps.

[ichthyous]

The bottom line is that this has been tested by many people over the years and the conclusion has always been it makes no difference. So if you don't like Google, then fine, use something else but please can we stop the insinuation and conspiracy theories.

For me the decision was simple...if Google is going to squeeze the life out of my traffic I don't need to share my site data anymore. It's not about whether GA affects my rank. Google has made its bed, as fewer and fewer sites benefit from Google traffic they'll stop focusing on Google and sharing with Google.

[ichthyous]

Google isn't much different when it comes to money. Crisis or no crisis, Google has a large appetite that must be fed. Despite an apparent algo update today, paid clicks are elevated and no sales from either paid or organic results. Other sources of traffic are converting, albeit at a much lower rate which I blame on the coronavirus.

@glakes It's funny how a massive crisis like this tends to reshape the economy forever and also reshapes government policy. If enough business is starved and if enough politicians want to keep their jobs, you will see them go after the monopolies like Google and Amazon and start talking about breaking them up. This won't happen immediately, but as soon as the dust settles people will realize that having an internet composed of just a few titanic players isn't good for the economy or national security. I do not think the same applies to Facebook, which is non-essential. We cannot get around Google and Amazon anymore, they're always in the middle.

[samwest]

The bottom line is that this has been tested by many people over the years and the conclusion has always been it makes no difference.

Agreed, I tested it years ago but it made zero difference. IMHO, the more G knows about you, the better. Put your face on your site and now they know you're a real person and may treat you as such, rather than an anonymous asymmetrical asset. That's a big part of the T in EAT and why those who embrace the web fully do so well and become online celebrities. I'm too old and ugly to be a celebrity so that ship has sailed. LOL

[NickMNS]

There is an update rolling out.

I'm up close to 100% over the past few hours. If this is a repeat of March 2018, I'm going to reach new peak tonight or tomorrow and then my traffic is going to plummet.

[sk7411]

Google got no chill even during the pandemic , every alternate day i am seeing an up and down hill of ga stats .

[maccas]

Down 80 percent now in traffic and revenue, UK and New Zealand travel sites and maps, to be expected as the borders are closed in New Zealand and no one is going on holidays or searching for maps at the moment. I am hoping this is the reason as just started getting traffic again 2 months ago after being buried for years.

[Cralamarre]

No sign of an update here. Traffic all week has just been blah.

[glakes]

If enough business is starved and if enough politicians want to keep their jobs, you will see them go after the monopolies like Google and Amazon and start talking about breaking them up.

@ichthyous

Unfortunately I'm a pessimist and don't believe much will change. Look at the recent news about politicians dumping many millions of dollars worth of stock prior to the stock market crash. Politicians are looking out for themselves, not the people they represent. I wouldn't be surprised if these same politicians bought back in to Amazon, Google and Facebook post-crash since these stocks were heavily discounted. To help their investments grow, politicians will put on a public display of disdain towards big tech and do little to nothing. This is how they protect and help their investments grow. I truly hope I am wrong and you are right, but I've spent years complaining to the powers that be about the abuse of big tech yet nothing has changed.

Today's traffic has started out much lower than expected, though I fear it's going to get far worse in the weeks ahead. It's just plain terrible. :(

[edited by: glakes at 2:15 pm (utc) on Mar 20, 2020]

[samwest]

Great search position today...yet no traffic at all. The focus site is particularity relevant to the world situation. Seems any promotional efforts are thwarted by algos, both in search and on social media. Anyone else notice that you will find 10 sites all talking about the exact same article and all worded nearly the same ranking on page one? I run several different searches and keep getting the same answer from the same site. WTH?

[universenet]

Great search position today...yet no traffic at all

Similar in one of my website
All search positions are back to time before half of January but no traffic yet

[EditorialGuy]

Wondering what happens to google if every webmaster decides to remove google analytics.

Dunno, but if you're paranoid about Google, you should also avoid forums related to Google (e.g., "Google SEO News and Discussion"--sound familiar?). After all, you never know what Google can track. :-)

[glakes]

Great search position today...

Similar in one of my website

I checked as well. Good positions when I searched Google via clean mobile and desktop devices. Very little traffic and no conversions. In the short-term, this may become the norm. The consumer is clamping down and clamping down hard. There's no need for consumers to search for products, services, etc. when they have no desire (or money) to spend. My guess is people are prepping for worse than a recession - a prolonged depression.

Quote from news title below:

Goldman sees unprecedented stop in economic activity, with 2nd quarter GDP contracting 24%

And this decline is forecast despite massive consumer spending on hoarding essentials.

[EditorialGuy]

The consumer is clamping down and clamping down hard. There's no need for consumers to search for products, services, etc. when they have no desire (or money) to spend. My guess is people are prepping for worse than a recession - a prolonged depression.

In my niche (travel destination sites), there are two very obvious reasons why traffic and affiliate bookings have fallen precipitously:

1) Many destinations are off limits to visitors.

2) Many destinations are inaccessible to visitors anyway, due to lockdowns or lack of transportation (such as flights).

3) Even people who can afford travel are hunkered down at home (whether by choice or not) and will be until the crisis recedes.

Historically, my niche (travel) has had a strong "bounce back" after crises, and there's reason to believe that demand will pick up sharply in 4Q 2020 or next year if things settle down. It's worth noting, too, that not everyone is hurting. A lot of people in medium- and high-income jobs/occupations/professions are doing just fine economically (except for their investments, perhaps).

My guess is people are prepping for worse than a recession - a prolonged depression.

I'd guess that most people are simply (a) being cautious by instinct, and (b) distracted. If they aren't spending money, it's because they're too busy watching the headlines and wondering if the supermarket will have toilet paper.

[mosxu]

EG is in the travel industry and has not been affected...

[EditorialGuy]

We appear to have hit bottom a few days ago, and our traffic has been creeping up (probably because more people are at home and dreaming about vacations to the destinations that we cover).

[deriklogov]

"our traffic has been creeping up"
lol you right, i was checking vacation packages yesterday to see how the vacation prices adjusted to current travel situation.

[Dimitri]

I suspect that the covid-19 will change the way people travel, understanding the risks of contamination,by all kind of other virus.

[Jori]

I suspect that the covid-19 will force airports to check your temperature before you go. Add this to the check of weapons and other explosives since 9/11 and soon, we will travel only at home.

I've been hit really hard with this (financial niche) except for one thing : a post of mine about "Bankruptcy". What a joy in my heart...