Google Updates and SERP Changes - March 2021

[MayankParmar]

The following 2 messages were cut out of thread at: https://www.webmasterworld.com/google/5025541.htm [webmasterworld.com] by robert_charlton - 1:12 am on Mar 1, 2021- (PDT -8)


Web vital update is expected to live in May and there should be a core update too. They might be testing something for the next core update...

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 9:19 am (utc) on Mar 1, 2021]
[edit reason] cleanup after thread split [/edit]

[renatovieira]

High traffic with high conversion since 10/mar. Now just wait until this is over :-|

[NickMNS]

@TalkativeEditorial

Really starting to worry seriously that something technically is wrong with the site that I am missing, because Search Console shows the average rating is increasing but traffic keeps plummeting.

There is nothing wrong with GSC, what you are seeing is a result of how the numbers are reported. Basically a position is only counted if you get an impression. If you get fewer impressions but the position of those impressions is higher, then your average position will rise despite having lower traffic.

There is a full explanation with links to Google documentation in this thread:
[webmasterworld.com...]

[TalkativeEditorial]

Now Discover is picking up completely irrelevant and outdated content for their "in case you missed it" section again. Wish there was some way for publishers to control things when this happens

[saladtosser]

Has anyone else gone back to bookmarking sites? I used to do this years ago but found I didn't need to for several years when google was stable, but now I can't find certain sites anymore in google when I used to be able to rely on them being there.

[TalkativeEditorial]

@saladtosser

I never stopped bookmarking haha. I have several folders of bookmarks for quick access

[yollo03]

Semrush is picking up a possible algorithm update. It just doesn't end...

I worked quite hard to 'clean' the website, I am seeing very minor improvements to existing keywords but I lost thousands of keywords since the beginning of 2021 so I am far from being pleased. All the recent updates did more damage than good.

[MayankParmar]

Indeed. So much volatility these days! A core update should happen soon, maybe in April because there'll be web vital update in May.

[TalkativeEditorial]

It's crazy. And so frustrating. Last night, within minutes of publishing something, Google were happy to grab it as a featured snippet (obviously in a way that completely discourages click through)..... but then can't even give us a bit of something in return on the Discover feeds.

The only thing that is helping me feel a bit better is the publishers on here who say the same has happened to them and even on the official forums (which I rarely bother with these days), there are a lot of people confused about whatever happened on 2/3 March.

[worker]

Horrible traffic. Horrible revenue. Upon a review of search results pages, I see:
PAGE 1:
1) AD AD AD AD <= Two of the ADS are directly related to the search phrase - Two of the ADS appear machine generated or they are only barely related to the search phrase in the broadest possible way (In other words, even the ADS seem unusually mismatched/inappropriate)

2) ONE organic search result listing
3) People Also Ask (Interruption to search results)
4) Google App Store listing
5) iTunes App Store listing
6) Scammer redirects to completely unrelated sites (sometimes malicious)
7) AD AD

PAGE 2:
AD
4 out of the 10 listings being fake search results that redirect to different URLs
A few actual listings that make sense mixed among the ADs and the scammer manipulated search results

PAGE 3:
More scammer redirects to unrelated sites, many leading to p0rn sites and many leading to malicious redirect sites that are blocked by browser protection software

It looks like Google's search results are broken with scammers running wild within the organic search engine positions AND with the AD system allowing non-specific ads that are only broadly connected to the actual search phrase.

How and why people continue to use Google as the definitive search engine does not make sense when reviewing the content that is being delivered at this point. (And I'm not even mentioning the Pinterest garbage that is scattered among the search results freely.)

[superclown2]

How and why people continue to use Google as the definitive search engine does not make sense when reviewing the content that is being delivered at this point. (And I'm not even mentioning the Pinterest garbage that is scattered among the search results freely.)

They use it even though the results are rubbish because it is the default 'search' engine on all major browsers - a monopoly situation which will hopefully be rectified after the USA legal actions.

[saladtosser]

worker its worse for my niche (pets) we have to contend with all that plus 3-4 youtube videos and images that are also all above organics!

[mini_007]

For major KW in Japan our site have gone from page 1 to page 6, started 2 days ago

[TalkativeEditorial]

Seeing the lightest flicker off a possibility of Discovering crawling out of its rejection slumber. But we're not even flirting yet, just me looking longingly at a robot overlord dictating my self-worth and controlling my financial future and I can't even speak to his manager,

[worker]

@TalkativeEditorial I'm ready to spray WD-40 and bend over for that bot, because it's going to do the same thing to me either way, so I might as well be oiled up. (Pondering if this post might be too much for WebmasterWorld?) ;)

[Athedian]

Looooove the way how Google just puts all their assets and services (key emphasis: THEIR assets and services) at the very top of the SERP.

I can't even find anything close to what I want with my search queries anymore. And even if the results are related, those articles ranking as #1 are from as far back as 2007! Completely outdated information...

[superclown2]

The Google Advertising Agency results I am seeing today in my niche are beyond awful. In just about every search term including a certain major keyword the SERPs are dominated by half a dozen price comparison sites (all high spenders on adwords) with the thinnest of content. Add the googlespam and the actual producers of these services are buried deep.

All my real searching is done on DDG now - they produce results that are actually relevant to the search term I put in! All my sites contain a box recommending DDG because, let's face it, the GAA is a lost cause. Time to move on.

[JasonBlaze]

Google India, Google Singapore, etc are not picking up articles from news sites right away, out of 10, only 2-3 are getting indexed. While on the other hand, Google UK, Google USA, all are getting indexed right away.

Seems like some sort of update to me. I have checked this with at least 10 different sites, small and big alike, same with all of them.

[shadowlight]

You're joking right? Google will do whatever it wants because it's a trillion dollar corporation and the government has no clue of how to tackle it. Have you ever seen some of the Congressional hearings? The questions are so silly and simplistic that it doesn't begin to scratch the surface of Google's manipulation, and search isn't even a priority.

[cnet.com ]

@ichthyous

This latest investigation seems to be asking the right questions, watch the video in the link above.

[saladtosser]

Just looking for a local pest control service (on mobile) and was taken back by the number of ads and distractions from organics (do a search in your area) You now have

1 - Google guaranteed Ad
2 - Google guaranteed Ad
3 - Google Adwords Ad
4 - Google Adwords Ad
5 - Google Adwords Ad
6 - Google Adwords Ad
7 - Find results on
8 - Google Maps
9 - Google Maps
10 - Google Maps Ad Inserted
11 - Google Maps
12 - 1st Organic (government website)
13 - People also ask (total of 4 questions)
14 + Organic

I'm guessing local organic SEO has pretty much had its day?

[edited by: saladtosser at 12:47 pm (utc) on Mar 17, 2021]

[lammert]

@shadowlight. That Cnet video sums it all up. Sundar Pichai doesn't deny stealing content from other websites. He only repeats saying that they do it for their users, just ignoring the collateral damage to other sites.

It baffles me that still many people think Google is a search engine, while it has been an advertising agency from the beginning.

[mini_007]

In Norway I just tried Google up phone number to my dentist and ended up call AD to other dentist because they had their phone number in ADs. Think even me working full time SEO did this error I was out with my dog and had to call dentist, and eded up call AD, think about real users they will for sure do this mistake .

this is what Norway have, and we have had it for long time when I search dentist in Norway:

1 - Google Ad
2 - Google Ad
3 - Google Ad
4 - Google Ad with phone number
5 - Suggestion find result on
6 - Google Maps
7 - Find results on
8 - 1st Organic
9 - 2 st Organic
10 - organic
11 - organic
12 - Video of dentist to YouTube
13 - Organic
14 - Organic

[MayankParmar]

I am seeing slow indexing issues too.

[JasonBlaze]

Try viewing your site from a VPN of US or UK, it will be already indexed, this issue is only affecting south Asian countries.

[TalkativeEditorial]

Indexing and the AMP cache is a total mess overall right now - can't make sense of it at all.

[JasonBlaze]

Totally, it is just so random at the moment.

[mzb44]

Core Update Lite? - [sistrix.com...]

It does kinda feel like it, to be honest.

"Based on these observations, my assumption is that Google has updated the underlying (user?) data, but has not made any changes to the algorithm itself."

I kinda agree with this assumption. It does actually feel exactly like this.

So, it could be a core update refresh without any algorithm changes. Meaning they could be very satisfied with the results and effects of the December core update and see no reason to modify it substantially.

I did say it - many times - that this is the new normal and everything we saw after May and December 2020 was not a "bug" and that nothing is "broken". Everything works exactly as designed.

[superclown2]

That Cnet video sums it all up. Sundar Pichai doesn't deny stealing content from other websites. He only repeats saying that they do it for their users, just ignoring the collateral damage to other sites.

Content is not all they are stealing - at least in my vertical.

Every day I am seeing the envelope pushed further. Nearly all search business, SERPs as well as ads, now goes to their highest spending advertisers, most of which are comparison sites.

These advertisers pay heavily for their clicks. They then charge the real producers of the products or services for the business you would normally expect them to get directly from a search engine producing the best results.

The consumers pay not only for the service they are buying, but also the incredible sums that are extracted by Google and those who pay them.

Google adds not the tiniest value to anything it advertises yet it extracts billions every month. This comes straight out of the pocket of Jill and Joe Public.

I have innumerable search terms appearing in the SERPs on the first page but below the top spot and most of them don't attract even a single click. All thanks to googlespam. I get business from page 2 on desktop but mobile may as well not exist - just too much clutter for people to wade through.

How long before the golden goose gets choked?

[TalkativeEditorial]

I don't agree with there being a Core Update - I think there is a technical glitch somewhere (something like the mobile indexing / canonical issue - which took them WEEKS to acknowledge).

[mzb44]

How long before the golden goose gets choked?

There are no signs of this. The more they steal organic traffic and clicks the more G revenues increase.

The general public is oblivious and is just fine with this. I'm confident the overwhelming majority of people don't even know the difference between ads and organic results. I mean, they look almost identical. Google could completely remove all organic results from page 1 and the overwhelming majority of people would never notice.

Expect more of this not less.

[superclown2]

Expect more of this not less.

I think you're absolutely right. This is why I try to educate my site visitors about the joys of DDG (despite the crazy name <G>).