Google Updates and SERP Changes - August 2021

[goodroi]

As usual, it's both entertaining and frustrating when monitoring Google's SERPs, and the performance of our sites. Google's core algorithm updates have proved interesting, to say the least.

First we had Google Core Update May 23 - June 3, 2021 [webmasterworld.com] referenced in Google Updates and SERP Changes - June 2021 [webmasterworld.com]

Before long, in July, we see a Google Core Update July 1, 2021 [webmasterworld.com] which created much more frustration and angst, with some successes, which we referenced in theGoogle Updates and SERP Changes - July 2021 [webmasterworld.com]

Without much delay we heard of a Google and Link Spam: Qualify Links for Affiliate Links or Sponsored Guest Posts Update [webmasterworld.com].

And during July we had an interesting question How long for Google to Index a New Website [webmasterworld.com]
Did you see the news that we might get a sneak look at Google's ranking algorithm. Google "About This Result" in SERPs Indicates Ranking Info [webmasterworld.com]
Most of us know about the Google search operators, and here's an overview of SEO search operators [webmasterworld.com]
Plus lots of other Google search and SEO topics [webmasterworld.com].

What are your observations on the algorithm updates/changes to the SERPs?

[StupidIntelligent]

@RedBar- This could be the reason for your traffic loss: [seroundtable.com...]

[RedBar]

@StupidIntelligent

I don't use GSC nor any other G stuff ... Global site seems to be normal today, yesterday's low-performing UK site is looking normal again HOWEVER another 85.7% UK traffic site has very little traffic today ... Thinking about it we're heading for a holiday weekend here which may explain the lower traffic, neither are ecommerce sites, purely brochureware / informational.

[frankleeceo]

Google had been showing multiple entries from the same domain for a while now. This week they started introducing indentation of the SERPs when they are from the same domain. I think it helps CTR of the SERP's below them.

[topaz]

Traffic up from google up 40%, no complaints other than the title rewrites...some of which don't seem to make sense, in my case.

Also just tried facebook instant with their ads. If you're a news site monetizing with adsense..i'd recommend trying it out.
It's same trade off like AMP/Discover, but you end up with better CPMs than with adsense for fb traffic, and you get more traffic from facebook's 'discover-like' algos, suggested for you, etc.

[NickMNS]

My traffic boost is holding strong, +~ 100% over the last 12 hours. But what is interesting is that the first datum points are shown in GSC (Aug 22 - 24) since the start of the event, and it shows a boost in CTR, with no significant change in impressions. This suggests that the boost is the result of the title rewrites.

[RedBar]

Six hours to go in my Googleday and apart from one site all traffic back to normal levels.

[ichthyous]

My traffic fell off a cliff at exactly 1pm today...UK, Australia and Canada all went into freefall and are -30% as the day progresses. USA traffic is average so far. My titles have also been rewritten, and I don't like it...they're basically using H1 tag text and nothing else

[MayankParmar]

I just published a new post and Google has removed the main keyword from the title. The title is entirely misleading at the moment. Google really sucks.

[yollo03]

Very big swings in my niche, top competitor was hit hard. The sensors are not showing it, I think the algorithms are targeting very specific terms that are 'below the radar' of the sensors. Some received received a big boost.

[delorean]

Am I the only one that saw an unusual drop of 90% (in search console statistics) on August 23, 2021. After that day, it's back to normal. So weird.

[Neohippy]

@delorean - it's an error on G's side (shocking, I know, when they're so on-it these days)

"August 23-24 (Search, Discover)
An internal problem caused a data loss in Search and Discover performance during this period. Users might see a significant data drop in their performance reports during this period. This does not reflect any drop in clicks or impressions for your site, only missing data in Search Console."

[support.google.com...]

[superclown2]

My titles have also been rewritten, and I don't like it...they're basically using H1 tag text and nothing else

I've found another of my sites in which the <title> tag and H1 have been ignored. Goggle is displaying the 2nd H2. I haven't a clue why.

[ichthyous]

I am seeing very large intra-day drops in traffic, followed by equally large swings upward. Yesterday my traffic from UK, AU, CA just stopped cold, but then inexplicable swung way back up hours later so I actually finished the day higher. Today I am starting the day with 50% drop in USA and 28% drop in UK traffic...search us off by 31%. Let's see if it swings back the other direction by end of day.

[KaseyM]

Biggest drop in a long time. That's after steadily dropping all summer. Sigh.

[yollo03]

@KaseyM, they rolled something out that targeted high volume keywords only so the sensors are not picking it up, that's my opinion. I've seen very large swings in my competitors. It's possible that you will rebound in a few days. If it doesn't, I hope you will recover later this year.

[NickMNS]

My traffic boost is fizzling, I was at +75% on Wednesday, but most of that was achieved in the final hours (~+300%). Yesterday I was at +70%, but it was progressively less traffic by the hour. Today I'm trending around +30%. I'm curious to see if any of this sticks.

[ichthyous]

@NickMNS I saw the same pattern...was up for weeks but now it is definitely reversing and heading downward, especially today.

What's astonishing is how effectively Google has targeted conversions...mine are down to a trickle, and it isn't the economy. So even though traffic has been higher all month, business is almost zero.

[KaseyM]

This title update surely isn't helping. I'm seeing my featured image alt tag being used for the title in the SERP.

[RedBar]

Touch wood at the moment I'm not seeing any titlebar name changes except for one specific small site where G has removed the last keyword on several pages. The SERPs do not appear to be changed so far.

[MayankParmar]

Google's title update removed the primary keyword from the SERP title for one of my new articles and it can easily tank the site's CTR and hurt reputation because it's misleading. Google is reverting changes even when I manually modify the title.

This title update is clearly broken and it should be rolled back immediately.

[frankleeceo]

Google roulette is the new Russian roulette.

Your traffic is up 20%, 50%, and 100%? It's not because you did really good work, it's because your competitor just got his head blown off. Don't worry, your turn to get blown is just around the corner lol.

+-20% hourly fluctuations lol.

[seomess]

Best thing about getting no traffic and no sales ... it can only get better ;)

[ichthyous]

More losses of top-3 spots this morning...that brings it to 16 lost this week. Today direct traffic is down 80%, UK traffic down 77%, USA down 31%. Weekends tend to drop off I have noticed, but there is definitely something afoot. Looks like the old June patterns are reasserting themselves.

[RedBar]

UK hotel site traffic normal.

Global site can only be described as lethargic, in actual fact the sort of traffic I was expecting for August but has not happened until now ... What does this mean for September?

[ichthyous]

Checking my domain authority on Ahrefs it has dropped off tremendously, down 17 spots since I last checked maybe a year ago. On Moz it remains the same. I don't subscribe to either, but I am wondering if anyone else has seen this disparity and what causes it? I do have a lot of direct links to images and changed the image urls late last year, issuing 301 redirects from old to new. Perhaps those links are not being counted any longer. I wonder if this is the cause since my image ranking suddenly fell off a cliff in 2021 as well.

[mzb44]

Checking my domain authority on Ahrefs it has dropped off tremendously, down 17 spots since I last checked maybe a year ago. On Moz it remains the same. I don't subscribe to either, but I am wondering if anyone else has seen this disparity and what causes it? I do have a lot of direct links to images and changed the image urls late last year, issuing 301 redirects from old to new. Perhaps those links are not being counted any longer. I wonder if this is the cause since my image ranking suddenly fell off a cliff in 2021 as well.

I fail to see how your score shown by a third party tool company would affect your Google rankings in any way at all.

As for the disparity between the scores shown by two third party tool companies: I'm assuming different methodology used by the third party tool companies to calculate those numbers.

[ichthyous]

I fail to see how your score shown by a third party tool company would affect your Google rankings in any way at all.

A huge drop in rank implies a huge drop in links, which would most certainly drop Google ranking like a stone. That is exactly what has happened since March. The question is, why do Moz and Ahrefs have such a huge disparity now, when they matched before? It seems that Ahrefs is more up to date and thorough, but may have changed how it counts backlinks for such a large drop to have taken place

This weekend has undone most of the gains in SERPS for the last month...I am back to where I was in July and still losing top 3 / 10 positions.

[EditorialGuy]

A huge drop in rank implies a huge drop in links

More likely, it implies a change in how Google uses those links. I'd assume that Google continues to refine which links it pays attention to and which links it ignores. (Certainly there are plenty of links that are little more than background noise.)

[ichthyous]

More likely, it implies a change in how Google uses those links.

Yes, but that was not the original question, which was not about Google but about Ahrefs change (drop) of 17 spots in domain rank for my site, while Moz stayed the same. Has Ahrefs changed the way they count links and has anyone else seen this drop? Which one is more accurate?

My reported links in GSC haven't declined other than that thousands of scraper site links were removed, and also Pinterest link count is much lower.

[NickMNS]

which was not about Google but about Ahrefs

Exactly, who cares about Ahrefs, it's not Google, which means it has bearing on anything. It serves only to sucker unsuspecting webmasters to pay for a service that is useless.

Which one is more accurate?

They are both total useless garbage.