September 2023 Google Search Observations

[mosxu]

So you guys you don’t spend in ads much? The cheese is moving even more if you spend on ads!

[edited by: not2easy at 6:49 pm (utc) on Sep 1, 2023]
[edit reason] New month, new thread [/edit]

[Cyril TechWebsites]

I can't stop the falling. I tried everything I could - nothing helps. Google is just destroying everything I was doing for 10 years. Updating, technical improvements - nothing helps. I just can't do nothing - just watching how it demoting the website and enjoying how-to articles in SERPS, majority of which is old outdated irrelevant articles. It seems that those are the "helpful content". Just insanity.

[i.imgur.com...]

[Micha]

So I haven't experienced a Saturday like that either, almost no traffic from Google at all. Picture in the search engine itself: outdated content, the usual big sites at the top and small websites only to be found with luck (apart from the excessive advertising). I don't know what they are doing there, but it looks like small sites are currently being sorted out.

[Fluff_Nutz]

I get my viewing figures from Analytics. Afterall, this is what most revenue companies rely on. If I were to spend time looking at the Google Search Console I would likely loose what sanity I have left. I remember spending a lot of time looking at it over the past few months and it forever dropped. I upload new content and I loose even more figures. Usually anywhere between 20-30%. Surprisingly enough if I didn't upload anything the numbers would return.

In fact I have another website that I find difficult to keep updating as I'm also trying to juggle my main site and a Youtube channel. I also lack funds for writers on that particular site too. However, with that being said I just recently got an email from G stating that I'm still getting quite a hefty amount of views. Not anything you can make a living off but in comparison to how many articles are on that site and how little updates it is getting. It's rather surprising.

Anyway back on subject. Yesterday was a bit better +9%. Today is starting off okay. We will see if that changes during the course of the day.

[RedBar]

Since Wednesday my global site has seen a good bounce-back and since Thursday our UK-focussed hotel venue has seen similar.

How much of this is to do with the update or people returning to work or changes in the SERPs, I haven't a clue. I have not and will not change anything unless I can see something specific but heavens knows what that may possibly be!

[ichthyous]

My traffic remains strong for 8 days now and sales have jumped considerably. It strikes me that the summer doldrums were particularly quiet this year and now everyone is in full swing again. Also, offices are re-opening and that has helped considerably in my line of business...

It's clear that the strength of the US dollar and relative weakness of the EU, UK, AU and CA economies now is making exports of items priced in dollars nearly impossible. I have even experimented with dropping the price for customers outside of the US and still no sales. I miss the days of exporting and selling to all of these areas.

[EditorialGuy]

I'm seeing some really crazy volatility. A couple of our perennially top pages are down quite a bit (25 to 40 percent) week over week, while others are up by several thousand percent. (In one case, 5,100 percent). And no, these bouncy pages aren't related to news events or other "trending topics"--they're just bread-and-butter pages that normally don't go up or down much.

I'd expect a modest decline at this time of year (our editorial travel site's traffic always peaks in summer and starts to drop off in September), but the current mixture of ups and downs is just weird.

[ChokenBako]

-10% down compared to last week. Anything going on?

[RedBar]

Anything going on?

Google Releases August 2023 Core Update

[webmasterworld.com...]

[Alex_1729]

I'm seeing a change in traffic today for my main site, a slight bump (though lost about 15% of organic overall). I suspect the update has finished rolling out?

[RedBar]

I suspect the update has finished rolling out?

22 Aug 2023 10:37 PDT Released the August 2023 core update. The rollout may take up to 2 weeks to complete.

[RedBar]

So far today back to deadness across all my sites.

[Atomic]

The rollout may take up to 2 weeks to complete

They often say this yet there are signs of these updates before the announcement and more possibly related activity after Google says one is completed. But whatever.

[ichthyous]

Not sure if it has to do with this update but traffic remains very strong for the 10th day running...I was expecting a big drop on labor day weekend in the US., but today search is up 53% so far! It seems that every region except Australia is participating.

On another note...does anyone have their site scanned regularly by a barrage of visits from IP's all over China in a short period of time? This seems to happen at least once a month. The visits all hit from China Telecom or China Unicorn from desktop "Google Chrome 78.0 Windows 1920x1080". This seems to a bot network of some kind. The only way to block it is to just block all China traffic, which I would prefer not to do.

[Fluff_Nutz]

Google are getting more and more greedy. Just noticed their new Promotional feature over on Youtube. It's currently in beta but never knew about it. Everywhere you look its all pay-2-win now. Wonder if it actually works. Wonder if I'll ever get my site to where I want it, or would like it, at least. Same with my Youtube since I'm discussing that topic right now. *sigh*

These changes are becoming more and more frequent. With the G SERP adds, chrome adds. More frequent G updates. Now this new Youtube feature. All of it in such quick succession. Desperate much? If you are dying Google, just die already. No one will miss your greed and ego. So make it quick..

Anyway. More graph and traffic rollercoasters. One minute the traffic is really nice. Above expectations with +90% increase. The next it is down to a normal -30%.

[Micha]

If you are dying Google, just die already. No one will miss your greed and ego. So make it quick.

I'm afraid before Google dies, our websites will die because Google is bleeding them dry.

But apart from that, my traffic recovered a bit on Sunday, but it's still low. It is noticeable that the search often only spits out very old articles and in Google News the small news sites disappear and the usual sites are at the top with completely outdated articles, at least in the subject area in which my magazine is active.

[RedBar]

I'm going to start calling Mondays lethargic Monday since it seems to be happening regularly, slow and boring therefore 'tis a good thing I have plenty to do :-)

I'm afraid before Google dies, our websites will die because Google is bleeding them dry.

That is quite a possibility for those who rely upon whatever fad is in fashion, I'm not saying you do, however buyers in general once they have found a reputable supplier tend to stick with them even if sometimes they are a bit more expensive or slower in supply, then we're back to branding recognition.

[renatovieira]

Very slow today....

[Micha]

That is quite a possibility for those who rely upon whatever fad is in fashion, I'm not saying you do, however buyers in general once they have found a reputable supplier tend to stick with them even if sometimes they are a bit more expensive or slower in supply, then we're back to branding recognition.

I agree with you, only I don't have a store but a news site and fortunately I'm not as dependent on Google as other representatives of my industry. But let's face it, Google isn't going to die anytime soon. How many times has the company been declared dead, and yet today it celebrates its 25th birthday?

[Fluff_Nutz]

Wow it's G's 25th birthday today? Had no idea. Forgive me if I don't feel like celebrating. Happy B'day Google... Not.
To me, with all of their recent updates and changes. Plus their consistency and need to practically destroy everything. It all just rings alarm bells of their desperation. If it's not all greed. But in keep in mind that they are forever in the news regarding law suits, fines and the last I heard Alphabet were not doing that great. Plus, this month they have another court case.

Lady luck might have been on their side but how long is that going to last? Time will tell. We need some competition. If only there was consistency in the SERPS, I would be so much happier. What does it take?

[RedBar]

and yet today it celebrates its 25th birthday

Yep and there were many people like me who were working for free in their spare time to make Google into the best search engine available and we achieved that with very little acknowledgement from the founders if I remember correctly ... The first few years were very good and especially so AdSense for me, then 2010 arrived and it's been downhill ever since ... For me, not G :-)

[superclown2]

If it's not all greed. But in keep in mind that they are forever in the news regarding law suits, fines and the last I heard Alphabet were not doing that great.

Clicks I am getting from Google continue to fall in number but the conversion rate is much better than it used to be. Not surprising since visitors have to battle through so much Googlespam to get to the real search results that they have to be serious!

In the meanwhile my business from Bing is still improving, and I am even getting visits via Yahoo which I thought was moribund! It would seem that visitors are turning their backs on Google; slowly at first but looking at what Bing is doing with AI (they are in a different league entirely to Bard, which may well end up like so many of their 'other bets') I would be surprised if this trend didn't accelerate.

It's ironic really that so many brilliant people working right now on AI first started at Google but were sacked or left because they couldn't stomach the current corporate culture. It reminds me of a Dilbert film I watched years ago ...

[Martin Ice Web]

Our niche got upside down with this update. stores with as less as possible description and information ruling.
All have one in common: title=h1=description and this is the text from the manufacturer.

I guess the time to build commpelling webssites is over with this core update.

IMO: google has gooten it wroing itself by prefering websites with much text ( like websites made for amazon ads ). As now many websites upgraded their websites google is not able to distinguish between real content and content made for amazon ads.
Collateral damage: websites with realy good and original content made for users

[shadowlight]

Just seen a new layout ive not seen before:

Ad
Ad
Ad
1st Organic
PAA
2nd Organic
PASF (people also search for)
3rd Organic
Ad
4th Organic
5th...
6th...
7th...
8th...
9th...
10th...

Obviously experimenting with ads where there usually are none. Chrome on mobile, only time I use it is to check what they are up to in regards to rank, layouts etc.

[Fluff_Nutz]

Yesterday was a good day. +19% over last Monday. Great improvement. Though that may be down to Americans celebrating labor day, and them forming the majority of the traffic. Today is a bit of a struggle, so far at least. Though, with the US holiday now over it's back to the grind for them, so its expected right now. Hopefully it picks up later, with the different time zones etc..

[RedBar]

@shadowlight

I've seen a similar layout for quite some time only worse!

Most often It's two or three rows of 4/5 image ads and then quite often only 7/8 organics and then yet more ads, usually 4/5 image ads. This is a variant of a classiified ads layout and what is the Google SERPs, an advertising hoarding on one's phone, tablet, laptop, pc, whatever.

[ichthyous]

This past holiday weekend was good traffic...today it's dropping like a stone. USA and Canada are -50%+ at 11am, while every other country is much higher. Strange how it's always USA and Canada that drop off a cliff. It all appears to be "direct" traffic (down 60% today), not search (up 32%). Typically that means Google Images.

[renatovieira]

@ichthyous - Over here too. Dropping like a rock today, USA and Canada...

[Fluff_Nutz]

Yup, 10am and exactly the same results. Currently -33% over the same period yesterday. Was picking up at 9am but at 10 a complete nose dive. So I guess G hasn't finished wrecking everything yet. Despite yesterday being the ''apparent'' last day of the G update.
Though, if the update started on the 22nd August, maybe today is the last day? I can never keep up with these updates *sigh*.

[Conro]

Traffic drop in google why:
Featured snippet with reply
1 position
Paa with reply

Or

Featured snippet
Paa
1 position


The team of google is very stupid

[edited by: Conro at 3:54 pm (utc) on Sep 5, 2023]