October 2023 Google Search Observations

[Cyril TechWebsites]

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System: The following 3 messages were cut out of thread at: https://www.webmasterworld.com/google/5093320.htm [webmasterworld.com] by not2easy - 11:10 am on Oct 1, 2023 (atl -4)

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Seeing further drastical drop on Saturday. I stopped producing new content and updating the old content. There is no sense anymore for me, feeling awful to say that, but my website was fully destroyed with the "helpful" update.

[adman]

GA4 realtime analytics is not working for me for a week.
Does anyone have same problem?

[RedBar]

I hesitate to type this however I am seeing a small recovery in traffic as follows:

Week 40 traffic was -33.2% v 2023 average and my lowest week of the year
Week 41 was +11.7% v week 40
Week 42 so far is +8.5% v week 41 BUT still -19% v 2023 average

It's looking a bit better however do bear in mind that my 2023 average so far is -18% v 2022 and -37.2% v 2021

The more USA localisation I see the lower my USA traffic and also to a noticeable extent in the UK too.

[superclown2]

Certainly, you can invest in marketing, like Google Ads, online banners, but there are lots of other ways.
For example, I have printed 10.000 flyers and distributed them on the street to promote my new site.
I also payed local newspaper ad.

The worst marketing I've ever seen for the web was a series of Bing TV ads here in the UK which were excruciatingly, embarrassingly bad, on a par with the Strand TV ads. They may be good technologically but with their confusing layout and attempts to hide ads amongst genuine search results they show an amazing lack of knowledge of salesmanship. However, as far as advertising a site goes:

Google ads: if you have deep pockets you can use these to buy market share and exclude competitors. For the vast majority of websites the cost would far outweigh any benefit.

Online banners? Most of us gave that up a decade or two ago. They don't convert at anywhere near a worthwhile level.

Leafletting: seriously? They can be good for a local builder/odd job firm but for advertising a website they would be as near ineffective as makes no difference.

I've seen people try press ads but no attempt I've seen has continued for long, no doubt owing to poor ROI.

Once the mantra was to create better content than the opposition but looking at current Google search results that is clearly a waste of time. Authority (helped by how much is spent on Google ads) will always trump quality and expertise. Indeed some of the junk that is succeeding right now is scarcely believable.

Google's business plan consists of squeezing ever more sums of money out of search until the whole lot implodes. For this to succeed things, for webmasters, can only get worse. So: my advice to anyone thinking of coming into this business is don't bother unless you are prepared to sit it out until Google loses its monopoly; which no matter which way the current court case goes, would be at least two or three years off. Then who know what the next 'search engines' that come along will do? It may be a case of "out of the frying pan into the fire".

Alternatively, find a product or service which is totally unique to promote, but accept that as soon as you start to make some money 'authority' sites with little or no expertise in it will jump on the bandwagon and steal your lunch.

Like it or not, this is the reality of the situation at the moment. I am speaking, incidentally, with the benefit of over half a century of successful sales and marketing experience.

Google is well on the way to destroying the whole original purpose of The Internet.

[EditorialGuy]

GA4 is useless of course to find out what’s going on in real time. I’m having to look at Adsense stats to try and monitor things.

Try Plausible Analytics. It isn't as comprehensive as Google Universal Analytics, but it isn't bad.

[mosxu]

Can you ask for your money back?

[superclown2]

I'm seeing a lot of domain crowding - I thought that ended ages ago?

Worse than that - I'm seeing auto generated pages rising to the top. These have exactly the same extremely thin content ( less than 50 words), with just the search term changing and appearing three or four times, along with the title and heading. There is no meta description! They have obviously been generated using a level of database skill that even a kid at elementary school could handle. Hey, this was common more than 20 years ago! Google was able to filter this junk out then, why can't they do it now?

Either they are running some sort of tests, or their system is in one big mess.

In mobile I'm seeing multiple PAA and PASF blocks shoving the organics down to oblivion. It seems that the more valuable the click, the more of this Googlespam. This really puts the evidence released during the current trial into perspective.

[Juniya]

@Superclown2 - I think they are still fine tuning their search engine since the spam updates, I am seeing some really really bad results on common searches I highly doubt they would leave it the way it is, they are not that stupid, are they?

There is no way they can leave the search platform the way it is today, it is a mess no doubt but if the average person doesn't notice it, maybe they won't care.

[Razorllama]

The past week has been the worst in my site's 2.5 years of history. Traffic decline and disappearing/briefly re-appearing on the SERPs articles put aside, my conversions have been half of what they should be at my current session threshold.

[christianz]

My junior sites have been hit yesterday and biggest/oldest got boosted proportionally. Seems like just another wave of the same algo logic.

[superclown2]

@Superclown2 - I think they are still fine tuning their search engine since the spam updates, I am seeing some really really bad results on common searches I highly doubt they would leave it the way it is, they are not that stupid, are they?

Yes that's possible. On earlier anti-spam updates the rubbish bubbled to the top so that human reviewers could skim it off. Nowadays of course their algo should see to it automatically so I wonder why results are so awful now that they've had so much time to get it right.

Are they that stupid? It wouldn't surprise me much if these results stuck. The general quality of search results has declined dramatically over the last few years and I've been predicting for ages now that Google would go for broke before the axe fell. Their priority is income, not the best search results, and we are only just finding out for sure, thanks to the documents released during their trial, that what many of us suspected for years was pretty well correct.

[ichthyous]

Traffic is truly all over the map now...one day normal, the next day extremely low. This weekend it was decent, but this morning USA is -60% and UK is -36%.

After months of very high UK traffic Google has seen fit to reduce that back to previous levels. I had the same thing happen a couple of years ago with traffic from Australia...it was on fire for almost a year and then vanished after an update and never returned back to the highs. Conversions were already poor before the war started, now nil despite the higher traffic on some days.

[Fluff_Nutz]

It all adds up too.

Releasing many of their employees over the years. Replacing them with in-experienced ones to save costs.
More updates that take longer to roll out. I no longer see messages of a random joe suddenly nailing $10k a month, out of no where. It's mostly now just hits and low blows.
It could be a lack of time to work on these things but, as has already been pointed out, the SERPs are terrible. Worse than ever, for many. I searched for a guide only a few days ago. Came across a website that is huge in the niche. Very high authority. Alas, their article had less than 50 words and none of it was helpful. No images and zer0 videos. But, alas, the exact same site had 2 articles with very little content in the top 10. More and more of these bigger sites, with very little helpful content are nailing multiple positions in the top 10. Just like this site has.
Bard is new and expensive. It too must be maintained.
Alphabet has been struggling for many years now.
They are mending to the Youtube ads come November to further their revenue.
More yearly, monthly fines and court cases.
The SERPs is just a nesting ground for even more G spam.

There is likely even more that I can add to this list but, right now, my mind is at a blank. Alas, it all points to Google and either their greed or struggles. Likely both because of the latter, because why the sudden change? If they were doing okay financially then these changes with increased updates. Would not be necessary. These updates also do not really fix anything. As far as I am aware they never have. They are just cover names for what is really happening. More and more information regarding their true agenda is being released in this latest court case. Keyword fiddling and search manipulation.

Knowing all of this also helps give me my motivation back for the site once again too. Thinking, believing that, one day, Google and their monopoly will end. That, just maybe, the SERPs will become an actual search once again. I want to believe in this. As we all do. We have had enough of G and their monopoly. It's time to end it. This latest court case is releasing crucial information. They have the ability to grant us our miracle. After all it is said to be the biggest court case in decades for the company, that statement must mean something.

I know, when G does eventually loose its ability to manipulate and steal both traffic and revenue. The future may not be as bright as we hope but I don't think it will be worse than this. At least not straight away. So, perhaps there is still a chance for stable income. Once the elephant has been dealt with. One can only hope.

I have so many dreams and ambitions with two of my sites. Both are awaiting stable income. One minute it has it and the next.. Its like placing my goals on hold but screaming out because you want to achieve them so much. In truth, the search should be a stable environment. Not a mess of terrible articles at the top just because they have authority in the niche. Authority is a joke. Bigger sites means nothing most of the time. They are just older, not wiser. G should know this and do nothing. Again, profiting due to their struggles. Just die already. Also, older sites should never be at the top because they, as I have mentioned before, have already gained establishment. Thus will always have visitors. Newer sites will never see this. There is no growth without newer sites and newer competition.

G are dying. Facts. It's just a waiting game. Then a long overdue party after.

[renatovieira]

Big drop today.

[RedBar]

G are dying. Facts. It's just a waiting game. Then a long overdue party after.

Historically most companies eventually die or are taken over and split up.

What would your party be for?

The possible appearance of a brand new search enngine?

The hope that more may use Bing / DDG / Y ?

G's search split-off and taken-over by "someone" else? FWIW even as a "dying" entity it would have pretty good value and the total closure of G's search would be most unlikely therfore, bearing this in mind, would its "new" owner do things much differently?

It would still have to financially support itself to some degree surely?

[Fluff_Nutz]

With a weakened Google comes some hopeful competition into the search. Thus, in theory, bringing stability across for publishers and an overall better search experience for everyone else. There would be no more dominance. This is why G are so greedy, their monopoly. They use the SERPs to fund it all, everything. Its their biggest money earner and that is why there is no stability.

If searchers still prefer to use Google, for whatever reason. Then I would still like to think that the search would remain stable. After the fall of their monopoly they couldn't re-create it. If they tried to redo what they lost, it would take time and, perhaps, risk them losing their search next. After all they are still the same business, going under the same business name and model.

So, I guess the way I see it. I'll be partying because of a huge pressure being removed. Personal reasons but I put a lot of effort into my site last year. As do most publishers. We should not have to see it being removed and lost due to company greed and dominance.

Yes, the future is uncertain but what I do know is that, if Google's monopoly ever falls, we will all be a lot better off. Why run a service that goes in the opposite direction of its original purpose? Why is every other platform that G owns stable and yet the search is not? It smells like the blame is on the monopoly. Get rid of it to get rid of the problem.

[mhansen]

I know this is about search results, but has anyone else that uses Gmail or the chrome browser to write/edit email/content noticed that their spell-checking feature is not doing so well lately also? (Maybe it's just my poor grammar?!) Misspelling common words like "your" (as yuor) etc, triggers all types of odd alternatives, but none of them are the correct "your" version a user would expect. I believe Google integrates their features together fairly tightly as to make best use of all the data, so it makes me wonder if all of their integrated systems are just very confused right now.

[Micha]

Yes, the future is uncertain but what I do know is that, if Google's monopoly ever falls, we will all be a lot better off.

Aren't you getting your hopes up? Just because people suddenly don't use Google so much doesn't mean you can sleep better.

Take Bing: it's damn hard for small websites to rank well there, and it's not easy with Yahoo and co. either.

Unfortunately, I don't think we can relax either, because at first the search engines will have to rely on big, very well-known websites to keep users happy.

What's more, it's unlikely that Google will lose its monopoly, because the company is so broadly positioned that you can't get past it. The only thing that would help, at least in my opinion, would be a new management level that sees the search engine for what it really is and not a money printing machine.

[RedBar]

@Fluff_Nutz

Whilst your hopes are understandable I feel that they would be dashed. Any new independent owner would need to justify their investment therefore unless a benevolent buyer could be found I would have thought it would be more of the same. Certainly a reduction of so many ads may be preferred but what reaction woulld publishers have if, say, localisation were not given so much prominence?

One of the major balancing acts all SEs have is to try and perform is that of sifting through local, national and international sites with only a 2/3/4 words query. How many companies are there in your industry in your country, how many are retail, how many wholesale, how many manufacturing, then multiply that by however many there are in all the country's in the world ... and SEs have to predict from a 2/3/4 word query what it is someone is searching for.

Granted history and cookies etc help in this task IF one allows them but how many do not these days?

[Razorllama]

I know this is about search results, but has anyone else that uses Gmail or the chrome browser to write/edit email/content noticed that their spell-checking feature is not doing so well lately also?

I've had hiccups there, too. I feel a lot of Google products have been all over the place. Google Ads were iffy for a few days without a fix, then we've got the search results fiasco, the indexing issues, and on top of that I see some design lack of polish on some features Google are testing out in the serps (eCommerce brand 'inserts'). I even got bugged containers on their 'Feedback' boxes and couldn't submit any over the weekend. Clicking didn't register at all.

So, yeah, seems to span across some of their services/branches.

[HUnch]

We should stop complaining now and start to analyse the site ranking at top (non ugc sites).

In my understanding till now.. I see low DA sites are ranking well everywhere. It’s because backlinks is not one of the top 3 ranking factors, and it is confirmed.

So what could be the top 3 ranking factors? Social media presence? EEAT? And On point content without BS?

What you all guys think?

[Micha]

So what could be the top 3 ranking factors? Social media presence? EEAT? And On point content without BS?

I don't think we can do anything, because Google does what it wants anyway. For example, since yesterday my traffic has increased again, but we haven't changed anything. The only way I can explain it all is that Google simply has problems ranking websites properly because they rely too much on AI and the mass of websites has simply become too big. In my field, for example, it seems that Google gives journalists a credibility bonus because the background is easy to understand. That doesn't work for us. We are all not trained journalists, but we know a lot about our subject, but we don't have such an easy-to-follow background.

[christianz]

So what could be the top 3 ranking factors? Social media presence? EEAT? And On point content without BS?

Both of those can be exploited/faked more easily than links. Unless by "EEAT" you mean very strict form of EEAT where you have to be one of handpicked whitelist of large media companies/platforms.

Ideally EEAT should be abolished completely and entirely. And Social media shouldn't even be mentioned in this conversation. I don't have any social media for myself or my websites (other than placeholder accounts) and why should I. Not interested, don't care.

I am building websites. I am not building audiences on some other folk's websites. Only reason I could see social media useful is to literally bombard it and spam it with links to your own website.

[adman]

I am building websites. I am not building audiences on some other folk's websites.

If you look at it that way, Google has build it's empire on other folk's websites.

Only reason I could see social media useful is to literally bombard it and spam it with links to your own website.

I think that Google has never valued social media for ranking, so bombarding it with links can only harm your site.

[christianz]

I think that Google has never valued social media for ranking, so bombarding it with links can only harm your site.

But you never know what they do or plan to do these days. Relying on links for ranking is becoming super difficult due to huge amount of spam. They are (unfortunately) exploring other (external) factors.

[Razorllama]

First time in my history I've had a full hour without ANY sessions. I guess that's the logical conclusion of a 50% initial drop followed up by -15% bleeds every passing week.

Articles still missing from the SERPs (coincidentally, the majority of them being my top conversion/earning sources). The silver lining is that at least two have returned miraculously after 3 full weeks of absence.

I'm done with this for the time being, removing GA4, and unplugging. This is unreal.

[adman]

@Razorllama

How much visitors/visits you had before update?

[Sodero18]

Another drop today (-13% on top of previous losses). I guess G is messing around more with the flawed algorithms without success. Changes in event pages which have previously resulted in pages going up are now going down when a date changes (and dates have to change for events). Many of our pages are still on the first page of Bing and DDG for our keywords. New articles are showing up on the first page of both Bing and DDG.

[Razorllama]

How much visitors/visits you had before update?

My hourly average users were 80 or so. 35-40 in lower-traffic hours to 120++ in peak hours. Traffic decline aside, my conversions are still crap - I literally had better days in my site's semi-infancy when it had half of the CURRENT (declined) traffic. I haven't seen anything like this.

[RareBit]

I wouldn't make any assumptions about the results yet..we are still seeing movement and usually do until a week after the update has finished.

[ichthyous]

I wouldn't make any assumptions about the results yet..we are still seeing movement and usually do until a week after the update has finished.

The constant updates are merely a cover for the perpetual assault on traffic. If Google keeps blaming it on updates people will keep believing that a normal state exists, and one day they may return to normality. Normality is long gone...there will only be perpetual chaos and big drops in traffic as Google experiments with how to squeeze every last drop of revenue out of the internet. There is no concern for anything else, not even the quality of their own search product.

<speculation>Perhaps Google sees search as the last technology and is focusing on the next one...it doesn't care about the quality of search since it has 90% of the market. It is cannibalizing the old tech to fund the new one.</speculation>