March 2024 Google Search Observations

[Cyril TechWebsites]

Over the years, Google's principle seems to have shifted from its original "Don't be evil" to "Be a pure evil"... I guess if some authorities or government will stop it? They are just stealing our content, destroying the Internet prioritizing user-generated content (UGC) pages with a lack of quality and expertise, destroying teams and content creators behind the websites.

A lot of you are saying that they are after money. But what's their goal for the future? What result will they have in 2 or 3 years more? Internet will die, it's obvious that Reddit forum's pages aren't answering the majority of people's searches. What will they do when no one will continue publishing and updating content? Aren't they face a deep stagnation because of this? I just can't get what they are doing - I understand they are trying to steal everything is possible, but what's next step? How will they survive in the circumstances they are creating?

[ichthyous]

USA traffic is -31% today, so something is definitely kicking in in the USA SERPS. My overall search traffic is actually up slightly, and UK, AU, CA, and most of Europe ex France is very high today.

[Micha]

@Ingall Google apparently thinks that such sites are important in Germany. But let's wait and see, we're always a bit behind the USA when it comes to updates, and there hasn't been a German site that has been kicked out of the index yet.

[oldog]

"837 sites deindexed by the Google March 2024 AI spam manual action"
WONDER WHEN WILL RING THE BELL FOR FANDOM DOT COM
By far the largest spammer of all times....

[oldog]

Talking about AI.....
read this

[developers.google.com...]

[Whitey]

I'm hoping that this is a Search Console bug too. But the other thing that my GA4 must be glitching too, because it also shows drop to 2 clicks per day. But...

I'm checking my Semrush, checking Hrefs numbers - they are all showing some changes (~10%), but no drop to zero or something like that. Hoping this is a glitch...

@Cyril TechWebsites
There's definitely a GSC glitch in our case, where the indexed pages (as recorded in our sitemaps) of around 1.2k have gone to 156k. All pages above the localised 1.2k for this ccTLD are correctly "noindexed".

But in a core update thru March with expected search volatility going on it's pretty disconcerting and a potential cause for panic if it's more widespread. I'm still feeling uncertain.

There were multiple reports of GSC bugs last year, some which Google acknowledged. But SEO's didn't seem to be chatting about it a lot..

Has anyone come across any reports of bugs? Hopefully some other's can pitch in to verify this and report it to Google if it's happening more widely.

[Treud]

Since the update a few days ago I received an email from my host telling I was sort of using all ressource of my cluster, but the metrics from Analytics were stable, at the same time, the total count of visitors doubled, but, the bandwidth usage remains the same…

Sometimes I don’t know who is cheating, Google, Hosting companies…

[Conro]

@Whitey To me now on gsc almost all pages with high lcp are reported, but if I do the test with page speed the lcp is ok. Google has more and more bugs. I'm more and more convinced that there's someone in there who's sabotaging everything

[Cyril TechWebsites]

@Whitey

From yesterday. my impressions in GSC started showing again.

During update this website decreased from 3k impressions to 38 per day.

For yesterday, the data in GSC shows ~300 impressions.

And from today, I'm seeing visitors from Google again. I believe, it's not a glitch, it's a rollout of this update, the hope things will change positive in a few days.

[BlueEyes82]

I checked the visibility of a few dozen websites. Almost everyone who was hit by the HCU update continues to lose - despite some major changes. *It went really well back then *ironyoff*

For example, one of my websites now has almost as much traffic from duckduckgo. I was hoping that Google would turn the "right" screws this time - so far, in my opinion, they are still the wrong ones.

Only the current point in time gives us some hope, but I fear that things will get even worse.

[Micha]

My website is back in Discover and I've had better numbers since yesterday than I've had for a long time. My most important search terms have also improved significantly in the rankings, but I can also see that many other search terms have lost ground. Without the articles that bring in a lot of clicks via Discover, the traffic via Google would be rather poor.

I've just had a look at some other websites and see the same thing that BlueEyes82 describes. All those affected by HCU continue to lose. I only see strong growth in our big news sites and big stores.

[Conro]

@BlueEyes82 my traffic today -23% compared to the same day last week.

[sk7411]

+24%

[Alex_1729]

Who is winning? I saw lots of .info sites are winners currently, but not sure if this is just Google's strategy for brining them down. In any case, with so many of teh big blackhat players losing, who is winning currently?

[Conro]

I'm noticing big changes regarding sponsored ads at the top of Google search. Now for some queries there are no longer 4 ads one after the other vertically, but there is only one box at the top with the ads scrolling horizontally. I also notice big changes for job search queries (yes I'm looking for a normal job because I'm tired of this roulette called google), Where new job search boxes have been added, including many sites that deal with classifieds.

[RubicCubed]

Who is winning?

Too early in these updates to tell. Many AI sites reported by upset webmasters in other forums, blogs, etc. are already gone or losing pages quickly. One can assume Google assembled a list of AI sites to apply manual actions to by scouring through forums and blogs. The public complaints of webmaster's did most of the heavy lifting for Google IMO.

In the court document [justice.gov...] Google notes "We do not understand documents. We fake it." Granted the heavily redacted document is old, but judging by the recent failures of Google's AI it's clear Google still has some serious flaws that need to be rectified. Since more of Google's efforts are being applied to AI, I'm doubtful their algo will ever make much progress in elevating high quality content.

[StupidIntelligent]

Some user on Seroundtable posted a disturbing picture, in the comments section. The picture showed "I want to die" in red color on the wall. This person wants to commit suicide because his girlfriend left him and now Google also deindexed his site and he has no income. That's depressing. Heavy stuff.

[Conro]

@StupidIntelligent I didn't read the comment directly, but I did read about someone who told something that had to do with suicide And the comment has been deleted. I would take these statements seriously, there are those who have killed themselves live. That may or may not be true

[Fluff_Nutz]

Reminds me of an article I read a while back when someone purposely drove into a building and blamed it on Google. That the company had been troubling him for years. No one was killed or hurt but I don't blame them. You work your @ss off on your sites, creating a living from it that is meant to keep you going through life. Some people cannot get jobs for whatever reason. This is an easy substitute but due to company incompetence its then ruined without any real warning. Its sad really.

Years of work down the drain, money, time and effort. For what exactly? I am not suicidal but those around me know that the mere mention of Google grinds my gears. I even see other webmaster/content creators refusing to purchase any product from Google, and the company itself has lost an awful lot of trust and respect over the years. This is why I now divert but still the website provides a necessary platform for my other platforms. So its still important for me. I am putting a lot of it down to AI right now and hopefully there is light somewhere down the tunnel. Stay strong there has to be a happy ending, right?

These court claims and such have to do something. A lot of it is due to Google's inability and understanding when it comes to AI too. They should never have got this far with their monopoly.

[RubicCubed]

These court claims and such have to do something.

The court cases will probably end like others have before them - some insignificant change in the SERPS and a big fine that will be paid for by us when Google replaces even more organic SERPS with paid ads. Technology moves too quickly for these court cases to keep up with the techniques Google uses to abuse their dominance. Only firm and constant regulatory oversight can help.

As it is for me with an online store, where we rank hasn't mattered for over a year. Google's search results are primarily ads with very few users scrolling far enough to even see an organic result. Though billed as major updates, we don't even see any change in our traffic or sales because we've been and continue to be buried under ads.

[Whitey]

@Cyril TechWebsites @Conro

1 x ccTLD has returned to normal clicks. Impressions are at 50% of normal. Indexing has dropped from 156k to 135k (we only have around 1.2k indexed pages in sitemaps). The other ccTLD x 1 is starting to show signs of life.

.com is growing clicks strongly, but impressions have dropped 50%

Core update traffic churn or GSC bug? or both ? It's not a good look to have this GSC instability in one of the most stressful month's of a core update. I'm not bipolar, but if i was, this would be doing my head in.

[MayankParmar]

I think we all have our issues with Google. While some SEOs on X keep claiming that Google is improving its search quality and that more helpful content is emerging, it frankly irritates me. It is also shocking that famous SEOs barely try to question Google over its Reddit deal and how Reddit ranks so well. Have they truly done their homework? Posting their growth chart with rocket emojis is not going to change the fact that Google sucks. So many excellent sites continue to be wrongly penalized by Google. After all, Google is a corporate entity. Perhaps, in a few years, the people working there might move on to other opportunities. So, why even simp for Google?

I've been creating content for about nine years, never writing for the search engine. I barely understand how to perform keyword research (and I'm not saying this just to be relatable). I started blogging to share my thoughts. I write articles to help others, and I regularly get "thank you" emails from my readers. Some of my work has been a lifesaver for some folks. If my private discussions with fellow authors were ever to be leaked (lol), it would only show my consistent advocacy for writing with the people in mind, a stance I've maintained since I started blogging.

I add sub headings into my articles to improve readability, add original screenshots to make the content helpful (NOT for Google), and include alt text to help those with disabilities. An author box is there to establish my credibility. People who work at Google (not search) and other big tech companies have previously contributed articles to my site.

My work has been acknowledged by major names like CNN, CNBC, and Forbes, among others.

However, since the updates in October or November, my visibility has drastically dropped. I find myself on the last page of Google News and kicked out from top stories where my presence was already minimal.

Here's how the news SERP treats me:

1. An article from a major media outlet that references my article ranks first.
2. Followed by other articles from large media outlets also linking to my work.
3. " " " "
4. " " " "
5. " " " "
6. " " " "

And where do I rank? On the last page of news, after the spam from Russian and Chinese sites. I literally spend 3-5 days on a single news item to add original information, screenshots, and statements only to find myself on the last page and outranked by those who quote me!?! And then I open X to find out the famous SEOs claiming Google is doing better now, and if you're not ranking, create people-first content, seriously!?

How is this fair? Coming from a less developed country, my voice seems to be drowned out, lacking the attention or support that others might receive on X. Nor can I expect any action from my government against Google's anti-competitive practices.

I'm also frustrated with anyone who tells me to read Google's "questions to ask about your site" from their Panda updates or something I don't remember. Please, just stop. It's not helpful. I'm well aware of that advice, and it's clear that Google does not value original reporting and content as much as they claim. What's the point of following their guidelines when they don't practice what they preach?

I have nothing against SEOs or people working at Google. I'm grateful to individuals like Danny and John, who are just trying to help people out in their capacity (they're not the ones making decisions at Google). And SEOs like Barry, Glenn, and Lily have been a great help.

[edited by: MayankParmar at 10:18 am (utc) on Mar 11, 2024]

[Juniya]

@Mayank -- I agree 208% with you, something similar has happened to me and I certainly also can't expect my country to do anything about it...Only difference is that maybe I have been doing this for a longer time, I started as a teenager and I was here when Google was still going around asking for funding.

With your situation, if you have the money, you might take a risk and hire a private SEO firm to assist you after you give them access to everything(stats, GSC etc) and let them assist that way. It's 50/50 and you don't have to spend too much, if you have maybe 3K(USD) a reputable firm MIGHT be able to assist and they can test some things out for you to confirm.

Good luck and I feel your frustration, I have been depressed because of the loss of revenue since late last year but one thing I know is, wherever there is darkness, the light is next up to on stage.

[capulkit]

I'm well aware of that advice, and it's clear that Google does not value original reporting and content as much as they claim.

We discussed this. I have a site with tools, I was the first to launch them, big brands copied it and they rank, I do not rank on first page. Its time we bloggers/cotnent creators start promoting alternatives like duckduckgo or bing.
At this point Bing and ddg results look more relevent.
Google results are typically:
1. Big brands with millions of irrelevent content
2. media websites
3. Youtube
4. Lot of questions and images and ads

[Conro]

@MayankParmar Most SEOs are just cheaters. The good ones are very few. How many sites then manage these seo? 20?50?100? 1000 sites? Some show how their client's 1 site is increasing visits, but why doesn't it show the graph of the other sites it follows? These SEOs of course agree with Google otherwise they can't invent the solution that won't guarantee the results, in the meantime they take the money anyway By the unfortunate person on duty. It's been a few days since the update started and it's going to last up to a month, how can anyone think they know what's right or wrong? It is clear that they are only looking for customers to fleece with the guarantee of no results, because they don't know what to do either.

[superclown2]

I am now seeing an extra row of buttons at the top of the SERPs marked 'images', 'compare', 'cheap' etc and these change each time. It is claimed they are there to help G comply with DMA but all they have achieved is to push organics even further down the page. Clicking on them just brings up another page dominated by ads and other junk. In the meanwhile the proportion of ads and googlespam to organics has increased. Google are still ignoring major components of many search queries and showing just plain vanilla results, for the top 'organic' results, so the quality of search has notched even lower.

Clearly, legislators are trying to reign Google in, whilst the latter is determined to continue extracting maximum profits. There will be some interesting legal battles with much collateral damage to website owners to look forward to.

[BigKat]

While some SEOs on X keep claiming that Google is improving its search quality and that more helpful content is emerging, it frankly irritates me.

Many SEOs are following Google's lead in selling hope and not actual results. As it pertains to us, most of the #1 search terms we've maintained for years are now getting at best 10% of the traffic they once did. The layout, 4 ads and a PAA above our #1 positions, has wiped out most of the traffic. There isn't enough meat on the bone to even try to rank #1 anymore for us let alone pay any SEO a hefty fee because they can't rank us above ads. Google has burned a lot of bridges and continues to do so. Being a dominant search engine, Google had a responsibility to act in such a way that protected the entire ecosystem. Instead, Google largely failed us all including their own users. Where there is failure, there is opportunity for competitors to rise and serve us all better.

[Conro]

Google is only interested in protecting its own pockets. It will probably end up like news aggregators, which then for various reasons have become standalone sites without the need for other sites.

[mhansen]

Not long ago, an update meant that some sites lost positions in the serp, while others moved upward to displace those who lost. Today, nearly everyone loses except a few of the very large untouchable sites that Google was kind enough last week to give them a 2-month warning that they too would feel pain if they don't stop abusing their site reputation. And of course, Google and all of it's own properties, widgets, etc.

I had the pleasure of looking at Google mostly on mobile devices this weekend. My Android phone and my Fire tablet. I ran through many queries in Google and the reality is that you have to browse pretty deep and know how to avoid ads, widgetry, etc, to find your way off the Google search results page to an organic result.

My guess would be that most mobile users (82% of ALL Google users now, according to SEMR) are clicking ads or other Google widgets +90% of the time without even knowing it. Even looking for Amazon and typing "https ://www.theexactdomain+com" into the address bar of Chrome in the Android browser, no longer brought me to Amazon.com like it used to, but to the Amazon ads on top of a search results page. When I type in the "https ://mydomainname +com" of my own business website, they show my branded ad instead of taking me directly to my website like it used to do. They are using the address bar on mobile devices as a search bar bar to promote ad clicks. On desktop, you can still avoid this, but I doubt this will hold true long as they look for more deceptively creative ways to regain the revenue they are losing.

For a semi-commercial query I typed in on a desktop browser, there were "narrow it down" type pills running horizontally at the top of the results, which allow you to adjust your query based on Google's suggestions. Then the typical 4 CPC ad results, which are so padded on top and bottom now that they take the full visible screen minus about 100 pixels so you can see the SGE generated result. After SGE is "other things to consider" before "ask a followup" then of course, PAA boxes. The first organic result (not counting the tiny arrows in the SGE result) is literally 2,115 pixels down the results page on desktop. Turning off SGE does spawn more organic, but it's Forbes, Reddit and some abstract forum I have never seen before that is a 17 year old phpBB site and does not work on mobile. That forum has gone from near invisibility last August, to +3m monthly estimated visitors today, with content that's so outdated it's laughable. [Clapping hands!] Kudos to the forum owner who stuck it out so long and benefited from this though.

- As for my own website, I am seeing further drops in the generic text-based content which is now on page 2 or 3 of G results, yet the "tools" I continue to create are surging in popularity.

- I'm seeing sites that are primarily niche info-based content , that ALSO have a prevalent ecommerce (or dropshipping) section attached to them survive/surge as well.

- I'm seeing far fewer WordPress powered websites in the top 10 results of organic without some extra aspect to them outside of the content. (Tools, ecom, services, etc) or uber-authority.

Bing and other engines are continuing to send 3-4x more visitors than ever before and I assume this is people abandoning Google for other search engines. Interestingly, if you drop bing.com into SEMRush, you'll see their own visibility in Google search shrinking from nearly 30k keywords 2-3 months ago, to around 3k now and most of those are KW's that include "bing" in the query.

Edit to fix links I did not want there.

[ichthyous]

As it pertains to us, most of the #1 search terms we've maintained for years are now getting at best 10% of the traffic they once did. The layout, 4 ads and a PAA above our #1 positions, has wiped out most of the traffic. There isn't enough meat on the bone to even try to rank #1 anymore for us let alone pay any SEO a hefty fee because they can't rank us above ads.

I am not quite seeing that much of a reduction across the board, but yes ranking for the high-volume search terms are not producing steady traffic for quite some time now, even if you are ranked top 3. That is especially true for USA traffic, which has been reduced the most.
Even for most of last year that was really not as widespread, but to me it seems that Google has been systematically blitzing the highest volume searches, and any associated terms. So one entire cluster of related terms will suddenly just be reduced to almost nothing. In one case it was an almost 90% reduction from last year, and business definitely disappeared along with it. It has slowly been ticking back up, but not close to last year and my ranking is exactly the same or higher.

This year I am also seeing a rotation of traffic for the most competetive high-volume terms, so one day it will be down 25-70% and next day it will be normal again, or higher. For some terms I am in the #1 or #2 spot and the traffic will mysteriously vanish for days. When I check different locations I am still at the top, and sometimes zero ads above me...but the traffic is just gone. Not sure how they are accomplishing this.

Most SEOs are just cheaters. The good ones are very few. How many sites then manage these seo?

Most of any marketers are cheaters. I have tried numerous sources of assistance and to the last they were all one half step above fraudulent and I had to cut them off and demand a refund. This goes for 3rd party sales platforms and social media promotion type services. The bottom line is this: unless you have massive budgets to pour into online and social these days in order to pay these platforms you will get nowhere. The amounts of money being spent are mostly ineffective and wasted, but since Google, Meta etc have monopoly status, people feel like they have no other choice but to be present.

This is having a huge impact on small business and should be treated as an issue of national security in reality. We are having a transfer of wealth away from small business owners (middle class) upward to the same monopolies across the board and creating more and more ultra-wealthy oligarchs who warp the system even more in their favor. It has not been seen as an issue of national importance until now because small businesses were allowed to thrive in a symbiotic relationship and these platforms in turn were unregulated. Now that is over...they want it all and will kill off all small business to get it all, so Google, Meta, Amazon are all threats to the economy now. That goes for USA and worldwide.

[Conro]

"This year I am also seeing a rotation of traffic for the most competetive high-volume terms, so one day it will be down 25-70% and next day it will be normal again, or higher. For some terms I am in the #1 or #2 spot and the traffic will mysteriously vanish for days. When I check different locations I am still at the top, and sometimes zero ads above me...but the traffic is just gone. Not sure how they are accomplishing this"

That's what I was noticing about. Articles that today receive half the traffic but are still in the same location. I tried with different connections, browsers, incognito mode, the traffic plummeted for the most visited articles, but in the serp they are always there.

For the rest you're right, big tech now has too much power and knows too much about us, it's like giving our lives to spies