November 2024 Google Search Observations

[Shepherd]

---

System: The following 3 messages were cut out of thread at: https://www.webmasterworld.com/google/5112287.htm [webmasterworld.com] by engine - 10:50 am on Nov 1, 2024 (utc 0)

---

Maybe, but how would they monetize search?

"ChatGPT is shaping up to be an exciting test of whether people will pay for quality information and a search experience that delivers reliable, actionable answers. It could set the stage for a new model in which users are willing to invest in search tools that prioritize depth, accuracy, and tailored insights over sheer volume of results." said ChatGPT

In my opinion, a paid search product is going to be the ONLY way to get quality search results moving forward. AI is the latest big bang and we are going back to 1998 in terms of the search landscape. I look forward to the next 20+ years.

[Micha]

@chris travel I have indeed noticed a significant fluctuation in my site's ranking, and the Google News traffic is no longer there. However, many shop owners are complaining that sales have dropped significantly since Monday.

[daniel1213]

High volatility today.. traffic is horrible. -40-50% compared to the average of a regular Saturday.

[Chris travel 30]

@micha thanks for responding. I have the slight guess, I have seen the exact kind of fluctuations some days before the offiicial update. Then it jumped back. Weird thing is, that the sonsors like semrush are green for germany. But if we are having these vola, why is it not tracked in these tools on a larger scale. Maybe it just impacts few sites this time? And if so, why the heck does google think some sites are this "bad"? Even if they are not - for sure. Even if they are helpful and created for people. Even if they answer the quesitions people have. I really do not get it anymore. Semrush is green for germany... fact is, it is shaking the SERPs. So guys, whats is going on? Sorry if i am sliding off topic. It is just getting on my nerves since months.

[Micha]

@Chris To be honest, I have given up trying to understand Google. Today, I found another good example that shows that Google is not interested in helpful content, but in brand awareness.
Unfortunately, I can't tell you why Semrush and the other tools don't show fluctuations; I suspect that the movement is probably too small, and it's also questionable how these tools measure.
I can well understand that you are annoyed too; I feel the same way. However, I am more annoyed by this powerlessness in the face of Google and that our competition authorities are just watching.

[christianz]

Traffic down, rankings down, revenue down. Everything is bad.

[Treud]

Traffic is super bad too, BUT i received some inquiry emails !

If we appear in highlight box or anything like this does it count as « impression » ? Because my impressions are remaining same but traffic no !

[gatormark]

@Micha

To be honest, I have given up trying to understand Google.

Exactly, I just try to make my sites better, promote them, and let the chips fall where they may.

[goodoldweb]

Junk traffic for almost 2 weeks now, same goes for adwords traffic. One page window shoppers that seem to have landed on the site accidentally.

Lots of overseas ip's too ( im in Australia). This is quite new too.

Why do they have to push those junk "updates" around the hot shopping season? Time and time again.

Inconsiderate greedy Idiots!

[Micha]

Now the update seems to be starting. My page has jumped forward a good few places. Visitor numbers have increased and the ranking has improved significantly.

The shop is also showing signs of life again, as a few orders (via Google) have already come in today.

[superclown2]

Inconsiderate greedy Idiots!

Inconsiderate and greedy? Yes. Idiots? I'm not so sure.

Traffic is so bad across so many sites we control that it can't be an accident. The message is: if we want traffic, buy ads.

The problem is that there's no way in our niches that we could do that without losing heavily. The big companies dominate the ads to keep the competition out, and get high positions in the SERPs to compensate. Quora and Reddit take the rest of the top spots.

This is the result of an illegal monopoly that the authorities seem powerless to control.

[ichthyous]

I am not seeing any changes at all...up a little one day, down the next. Traffic is fairly regular yesterday and today but still not one single new customer inquiry. The last one was November 10th, one week ago!

I was expecting people to start returning back to a normal pattern after elections, but instead it's even quieter. I am not getting inquiries from anywhere in the world now...not USA, UK, Canada nor Australia, not UAE nor Europe...zero.

2024 was my worst year for sales since the financial crisis in 2009. Fortunately I got an enormous contract for providing services this year, plus numerous high value copyright infringement settlements. So I am having a good year, but it's not from sales of any physical items. I think Google has killed that off for good and that is very scary.

[Chris travel 30]

@Micha Thats great to hear. We're experiencing the same here for today. It turned to "normal" traffic and "ok" sales at around noon, after having 4 miserable days in both. Let's hope it stays like that for a while.

[daniel1213]

Bad traffic today..

[Whitey]

A wild day. Non monetized blog folder content traffic up +100%. E-commerce folders, flat line, no change. Early days.

[sk7411]

Google seems to be mixing mainstream and NSFW content a lot of time with this update.

[ichthyous]

Big drop in USA traffic this morning...starting the day at -71%. That's after a relatively high traffic weekend. Let's see what happens by EOD today....

[renatovieira]

Very HUGE drop this morning... Here we go.......

[ichthyous]

Also noticing a slow and steady loss of top 3 / top 10 terms for the last few weeks now. It would drop, then return, drop, return...but now it's just a slow steady decline every day.

[christianz]

Yes, huge drop last 3 days. This update is just criminal. If they continue on this trajectory soon their SGE content theft system will run out of quality data to scrape when all data sources will be forced to abandon ad supported business model.

[daniel1213]

Right now I'm enjoying about 50% of the traffic I had. It's incredible. Google is making failure after failure with every update.

[Micha]

As won, so destroyed. Yesterday was an good day, lots of visitors from Google and the ranking had improved. Today, a decline, again hardly any clicks from Google, the ranking back to Friday's level. Google could slowly decide.

[RedBar]

Saturday 70%
Sunday 49.5%
Today 82% with 3 hours to go and USA traffic at 45%

[goodoldweb]

Junk traffic still, hardly any orders.

Absolute junk, both organic and paid traffic. Shutting down our AdWords campaigns until we can see that this "update" has settled.

[Shepherd]

USDOJ talking about compelling google to sell Chrome...

That should make the SERPs waaaay better.

[daniel1213]

high volatility continues. My lost traffic has never been recovered. Google is making fun of our work. Thousands of hours of work wasted

[gatormark]

Yesterday was the 2nd best day of 2024 in Adsense earnings. Traffic was up slightly, but much better ad quality and CPM. I am hoping this bodes well for the remainder of the school year. Please, please…

[Fluff_Nutz]

@Shepherd

I think, if, Google do get forced to sell Chrome it can be a good thing. Since its connected to their search and is used as part of contracts to be added automatically on to other devices. Like their deal with Apple. It can, hopefully, bring in new competition. That is what we need, competition. If the marketshare was split between them all at, say, 50% each then this current issue with consistent updates and traffic manipulation, would, in theory, be less of an issue.

There has been similar instances in the past where companies have got greedy and were, thankfully, tamed, as new competition appeared. So whatever helps bring in competition against Google is a massive step in the right direction.

Just hope them loosing Chrome happens. At present is just something else in the air, that could potentially happen. We better hope G doesn't re-acquire it somehow neither if it does get sold. I would have loved them to loose their G Ads, so we are not forced to see the same garbage sites at the top. Just because they were there at the right place and time, when search was generating enough income to, now, pay for ads and, obviously, those top positions. Seeing those same names makes the net so boring to look at. Very biased and I refuse to look at AI. Which is incorrect 90% of the time.

As something that is used worldwide, every day and is, a lot of the time, relied on, the internet should have been better governed than this. Its ridiculous really that we are in this position.

Anyway traffic over here continues to drop. -40% at this point. Even posting new articles does nothing to bring in lost traffic. We literally have to wait until the ''updates'' end before trying to recover once again. It's also funny how my traffic has fallen right back into the same traffic category. Like I'm never destined to grow, just destined to see the exact same traffic figures.

[RedBar]

16 hours into my Googleday and traffic has collapsed across all sites, global and national, what the heck are they doing now?

[mosxu]

We webmasters all need to start saving and buy Chrome and Android!

Full stop!

[christianz]

We webmasters all need to start saving and buy Chrome and Android!

It will be difficult to save with collapsing traffic and RPMs. But I am starting today.