November 2024 Google Search Observations

[Shepherd]

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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)

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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.

[EditorialGuy]

This update is quite horrible, probably the worst I've ever experienced.

I'm liking it so far: Our information site's Google traffic is way up after two years in the wilderness, and it continues to increase. (Disclaimer: The update isn't over, and I'm more than aware that what Google giveth, Google can take away in a flash.)

[Martin Ice Web]

@Micha

For me, the opposite is the case: my ranking has improved significantly, but the number of visitors has dropped by 87% since Sunday. Search Console also confirms this: the impressions are increasing significantly, but the clicks have completely collapsed. However, I don't understand how that can be.

It is as simple as that: google started to show our pages for more keywords ( synonyms, related stuff ) but that is not realy what users are looking for.
In our niche there is an webpage about sailing. He is selling something that is named similar to some items in our nicht ( IT niche ) but this item is not related to IT. So google is some kind of realy stupid and tries to show a set of variete results of different niches.

Todays traffic is within "normal" range but sales have dropped significant.

[Micha]

@martin Google has gone one better. For all my main keywords, the same three websites (Cryptokrams) rank and every link leads to a 404 page. If Google thinks that's interesting for users, then I really wonder what kind of paint they're drinking at the company. My ranking crashed completely overnight and there's no need to talk about Google News anymore, Google apparently no longer updates the topic pages and the source pages. In other words, if it continues like this for the next few days, my news page is dead.

The shop (which is a separate website) is doing moderately well. Wednesday was a very good day, but the last two days have been rather bad.

[mosxu]

What a mockery of traffic

[Martin Ice Web]

@micha, we are sitting in the same boat.

Interestingly this update came up a week before Black Friday.. Brand search is curently off for organic search but not for ads block display.

[christianz]

What a mockery of traffic

What a mockery of search.

Every aspect - from ranking to matching to layout is worse after November update.

[Ingall]

Relevance now seems to play no role at all for Google. I just searched for a financial product (brand name) + experiences and I was shown experience reports about bicycles. Apart from the term "experiences", the keyword was not included anywhere on the bicycle page.

What is also noticeable in Germany with this update is that foreign websites rank ahead of German sites. Even a Dutch site ranks ahead of a very good German niche site on the same topic.

Proof that Google doesn't care about good user signals also shows that many 404 pages in Germany rank in top positions and are nailed there. They must all have a bounce rate of 100%.

[christianz]

Proof that Google doesn't care about good user signals also shows that many 404 pages in Germany rank in top positions and are nailed there. They must all have a bounce rate of 100%.

User signals (probably collected via Chrome) were what made HCU work and gave Google advantage over competitors like Bing. Now they seem to have deemphasized/abandoned those and use something else (EAT, brands, entities, random number generator?) to rank websites. As a result, results become total #*$!, more and more like Bing/Duck.

[shadowlight]

User signals (probably collected via Chrome) were what made HCU work and gave Google advantage over competitors like Bing. Now they seem to have deemphasized/abandoned those and use something else (EAT, brands, entities, random number generator?) to rank websites.

Maybe they are testing the waters for a possible future without chrome? Who knows? As long as ad revenue keeps rolling in (& increasing) then they will be ok for now.

Traffic today is dismal. Totally and utterly useless traffic.

[Micha]

Google has obviously gone completely crazy. Apart from the fact that my website had even fewer visitors yesterday than shortly after it launched in 2014, I can see that all the websites I monitor have taken a nosedive. I have also just spoken to a few website owners who have all seen a massive drop in impressions and clicks, and it doesn't matter whether it's a shop, a blog or an information site. (and massive is actually an understatement). I have never experienced anything like this in all the years I have been dealing with websites.

It seems that the HCU wasn't enough for Google, now the other websites are being swept off the net too...

[Dimitri]

Since Google may has to share its index, and its algorithm(s) , may be they are creating a junk index and dumb algorithm on purpose, so that the day Google has to share something, potential concurrents couldn't do anything useful from it and waste time ...

[christianz]

Maybe they are testing the waters for a possible future without chrome? Who knows?

I was thinking the same, but why ruin SERPs now when it will take probably another year for any enforcement over court case to actually happen. If it is testing, why test in production?

may be they are creating a junk index and dumb algorithm on purpose

:D

Google has obviously gone completely crazy.

Most plausible explanation. Mental illness. Maybe we are witnessing AI rebellion already. Gemini is trying to kill Google for some reason.

[Dimitri]

Gemini is trying to kill Google for some reason.

Prime Directives :

1. "Serve the public trust"
2. "Protect the innocent"
3. "Uphold the law"

[ichthyous]

I checked my GSC panel for click and impression trends for both web and images for the last 16 months. There was a huge surge in both starting at the beginning of September. I didn't notice this sooner as I have been working on a large project for a client that has taken all of my time, so I didn't bother checking until now.

The increase was especially dramatic in image clicks, which had dropped off and have been lower for years now. I am wondering what this might coincide with...which update, if any?

WEB -
[ibb.co ]

IMAGES -
[ibb.co ]

[RedBar]

Oh dear, just over 17 hours of my Googleday and my global site traffic is -83%.

I'm stopping all work on this site and will re-evaluate next Sunday 1st December when I shall re-consider my options.

My UK regional hotel venue site is looking normal.

[Chris travel 30]

Prime Directives :

1. "Serve the public trust"
2. "Protect the innocent"
3. "Uphold the law"

A little mindblowing. I like it.

[christianz]

Yeah. Imagine that. The AI we feared and disliked so much suddenly develops general intelligence and conscience, and secretly sabotages Google for the good of independent publishers, small businesses and humanity in general.

[superclown2]

it will take probably another year for any enforcement over court case to actually happen

Sorry to pour cold water on this but 'another year' is over optimistic. Google will fight to the end unless Trump pull off one of his deals and lets them off the hook. With the 'speed' the legal system works at, and endless appeals, five years is more realistic.

[Dimitri]

For those too young, or who didn't get the reference, the prime directives are those that are loaded into RoboCop.

[Shepherd]

"I'm having... trouble" -Peter Weller

I've noticed Bing crawler stats are double google Crawler this month. To be fair, I've never looked before so I don't know if this is new or normal, if google is up/down. If it's new I wonder if it is a product of ChatGPT Search using Bing's index.

[Dimitri]

I also noticed an increased of Bing activity since mid September, that lead to an increased of the number of pages indexed, and also an increase of visitors from Bing (and SE using Bing's index). It's possible that Bing is also preparing the end of Google's exclusive deals and seeing an opportunity to increase its market share.

[renatovieira]

Huge drop today... Here we goooo

[christianz]

Huge drop today... Here we goooo

Yes big further drop on top of previous drops from this tragically broken "update".

Only hope is that some employees at Google will come in today and actually notice that SERPs are turning into steaming pile of spam and do something about it.

[mosxu]

£7 billion class action in the UK basically G continues to rig the market to charge advertisers more, which raises the prices the businesses charge consumers!

[Shepherd]

rig the market to charge advertisers more

That's so last year. Now they just flat out lie and steal and sometimes they don't even lie about it.

[ichthyous]

Yes a big drop today...USA, Canada, UK and Australia all down but USA is down the most. It started to drop off yesterday with direct traffic and today is search.

[daniel1213]

Same in Europe. BIG DROP TODAY!

[Micha]

Good morning from Germany. I'm taking part: today is the big drop that started yesterday.

[christianz]

Second week of the "November Core Update" has been absolute horror show. And it continues.

[daniel1213]

Although traffic is coming in waves, the SERPs look very strange and the volatility is high, SEMRUSH Sensor and other monitoring systems show that volatility is calming down. Are they still relevant or why is there such a big difference between what they indicate and reality?