SEARCHENGINES
Google Search Ranking Volatility Exploding Today
So it’s been well over a week of incredible volatility within the Google search results. Pages have been bouncing all over the place, rankings are jumping and then last night and today we are seeing even hotter temperatures from the Google tracking tools and more chatter from within the SEO industry. Everyone is asking, where is the confirmed Google Search ranking algorithm update from Google…
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any hotter or any more volatile, it did.
As a reminder, on Monday we reported about ongoing heated volatility with Google Search. We also reported on an update on June 14th, one around June 14th and ongoing, then June 6th then around May 22/23rd, then around May 17t, then on May 10th and the other around early May.
It has been a wild time for unconfirmed updates but the last confirmed update was the April 2023 reviews update.
Google Tracking Tools
The tools have been heated for weeks, but look at how some have spiked today.
SEO Chatter
The chatter also picked up on the past 24-hours, especially more in the black hat space but also in the white what space of SEO. Here are some quotes from WebmasterWorld, Black Hat World and the comments on this site.
It’s happening again today
Why don’t they get done with it. One day you have 100 visitors, the next day it drops to 30. The following day it spikes to 200. This is hell.
Mine is down too, wondering what’s going on. Google knows how to spoil everything in a minute.
Big drop today coinciding with Semrush sensor spike.
I was just checking and my June USA traffic is 72% of its long-term average plus for my top 10 most visited countries only 4 are from the “West” whereas my long-term data shows 6 from the “West”.
The gap between clicks and impressions keeps growing…more than three months now with declining clicks. Impressions have also dropped recently, but not nearly as much.
Same here too. Not a positive sign, in fact getting worse!
🧐🧐 I noticed many of my keywords highly fluctuated and ranking and traffic dropped.
Is there another G – unconfirmed ranking update? @rustybrick pic.twitter.com/0jRyOAKQsY
— Khushal Bherwani (@b4k_khushal) June 23, 2023
looks like something might be going on, Maybe #Glastonbury23 might be shaking things up I’m going to call it the #GlastonburyUpdate 😂🤣 what do you think @rustybrick @JohnMu pic.twitter.com/U9TPjgH17l
— Paul (@_PaulLovell) June 23, 2023
E.g. 2 of the sites provide reviews/recommendations content, & the third is an e-comm retailer that could rank for similar queries. Notice the drop w/the 5/11 update & recovery w/early June volatility (~6/5). Big drops for each site. Are we nearing a big update? Stay tuned: pic.twitter.com/V8uJfiGTcy
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) June 23, 2023
Something has been cooking for a while and now someone just cranked up the heat even more.
What are you all noticing?
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld and Black Hat World.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: September 12, 2024
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
I covered some old statements from former Googlers on Navboost from Hacker News. Google replaced the cache link with links to the Wayback Machine, but they are deep inside. Google says it doesn’t use Exif data for ranking. Google updated its Indexing API docs warning not to abuse the API or else. Google has had this get definitions box for a while.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Ex-Googler Forum Statements On Google Navboost
In my interview with Danny Sullivan, the Google Search Liaison, I tried to get more details on Navboost and how it plays a roll in core updates and general rankings. I was pretty much shot down (I am a good loser). That being said, here are some old posts from ex-Googlers (from what I can tell) on the topic of Navboost from the Hacker News forums. -
Google Indexing API: Submissions Go Undergo Rigorous Spam Detection
Google has updated its Indexing API documentation to add a few things but the largest update talks about how “all submissions through the Indexing API undergo rigorous spam detection.” Plus, it says that attempts to abuse the Indexing API “may result in access being revoked.” -
Google Replaced Cache Link With Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine
After Google has angered tons of SEOs and searchers over removing the cache link from the search result snippets, Google decided several months later to add links to Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. This will give you snapshots in time of what that webpage looked like, but it is not powered by Google. -
Google’s Martin Splitt: We Do Not Use Exif Data For Ranking
Over the years Google has been wishy-washy on if they use or do not use Exif (Exchangeable image file format) data for rankings. In 2014, Google’s Matt Cutts said Google can parse the data and reserves the right to use it. But in 2019, Gary Illyes from Google said it was not used for rankings. Now in 2024, Martin Splitt of Google said it is not used for rankings. -
Google: Get Definitions & Translations As You Search
Google is now notifying some searchers of a translation feature within the search results. It says, “Get definitions and translations as you search. Select words to get definitions & translations without leaving the page.” -
Google Silence Phone Boxes
We saw the Google silence box before, but it was one box. Now here are photos of many of them, also in the Google Paris, France office.
Other Great Search Threads:
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
- Are digital marketing conferences worth it?, SERP’s Up SEO Podcast
- Google dominates online ads, says antitrust trial witness, but publishers are feeling ‘stuck’, The Verge
- Google says it’s made a quantum computing breakthrough that reduces errors, MIT Technology Review
- Google’s AI model faces European Union scrutiny from privacy watchdog, ABC News
- Google’s ‘my way or the highway’ approach takes center stage in antitrust trial, Digiday
- The DOJ vs. Google, Day Two: Tales From The Underbelly Of Ad Tech, AdExchanger
- Google’s AI model faces EU scrutiny from privacy watchdog, AP News
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
PPC
Search Features
Other Search
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: September 11, 2024
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Google is testing a new ad label header, it makes the ads stick out more. Google Search ranking volatility is still incredibly heated, even over a week after the core update finished. Google is sending out verification notices to Local Service Ads advertisers. Bing is testing a local pack with review source icons. Google AdSense is expanding auto ads to more languages. Google Search has a new video property for ineligible regions.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Search Ranking Volatility Still Heated A Week After Core Update
I sound like a broken record, but the Google Search ranking volatility is still incredibly heated and has not let down, even over a week after the Google August 2024 core update was completed on September 3rd. -
Google Tests New Ad Label / Design That Makes Ads Stand Out
Google is testing a new ad label and interface that really make the ads way more noticeable in the Google Search results. The ad label still is a black sponsored label, but Google is testing it on a tall gray background, with subtitles like “promoted products” and “promoted results.” -
Google Emails Advertisers On Local Services Ads Verification Requirements
In March, Google announced a new verification process for its Local Service Ads program. Well, now, Google has started to email advertisers that need to take the steps to verify their advertising accounts. -
Bing Local Pack Tests Review Source Icons Instead Of Review Stars
Microsoft is testing adding the source of the reviews in the Bing Search local pack, instead of showing review stars. So if the Bing Search local pack is showing reviews from Yelp, it would show the Yelp logo, and if it is showing them from Facebook, it would show the Facebook logo. -
Google Expands AdSense Auto Ads To French, Spanish, and Japanese
Google is expanding AdSense’s Auto ads to support French, Spanish, and Japanese languages. Previously, Auto ads were worked for English and German languages only. -
Google Search Supports Ineligible Regions Property For Videos
Google Search now supports specifying where (which regions) a video is not allowed to be viewed in its video structured data and video SEO documentation. A new ineligibleRegion property was added to the Google video structured data documentation. -
Google Chelsea Market Tile Backsplash
At the Google office in New York City, the Chelsea Market location, they have this kitchen area that has the old Google logo, with the location, Chelsea Market, tiled into the wall.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Check scores on perplexity!, Aravind Srinivas on X
- Data suggests that if Google does not recrawl a URL after 129 days URL it falls out of the index, Mic King on X
- Google Loses €2.4bn Appeal In E.U. Over Market Dominance, WebmasterWorld
- Looking at your URL placement in Google’s AI Overview’s isn’t just for SEOs… It’s for anyone trying to gauge brand presence and brand power Run your site vs your competitors in @semrush & see the relative level of URL placement, Mordy Oberstein on X
- On the video from O’Keefe Media Group: The claims here are completely false — they were made by a junior sales rep, secretly filmed while on a date, who has never worked on these topics. As we’ve shared before, we do not manipulate our products or m, Google Communications on X
- The time has come (after being replaced by INP as a CWV) -> Chrome ends support for First Input Delay (FID) “In January, Chrome announced its intention to officially end support for FID. Well, that time has finally come, and as of to, Glenn Gabe on X
- GSC Issue, Reddit
- You randomly stumble across a new website crawler / scraper service – it turns any website into a CSV file (just for sake of something to discuss, I don’t have one for you). Isn’t that cool?, John Mueller on LinkedIn
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
- Glean Technologies Value Hits $4.6 Billion in Funding Round With DST, SoftBank, Bloomberg
- Google signs carbon removal deal with Holocene, Axios
- Google’s AI Will Help Decide Whether Unemployed Workers Get Benefits, Gizmodo
- Google, explained: How it dominates the sell side of advertising, Check My Ads
- News Corp would have lost $9 million in 2017 by ditching Google ads, ex-exec testifies, Reuters
- Sergey Brin says he’s working on AI at Google ‘pretty much every day’, TechCrunch
- Why Google is supporting Holocene’s Direct Air Capture project, Google Blog
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
PPC
Other Search
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: September 10, 2024
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Apple Visual Intelligence is Apple’s version of Google Lens but it uses Google, ChatGPT, Yelp and others. Google AI Overviews are showing for commercial queries again, showing product and shopping results. A new report on AI Overviews says about half of the links in the AI Overviews overlap with the traditional organic results. Google is showing Business Profile photos on its review sentiments. And Bing Search has a footer message to search again.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Apple Visual Intelligence – Local, Shopping & More
Apple had its big event yesterday, and during the iPhone talk, they announced Apple Visual Intelligence. Where you can take photos of anything, and it will use Apple Intelligence for local search, shopping, homework help, and more. -
Google AI Overviews Show Shopping Results For Commercial Queries Again
Google is bringing back shopping and product results in the AI Overviews for commercial queries. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember them going away but I am told they have now returned. Maybe they went away with the Ray update, when Google restricted how often AI Overviews showed. -
Report: Half Google AI Overviews Links Overlap With Top Search Results
A new Google AI Overview study says that about half of the links displayed in the AI Overviews overlap with the links shown in the traditional Google Search results. Plus, the most linked to sources are YouTube and Wikipedia, according to the new report. -
Google Maps Showing Business Photos On Review Sentiments
Google is now showing business submitted photos from Google Business Profiles in the Google Local and Maps review sentiments section. So above the reviews, Google may show photos submitted by the business, related to those reviews. -
Bing Search Footer Message To Encourage More Searches
Microsoft is testing, showing a notice at the bottom of the Bing search results that says, “Search by typing anything on the keyboard.” This happens when you reach the footer of the Bing Search results. When you start typing, your characters appear in the search box for a new Bing Search session. -
Google Flying Dutchman Cafe In Netherlands Office
Here is a photo from the Google Netherlands office, they have a cafe there named the Flying Dutchman cafe. This is the salad station in that cafe and you can see the art on the walls.
Other Great Search Threads:
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
PPC
Search Features
Other Search
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
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