SEARCHENGINES
January 22nd Another Unconfirmed Google Search Ranking Update
Again I am seeing signals, both a lot of chatter from the SEO community and tools lighting up around a possible but yet unconfirmed Google search ranking algorithm update. Yes, there has been a ton of unconfirmed updates in the past couple of weeks and let’s add this one to the list.
Most recently we had unconfirmed Google search updates on January 19th and 20th, January 14th, 15th and 17th, then before that on January 11th and then it was quiet until some tremors in late December. So now I am seeing chatter start up on Friday, January 21st and spike through January 22nd and this morning.
It might be just some sort of update that Google didn’t announce that started a week or two ago and it is still rolling out but it is hard for us to say without a statement from Google.
And like the other unconfirmed updates this month, there is both SEO industry chatter and data from the tracking tools that support this but yes, we do not have a Google confirmation about an update.
SEO Industry Chatter
Like I said above, the chatter started around Friday, January 21st and continued through Saturday January 22nd and today, Sunday January 23rd. Here is what I found at WebmasterWorld throughout this timeframe:
It’s all come to a grinding halt this morning for me so far. The last 4 days have seen seen an average of 133.1% but coming up to 14 hours of my Googleday I’m struggling on 29.7%.
About the same here. I assume the update is still rolling out or twhat we are seeing is the ghost town after an update.
The lost keywords on mobile search have not returned. They do show on desktops. The page experience for mobile is good so not sure what’s really going on. Any ideas would be welcomed.
update: this is only in US by the looks of it. All the ‘lost’ keywords show in UK and other places but have been removed from US.
I see high spikes in traffic on totally irrelevant pages on my site. This morning it looks like quality traffic is starting to pick up. The weird thing is that G drives so much traffic to very unimportant pages. Some adjustment is certainly taking place.
My main site is about weather forecast. This morning I had high traffic spikes on pages from small and irrelevant towns in Tanzania, Colombia, Chile, Kenya and many others. This is unusual. These locations are not having any particular weather events to attract so many users at the same time on the same page.
I keep seeing anomalies with high traffic right now. I don’t know if it’s a fix or an update.
It’s pretty weird after 3 days of drops.
Something major happened because my main website dropped like a rock (25-30% in keywords and traffic) over the night. And my competitors as well. Semrush shows very depressing data and the traffic does confirm it. Looking forward to see what Google cooked this time.
Yesterday ended at 91.7% however just seemed slow all day. and again today it seems sluggish but “is it that time of year” ?!?!
One thing is for certain though, the pub / hotel site today is quiet BUT the restaurant had a great lunch service and the the “new UK norm” bars are very busy at the moment … It’s cold outside so they’re all warrming-up inside 🙂
Some are also suggesting that the tracking tools, like Semrush and others need to readjust for the new high levels of volatility.
Google Tracking Tools
Here is what the tracking tools are showing right now:
So most of the tools seem pretty hot…
Are you noticing ranking changes?
Update: Glenn Gabe agrees that it might be a continuation from whatever rolled out earlier, he shared these charts:
And here are some that dropped earlier in the month that are dropping more over the past few days. Google hasn’t confirmed an update, but there is clearly something big going on. Again, I’ve also had site owners reaching out about big drops or surges… Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/4gTvYxMP7g
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) January 23, 2022
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: March 28, 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 released its Google Ads Saftey report showing how many ads they removed and advertisers they suspended. Google changed the definition of “Top ads” in their help documents, guess why… Google launched a number of maps and shopping features yesterday. Google Ads Share ad preview is now live. Google now lets you search for blockchain wallet addresses.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google Ads Suspended 90% More Advertisers This Year & Removed 5.5 Billion Ads
Google has released the 2023 Google Ads safety report sharing that Google has removed 5.5 billion ads, suspended 12.7 million advertiser accounts and restricted ads from showing up on 2.1 billion publisher pages. That is about 6% more ads removed, 90% more suspended advertiser accounts and 40% more ads removed from publisher pages. -
Google Updates Its Definition Of Top Ads; They May Not Be At The Top
Back in October we reported that Google has confirmed its search ads, Google Ads, can show up mixed in the middle of the organic search results. Now Google is updating its help documentation to change the definition of top ads to say the ads may appear below the organic results, ultimately not making the ads appear at the top. -
New Google Shopping & Maps Search Features
Google announced a number of new(ish) shopping and maps/local features yesterday, a lot of them using AI features that Google likes to tout. There are glanceable AI-generated reviews, swipe left/right shopping, AI-generated product ideas, local trip ideas, recommendation lists for locations, and more. -
Google Ads Adds Share Ad Preview For Performance Max
Google is now rolling out the ability to share ad campaigns within Google Ads for Performance Max campaigns without the need for the person you are sharing it with to have a Google Ads account. This is a new Share Ad Preview button available in Google Ads account for this. -
Google Can Search For Your Blockchain Wallet Addresses (Bitcoin & More)
You can now search Google for any of your wallet addresses across bitcoin and five new Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) networks. So you can look up your balances within those networks directly on Google Search. -
Google Calligraphy Class In NYC
It appears that Google held some calligraphy class or art class of some sorts at the New York City office. I found this photo on Instagram.
Other Great Search Threads:
- “Grow with Google” serves as a resource for training and tools to enhance your skills, career, or business. However, it appears that the platform is not regularly updated. Here are a few examples: [List examples under use-too, Shameem Adhikarath on X
- To help understand better the difference between key events and conversions, we’ve launched a detailed resource to answer all the questions you might have. Check it out!, Google Analytics on X
- Hreflang tag on individual blog post?, Reddit
- Webmasters, who may be less talented than you, have made significant mistakes in the past with this feature. They accidentally wiped out their entire sites. Since we have limited the usage of this feature to, Fabrice Canel on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
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.
SEARCHENGINES
Daily Search Forum Recap: March 27, 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 Local Service Ads is asking for more photos. SEOs, please don’t remove the contact us and about us pages. Hotels can remove pricing details from its Google listings. Google Local reviews is testing reactions. Google Analytics real time reporting had issues today. Google help documentation is testing using AI features.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
SEOs, Please Don’t Remove Contact Us & About Us Pages
Google’s John Mueller asked if it would be alright not to list a contact us and about us page on their website. The reason is, they would only add it if Google wanted it, but not for users. John Mueller responded, “I can think of good reasons for some sites to have these kinds of pages, but, after double-checking, there’s nothing in our search developer documentation that suggests this is needed.” -
Google Local Service Ads Sends Email Asking You To Upload Photos
Google is sending some Local Service Ads advertisers emails asking them to upload photos to their profiles. The email says, “Photos are coming to your Local Services Ads. Upload images to your profile to help your business stand out.” But don’t LSAs already contain photos? -
Google Search Developer Docs Gain AI Generated Help Features
A week ago Monday, March 18th, I noticed Google’s search developer documentation had generative AI features to help you find the answers to your question. This is in the form of an improved search, summary of the page content, a chat feature and more. I was told this was rolled out on some developer docs earlier in the year. -
Google Local Reviews Reactions Notice
In November 2023 we started to see Google allow reactions on local photos and some reviews. Well, it seems to be rolling out more widely now. -
Google Analytics Real Time Data Lagging Today
There are countless complaints across the forums and social media that Google Analytics real time data is lagging and not reporting accurately. It seems like those complaints are legit after checking a number of sites. -
Google Cafe Cleaning & Delivery Robot
You probably have seen these cleaning and delivery robots in some restaurants and lounges but have you seen them in the Google cafes? Here is one doing its thing at one of the cafes at the GooglePlex in Mountain View, California.
Other Great Search Threads:
- It’s also not a request for the site’s homepage nor for a comprehensive sorted list – it’s a restrict. Sometimes the homepage doesn’t show on top, I wouldn’t take that as a sign of anything in particular. It’s a bit easier with small sites, but not always, John Mueller on X
- It’s really refreshing to see this level of detail after an appeal is denied in GBP. This saves us a lot of time trying to get everything ship shape! Also – make sure you know who has admin access to your GBP, y’all.., Carrie Hill on X
- That’s correct – hreflang is not geotargeting, it’s all about alternate versions., John Mueller on X
- When I joined Google in early 2021, it was clear that regulatory & privacy changes and AI (automation) advancements would be key focus areas for marketers over the next several years. Fast-forward three years, and we’re now at the inflection point., AdsLiaison on X
- Hey Brett, This is currently in closed beta. I don’t have further details to share at this time, but we’re continuing to test it., AdsLiaison on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
SEO
- All about Core Web Vitals: INP (Interaction to Next Paint), Yoast
- Google Shopping GTIN Requirements Explained!, ZATO Marketing
- Google’s Helpful Content Update & Ranking System: What Happened and What Changed in 2024?, Amsive
- How to Do Keyword Mapping for SEO (+Free Template), WordStream
- Managing decentralized marketing for international SEO, Oncrawl
- Structured data for SEO: What you need to know, Wix SEO Hub
- The helpful content system has changed, Marie Haynes
- Why Site Speed Matters for SEO, Lumar
- Content Pruning: Why It Works, and How to Do It, Ahrefs
- Does Google rank AI content?, SERP’s Up SEO Podcast
- How To Survive 3 New Threats to Your SEO Strategy, Content Marketing Institute
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: March 26, 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 Search Console is testing an Android App. Google is testing places and places sites in the search bar menu. Google spoke about if a business should have a website and a blog. Google added 3D models to product structured data. Google Search does not support AVIF images, yet. Mikhail Parakhin stepped down as the head of Bing Search and Microsoft Advertising.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google Search Console Tests Android App
Google seems to be testing an Android App for Google Search Console. This comes several weeks after I reported that Google has no plans for a mobile app for Google Search Console. -
Google Tests Places & Places Sites Search Bar Filter Tabs
Yesterday we reported Google is testing products and products sites in the search bar tab in the European regions. Today, Google is testing places and places sites in the search bar tab in the European regions. -
Google: Should Small Service Businesses Start A Website & A Blog?
Google’s Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, was asked about if a business should always have a website and if so, should they also have a blog. Sullivan replied that he believes all businesses should have at least a basic website, but when it comes to a blog, that depends on what they have to say on that blog. -
Google Adds 3D Models Markup To Product Structured Data For Linking
Google has added new 3D models markup support to the product structured data documentation so that you can connect, associate or link your products to the appropriate 3D model. -
Google Search Does Not Support AVIF Images Just Yet
Did you know that Google Search does not support the AVIF image format? At least not yet. Google Search doesn’t list it on its supported image formats and Google Image Search simply won’t index them. But John Mueller of Google said on X, “I’m sure this won’t be necessary long term.” -
Mikhail Parakhin Steps Down As Head Of Bing Search & Microsoft Advertising
Mikhail Parakhin, the head of Bing Search and Microsoft Advertising, is stepping down from that role as Parakhin “decided to explore new roles.” We’ve quoted Mikhail Parakhin here countless times over the past couple of years, to hear that he is leaving the role makes me super sad. His transparency and willingness to listen to the community was amazing. -
St. Patrick’s Day Dancers At Google Ireland
Here is a video I found on Instagram from the Google Ireland office of dancers performing at the Google office in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. It looks like they call themselves the Golden Beats.
Other Great Search Threads:
Search Engine Land Stories:
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
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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