New Algo Update?
-
Is there a new algo update happening now with Google? I am seeing a big change in the SERP's for many keywords over the past two days.
-
Days, weeks, months, or sometimes never It is a very inexact science, and we're unaware of the vast majority of the 500+ updates Google makes every year.
-
I think there's some of that in play. If Google can make us afraid of bad links so that we all rush to remove them, for example, that's a whole lot easier than actually creating and testing an algorithm update, especially one of the complexity it would take to do the job.
I also suspect that the 10-day Panda roll-outs and "multi-week" update are, in small part, meant to obfuscate updates. More of us are tracking them, and Google is not a transparent company, IMO.
Finally, I think they're getting into territory that's just more difficult. So many complex updates have collateral damage. I really do think that the multi-week update consisted of rolling out and rolling back changes, and I'm not sure they landed on much of an answer.
-
Dr Pete,
How long does it normally take for the SEO community to understand a specific algo change when there is very little guidance from Google?
-
Hi Dr. Pete,
That brings up an interesting possibility.
< start conspiracy theory>
Is it possible that Google is actually going through this summer of volatility to weed out the people who are not following their policy. By this I mean that every time they make a change, anybody who is doing even the slightest "grey hat" SEO runs to their site and gets rid of it if they can. I am guessing that with just this uncertainty alone google forcing people to clean their own sites.
People who are sure their sites are clean, there is nothing they can do even if they want to, so Google may figure that after this turbulence they can just eliminate this turbulence, run the previous algorithm from before the summer (or at least a more stable one than now) and the good sites will automatically float to the top since most sites will be "clean" again thanks to all the webmasters cleaning house all summer.
I am not a conspiracy theorists, nor do I play one on TV.
-
We saw a Saturday spike on MozCast, but to be honest, the last few weeks have been a wild ride. I'm going to be actively analyzing the "multi-week" update the next few days (probably posting next week), which looks like it did settle down during the July 4th weekend. There's been increased volatility since Penguin 2.0, and Google claims that Panda data updates are now rolling out roughly 10 days out of each 30 (I don't completely believe that line, but that's what they're telling us).
Now clear reports of webmaster chatter about this past weekend, but rankings have been so volatile that I'm not sure anyone knows what to make of the patterns right now. Unfortunately, I think that uncertainty and noise is exactly what Google wants.
-
I'm seeing the same changes. I would say the SERP's are returning to pre-penguin position for almost all the effected terms in a very competition travel niche. Ditto your fingers crossed.
-
Big changes in my rankings. For the first time in the last 3 months, this update is actually helping the rankings. So far, I have recovered most if not all of what I lost for Penguin 2.0 (5-20 positions). Of course, this may just be the google dance and I may loose it again by tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed.
-
Hi BGS,
There are always updates and Jesse is right however this is a great spot to check for major updates
-
Always!
That said, I haven't noticed anything big in my SERPs.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Help guide pages from subdirectory must be opened in a new tab?
Hi, We have help guide pages for every feature we provide. They been hosted on different sub directory and we linked them from our website pages. Do we need to make these sub directory pages to open in a new tab when clicked from our website pages? Thanks
Algorithm Updates | | vtmoz0 -
What is the new / current google algorithm update targeting and how to adapt / fix SEO approach accordingly ?
Over the past c. 3 weeks our average Google SERP rankings for a site have been as follows : week 1 : average 3rd in SERP week 2 : average 1st in SERP week 3 : average 7th in SERP Reading on sites including Moz, SEO Roundtable and looking at Moz's mozcast tool it seems there is allot of change going on with Google's algorithm at the moment. Is there a general consensus as to what the new algorithm update is targeting so that we can adapt our site / marketing accordingly ? Or is it too early to adapt ? When Google rolls out an update like this is it common to see fluctuations as they try out things or if we are currently down in the rankings should we take action now. I know there a tools that look at your google analytics data an overlay a list of major google updates such a penguin and panda, but from what ive read this is a generic algorithm change rather than a defined named update.
Algorithm Updates | | jpeg800 -
What are top 3 directives to prepare for a Google algorithm update?
Company's site fluctuated in keyword rankings last Friday, due to Unnamed algorithm. Our directives are on-page optimization and continual content generation. What are other directives to take?
Algorithm Updates | | ejcruz0 -
Algorithm Updates
Hi I wanted to ask if anyone had any methods of checking whether you've been affected by a Google refresh? We saw a drop in visits back in July 2015 and I'm trying to pinpoint what from. I saw their was a refresh, but this only affected 2-3% of sites. I wasn't working on the site back then so I'm not fully aware of what was happening Thankyou
Algorithm Updates | | BeckyKey2 -
New Domain, Subdomain or Subfolder
Hi All, I am working with a bank that would like to rank as many parts of the company site as possible for the company name. This includes the home page, a page on careers and a page on company reviews. The question is, it is better to structure the careers and reviews content on a subfolder, subdomain or new domain. Using subfolders to retain equity of the root domain site.americanbank.comamernicanbank.com/careersamericanbank.com/reviews or (use subdomains - you lose some of the main domain equity and it is counter to the Moz research) americanbank.comcareers.americanbank.comreviews.americanbank.com or set up new domains to overcome Google bias not to rank the same root domain in the top 7 to 10 results multiple times when displaying results for a company name. americanbank.comhttp://americanbankcareers.comhttp://americanbankreviews.com Thanks for your perspective.
Algorithm Updates | | BetterAnalytics0 -
New site or subdomain
what are pros and cons of launching a new product site as opposed to placing it under a subdomain of the company site? will the new site be placed in the google sandbox? the main goal is to provide credibility for the product, and by placing it under the company site that has been live for over 10 years. It is not a consumer product - more dealers. So people would be pushed to the site or find it through the brochure.
Algorithm Updates | | bakergraphix_yahoo.com0 -
Does adding lots of new content on a site at one time actually hurt you?
When speaking with a client today, he made the comment that he didn't want all of the new content we'd been working to be added to the site all at once for fear that he would get penalized for flooding the site with new content. I don't have any strong data to confirm or refute the claim, is there any truth to it?
Algorithm Updates | | JordanRussell0 -
Search Engines Traffic for New Site?
Hi, Can anyone tell me please when a new website starts receiving traffic from the search engines? Regards
Algorithm Updates | | kywebsol0