Did you check your Google organic search traffic today? If not, you may want to do so. It seems Google may have fine-tuned its search ranking algorithm, so your site may be ranking higher, lower or the same depending on if the said update has affected your web pages. Google hasn’t yet confirmed the update but, based on the conversations in the search community, it seems like an update is really happening.
To be clear, it seems like there were two updates in the past week. The large update seems to be around core web search, which kicked off on the morning of September 2 or late night of September 1. The second update was likely around local rankings in Google.
Google core web search ranking update
The search community overall seems to be debating that there was an update but there’s a huge number of SEO experts who are saying they indeed see ranking changes in their verticals. It also doesn’t seem to be a specific industry but across all industries and verticals.
Search ranking tracking tools also see an update, such as Mozcast, SERP Metrics, Alogoroo, and Accuranker. As a matter of fact, Mozcast is showing higher temperatures than they have in a long time.
This isn’t probably a Penguin update but rather a core search change, yet again, Google has no say about it yet.
Google Local Pack ranking quality update
On September 1, based again on industry chats, mostly from the Local Search Forums community, there seems to be a ranking update.
Most local SEO experts are saying this is in relation to a quality update based on Google removing a lot of spammy local results. Local results have thus shifted and changed because removing a local result due to quality issues will result in different local results showing up. Not everyone is convinced this is purely a quality update but rather an update in the local ranking algorithm.
Just like with the core web search ranking update, everyone’s waiting for Google to speak up on this supposed update and, surely, reports will spring up as soon as search engine watchdogs hear from Google itself.
Keep posted about industry updates with the help of the digital marketing experts listed on Top4.