Punished by the latest Google December 2020 update
Hi!
Has anyone been able to identify what the latest Google December 2020 update hit?
One of my big sites have suddenly dumped horribly on the Google rankings a few days ago and I dont know why. Traffic has dropped by more than 50%. It is a Norwegian site in the Norwegian marked called ebutikker.no if anyone is interesting to research a bit even if you dont understand the language.
One of my main keywords that was high up on page 1 is now suddenly in place 14 and page 2. All other subpages have also fallen similarly and they have never been so low before.
I think my site has much better quality than many of the pages that are in front of me now. That's why I wonder what has happened. Maybe they have a stronger backlink profile? Are they faster? Are they better on mobile? Do they have better usability?
I'm still trying to figure out why and I read forums, fb groups and seo pages and will keep you updated if I find out more. It seems that many people experience lower rankings and loss of traffic, but some also experience that it has gone up.
One wrote that he thought Google suddenly rewarded keyword stuffing again, which is an outdated and not recommended strategy.
I do not see anything unusual in the Google Search Console yet on my site ... but it might take some time?If any of you have 5 minutes to spare and know which sites that got punished in this update I'm curios to know.
Andreas
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Dont worry straight on, my site has also dropped 50 percent, but it may take few days to get back on track.. at least that happened the last time google made a new update (2 months ago I think)
I remember the sited dropped a bit during the last update, but not as much as this one. That makes me a bit afraid..
I did a little research. This article seems to explain it best:
https://apnews.com/press-release/accesswire/business-marketing-and-advertising-corporate-news-online-advertising-and-marketing-industry-health-7b064677d2751d322ccfecd23e3b6318
So far, my sites are doing better (yay) but Google says it could take a few weeks for it to completely roll out. So don't give up yet. The results are not fully in yet.
This article is saying Thin Isn't In in regard to content. 'Junk' backlinking is also frowned upon.
Hope this helps.
Paula
Thanks! I'll read that article straight away. I hope my site returns to normal in a few weeks, but it is annoying that this happened during the shopping month December.. :( Wish the update waited to January at least. But thats life.
I actually think junk backlinks may be part of the problem.. I have seen many strange pages linking back to me, but this has happened automatically. I havent bought links etc. Do you know if I can remove bad backlinks somehow? Sounds difficult...
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I had the same experience back in May, this year.
After the May Google update, my traffic dropped by 70%.
I was furious, but eventually, I did calm down :)
It was nothing else I could do, but to calm down.
So I kept going - I tried to post new articles on regular basis, I have requested comments (here within the WA) so every post had at least 4 comments
From June to November, the traffic was pretty much the same.
Only a few days ago I have noticed a significant change.
The traffic has increased from 50% to 60%.
I am sure there will be another major Google update in 2021 and I am curious how that will affect my site.
The only advice I can give is to keep doing what you have been doing.
- Maybe more on a regular basis (let's say 3 to 4 posts per week).
- Have comments on your articles and leave feedback.
- Create a Facebook page, join other FB groups that are related to your niche, and share your article on different social media if you can.
After May's update, I did learn that everything is in motion and we have to learn how to deal with ups and downs.
No matter what are the circumstances, we won't quit.
Hope that helps a bit and I also hope that you will be back on track within a few days.
Cheers
Mike