A significant update to Yoast SEO addresses a bug that negatively impacted the rankings of some websites. Joost de Valk, the founder of Yoast, issued a personal apology to those affected by the error, noting that some sites experienced "Panda-like problems" and subsequent search ranking losses.
Yoast SEO 7.0 Bug Active Since March 6, 2018
This recent update aims to fix an error introduced in Yoast 7.0 back in March 2018. Websites affected by this bug may have observed a decline in their search rankings since that update.
Identifying the Yoast SEO Plugin Issue
The bug, described by Yoast as causing "Panda-like problems," arose when the plugin was updated to version 7.0. This issue specifically altered the settings for handling image redirects. Luckily, the update did not impact all users.
Yoast explains the problem as follows:
"The bug was simple yet very painful: when you updated from an earlier version of Yoast SEO to Yoast SEO 7.0-7.0.2 (specifically those versions), we would not always correctly convert the setting you had for the old setting into the new one. We accidentally set the setting to ‘no’. Because we overwrote the old settings during the update, we could not revert this bug later on."
Founder of Yoast Offers Apology
The issue, which has been affecting sites since March 6, was quickly addressed once detected. Joost de Valk apologized, stating:
"This post serves both as a warning and an apology. …We’re so very sorry. …we messed up. I myself, am sorry. More so than normal, because I came up with and coded this change myself…"
User Reactions to the Yoast SEO Bug
Several users expressed their frustration, one noting a loss of ranking positions and confidence in the plugin. Another user reported losing thousands of dollars due to the error, although her rankings rebounded after applying the new updates.
Assessing the Impact of the Yoast SEO Plugin Bug
According to Yoast’s official announcement, not everyone is affected. However, users experiencing a ranking drop since March 6 should check their Yoast SEO Media Plugin settings.
Checking Your Yoast SEO Search Appearance Settings
To check your settings:
- Select the Yoast SEO icon from the left side menu.
- Click on the Search Appearance link.
From there, navigate to the Media tab.
Scenario 1: Everything is OK
If the “Media & attachment URLs” setting is set to “Yes,” your site is unaffected. Just ensure your Yoast SEO Plugin is updated.
Scenario 2: Rankings Unchanged
If the setting is “No” but you haven’t seen any change in rankings, switch it to “Yes,” update the plugin, and you should be fine.
Scenario 3: Rankings Have Dropped
If the setting is “No” and rankings have dropped since around March 6, you might be experiencing the Yoast 7.0 bug. Change the setting to “Yes,” update the plugin, and apply the Yoast SEO Search Index Purge Plugin to rectify the issue.
Scenario 4: Uncertain Impact
If unsure, Yoast advises changing the setting to “Yes” and ensuring the plugin is updated.
Official Announcement and Further Steps
Yoast has posted an official announcement providing additional details and recommended solutions, including insights from Google’s John Mueller.
Please share this information to help others who might be affected.
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