John Mueller of Google addressed a question during a Webmaster Hangout regarding what steps to take if a website is experiencing traffic declines due to Google’s June 2019 broad core algorithm update. His response offered insights into understanding the situation.
Mueller also hinted that Google might provide more guidance on addressing this issue in the future.
Webmaster Queries Content Concerns
A news publisher inquired whether the core update issues might be content-related due to their focus on content.
The question raised was:
"We are a news publisher site focusing primarily on business finance. We’ve likely been impacted by the June Core Update, as we observed a significant drop in traffic starting the first week of June. While it’s stated there are no specific fixes or major changes to mitigate the impact, might the issue be related to the content, its quality, or quantity? Could this be the reason Google’s algorithm has reduced our content’s quality signal, leading to traffic loss?"
The questioner further expressed the need for more guidance:
"…it would be beneficial if Google could provide advice to webmasters, not on a site-specific level but at least on a category or vertical level, on how to take corrective actions to mitigate the impact of core updates. This would greatly assist websites currently uncertain about what has affected them."
Insights on "Nothing to Fix"
Mueller mentioned there wasn’t anything specific to rectify, as a core update involves a wider range of factors.
Mueller explained:
“It’s challenging since we’re not focusing on a specific aspect, unlike when we rolled out the speed update. That was something where we could clearly discuss how mobile speed affects your site and advise focusing on speed.”
Core Update: Relevance and Quality
Mueller discussed core updates in terms of relevance and quality updates. He did not specify that these updates were solely about relevance or quality but mentioned them to illustrate why there are no specific fixes.
He elaborated:
“With many relevance and quality updates, and with the core updates we make, there’s nothing specific where we could say you did this incorrectly. Instead, these updates involve various factors.”
Mueller further explained that changes outside the website might affect how Google ranks sites.
He stated:
“The web evolves over time. User expectations evolve, and our algorithms, which determine relevance, also evolve.”
This explanation aligns with the idea that factors beyond a website can influence its relevance to users, not just quality issues.
Mueller related that while specific fixes aren’t available, understanding how users view your site and its usefulness can be beneficial.
He suggested:
"There are older guidelines from Amit Singhal covering questions about your website’s quality, which I always recommend reviewing. Engage with individuals not affiliated with your website.”
Seeking External Critique
Mueller advised involving third parties to identify issues not apparent to the site owner.
He noted:
"As a site owner, you’re familiar with your website, but someone else might compare it to others and question its trustworthiness because of its appearance or authorship."
Seeking feedback from others, even within web communities like the Webmaster Help Forums, could spot issues. However, different perspectives might sometimes overlook the actual problem.
He added:
"Talk with others experienced in examining websites. They might remark that your layout looks outdated or that your authors are unknown. These aren’t explicit elements our algorithms target, but they contribute to an overall picture."
External views can highlight issues site owners might miss. Sometimes, despite site owners sensing something wrong, they might not pinpoint it. There have been instances where site owners concerned with negative SEO discovered, through analysis or feedback, content issues aligned with Google’s algorithms.
Google’s Potential for More Guidance
Mueller seemed empathetic to the web publisher’s concerns, offering more insights than previously provided and addressing the dissatisfaction with the "nothing to fix" notion within the web community. He hinted he might explore options for providing additional guidance for web publishers.
He proposed:
"Many ask for more specific advice, so we might work on compiling something. We’ll assess internally to see about delivering broader insights on recent changes."
Takeaway: Understanding the Broad View
Key takeaways include adopting a broad perspective to understand:
- Changes beyond the website, like user consumption patterns, could explain shifts in Google’s search results.
- Google’s algorithms are about solving user problems, not merely matching keywords to pages. A focus on problem-solving could prove beneficial rather than sticking to keyword strategies.
- Having fresh sets of eyes and perhaps expertise in diagnosing relevance issues could offer helpful insights.
Further Reading Suggestions:
- June 2019 Broad Core Algo Update: It’s More than E-A-T
- What is a Broad Core Algorithm Update?
Visual Content:
Consider watching related Webmaster Hangouts or reviewing modified screenshots by authors for deeper insights.
