There are signs that Google may be updating its algorithm.
Last week, members of the WebmasterWorld forum in the UK noticed changes in search engine results pages (SERPs). This week, members from the U.S., especially today, have also been reporting these movements.
This volatility in search engine results is being observed in various countries.
Reports of updates on WebmasterWorld can be unreliable, which is why confirmation from the black hat community is often awaited.
Today, a lively discussion is taking place, confirming dramatic changes in rankings, suggesting that a Google Valentine’s Day algorithm update is in progress.
### Canaries in the Google Coal Mine
A closed black hat Facebook group has been a consistently reliable indicator of a Google update. This group, which I monitor to gauge industry trends, has accurately noticed every update throughout 2018, sometimes days before any public announcement from Google.
Their focus on aggressive link strategies makes their sites particularly sensitive to ranking fluctuations.
While I can’t quote directly from the group due to its closed nature, members from the U.S. to the Netherlands are reporting generally favorable ranking changes, with a huge spike reported in the UK.
### SEMrush Indicates an Update
The Mobile/U.S. SERP volatility graph for February 13th shows high activity levels.
The UK/Mobile SERP volatility graph for the same date indicates a very high level of activity. SEMrush’s graphs for the UK and U.S. align with what has been reported in both public and private forums.
### What Factors are Affected?
Discussions on WebmasterWorld report varying experiences. One member noted success after updating their page titles, only to later find those changes reverted. Making changes on a web page during a Google Update can lead to unreliable conclusions. It becomes challenging to determine if ranking changes result from website updates or the algorithm update due to significant instability.
For example, “broccoli” reported on February 11th that page titles seem increasingly important, especially concerning keyword density. However, by February 12th, they noticed a reversion to the wrong page in the SERPs.
Another user from the USA observed changes on February 12th after a week of discussions: “jmorgan” noted that their traffic looked positive. Overall, there is little consensus in the web community at this time.
### How Should You Respond to the Update?
It’s crucial to understand that an update can last several weeks as it likely rolls out across data centers. If your pages lose rankings, it may be wise to wait ten to fifteen days before making any changes.
Almost all updates are followed by a correction within ten to fifteen days, likely to fine-tune any changes based on data received after the initial update.
### What Is the Valentine’s Day Update?
Throughout the past year, Google has been implementing changes to enhance its ability to understand search queries and web page content. Such algorithms aim to identify the best pages to solve user problems.
#### Focus May be On Relevance, Not Quality
SEO professionals have traditionally believed that Google targets specific niches (such as the so-called Medic Update, which Google denied targeted medical sites) and various “quality” factors like poor links and thin content.
While such factors might tend to decline in Google search, Google has revealed that targeting negative signals of low quality has not been their focus.
If this update is confirmed, it’s reasonable to suspect that Google is making updates to return relevant search results that satisfy its users.
