Earlier this week, speculation arose about an unconfirmed Google February search algorithm update. Addressing the inquiries, Google’s Danny Sullivan remarked on Twitter Thursday morning, “We do updates all the time.” He directed users to revisit the advice provided around the November update, which Google referred to as comprising “several updates.”
Google’s Response: Sullivan addressed several questions about the rumored February update on Twitter early Thursday morning. His responses were consistent, indicating:
“We do updates all the time. I would suggest rereading our general advice about this.”
Was There an Update? Indeed, Google mentioned that “we do updates all the time,” though this was not classified as a “broad core update,” which Google typically pre-announces. This, however, does not preclude the possibility that Google released one or more updates last weekend affecting core rankings. Data from various tool providers and the SEO community showed significant ranking fluctuations between February 7, 2020, and February 12, 2020. These observations were covered extensively in our initial report.
Google’s Previous Statements: In reference to the November update, Google stated:
“Sometimes, a particular update might be broadly noticeable. We share about those when we feel there is actionable guidance for content owners. For example, when our Speed Update happened, we gave months of advanced notice and advice.”
“Again, we have updates that happen all the time in Google Search. If we don’t share about them, there is no particular actionable guidance to follow nor changes to make other than to keep focused on great content as we’ve advised generally.”
Nothing Actionable and Nothing to Fix: With these recent updates, Google reiterated that there is nothing actionable you can do or specific fixes to implement. This is concerning, especially regarding the 25% decline TechTarget experienced with the November update. The company mentioned it is making technical changes to try to address this, but it remains uncertain if these efforts will have an impact.
What Was This Update? This remains the critical question. The update lasted longer than most unconfirmed updates. It’s possible that Google released an update Friday night and may have reversed it a few days later. While this is speculative, various charts of affected sites show a drop and subsequent recovery, suggesting a rollback. Here is one example:
Charts depicting data from specific sites hit show a drop in traffic around the 7th and then an increase on the 12th.
There Was an Update: Yes, there was some form of an update. However, Google has not provided any actionable guidance. If you’ve noticed significant ranking changes this past week, you’re not alone.
Why We Care: With Google updates, sometimes they provide advice or areas to focus on. At other times, they simply suggest improving your site. Knowing that a significant update impacted many sites can offer some solace, indicating that changes in rankings might not be due to your specific actions in SEO.
