John Mueller from Google has indicated that it can take months for significant site changes to be fully processed by search ranking algorithms.
Therefore, if site changes occur simultaneously with a known Google algorithm update, any subsequent gains or losses in traffic might not be directly related to those modifications.
This issue was discussed during a recent Google Webmaster Central office-hours session, where two site owners shared similar concerns. One owner observed an increase in traffic following Google’s broad core algorithm update in March, followed by a decrease around the April update. Another site owner mentioned a similar experience after implementing a comprehensive site update in mid-March, which initially led to improved metrics and a significant traffic boost. However, their traffic was halved over time and has not rebounded.
Several questions were raised, such as whether the traffic drop was related to the site’s previous state, whether metrics would improve post-update, or if recent changes were causing negative impacts.
Mueller clarified that any changes in a site’s appearance in Google Search should not be attributed to recent site updates, even if these coincide with an algorithm update. The process of recrawling, reindexing, and reprocessing a site is extensive, often taking several months for Google to accurately determine a site’s position in search results after major changes.
He noted that changes to search rankings are likely unrelated to an algorithm update if both events happened concurrently. Mueller’s detailed response can be viewed in the shared video starting at the 45-minute mark, along with a transcript.
Mueller emphasized, “Usually, especially with larger websites, it takes considerable time for algorithms to adjust to significant changes. Quick changes should not be expected; instead, it’s a matter of several months for a site to be recrawled, reindexed, and reprocessed. If site changes were made and a week later search results changed—particularly on a date noted for broader changes by others—those changes might not be related to your updates. Rather, changes typically evolve subtly over multiple months rather than in one dramatic shift.”
