.png){kind=logo}
SEOs believe that a Google Search Ranking Algorithm took place on May 16 – though no representatives from the search engine have confirmed anything.
The latest alleged update follows a series of similar updates recorded throughout the month.
SEOs believe one update took place between May 7 and 9, while another took place on May 13. Google has confirmed neither of these updates. Note that these are Search Ranking Algorithm updates, meaning that they do not involve the major Page Experience update slated for August.
Now, a third May update is being speculated.
Users on message board WebMasterWorld have been speculating that an update occurred throughout the weekend. Specifically, users wrote that widgets were showing different results than they normally would.
“From the top 10 of (my) trade widgets, not one non-USA company is now ranked on the first page, and very, very few on the second page,” one user wrote.
Others noticed that the content of the search results itself has changed.
“Something absolutely wild is going on,” one user wrote. “Some breaking news terms are showing badly outdated results. When flipping over to the news tab, the results aren’t even relevant to the term in some cases.”
Finally, users expressed frustration, believing that the update caused their pages to perform poorly.
“My home page is down 66% from a normal Saturday at noon, while overall USA traffic is down 44%,” wrote one user.
SEO Barry Schwartz has been reporting on these updates throughout the month, and he compiled a series of graphs showing results from Google’s Tracking Tools. The graphs come from SEO hubs like Mozcast, SEMRush, and RankRanger – you can view Schwartz’s report here.
While Google has yet to confirm anything, many in the SEO community are growing impatient. Google may choose to weigh in to put the rumours to rest. Until then, many SEOs have their eyes peeled to see if another set of changes will come this weekend.
