You know it’s bad when even the folks on LinkedIn are commenting on Google’s Search Console post saying stuff like ‘Are you kidding me?’
Looks like this update will take 2 weeks to fully roll out and another 3-4 weeks to stabilize. Kind of like an early Christmas gift for everyone in SEO… Has anyone got a clue or any hint about what this update is focused on? I checked a few X users last night, and none of them were talking about it. Someone joked it’s the ‘Helpful Content Update 2.0’.
Honestly, I’m so done with caring about what Google is up to.
Trying to stay updated with Google’s changes is just frustrating. I’m focusing on writing content that’s actually helpful to my readers. (I was already doing that, but I tried to keep Google happy too. Tip: you just can’t.)
Recently, I got some traction from Brazil and received three emails/comments from readers there thanking me for a post that went a bit viral. That feedback feels way more rewarding than trying to play Google’s game.
Google doesn’t care about people like me, so I’m done caring about Google.
@ThreadMaster
Wait, you had a spike from Brazil too?
J.cole3 said:
@ThreadMaster
Wait, you had a spike from Brazil too?
Haha, small world right?
J.cole3 said:
@ThreadMaster
Wait, you had a spike from Brazil too?
Me too, no joke o.o
J.cole3 said:
@ThreadMaster
Wait, you had a spike from Brazil too?
Is it content related to SEO? In Brazil, SEO is still kind of new, but it’s slowly picking up. Good SEO content is pretty rare here.
@Calvine
The spike was for queries on digital marketing in general.
J.cole3 said:
@ThreadMaster
Wait, you had a spike from Brazil too?
One of my clients saw a similar spike too!
Interesting stuff. When did yours happen?
J.cole3 said:
@ThreadMaster
Wait, you had a spike from Brazil too?
One of my clients saw a similar spike too!
Interesting stuff. When did yours happen?
It happened right after the August core update.
This probably isn’t HCU 2.0. Danny Sullivan and John Mueller both mentioned that there won’t be changes for HCU sites and ‘no major recoveries’ expected.
So I’m guessing this update isn’t that big.
Williamson said:
This probably isn’t HCU 2.0. Danny Sullivan and John Mueller both mentioned that there won’t be changes for HCU sites and ‘no major recoveries’ expected.
So I’m guessing this update isn’t that big.
Yeah, I remember reading that at their recent event.
Some people will start guessing what this update is about without having real info.
Some might end up right, others won’t.
Try following Barry Schwartz (Rustybrick) and Glenn Gabe on social media. They usually share good insights.
@Mary
I follow Barry on X.
@Mary
Why follow them?
They don’t have any inside scoop, just press release stuff.
I don’t follow anyone.
I’m at the point where I’m working to make sure Google isn’t my main traffic source. Relying too much on them could hurt any business.
The timing of this update is typical for Google. A 2-week rollout means the Thanksgiving traffic changes will show up, then the usual shifts in early December, followed by the holiday season shifts… Things won’t normalize until mid or late January.
@Reese
Yeah, exactly what I thought. It’s rough for so many folks, especially during the holiday season when these two months are the busiest, and Google’s rolling out an update.
J.cole3 said:
@Reese
Yeah, exactly what I thought. It’s rough for so many folks, especially during the holiday season when these two months are the busiest, and Google’s rolling out an update.
They always seem to time these around holidays (Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc.). It’s just a pain trying to understand why things are changing. It doesn’t ruin things for me, but a small drop here and there does make people nervous. I don’t think this is a ‘zero-sum game’ either—Google keeping more traffic in their ecosystem has to be considered.
J.cole3 said:
@Reese
Yeah, exactly what I thought. It’s rough for so many folks, especially during the holiday season when these two months are the busiest, and Google’s rolling out an update.
There are people who actually gain from these updates, you know? Some lose, some win. It’s not like they’re out to ruin things, just changing who the winners and losers are.
Has anyone noticed any ranking changes in SERP?
Harper said:
Has anyone noticed any ranking changes in SERP?
Saw some posts on X about volatility last week, but no big differences yet. Let’s wait a couple of days… We won’t know for sure until things settle, probably around 3-4 weeks.