What was different about this update was that Google announced it before the update happened, giving businesses enough time to make their website mobile-friendly before April 21st. Mobilegeddon has come and gone, and now Google is back to its sneaky ways with its newest update.
The Problem
In May 2013, many businesses saw significant drops in their Google organic traffic practically overnight. We're not talking small drops. In fact, some businesses reported that their traffic dropped over 60%. Google denied that they made any updates, leading to the update being called the "Phantom Update." Many SEO experts at the time thought that this update could lead up to the newest Penguin update, but it quickly became clear that this update was all about quality content, not links.
Fast-forward to today, and the same thing is happening all over again. If you've noticed that your traffic and Google rankings have dropped since the beginning of this month, you're not alone. The first weekend in May, several businesses noticed a drastic drop in traffic to their site. Many marketers speculated that it was due to a new Panda update, but Google denied that they made any updates to their algorithm. The change quickly became known as (you guessed it) the "Phantom Update" because something was definitely going on, even if Google didn't want to acknowledge it.
About Google's New Quality Update
Although Google initially denied that they made any updates to their algorithm, the numbers don't lie. There was a definite pattern in the decline of visibility for certain "how to" sites, mostly those with thin content (content that lacks a lot of value). HubPages and eHow were quick to speak out about their declining traffic, but businesses from all industries have been affected.
Google finally confirmed to Search Engine Land that while no spam-related updates were made, they did make changes in terms of how their core ranking algorithm processes quality signals. Although Google didn't provide any specifics about how quality is assessed, we know from the past that quality is determined based on a wide range of factors. This newest update could mean that Google is now placing more weight on some of those factors.
What it Means for Your Business
Businesses who have been negatively affected by the update have spoken out, but there have also been instances where businesses have gained visibility. If you saw a change in rankings earlier in the month, just know that you're not alone and that the changes are due to a Google update. Google is constantly working to improve the quality of their search results, and there's nothing that you, your marketing team, or your marketing agency can do to change what is happening. Unfortunately, it's beyond all of our control. However, if you stay on top of best practices regarding quality content, links, and inbound marketing as a whole, there's less of a chance that you'll be negatively affected by Google's updates in the future.
If you notice that your traffic or Google rankings have declined since the beginning of the month, the best thing you can do is to relax and refocus. Although there's not much you can do to change what has already happened, you can make sure that you don't get dinged by future Google updates. Focus on generating quality content that addresses the pain points of your buyer personas, and make sure that the content is valuable to your readers.