solving seo issues in google's post update world: how to track unconfirmed algorithm updates by...

#SMX #31A @glenngabeAlways keep your ear to the ground.

Solving SEO Issues In Google's Post-Update World

How To Track Unconfirmed Algorithm Updates

#SMX #31A @glenngabe

• Google pushes between 500 and 1,000 changes every year.

• Some are major, some are minor.• I’m covering major algorithm

changes (big shifts in rankings).• Google can, and will, roll out

multiple algo updates at one time.

With Google, Change Is Constant


• Unlike Panda(s) of the past…• And Penguin(s) of the past.• Phantom 2 in May 2015 was

confirmed (but we were lucky).• Some are pre-announced like the

mobile-friendly algo and mobile popup algo.

• But MOST are not announced or confirmed.

Most Algo Updates Are NOT Announced!Ah, those were the days!


• A mixture of human barometers and technology can help identify and surface major updates.

The Solution: Data, Chatter, Technology, and Humans


• Your own data and rank tracking.• Search Engine Roundtable.• SEOs focused on algo updates (like me).• Third party search visibility tools.• Twitter chatter.• Webmaster forums.• SEO weather tracking tools.

Keep Your Ear To The Ground

Note, if you see me tweet this gif,I’m seeing signs of an algo update.


• Core ranking updates.• Phantom updates.• Panda.• Pre-announced algos (mobile-

friendly, mobile popup algo, etc.)• Dates are important.• And connections with previous

updates.

Know Your Algorithms


• And sometimes more frequently…• Phantom 2 (May 2015)• November 2015• January 2016• March 2016• June 2016• November 2016• February 7, 2017• March 7, 2017 (Fred)

Major updates are happening every few months.


• It’s easy! Just ask Gary Illyes and John Mueller on Twitter.

• Thank you. I’ll go catch my flight now… :)

So how do you track these updates?


• Third party data can supplement your own.

• Gather and track data from your own niche.

• Get the right toolset in place AND USE IT.

• Be ready for the next algo update. • Be proactive, not reactive.

Prepare For Battle (With Data and Tools)


• Select a strong bucket of keywords to track in your niche.

• Don’t simply track 10 keywords… you need more than that.

• Track your competition too. • You want to see movement

across an entire niche, not just your own site.

Rank Tracking


• SEMrush• STAT• Moz campaigns• Rank Ranger• And others…

Rank Tracking Tools


SEMrush Example:


Moz Example:


• You’ll need a lot of campaigns.• And a lot of money. :)• Wouldn’t it be AWESOME if there were tools tracking

search visibility over time for most sites across the web??

But You Can’t Rank-track The Entire Web!


• All three tools are continually tracking many sites.• And millions of keywords.• Across many countries.• All three provide search visibility metrics.• And can help you pick up algorithm updates.

Tracking Volatility Via SEMrush, Searchmetrics, & Sistrix


SEMrush In Action:


SEMrush Search Visibility Over Time:


SEMrush Position Changes Report:


Searchmetrics In Action:


Searchmetrics Winners and Losers (Keywords):

Search Visibilityby directory!


• You can quickly check search visibility gains or losses across sites in your niche.

• You can find movement on specific dates and dig in.

Searchmetrics – Compare Domains


Sistrix In Action:


Sistrix – Compare sites, subdomains, and directories:


Sistrix Ranking Changes:


Sistrix - Desktop vs. Mobile Search Visibility


• There are times Google reverses course algo-wise.• Or there can be “tremors” based on tweaks to the algo

(which can happen after major updates).

Yes, reversals can happen.


• Google’s mobile popup algorithm launched on 1/10/17.• Should negatively impact sites using mobile popups and

interstitials.• I’m tracking 70+ sites employing mobile popups or

interstitials.• I’m not seeing widespread movement (at all)…• It’s officially a dud.

And Sometimes Algos DON’T Work As Expected…

Popups from urls still ranking wellafter January 10, 2017!


• There are several tools that track volatility based on a set of keywords.

• They can help identify algo updates, but aren’t perfect.

• Small data set.• Mozcast, Algoroo, Sensor,

SERPmetrics, RankRanger, etc.

Weather Tracking Tools


Google Data


• There’s nothing better than your own data.

• E.g. GSC data and Google Analytics trending.

• Also, both GSC and GA have APIs.• So you can automate certain

tasks, which can help with tracking (more about that soon).

Google Tools and Your Own Data


• Search Analytics reporting will be your focus.• Track clicks and impressions over time.• Average position (although a bit funky) can help identify

increases or decreases in rankings.

Google Search Console (GSC)

Example of a drop during

the 12/18/16 update


• Examples of recovery and drops during the September 2015 Update:



• Another drop during a recent core ranking update:Google Search Console (GSC)


• Positive impact from the February 7, 2017 update:Google Search Console (GSC)


• Average position (although a bit funky) can help identify increases or decreases in rankings.



• You can also compare timeframes.

• And sort by loss of clicks or impressions.

• But be aware of the UI limitation of 1K rows per report.

• That’s frustrating… but there are workarounds.

Google Search Console


• You can isolate areas of your site by filtering the Pages group.

• Or isolate keywords by filtering the Queries group.• And then view trending based on filtered data!• No regex, but you can export the data to analyze further.

Google Search Console – Slice and dice.


• Analytics Edge is my tool of choice for bulk exporting data from GSC.

• I published two blog posts about this (links below).• For example, exporting queries and landing pages well

beyond the 1,000 row limit in the UI.• Then use the power of Excel to dig in further.

Quick Tip:

I exported 48,129in less than 2 minutes

http://glennga.be/analytics-edge-gsc http://glennga.be/analytics-edge-queries

http://glennga.be/analytics-edge-gsc

http://glennga.be/analytics-edge-queries


• Rich snippets can be impacted during major core ranking updates.

• I’ve seen this several times since Phantom 2 in May of 2015.• Use the Search Appearance group to filter by “Rich results”.

Rich Snippets – GSC


• You can also check the SERP Features widget in SEMrush to see if rich snippets have been impacted.

• It will show you the % of times reviews are showing up for the domain.

• And the keywords triggering those reviews.

Quick Tip: Rich Snippets & SEMrush


Google Analytics


• Make sure you are isolating Google organic traffic!• You can also check organic search channel reporting for

unsampled data (although it includes all search engines).

Google Analytics – Organic Search Trending


• Surge during February 7, 2017 core ranking update.• Major Panda 4.0 hit.

Google Analytics – Organic Search Trending

Panda 4.0

February 2017Update


• Big Phantom 2 hit.Google Analytics – Organic Search Trending


• February 7, 2017 hit:Google Analytics – Organic Search Trending


• Panda 4.1 recovery and surge during the 10/24/14 update.Google Analytics – Organic Search Trending

Panda 4.1

10/24/14Panda Update


• You should dimension by landing page.• Check trending.• Then compare against previous timeframe.

Google Analytics – Digging Deeper By Page


• And you can do this by directory (or via page type).• Regular expressions are supported in GA.

Google Analytics – Filtering is key.


• After getting hit by a major algorithm update, it’s smart to check the landing pages from organic search that dropped.

• You can often find glaring problems on those pages…

• I wrote a tutorial for running a Panda report in GA and Excel (provided below).

• You can use it for any algo update or traffic drop.

Panda Report - Good Time To Bring This Up!

http://glennga.be/panda-report

http://glennga.be/panda-report


Quick Case Study


• Big Panda hit (lost ~65% of Google traffic overnight).

• Clearly identified the hit via GSC, GA, and third party tools.

• Ran a Panda report to gauge the loss of traffic by landing page.

• Performed a thorough crawl of the site to surface potential problems.

• Fixed A LOT of quality problems.• Set up rank tracking to monitor recovery of

core terms.• Site recovered during next Panda update and

has increased more during subsequent core ranking updates.

Case Study – Panda Hit, Recovery, & Phantom Approval


Case Study – Panda Hit, Recovery, & Phantom Approval


Case Study – Panda Hit, Recovery, & Phantom Approval• The company versus its top competitor since the initial algo hit.• My client = red, the other site is blue.


• Check other search engines to verify an algo hit!• If Bing drops, as well as Google, it could signal technical

SEO problems versus an algorithm update.• Make sure it’s truly Google organic that dropped. • Confirm with GSC as well.

Check Other Search Engines:

Bing

Google


• Are your mobile pages the problem?

• Google’s mobile-friendly algorithm.

• Google’s mobile popup algorithm.

• Soon-to-be-released mobile-first index.

• You can check both GA and GSC.• And you can check third party

tools as well.

Checking Mobile SERPs and Traffic


• Use the devices group to check clicks and impressions from mobile devices.

• Compare to desktop to see the differences.• Including average position!

Mobile Reporting in GSC:


• Use a segment for mobile to view all reporting through a mobile lens.

• Then use my recommendations from earlier for gauging the impact.

• You might find that mobile pages dropped more than desktop.

• Then dig in to find out why…

Google Analytics


• Major algorithm update on 3/7/17.• Some sites surged, while others

tanked.• Volatility was easy to see via the

tools I mentioned in this presentation.

• SEMrush, Searchmetrics, & Sistrix.• Google Analytics.• Google Search Console.

I Couldn’t Present This Topic Without Mentioning FRED!


Some volatility examples due to Fred: SEMrush


Some volatility examples due to Fred: GA & GSC


Some volatility examples due to Fred: SEMrush Position Changes


• Be proactive, not reactive.• Use a multi-faceted approach for tracking algorithm

updates.• Set up rank tracking.• Monitor search visibility across your niche.• Track and ping human barometers.• Monitor industry chatter.• Leverage the full power of Google tools (GSC and GA).• Surface quality problems, fix them, and improve quality

overall.• Drive forward and wait for the next update (could be

months).

Final tips and recommendations:

#SMX #31A @glenngabeLEARN MORE: UPCOMING @SMX EVENTS

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solving seo issues in google's post update world: how to track unconfirmed algorithm updates by...

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