Recently, Google discovered and resolved an issue that was affecting the traffic to some websites from Google News and Discover. The fault was associated with the October 2023 core update, which began to be released on October 5 and resulted in a notable decrease in Discover and News traffic for some websites. According to Google, the flaw was fixed on October 31st, and as a result, some websites might experience a spike in traffic from Discover-related searches.
What is Google Discover and News?
Google Discover is a service that provides users with customised content recommendations based on their search history, interests, and choices. Discover is available to users via the Google app, the Google site on mobile devices, or Android devices' leftmost screen.
Google News is a service that compiles and arranges news articles from multiple sources, presenting them to consumers according to their choices, language, and geography. Users can access News via the news.google.com website, the Google app, or both.
Many websites rely on Discover and News as significant sources of traffic, particularly those who create material related to news, entertainment, or lifestyle. In 2020, Discover and News accounted for 1.5% and 6% of all global external traffic to publishers, respectively, according to a Chartbeat research.
How did the bug affect Discover and News traffic?
The October 2023 core update, one of many core changes Google releases year to enhance the calibre and relevancy of its search results, set off the problem. The way that core upgrades conform to Google's rules and user expectations can have a big effect on a website's traffic and rankings.
Google claims that the error affected Discover's application of the core upgrade, which caused some sites to lose traffic and visibility in Discover. After the core upgrade, some sites reported a decrease in their News traffic, indicating that the fault also affected News.
Many websites and publishers experienced annoyance and bewilderment as a result of the 26-day glitch, which ran from October 5 to October 31. They noticed a sharp decline in Discover and News traffic without any reason. A number of them talked about their experiences and worries on other websites and discussion boards, like WebmasterWorld, Reddit, and Twitter.
How did Google fix the bug and what are the implications?
After resolving the issue on October 31, Google announced the problem on November 1. Google did not disclose any information on how the error was fixed or how the traffic would be restored, only stating that some sites may notice a boost in Discover-related traffic as a consequence of the change.
Following the bug update, some webmasters and publishers saw a resurgence in their Discover and News traffic, while others reported no discernible improvement. It's unknown if the glitch will have any long-term ramifications or if traffic levels will return to normal.
Additionally, the problem and another major Google update that was released in November 2023 coincided, potentially having an additional impact on website traffic and rankings. After the rollout is over, Google promises to share more details on the new core update and to adjust its ranking history accordingly.
The bug brought to light the difficulties and uncertainties associated with Google's frequent and occasionally erratic changes, as well as the significance of tracking and optimising the Discover and News traffic for websites. It is recommended that webmasters and publishers adhere to Google's best practises and recommendations when producing high-quality, relevant, and interesting content to satisfy both Google's algorithms and their users' needs.
In conclusion, Google fixed a problem with the core update from October 2023 that resulted in a decrease in traffic from Google News and Discover for some websites. News compiles news from various sources, whilst Discover provides recommendations for personalised content.
On October 31, Google resolved the issue; however, they did not disclose the precise method of resolution or the effect it had on traffic. While some websites showed gains, others saw little to no change. Long-term impacts or a return to regular traffic levels are not guaranteed.
This episode underscores the difficulties posed by Google's frequent modifications and the necessity for webmasters and publishers to produce excellent content in accordance with Google's standards. It's critical to monitor and maximise Discover and News traffic, particularly for websites that rely heavily on these channels.
FAQs
What updates did Google make recently?
Google rolled out a series of updates to its search algorithm in October and November 2023, including the Mongoose update that aimed to improve the quality and relevance of search results.
What reports of declining traffic did Google receive?
Some webmasters and SEO experts reported a significant drop in their organic traffic from Google after the updates, especially in the news and health niches . They suspected that the updates had negatively affected their rankings and visibility on Google.
How did Google respond to the reports of declining traffic?
Google acknowledged the reports of declining traffic and said that it was investigating the issue. Google also advised webmasters to follow the best practices for creating high-quality content and optimizing their sites for search.
What bug did Google find in its search algorithm?
After looking into the reports of declining traffic, Google discovered a bug in its indexing system that caused some pages to be dropped or deindexed from its search results. Google said that the bug was not related to the updates and that it was working on fixing it as soon as possible.
How did the bug affect the webmasters and SEO experts?
The bug affected the webmasters and SEO experts who saw a sudden and drastic decline in their organic traffic from Google. Some of them reported losing up to 80% of their traffic in a matter of days. The bug also affected their analytics and search console data, making it difficult to diagnose the problem and measure the impact.
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