Google Search Rating Algorithm Update November 4th and fifth?

Google has been busy, on Friday morning, November 4th, I started to see new signals of another Google search ranking algorithm update. Over the next 24 hours, those signals escalated and while Google has not confirmed there was an update, there are signs for sure that there was a Google search update.

The update also seems pretty significant, with a nice amount of chatter and the tracking tools, at least most of them, showing big spikes on the 4th and 5th of November.

SEO chatter

Here is some of the chatter I picked up on in the WebmasterWorld forums:

Anyone else seeing some movement today? (UK manufacturing/soft furnishings) I’m seeing a noticeable shift to e-commerce results in lieu of informational results. Someone searching for something like “elephant buses in Thailand” (okay, I made that one up) now has to wade through three ads and three organic e-commerce results before reaching an informational result (whether the latter is a Wikipedia article or an article from elephant-travel-in-thailand.com).Yes. Only way to describe it is a major crash in traffic early this morning. I’m down about 80%. Ecom/USAI’ve noticed Wikipedia dropping from pretty much the top of most searches in favor of more video.My miraculous October 28th recovery is still going. As of today, I have almost completely reversed Spam Update, Product Reviews Update, September Core Update and Helpful Content Update. Another big drop since Friday. We are down to 40%. And we are now replaced with websites that are not even related to our niche, like Hardware Stores. It would be like we would sell sausages in your tech. related shop and would rank for it. All our competitors are down, too. it seems that google has to compensate for the lost revenue from last quarter.Interestingly my global site’s first weekday of November average was completely normal, my weekends are usually 50-75% but this weekend it was 76.3% and 81.7%. My most popular widget pages are still the same with only minor movements +/-1 positions.

However Realworld business inquiries have dropped dramatically this past couple of weeks or so, especially from the West. I do expect “Western” inquiries to drop at this time of year since, basically, retail Xmas demand needs to have been shipped by now I usually do get inquiries for Jan-Mar despatch but these have not, as yet, started happening.

International shipping rates are nearly back to normal therefore that is not the issue, I am suspecting recession/stock not moving is the cause, the next few weeks running up to Xmas will be much more telling since Easter sales for many Western retailers are their busiest time of year.

I would not say for sure there were any reversals, more like Google tweaks and adjusts these algorithms after they go out.

Glenn Gabe also posted an example:

Another example of a site pummeled by the Helpful Content Update, then hit hard by the September broad core update, & now seeing *more* of a drop starting on 11/3. Is the latest drop another unconfirmed update or the HCU continuing to do its thing? Only Google knows. muahahaha 🙂 pic.twitter.com/45iCOkZchU

— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) November 6, 2022