Google’s March 2018 Algorithm Update

Google’s March 2018 Algorithm Update
Crakrevenue-Google-Update

SEO

Written by

Mike

PUBLISHED ON

March 28, 2018

Category

SEO

With respect to search engines and SEO, your site’s traffic hangs in the balance of all those multinational search conglomerates. You see, when it comes to Google—Google only updates their “broad core search algorithm” a few times a year, says the company.

And on March 7, 2018, it seems Google had more than just a few tweaks up their sleeve during one of their usual updates.

The leader in search has publicly confirmed a March 7th update and say that it counts as one of their broad core algorithm updates they do several times a year as mentioned above — but so far, the company says this update doesn’t have a name. And all signs point to this being a major one.

Were you affected by Google's March 7th mysterious update? Find out as we take a look and interpret the search titan’s latest changes!

Here’s what we know about the update so far, in Google’s own words:

Official tweets from Google's public liaison of search, @DannySullivan

As with any major update, there's always a chance for things to go wonky. Some webmasters have reported less traffic from Google after this update … while others have reported more.

What have you noticed? Let us know in the comments!

It Doesn’t Have a Name...

Yep, this is Google Confirming Several Broad Core Algorithm Updates Per Year:

The fact that they’re confirming the update this time is at least a little noteworthy, as the company doesn’t always tell a whole lot when it comes to algorithm updates.

How Has Google’s Algorithm Update Affected You?

So, those of you who always have their eye on their Google Analytics stats, what’s the verdict?!

Here at CrakRevenue, we noticed more traffic to some our sites since this unnamed update took effect...

google update traffic stats

 

We manage more than 1000 micro-sites and blogs, and the above is a screenshot of just one of our blog’s stats. Look at that increase!

As you can see, this one blog has recovered all of its former glory thanks to this particular Google update. What about you? Have you received less traffic from the aforementioned date and update or more?

These types of updates can be frustrating for those that keep a close eye on stats, so it’s important to never lose sight of the ultimate prize -- stable SEO -- ranking well with your target keywords and maintaining a somewhat consistent placement (that hopefully only gets better with time … unless you’re already #1).

Want more? We have plenty of other articles on adult marketing SEO.

RankRanger - A Worthy SEO Tool

RankRanger's analytic and tracking system is fantastic for keeping an eye on things.

While Google says March 7th is the confirmed date when the update went live, webmasters really started noticing changes March 9th.

rankranger

This graph charts the ranking patterns of those pesky algorithm changes, with March 9 being a real whammy.

The numbers displayed on the Risk Index graphs represent the change in rankings on a particular date; the higher the Risk Index, the more Google's rankings have fluctuated.

Putting it all together

With the March 7th update, it looks like some adult site owners did indeed lose a fraction of comparable traffic with the new algorithm roll out.  

With the March 7th change, it’s feasible some webmasters lost traffic based on what Google’s Danny Sullivan says:

"As with any update, some sites may note drops or gains. There’s nothing wrong with pages that may now perform less well. Instead, it’s that changes to our systems are benefiting pages that were previously under-rewarded..."

But just how does one get back on the “SEO saddle” if their PageRank has taken a hit?

Well, Google’s Danny Sullivan says there’s no “fix” for pages that “may perform less well” other than to remain focused on building great content.

Over time, it may be that your content may rise relative to other pages, he says.

All in all, while the March 7th algorithm came as a bit of a surprise to some, the sky is definitely not falling and we think things will level out in the coming weeks.

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