Hey everyone,
My site got hit by the recent Google core update. Since December 12th, my Discover impressions dropped from around 50k to zero. I’m not sure why this happened or what to check. Any advice from the pros here? Is there a way to figure out why the algorithm hit my site?
Google’s a monopoly. They do whatever they want and mess with businesses in the process. They need to be broken up.
Cedric said:
Google’s a monopoly. They do whatever they want and mess with businesses in the process. They need to be broken up.
Yeah, I’ve noticed more people moving to Bing and DuckDuckGo lately.
Same thing happened to me. I waited it out, and after about a week my impressions slowly started coming back. Right now, I’m at about 75% recovery.
I’d give it a week. If nothing improves, check which keywords dropped and see who’s ranking now. That could give you a clue.
@Nehemiah
Yep, that’s exactly what happened to me last month too.
You need to figure out how exactly your site got hit. Google has a guide for debugging traffic drops. Just search for: ‘Google search docs debug traffic drops.’
Have you checked Google Search Console for any flags or issues?
Jax said:
Have you checked Google Search Console for any flags or issues?
Algorithm hits don’t usually show up as flags. Most of the time, there’s no direct notice.
Jax said:
Have you checked Google Search Console for any flags or issues?
What do you mean by flags? Where do I find that?
Jax said:
Have you checked Google Search Console for any flags or issues?
What do you mean by flags? Where do I find that?
In Google Search Console (GSC).
Jax said:
Have you checked Google Search Console for any flags or issues?
What do you mean by flags? Where do I find that?
I meant stuff like indexing issues or Core Web Vitals dropping. GSC usually highlights these.
A drop from 50k to 0 is a big hit. I had something similar happen. I requested a reindex of my site, and after a couple of weeks, things started to recover.
I honestly think there might be some bugs in these updates that just randomly deindex sites.
Did you use AI content or stuff too many keywords? I got hit by the spam update on December 20th for doing that.
Annie said:
Did you use AI content or stuff too many keywords? I got hit by the spam update on December 20th for doing that.
How did you fix it? Any ideas?
Annie said:
Did you use AI content or stuff too many keywords? I got hit by the spam update on December 20th for doing that.
How much did the update affect your traffic?
I launched a site in August 2024, and I’m seeing something similar. My site’s indexed, but I’m not getting search traffic anymore. Impressions just froze.
From what I know, Google rolls out new algorithms every few months. Sometimes, rankings shift a lot during those updates. Competitors pop up and take over, but it’s not always permanent.
If you didn’t get a manual penalty, your site might bounce back in the next update. Just keep publishing and make sure your content is solid.
Drop your domain so we can take a look.
Need more info. How new is the site? How much content is on there? Any link-building efforts?
Looks like the update caught your site. I’d focus on content quality, fixing technical issues, and checking backlinks. Use Search Console for insights and keep your site updated. Sometimes you just have to wait it out.
Hard to say. But if you overused AI-generated content, that might be it.