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Google: No Comment On Possible Google Algorithm Update Over The Weekend

Was There A Google Panda Refresh Last Friday?

Barry Schwartz on August 11, 2014 at 11:15 am

On Friday, August 8th, there appears to have been a Google algorithm update that Google said they will not comment on. It may likely be a monthly Google Panda refresh but we cannot confirm if there was an update and if so, if it was Panda or not.

I reported the details at the Search Engine Roundtable, citing webmaster chatter, reports sent to me directly from webmasters who recovered on August 8th, as well as the various automated tracking tools. SearchMetrics also shared screen shots of sites impacted by this unconfirmed update.

Here are screen shots of the tracking tools showing significant changes to the Google search results Friday through the weekend.

algoroo-august9-google-update-1407761740

serpmetrics-august9-google-update-1407761740

mozcast-august9-google-update-1407761740

Dan Petrovic said this was the second largest update in 2014 that he has seen. Dan said this is “the second biggest spike in 2014 only slightly behind the 17 May (PayDay Loan 2).”

One webmaster emailed us a screen shot showing how his site was hit by another unconfirmed update on January 9th but recovering on August 8th.

google-organic-traffic-decrease-1407761821

google-organic-traffic-increase-1407761821

Again, Google would not confirm or deny there was an update on August 8th.

About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on SEM topics.