"Google May 2020 Core Update" affecting your xF Forum?

[Ozzy47]

you think he knows what webmaster tools are?)

I would hope so, if you’re trying to rank a new site with them.

 

[Anatoliy]

I would hope so, if you’re trying to rank a new site with them.

I didn't see a single word from him about trying. Just crying. )

 

[rickhz]

I don't agree with that. I own 3 sites with big forums, all related to cycling, and they have been booming in the last month (see attachment, it's the mountain bike one). The nice makes the difference, and what people are searching for. It's always been like that with google, and that's why we never cared much about seo. If you care about seo (speaking for a content website, not an e-commerce one) you loose the focus of why you have an internet presence.

I think cycling is a perfetct example in the Covid-19 times, because people want to commute and practice without staying close to other people, and that's the reason why they are searching for bikes and cycling related information.

View attachment 227507

Perfect example of Google picking and choosing the winners based on their own social beliefs. They are not pro-automobile unless the vehicle is electric. Google has never sponsored a gas burning race car. They showed up at the SEMA show with an electric, autonomous vehicle.

Cycling fit's in with their beliefs that gas burning vehicles should just go away.

 

[rickhz]

Here you can see the Covid drop at the beginning of March, the slow rise back, and then the May 4 nose dive.

 

[DigNap15]

you think he knows what webmaster tools are?)

Probably not, because they keep changing the name of things.

 

[DigNap15]

here's a screen dump from my Google Search Console

 

[DigNap15]

My problem is that I am a self taught amatuer.
I have a very popular XF forum and a hand coded (by me) webiste attached
I am not keen on spending too much time and energy on Google as they keep changing their alogrthymns
And they censor the web

As I keep saying
Bing and DuckDuckGo have me on page 1 and postion 2 or 3.

 

[diretur]

Perfect example of Google picking and choosing the winners based on their own social beliefs. They are not pro-automobile unless the vehicle is electric. Google has never sponsored a gas burning race car. They showed up at the SEMA show with an electric, autonomous vehicle.

Cycling fit's in with their beliefs that gas burning vehicles should just go away.

Is Google choosing it, or are the people searching it? Car sells dropped, bicycles sells went through the roof in the past months. I doubt that's because of Google changing its algorythm.

 

[l3ta]

I don't know if it is due to the algorithm, but almost all UFO forums are now buried deep in G search. I'm ruined

 

[arn]

My problem is that I am a self taught amatuer.
I have a very popular XF forum and a hand coded (by me) webiste attached
I am not keen on spending too much time and energy on Google as they keep changing their alogrthymns
And they censor the web

As I keep saying
Bing and DuckDuckGo have me on page 1 and postion 2 or 3.

There's plenty of reasons to complain about Google. But expecting a new site to rank well that's only been around a couple of months isn't reasonable. It takes time to rank, to build up links, etc...

The Google stats do look weird though. 0 clicks on "nz issues forum"? -- that's presumably a branded search.

If you want to rank for "New Zealand Political Forums", you should perhaps put that in your title and optimize for it. You do come up for "New Zealand Issues Forums" which is your exact title.

And DuckDuckGo uses Bing API, so it's the same.

arn

 

[Mr Lucky]

Cycling fit's in with their beliefs that gas burning vehicles should just go away.

I don’t think it’s just Google. Don’t most people (who aren’t Jeremy Clarkson) and/or organisations think that saving the planet is a good thing?

 

[DigNap15]

If you want to rank for "New Zealand Political Forums", you should perhaps put that in your title and optimize for it. You do come up for "New Zealand Issues Forums" which is your exact title.

Yes, I do come up as NZIssues as that is my name.
But no one will search for that as they do not know I exist.
But they may search for a New Zealand policitcal forum

My forum is a General forum - all topics, movies books etc.
But Politics is by far the busiest category.

 

[Brent W]

Perfect example of Google picking and choosing the winners based on their own social beliefs. They are not pro-automobile unless the vehicle is electric. Google has never sponsored a gas burning race car. They showed up at the SEMA show with an electric, autonomous vehicle.

Cycling fit's in with their beliefs that gas burning vehicles should just go away.

Lol

 

[JoyFreak]

Yes, our site took a big hit too.

 

[Mr Lucky]

Perfect example of Google picking and choosing the winners based on their own social beliefs.

My gut feeling is they act more on their money-making beliefs rather than their social beliefs.

 

[sbj]

Google doesn't owe anyone anything. If they feel like it they can rank just people based on their own beliefs. It is their site. But those conspiracy theories are getting out of hand I think.

 

[Baby Community]

The clicks from the organic search network have decreased a lot. The clicks from the referral network and social media have also decreased. But those who know the site are coming too much. I don't know why. ever too high I ever got. another day is frustrating.

 

[Moshe1010]

Well, if forums had to have the final death penalty, since forums were already struggling, google made it official in their last update. I think the forum era is pretty much done as we knew it. Probably only the big ones will survive like reddit. RIP.

Oh yeah, I also got a 40% hit, but I don’t care since FB forums are much stronger for us, and instagram brings 10 times more revenue.


We have a fitness/health/nutrition board. XF 1. I was thinking long time ago to upgrade, but if this update is here to stay, there is no way we are going to invest $30K (yeah, we built crazy things) to upgrade our board.

 

[Baby Community]

@Moshe1010 Would you take me as an apprentice?

 

[DigNap15]

It seems that most members above think Google is downgrading fourms.
(But a couple of members think its a conspiracy theory)
Either way its bad news for forums