Traffic cut-off since Google core update
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Hi all,
I am the webmaster of www.chepicap.com/en (Cryptocurrency news), and since the 3rd of june (Google core algorithm update) we got the hammer from Google.
Organic traffic dropped with 90%+ overnight. We are still in the dark whether we can do to improve the current situation. Does someone have suggestions regarding this issue?
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You are not alone:
https://searchengineland.com/google-june-2019-core-update-finished-rolling-out-on-june-8-318028
Many at the moment are complaining including the Daily Mail and CNN. When I traced the Daily Mail's issue back to its root it seemed to mostly revolve around Google's E-A-T guidelines and the same could be true for your site too
This may seem like old news: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/07/18/google-quality-rater-guidelines-leaked-new-insights-revealed/#5c3f798e0bde - but recently there's been an influx of people complaining about ranking drops and one common thread seems to be E-A-T adherence (whilst another seems to be a lack of value proposition - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AmRg3p79pM - just watch up until Issue #1 is outlined)
Keep in mind that when quality rater guidelines were leaked in 2014, that doesn't necessarily mean that Google's algorithm(s) had adapted to incorporate those factors. It seems as if Google's algorithms(s) are now taking up more in this area (where previously a lot of it was left to Google's quality raters)
We keep seeing people come on here with informational sites, blog sites, eCommerce sites - and the common thread right now is that most of the publishing-oriented sites seem to fail E-A-T whilst many commerce sites are failing to add a unique value-proposition to their arsenal
A lot of people also seem very determined that updates to the Medic update are still, even now impacting webmasters (although this update is also pretty old: https://searchengineland.com/googles-august-first-core-algorithm-update-who-did-it-impact-and-how-much-303538 - the point is, when the 'core' is updated many of its internal updates and algos get re-aligned, rising or falling in prominence
YMYL sites seem to be getting hit really hard across the board: https://searchengineland.com/quality-raters-handbook-your-money-or-your-life-177663 - I know, from 2013. But it seems as if a lot of this stuff around 'authenticity' of claims and statements, expertise, is really being scrutinised right now
If your site revolves around cryptocurrency news then it probably qualifies as YMYL and may not be satisfying E-A-T enough, so I'd read a lot into those guidelines
"3.2 Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T)
Remember that the first step of PQ rating is to understand the true purpose of the page. Websites or pages without some sort of beneficial purpose, including pages that are created with no attempt to help users, or pages that potentially spread hate, cause harm, or misinform or deceive users, should receive the Lowest rating.
For all other pages that have a beneficial purpose, the amount of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) is very important. Please consider:
● The expertise of the creator of the MC.
● The authoritativeness of the creator of the MC, the MC itself, and the website.
● The trustworthiness of the creator of the MC, the MC itself, and the website.
Keep in mind that there are high E-A-T pages and websites of all types, even gossip websites, fashion websites, humor websites, forum and Q&A pages, etc. In fact, some types of information are found almost exclusively on forums and discussions, where a community of experts can provide valuable perspectives on specific topics.
● High E-A-T medical advice should be written or produced by people or organizations with appropriate medical expertise or accreditation. High E-A-T medical advice or information should be written or produced in a Copyright 2019 18 professional style and should be edited, reviewed, and updated on a regular basis.
● High E-A-T news articles should be produced with journalistic professionalism—they should contain factually accurate content presented in a way that helps users achieve a better understanding of events. High E-A-T news sources typically have published established editorial policies and robust review processes (example 1, example 2).
● High E-A-T information pages on scientific topics should be produced by people or organizations with appropriate scientific expertise and represent well-established scientific consensus on issues where such consensus exists.
● High E-A-T financial advice, legal advice, tax advice, etc., should come from trustworthy sources and be maintained and updated regularly.
● High E-A-T advice pages on topics such as home remodeling (which can cost thousands of dollars and impact your living situation) or advice on parenting issues (which can impact the future happiness of a family) should also come from “expert” or experienced sources that users can trust.
● High E-A-T pages on hobbies, such as photography or learning to play a guitar, also require expertise.
Some topics require less formal expertise. Many people write extremely detailed, helpful reviews of products or restaurants. Many people share tips and life experiences on forums, blogs, etc. These ordinary people may be considered experts in topics where they have life experience. If it seems as if the person creating the content has the type and amount of life experience to make him or her an “expert” on the topic, we will value this “everyday expertise” and not penalize the person/webpage/website for not having “formal” education or training in the field.
It’s even possible to have everyday expertise in YMYL topics. For example, there are forums and support pages for people with specific diseases. Sharing personal experience is a form of everyday expertise. Consider this example. Here, forum participants are telling how long their loved ones lived with liver cancer. This is an example of sharing personal experiences (in which they are experts), not medical advice. Specific medical information and advice (rather than descriptions of life experiences) should come from doctors or other health professionals.
Think about the topic of the page. What kind of expertise is required for the page to achieve its purpose well? The standard for expertise depends on the topic of the page."
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