As you all know, Google launched a new algorithm update on December 1st named the December 2021 product reviews update. Since then, the tracking tools have been off the charts showing insane levels of volatility and that volatility has continued through the weekend. The chatter is not as insane, when comparing what we are seeing with the tools.
If you need to learn more about this update and what it targets, how to recover and so on, then read this story. This story is just about the volatility we are seeing since the update.
Let’s start by sharing what the automated Google search tracking tools are picking up, and they are picking up a lot.
Semrush is at core update levels for a few days in a row:
RankRanger as well:
Accuranker – you are seeing this:
It honestly seems way more impactful than the original April product reviews update – but it is hard to say.
The chatter is more limited with this core update, at least in terms of SEO forums. This is what I found on WebmasterWorld and there are dozens of sporadic threads on BlackHatWorld – so it is hard to consolidate all those threads:
Glenn Gabe has been following sites that were impacted by the original product reviews update and is seeing big changes. Here are some of his tweets where he showed this:
Mordy Oberstein from Semrush shared some early analysis, we will have more later but here:
Lily Ray:
I will be honest, I am surprised the tools are so high. It is all related to this product reviews update? Hard to say but this is the update Google confirmed and it is rare for Google to confirm updates these days.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
