Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 381
Likes Received: 146
(10-19-2026, 09:11 AM)10xlinks Wrote: On the rank jump with no traffic gain, check where the jump actually happened before reading too much into it. Average position often improves because you start showing for loosely related queries at position 8 to 15, which lifts the average but sends almost no clicks. Compare impressions and clicks per query for the two weeks before and after the update, and look for terms where position held steady but CTR dropped, since that usually means an AI overview or extra SERP features pushed you down the page. For the SG and China spikes, build a GA4 segment that excludes sessions with zero engagement time and those regions, then compare conversions only. If revenue per engaged session is stable, the update probably did not hurt you, the bots are just inflating the denominator.
That phase of tracking where the jump happened is long gone. You just have to focus on topical authority, SEO will soon evolve.
Joined: Oct 2026
Posts: 1
Likes Received: 0
Interesting thread. One thing I’d add: after an update, comparing branded vs non-branded clicks separately in Search Console often shows the real impact faster than overall traffic. Branded usually stays stable, so any drop in non-branded clicks is where the algorithm change is actually being felt.
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 938
Likes Received: 70
Another core update probably. Bot tsunami happened a few hours ago, now everything is settling.
Joined: Sep 2026
Posts: 8
Likes Received: 1
Google is now deliberately knocking off RPM rates even when the traffic is of good quality.
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 78
Likes Received: 11
Traffic and RPM rates both are getting choked.
Joined: Sep 2026
Posts: 8
Likes Received: 1
(10-23-2026, 02:34 PM)evancr Wrote: Traffic and RPM rates both are getting choked.
A brief improvement I guess now. But how long it will last?!!! That's a complete different thing.
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 156
Likes Received: 30
(10-24-2026, 02:33 PM)brady Wrote: (10-23-2026, 02:34 PM)evancr Wrote: Traffic and RPM rates both are getting choked.
A brief improvement I guess now. But how long it will last?!!! That's a complete different thing.
I am seeing improvement in latin American traffic.
Joined: Apr 2025
Posts: 27
Likes Received: 3
Google is capping everything. So, far bots have been replicating human behavior so rpm rates were down but now when regular traffic is coming rpm rates are still down.
