It seems like the black hat SEO community is noticing a Google update this weekend. Starting Saturday through yesterday.
There is a lot of chatter in the Black Hat Forums and just a little bit of chatter in the WebmasterWorld forums.
Often when the black hat SEO communities notice an update, it is more link or off-page related. Although, I do not see any of the automated tracking tools reporting any significant changes. Which again, might be, because it is related to the black hat niche?
But the black hat forums normally pick up on Penguin related updates much faster than the other forums. I am not saying this is Penguin - I doubt it is based on everything Google has been telling us about the delays in the Penguin refresh.
The first thread I spotted on this was over here on Saturday evening. Here are some quotes:
Today I see my Keyword Ranks Changing So Fast... Its changing within hour...
You're not the only one, my keywords have been updating like crazy, getting higher and higher in SERPS (closer to first page).
The other forums are not talking much except for a few people asking about "desktop" specific changes, not mobile.
Anyone else notice anything? Should I bug Google for a comment?
Forum discussion at Black Hat Forums and WebmasterWorld.
Update: I asked Gary Illyes from Google and he said he was not aware of an update:
@rustybrick No, nothing I'm aware of.
— Gary Illyes (@methode) August 3, 2015This doesn't mean there was not an update, it means Gary isn't aware of one.
Update 2: Marie Haynes who has a nice number of Penguin clients said she noticed some changes this weekend:
@rustybrick I had one long time Penguin hit client see big changes over the w/e. And another non client told me his penalized site improved.
— Marie Haynes (@Marie_Haynes) August 3, 2015Some think it may be Google testing Penguin but Gary from Google said he doubts that:
@Marie_Haynes Mmm... I doubt it. That's months away.
— Gary Illyes (@methode) August 3, 2015Final Update: A Google spokesperson said "there was no webspam update, but as you know, we're always making improvements to our search algorithms."
