Google has resolved the Search ranking bug that began around the same time as the August 2024 core update. 

Google confirms bug is fixed

Google first confirmed a search ranking bug on Friday (August 16) and confirmed it was resolved on Monday, August 20. 

The four-day bug started the day after Google launched its latest core update, making any positive effects challenging to analyze.

However, SEO Professional Glenn Gabe provided some positive news on X regarding sites affected by the past updates, which saw some immediate search ranking recovery upon the release of the August core update. 

Google also clarified that the bug and the core update were not affiliated, saying it was just bad timing. 

Google confirms it’s not a core update issue

Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, spoke on LinkedIn to confirm Google was fixing the bug and it wasn’t connected with the core update, saying: 

• “Sometimes we have issues in our systems (like everyone), and we want to be transparent about them for users & site owners. This issue is unrelated to the core update that’s currently rolling out. Unfortunately, you can’t pick the timing of issues, sorry. We’ll update on the search status dashboard as things evolve—both for this issue, as well as for the roll-out of the core update.”

Google timeline of incident affecting ranking

Google posted a timeline of the incident on the Google Search Status Dashboard:

Google wrote on August 20, 2024: “We fixed the issue with ranking. There will be no more updates.”

What the SEO community is saying

The SEO community is divided regarding Google’s efforts in fixing the bug, with one blog writer complaining of a 50% traffic drop that hasn’t bounced back with the fix:

He wrote on LinkedIn:

• This is ridiculous. I lost 50% of my traffic on one of my sites starting during the precise hour when the “bug” was said to have started, yet in spite of “fix,” it never came back.

I guess Google truly thinks that random Reddit threads are more helpful to users about topics related to my expertise than I am. Unbelievable.

Search director Shari Thurow was a little more appreciative of Google’s efforts to fix the bug, saying on LinkedIn:

• I’m not holding anyone at Google accountable for a fix within a specific amount of time.

What matters is that it is getting fixed. That people at Google are trying to fix it as quickly as they can? Great!

Moving forward

Now that Google has fixed the search ranking bug, site owners, SEO professionals, and publishers that were affected by Google’s helpful content update can begin to evaluate the rankings with more confidence.

However, it’s best to let the dust settle for a few days before judging whether your rankings are rising or falling. And as Google said, the August update will take a month to complete. You can see the forum discussion on this topic on LinkedIn.

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Terry O'Toole

Terry is a seasoned content marketing specialist with over six years of experience writing content that helps small businesses navigate where small businesses meet marketing - SEO, Social Media Marketing, etc. Terry has a proven track record of creating top-performing content in search results.
When he is not writing content, Terry can be found on his boat in Italy or chilling in his villa in Spain.

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