With news of Google’s Phantom 3 algorithm update breaking at the end of last month, this week’s Battleground of course looks at some of the immediate winners and losers.
WINNERS
Downdetector.co.uk
Following our previous post, where we reported some steep drops for downdetector.co.uk, the site seems to have recovered and is on the rise. While it could be a winner of last month’s Phantom 3 update, it’s also possible that Google had trouble accessing the site and that this climb is the result of some technical issues being fixed.
Heatworld.com
Online celebrity gossip site heatworld.com definitely appears to be one of the major winners of Phantom III at first glance. A steady flow of fresh and current content that is focused on what users are searching for has meant the site has seen major gains for a multitude of keywords. It remains to be seen whether or not the site is able to hold these new positions.
Hdmovie14.net
What initially appeared to have been a swift blocking from Google’s SERPs, illegal movie streaming site hdmovie14.net is now on the rise, perhaps a result of the reconfiguring of Google’s algorithms. If more streaming sites such as this one begin to reappear regularly in SERPs, it could indicate a back step on the path to combating a so far elusive industry.
LOSERS
Office365.com
Microsoft recently rolled out new plans for its existing email services, this drop in visibility could be a result of the site briefly jostling for positions with news sites. Spot checks on the reported keywords dropped (outlook 365) show the domain to be back in position. There are a number of interesting redirects going to various parts of the site, which may have something to do with the hostility in visibility that the domain has seen over the last 12 months.
Celebuzz.com
Online celebrity gossip site celebuzz.com has had mixed acclaim with Google. Seeing very volatile movements over the last few months, the site this week is one of the biggest losers. Quick flash in the pan journalism such as this means that the site has been ranking momentarily for big terms and then quickly drops off.
Dimensions-uk.org
Dimensions seem to have been hit by Phantom 3, with the site having prime examples of thin content that hasn’t been updated in a while. The site’s stronger rankings come for UK cinemas as it lists those that are Autism friendly. With these pages containing thin content, Google appears to have deemed them irrelevant for the more competitive search terms. It remains to be seen whether or not the site will continue to lose rankings for other cinema based terms that it currently ranks well for.
That’s all for this week. This data is bought to you courtesy of the searchmetrics tool.
