MetaFilter's 20 Month Google Algorithmic Penalty Revoked?

Aug 4, 2014 - 8:36 am 19 by

metafilterAround November 17, 2012, MetaFilter got nailed by a Google update that back then Google denied.

As we explained in March, Google was working on a way to fix the algorithm that hit them back in November 2012. Now, it seems, at least according to SearchMetrics, the traffic has returned 20-months later.

SearchMetrics shows a 34% increase in SEO visibility, showing the traffic has returned to pre-November 2012 levels.

MetaFilter SearchMetrics

Just a couple months ago, Google confirmed that MetaFilter was one of the sites hit by an undisclosed Google update. In fact, one they completely denied in the past.

So I wonder, did other sites also notice a boost in traffic, the ones hit by that update back in November 2012? We did cover a possible update last week, maybe it was related to that?

Stuff like this, that can really kill a business, where Google admits it was a mistake, makes you wonder if someone can get away with suing Google and actually winning over ranking issues?

Forum discussion continued at Twitter.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: November 4, 2025

Nov 4, 2025 - 10:00 am
Google

Google Discover Tests Infinite Endless Scroll

Nov 4, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google Ads

Google Merchant Center Smart Cropping - You Can Opt Out

Nov 4, 2025 - 7:41 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

November 2025 Google Webmaster Report

Nov 4, 2025 - 7:31 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Ongoing Google Search Console API Bug Impacts Search Appearance Filter

Nov 4, 2025 - 7:21 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google Adds Chrome Web Store Google-CWS User Agent To Docs

Nov 4, 2025 - 7:11 am
 
Previous Story: Long Tail Search Traffic: A Slow Google Death?