Google 'Switching on/off' websites?

[Sunstoner]

Hi All

Since running an online business which covers many areas throughout the UK. I've noticed a pattern of sorts in the enquiries that we receive.

The patterns we see can often be over a 30 minute period and can span upto 2 hours where we note enquiries coming in, predominantly from areas of the same or similar postcode areas.

For example, we may receive a wave of enquiries from parts of Bedfordshire which will eventually peter out before we receive a focus of enquiries from other specific areas also.

Its led me to believe that Google are perhaps managing the visibility of websites by possibly switching them on or off. Be it either moving them down the rankings or making them invisible. for a Short period. Perhaps to appease more customers?

Having made mention of this to the SEO company we use, they pretty much laugh this off, but unless people from these same areas are suddenly struck to call us at similar times, how else can this be explained. ?

It can literally be Tyne and Wear and Nottinghamshire calling during the morning and Cambridgeshire and Kent calling in the afternoon with a light sprinkling of enquiries from other areas in between.

If all was running as expected, surely it ought to be a constant mixed flow with maybe the odd area performing well versus the others at times ? It just strikes me as being an oddity.


Can anyone shed any light of on this as to why this might be occurring? it isnt a problem, its not something that needs fixing but its something that I have noticed which strikes me as being quite strange.

 

[Community]

It's pretty common to see "pattens" so to speak. What your describing are fluctuations and the further down serps you go the more drastic the fluctuations happen.

Most businesses tend to only get a report from their SEO company once a month ( and rightly so ) as it should indicate an average position and progress over time etc.

But it doesn't represent what's happening through the month. Especially on sites which are being propped up by localised result and content alone with little to no solid link building.

If you were to get a report every day or even different times of the same day, you'd probably send yourself a stir crazy. Not only do they fluctuate but with personalised, mobile and localised results in that mix to you could show up for one person, the next 3 you might not as you didnt fall into that particular query.

This is a pretty drastic representation but this shows how volatile ranking positions are, as you can see the lower down you go, the more volatile it is.

In my mind, this is what you are experiencing which is normally why I recommend most small businesses to have a well rounded marketing plan, small monthly PPC budget along side SEO and Social campaigns.

 

[Sunstoner]

Thankyou for (once again) providing a fascinating and very full reply to my perhaps overly long explanation.

At least im not going totally mad. The SEO company whom I pay each month were pretty much telling me to stop being daft and didnt particularly offer a satisfactory reply.

Given that I've looked at page rankings over hours and days, I very much know what you mean about going stir crazy. Best not to if you want to keep you sanity!

Again, Big thumbs up for a great reply. Thankyou.

Steven

PS that graph used to look like my network patch cupboard at a site sometime ago!

 

[Community]

No problem Steven,

In some instances I fully understand an SEO company brushing it off as a client being overly attentive because sometimes, especially for non-techy clients, too much information can be counter productive.

Most clients want to know that you can do the Job and don't really care about anything else providing they can see the site doing well. and obviously see something tangible that they can mentally associate with the value of the service, such a converting sales or enquiries etc.

That said, the SEO company should at least be giving some kind of explanation to put their mind at rest or provide possible solutions ( maybe at additional cost ).

 

[Sunstoner]

Im afraid I think that overly attentive customer is me !!

Running a newish business and trying push it to a happy place where its 'off the ground' , noting every little change in the stats be it for better or worse seems or monitoring patterns to build a historic picture (and trying to understand SEO and associated terminology) seems to be a daily hazard. Lol and im one of them that likes to clicks things and have a nose, you know the dangerously curious customer type.

As you say, perhaps if our SEO company offered as good an explanation as you brilliantly did, this wouldnt have been a post at all. So horaaah for doing such a great job on this fab forum!

I will no doubt be back for me! haha

Thankyou again