Google Search has recently made changes to the way event rich results appear in search results. This means that some event rich results have been turned off, and the way they are categorized in Google Search Console has been altered. As a result, website owners may notice a decrease in clicks and impressions for their event search appearance reported metrics.
Google announced this change on March 4, 2024, and stated that although there may be a drop in reported traffic, it does not necessarily indicate a real drop in website traffic. Ryan Levering from Google explained that while rich snippets have been turned off, there are still other event rich features that use event data.
For those who rely on event rich results to drive traffic to their websites, this change may have an impact. It is unclear which specific event rich result was affected on March 4th, as some website owners had already noticed a drop in event rich results around October 2023.
Unfortunately, there is not much that website owners can do about this change since it was made by Google. It is important to consider this when analyzing website reporting and to understand that the decrease in reported traffic may not reflect actual website traffic.
Barry Schwartz, a contributing editor to Search Engine Land, advises website owners to keep an eye on their reporting and adjust their strategies accordingly. Schwartz is also a member of the programming team for SMX events and owns a web consulting firm called RustyBrick. He runs a popular search blog called Search Engine Roundtable and can be followed on Twitter.
In conclusion, Google Search has disabled certain event rich results and changed the way others appear in search results. This may lead to a decrease in reported clicks and impressions for website owners who rely on event rich results for traffic. It is important to understand that this change was made by Google and there is not much that can be done to address it. Website owners should monitor their reporting and make any necessary adjustments to their strategies.
