In March 2023, Google launched a significant update to its algorithm and revised its documentation. Following this update, we analyzed the situation of websites that have occupied the top positions in certain niches in Romania for the last 6 months, and evaluated how much they have grown or declined, based on the estimated organic traffic by Ahrefs.
Jump To: Google algorithm update for Marketplaces | Google algorithm update in Romania for news websites | Google algorithm update in Romania for Real Estate websites| Google algorithm update for Beauty websites | Google algorithm update for Fashion websites | Google Algorithm Update in Romania for Baby Products Websites|Google algorithm update for websites with alcoholic beverages in Romania | Update of the Google algorithm in Romania for Electro-IT websites | Google algorithm update for pharmacy websites| Google algorithm update for Optics websites| Update of Google algorithm for Auto Parts websites | Google algorithm update for Medical websites | Update of the Google algorithm for Home & Deco websites | Websites that have experienced a decrease in organic traffic after the update | Websites that have recorded an increase in organic traffic after the update
Google algorithm update in Romania for Marketplaces
The data below shows how Emag.ro remains the largest marketplace in the Romanian market, but experienced a decline in organic traffic during the Google algorithm update in December 2022. Since the last update, it appears to be slowly recovering, with an estimated Avg. organic traffic of 18,430,711 for Emag.ro in April. It is followed by Altex.ro, which has not experienced any fluctuations in organic traffic, according to Ahrefs, with an estimated Avg. organic traffic of 3,727,906 for April.
Most likely, Emag’s decline is also due to the improvement of niche websites’ positions, but we will analyze this information in the following paragraphs.
Google algorithm update in Romania for news websites
In the Publishing and News sector, the situation is a bit more complicated, as it involves atypical SEO for short-lived content such as news.
Digi24.ro had the supremacy for a long time, but after the last 6 months, it seems that Libertatea.ro has taken an extraordinary lead, ranking far ahead in terms of organic traffic with an estimated Avg. organic traffic of 3,858,710 for April, according to Ahrefs, while Digi24.ro only has 2,417,320.
In this March update, Digi24.ro is recovering some of the lost organic traffic, but at the expense of the site Stirileprotv.ro, as can be seen in the graph below.
Another significant increase in this update was recorded by Antena3.ro with an estimated Avg. organic traffic of 1,286,833 in April, surpassing sites such as Mediafax.ro and Adevarul.ro
Google algorithm update in Romania for Real Estate websites
In the case of real estate websites, the first position has been held for several years by Imobiliare.ro with an estimated Avg. organic traffic of 550,831 for April, followed now by Storia.ro, which even records growth post-update, with an estimated Avg. organic traffic of 332,215 for April. Imoradar24.ro is also experiencing growth, followed by Homezz.ro.
Google algorithm update in Romania for Beauty websites
In terms of estimated organic traffic based on keyword rankings by Ahrefs, Notino.ro is recovering the traffic it lost to Elefant.ro after the Google algorithm update in February 2023. Sephora.ro records a slight increase followed by Douglas.ro. A surprise in this area is DM.ro, which reaches the same traffic as Makeup.ro.
Google algorithm update in Romania for Fashion websites
Analyzing the Fashion websites in Romania, we can see on the Ahrefs graph that the organic traffic for the major site Fashiondays.ro decreased in December, but it significantly recovers after the February 2023 Google algorithm update – “Product Review Update.” The tool estimates an Avg. organic traffic of 1,026,842 for April for Fashiondays.ro.
Glami.ro and Aboutyou.ro are losing traffic following the latest Google algorithm updates.
The Epantofi.ro website records a post-update growth in traffic.
Google Algorithm Update in Romania for Baby Products Websites
In the area of children’s websites, the first position is held by Nichiduta.ro, followed by Babyneeds.ro. In this niche, fluctuations are not visible in the last 2 algorithm updates from Google.
Google algorithm update for websites with alcoholic beverages in Romania
For websites selling alcoholic beverages, the top position is held by Finestore.ro, which also experiences growth after the February 2023 “Product Review Update” algorithm update from Google. Ahrefs estimates an Avg. organic traffic of 127,991 for April. King.ro also experiences growth after the March algorithm update.
Update of the Google algorithm in Romania for Electro-IT websites
Excluding the Emag marketplace, which accumulates organic traffic from multiple niches and not just electro-IT, the first position in organic traffic is obtained by Altex.ro, which, however, recorded a decrease in the last months of last year, but not in the latest updates.
Google algorithm update in Romania for pharmacy websites
Farmaciatei.ro holds the first position in terms of estimated organic traffic by Ahrefs, but Drmax.ro and Catena.ro are increasingly climbing up after the latest 2 updates.
Google algorithm update for Optics websites in Romania
Among the optical e-commerce sites, Lensa.ro is the clear leader, according to Ahrefs analysis. Second place is occupied by Videt, which has stagnated in terms of organic traffic in the last 6 months. After the December 2022 algorithm update, Eyerim.ro saw a minor increase in traffic.
Update of Google algorithm in Romania for Auto Parts websites
In the area of auto parts stores, Epiesa.ro has the highest estimated organic traffic and shows a slight increase after the March 2023 algorithm update. Autokarma.ro also shows a slight increase in estimated organic traffic, followed by Autoeco.ro, an auto parts store.
Google algorithm update for Medical websites in Romania
In the case of medical information websites, the highest increase after the latest algorithm updates is seen on Reginamaria.ro followed by Sfatulmedicului.ro. Meanwhile, Medicover.ro experiences a significant traffic loss.
Update of the Google algorithm in Romania for Home & Deco websites
In the Home & Deco niche, there are no major fluctuations, and the top position in organic traffic is held by Dedeman.ro.
Websites that have experienced a decrease in organic traffic after the update
In conclusion, the organic traffic estimations from Ahrefs (according to the ranking on the main keywords) show a decrease in traffic for the following websites:
- Emag.ro
- Glami.ro
- Aboutyou.ro
- Elefant.ro
- Douglas.ro
- Stirileprotv.ro
- Medicover.ro
Websites that have recorded an increase in organic traffic after the update
The analyses show that the following websites have increased their organic traffic after the update:
- Libertatea.ro
- Digi24.ro
- Emag.ro
- Cel.ro
- Reginamaria.ro
- Sfatulmedicului.ro
- Epiesa.ro
- Autoeco.ro
- Lensa.ro
- Drmax.ro
- Catena.ro
- Finestore.ro
- King.ro
- Nichiduta.ro
- Fashiondays.ro
- Epantofi.ro
- Notino.ro
- Sephora.ro
These organic traffic estimations from the tool are based on the keywords with which the websites rank in the top 100 and estimate the traffic based on the ranking on each keyword relative to the search volume of each keyword.