The recovery audit for the 2026-08-21 traffic collapse: what was lost, why, and the step-by-step plan to recover.
Each of the six parts of the audit, and where to find it.
1. Impact Analysis Loss by page class (Part 1.4), market (1.6), and locale (1.10). Part 2 lines it up against 9 Google updates and 56 site deploy days. FINDINGS, PARTS 1 AND 2 2. Ranked Cause Assessment 5 ranked causes, plus every other candidate cause marked confirmed, downgraded, ruled out, or open, each with its evidence and source. FINDINGS, PART 2 3. Page-Class Verdict Sheet All 454 audited URLs: keep 73, rewrite 70, consolidate (fold) 149, retire (kill) 162. The 350-row redirect map is under Tables and files. TABLE 4. Differentiation Standard The spec for a country page: 12 sections, thresholds, the enrichment sources, and an 18-row checklist mapped to the rater guidelines. STANDARD 5. Two Model Pages: /italy/ The priority market page in English, built to the standard. E-ITA adds the author and reviewer names before publishing. MODEL PAGE 5. Two Model Pages: /es/estados-unidos/ The translated locale page in Spanish, built to the standard with the translation rules applied. MODEL PAGE 6. Sequenced 6-Month Plan 15 steps in 5 phases, from this week to day 180, then an ongoing check cycle. Each step says who does it and how to check it. Volume: 70 rewrites. Sized for the next named Google update after 2026-11-15. PLAN, PART 6