Google’s search ranking swings do not show any indication of stopping. Sites achieve higher rankings one day, only to see a decline the following day, creating a frustrating cycle that has persisted for an exceptionally long time. Google seems unable to make firm choices.
We observed yet another increase in this continuous trend during the weekend of October 19 and 20. We have been following these changes for months now, since the August 2023 core upgrade. Google’s actions during several days in October have been erratic.
- October 15th
- October 10th
- October 2nd
The August 2023 core update, which started on August 15th and finished by September 3rd, was particularly disruptive. Even after the update officially ended, the volatility continued well into September but hasn’t stabilised yet. There were significant ranking shifts on September 6th, 10th, 14th, and more activity around the 18th, 25th, and 28th.
All of this presents a significant challenge for SEOs to manage and stay up-to-date.
Chatter from the SEO industry
Let’s dive into the buzz. While we were preparing this blog post, Glenn Gabe shared on X, “Yes, the volatility is still present.” He pointed out how many sites have experienced both surges and drops since the August core update wrapped up. “Here we go again,” he added, noting that rank tracking often signals more shifts to come. He highlighted one site in particular that’s been seeing wild fluctuations over the last month, now bouncing back with significant ranking jumps starting on October 19th.
Over the weekend, there was a surge in chatter on Search Engine Roundtable and WebmasterWorld. Here is some of that chatter:
The complaints seem to be more of the same…
Google Tracking Tools
These tracking tools aren’t all going off the charts, but they seem to be running out of steam. However, they’ve been showing high activity for quite some time. Some have even adjusted their thresholds to display red levels because the volatility has become extreme. Here’s what they’re indicating:
SERPmetrics:
Wincher:
Advanced Web Rankings:
Cognitive SEO:
Mozcast:
Accuranker:
Data For SEO:
Semrush:
Algoroo:
Mangools:
Sistrix:
SimilarWeb:
SERPstat:
