Google Search Ranking Volatility Hits Record Highs, Continuing Into October
Unsurprisingly, Google Search ranking volatility remains intense as we move into October. According to Semrush data I provided, this marks the longest period of sustained ranking fluctuations we've ever recorded, continuing through October 2nd (as I mentioned in my previous update).
I wrote this story yesterday, October 2nd, so I’m unsure of what you're seeing today, October 3rd, but I suspect it's more of the same. The charts below illustrate another spike in volatility, which is higher than the already elevated levels we've observed in recent weeks.
To recap, the Google August 2024 core update began on August 15th and officially ended on September 3rd. However, even after its completion, ranking instability persisted—both immediately after the update and in the following weeks.
Notably, significant volatility occurred around September 6th, 10th, and 14th, with more movements on September 18th, last weekend, September 25th, and 28th. Now, as of October 1st and 2nd, we’re witnessing yet another major spike in ranking fluctuations.
Google Tracking Tools
Here’s a look at what the tracking tools showed as of October 2nd. You can click through to see the most recent data, but I’m currently offline and unable to provide updates for today. Notice the consistent spikes in volatility during this already turbulent period:
SEO Chatter
There's been a lot of discussion recently, and I expect even more this morning, though I haven’t had the chance to check. This is a summary of chatter from yesterday through midday, spanning both this site and WebmasterWorld.
'Big changes in the UK today. Search term relevance is now taking a back seat to domain authority. If you’re searching for something specific, forget about it. If this were 2001, with competition from real search engines, Google would disappear without a trace.'
'I can't believe how much Google throttled my site this afternoon. By 2 PM, I was on track for my best day of the year, but then it felt like Google said, "Whoa, that's too much," and my traffic and revenue tanked for the rest of the day.'
'We've had the worst September ever, and October isn’t looking any better. Is anyone else seeing wild ranking shifts?'
'Another big drop on October 1st. Worst traffic I've seen in a long time, and all signs point to it getting worse.'
'Very slow today...'
'Big drop today.'
'Something huge is happening again. Fasten your seatbelts!'
'The past 24 hours saw another major shift. Impressions are dropping, and clicks are following suit.'
'Since yesterday, things have only gotten worse... many of my queries have lost their positions, and some have vanished completely.'
'Big drop since yesterday.'
'The day started normally, but at 10 AM sharp, traffic fell off a cliff. Once again, it’s all U.S. traffic—down 42% by 11 AM. Global traffic is up, but for the first time in 20+ years, U.S. traffic has dropped below 50% of my total.'
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