Forget Core Algo Updates: Is Constant Google Volatility the New Normal?

Volatility Continues in October

Go to the top

It’s normal to see fluctuations in the SERPs, especially when Google has released a new algorithm update. However, volatility has been high – or even climbing, according to some trackers – weeks after the recent core update finished rolling out:

You can see my previous reports on the state of the SERPs below, spanning nearly half a year:

• September: Google Search Remains Volatile After August Core Update
• August: August SERP Volatility Reaches New Heights Ahead of Google Update
• July: Looming Google Update Causes July SERP Unrest 
• June: June Closes With a Surge in Google SERP Volatility
• June: More SERPs Chaos As Google Rolls Out Latest Spam Update

These are just from the last few months, so it’s easy to track Google’s volatility over time.

Is This the New Normal?

Go to the top

Website owners and the SEO community have been closely monitoring the situation since Google doesn’t want to settle just yet. Is this the new normal? Is Google working behind the scenes on another update?

SEO consultant Glenn Gabe shared his thoughts on X about the constant volatility:

“… Again, some sites are reversing course based on the post-August core update volatility (from 9/6, 9/10, 9/14, 9/18, etc.) while some are surging or dropping for the first time. The August core update was wild, but the volatility AFTER the core update completed has been really, really wild. Stay tuned.”

Barry Schwartz wrote in Search Engine Roundtable about the volatility in October:

“We actually may be at the longest period of Google Search volatility in history at this point; the last time we had such heated volatility for this long was between July 13, 2023 and September 19, 2023 according to the folks at Semrush (update – Mordy Oberstein confirmed this on the SERPsup podcast at the 48 minute mark).”

I also spoke with Head of Audience Development, Will Grice, about the unrest:

We are used to seeing volatility from Google before and after the official release of a new Core Update as we tend to see Google experimenting with different results, and often after Core Updates we see ‘corrections’ in sites who have seen significant changes in visibility. However, over the last two years, the rate of volatility has changed enormously and doesn’t look to be slowing down – this looks to be the new norm where Google is constantly tweaking and changing the algorithm and in turn the SERPs. Some of this will be down to the increased release and iterations of Helpful Content Updates, Reviews Updates, and Spam Updates. However, we are now seeing significant changes to the SERPs on an almost monthly basis. This looks to be the norm and is something many SEOs are having to come to terms with.

Will Grice Head of Audience Development, MVF

Since the volatility in the SERPs doesn’t appear to be calming down yet, I’ll continue to keep an eye on the situation. As a website owner, you can continue to optimize and improve your content for your readers and follow SEO best practices.