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Every few months or so, Google comes out with a new update or system. Ultimately this is to help users find their way around the search engine better and to present them with relevant content. However, sometimes these systems impact users sites, or updates start to cause more volatility, like right now.
Ranking Fluctuations and Spiking Volatility
In fact SEO Roundtable reports that just after December 26th, there are some fluctuations in volatility and ranking. Barry Schwartz notes that he’s seen “Some of the automated tracking tools are picking it up, and I am seeing some renewed chatter in the SEO industry.”
One probably reason for spikes in volatility could be related to Google’s recent helpful content update. This installment of the helpful content update started rolling out prior to the holidays but seemed to slow down around that time.
It’s also possible that the reason for volatility is connected to the link spam update. This one has also been taking its sweet time rolling out.
What Are The SEOs Saying?
SEOs are always on top of the latest updates, especially when it comes to Google. With this spike in volatility, comments seem to be many on WebmasterWorld.
Member @RedBar offered their take on the sitation, here’s what they had to say:
“Wednesday’s traffic was steady for me at 65.3% however I’ve already had a siginificant bona fide widget trade Canadian spike this morning but, hey ho, this happens. Previous years would suggect that from tonight my traffic “ought to” decline rapidly until Monday / Tuesday … I cannot see any reason why this year would be any different.”
Tracking Tool Reveal
As always, checking the tracking tools are always a great way to shed light on the reason for spikes or dips. Here are some snapshots that Barry Schwartz shared from Rank Ranger and SEMrush.
Both of these snapshots show similar curves but volatility isn’t looking super concerning. Google says that they’re trying to slow things down over the holiday while everyone takes a much-needed rest.
So, for the time being keeping an eye on tool seems like the best bet.
