October 2, 2021
Unconfirmed
SERP Tracking tools have picked up strong fluctuations in search results, as high as seen around during core updates. The volatility was seen on October 2nd & 3rd (varied across different regions and timezones) but was prominently seen across all the regions on October 3, 2021.
This could be likely a change made by Google that has triggered the SERP tools, but the traffic and rankings might not have been impacted at the same level.
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September 8, 2021
Unconfirmed
SERP Tracking tools are off the chart for over a week-long — signs of a possible search ranking update. The SERP volatility started on September 8, 2021, and carried on till September 15, 2021, which goes for over a week.
In the last few months, we’ve come across a number of algorithm updates, but this update seems unusually long, especially for an unconfirmed update. However, the intensity of this update is not as massive as compared to the core updates.
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September 4, 2021
Unconfirmed
SERP tracking tools have picked up strong signals of SERP fluctuations around September 4, 2021. Some movements in search results were also seen on Sep 3rd and 5th in certain regions, while the spike on Sep 4th was clear and widespread across all regions.
This update is different from the changes that Google announced earlier on September 3, 2021, for the Google News app — as with the current unconfirmed update, the fluctuations are seen widely across many niches, very likely a distinct update.
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August 18, 2021
Unconfirmed
SERP tracking tools have picked up signals of SERP fluctuations starting on August 18, 2021. But a lot has happened on Google search around this time. The spike in SERP fluctuations could be due to the slow rollout of the link spam update or a bug discovered in the Top Stories carousel, or a tweak that Google has made to rewrite titles completely.
While the exact reason is not easy to conclude as Google has not announced any update on their part, the fluctuations are evident as some webmasters have even seen a spike in traffic and CTR.
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August 6, 2021
Unconfirmed
Automated SERP tracking tools have picked up signals of fluctuations, and it seems to be another possible search ranking update from Google. The high volatility started on August 6, 2021, and went on to settle down during the weekend.
Google has not confirmed any search ranking update on their part. But worth noting, the link spam update is still in the rollout and most likely could be the reason for the fluctuations.
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July 26, 2021
Confirmed
Google has rolled out a new search update known as the link spam update. The update is focused on identifying and nullifying link spam more broadly across multiple languages.
The update has been rolled out on July 26th, 2021, and the rollout will be complete in two weeks. During this rollout, the sites involved in the link spam are expected to see significant changes.
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July 9, 2021
Unconfirmed
While the July 2021 core update is still rolling out, there seems to be another possible local ranking update widely affecting local search results. The fluctuations in local search results are very much aligned with the July 2021 core update.
Local RankFlux has picked high volatility during this period across all industries, with peaks on July 3rd, 9th, and 10th. For hotels and B&Bs, the spike was seen on July 8th.
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July 1, 2021
Confirmed
Google is releasing another broad core algorithm update today. The core update will be fully rolled out within a week or two. This broad core algorithm update will include the changes originally planned for the June 2021 core update but delayed due to internal limitations.
Like all the other core updates, these are global updates, not specific to any region, language, or category of websites and hence considered as broad core updates.
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June 30, 2021
Unconfirmed
High SERP volatility has recorded on June 30th, and several webmasters have reported mass fluctuations in search results. The last confirmed update from Google was the second part of the anti-spam update that was rolled out on June 28th.
Considering the proximity of the recent Google update and the SERP tools starting to pick up signals from June 28th with a spike on June 30th, these fluctuations are likely due to the delayed changes from the anti-spam update.
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June 29, 2021
Confirmed
Google’s Search Liaison confirmed the second part of the anti-spam update being rolled out today. The second part of the update will conclude the same day, similar to the first part rolled out last week.
Both the parts of the anti-spam update are global updates that targeted both web and image search results. The updates target mainly malicious websites that trick users into giving away their personal data or installing malware.
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June 23, 2021
Confirmed
Google announces the release of their anti-spam update that is focused on fighting spam in search results. The changes in the SERP position are expected only on low-quality sites that trick users into providing personal information or installing malware.
Google has confirmed the first part of the update is being concluded on June 23, 2021. And the second part of the algorithm will follow next week.
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June 16, 2021
Confirmed
The page experience update is now slowly rolling out and will be completed by the end of August 2021. This update is designed to highlight pages that offer great user experience, and page experience will remain one of the many factors that Google takes into account while ranking.
Since the update is being rolled out gradually, it is expected that websites would not see any drastic changes in traffic and will also allow Google to monitor any unexpected issues.
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June 8, 2021
Unconfirmed
BrightLocal tracking tool shows high volatility in local search results, showing signs of a possible local search ranking update. Local RankFlux has reported high fluctuations on June 6th and 9th, while significant changes were seen on June 8th.
Google has not confirmed any local search ranking update. But worth noting, the June 2021 core update is still rolling out and perhaps could have been the reason for the fluctuations.
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June 3, 2021
Confirmed
Google’s Danny Sullivan took to Twitter to confirm a broad core update being released today, known as the June 2021 core update. Sullivan adds a note that some of their planned improvements aren’t ready yet, and so, they are moving forward with the parts that are ready, and the rest will follow in the July 2021 update.
Core updates, in general, are not site-specific and a part of the regular update that Google Search undergoes thousands of times a year to improve the experience and quality of the search results.
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May 23, 2021
Unconfirmed
Google has released another unconfirmed potential update resulting in peak SERP volatility on May 22, 2021. All the tracking tools are off the chart showing massive changes in the Google search results that have not been in a very long time. The tracking tools started to pick volatility on May 19th and reached the peak on May 22nd.
Webmasters worldwide have reported a significant drop in traffic, while some have reported an increase. If you’re seeing a fluctuation in your website’s traffic today, no need to panic as the webmasters, on the whole, saw a net loss in traffic figures, and Google has not provided any guidelines or recovery measures.
May 13, 2021
Unconfirmed
SERP tracking tools have picked up high volatility in search results starting from May 13, 2021, showing signs of a possible Google search ranking algorithm update in mid-May 2021. The high volatility was first picked on May 13th and then reached its peak on May 15th.
It would appear that these changes are entirely independent of the page experience update as Google had previously confirmed that the page experience update would be rolling out in mid-June 2021. Further, Google’s Danny Sullivan has confirmed they haven’t released any broad core update. Hence, if your website is negatively affected by this update, then you’ll need to wait till the dust settles to see if the changes are being reversed.
May 7, 2021
Unconfirmed
A spike in SERP volatility has been seen and could be another possible search engine ranking algorithm update. The initial movement was first observed around May 7th and calmed on May 8th but then seem to be spiked back up once again on May 9, 2021.
Several webmasters have reported a drop in traffic, but Google hasn’t confirmed any rolling out any core update on these days. So if your website has been affected – just know that you’re not alone, a number of website owners have reported seeing fluctuations on some sites while others were seemingly unaffected.
May 1, 2021
Unconfirmed
Several webmasters have reported fluctuations on May 1, 2021, and the SERP volatility has also been picked by the tracking tools, giving signs of potential Google update. While details suggest this could be more of development to an earlier update focused on the product reviews, Google said it would not confirm.
For websites working on improving the reviews across their site they may not see the results instantly. Google’s Danny Sullivan has confirmed periodic refresh happening in search results around product reviews, but Google would not post every time when a refresh happens. So, at the moment, websites are expected to continue working towards improving the overall quality of their reviews.
April 23, 2021
Unconfirmed
High SERP volatility has been recorded in both Google web and local search results from April 23, 2021. The fluctuations in web search results were picked on April 23rd and 24th, while BrightLocal has picked up fluctuations in local search results from April 23rd to 25th, spanning over 3 days.
Google’s Danny Sullivan has confirmed the rollout of the product reviews update is complete on April 22, 2021. Since this high SERP volatility is seen on the days following the product reviews update, the volatility is likely due to the change in the quality standard set by the product reviews update. Google has not confirmed any other updates during this period.
April 8, 2021
Confirmed
Google has released a new search engine algorithm update known as the product reviews update. This is not a core update but a standalone update to promote in-depth reviews in search results over superficial ones.
Google has confirmed rolling out the product reviews update today and involves only reviews in the English language as of now. If your review site is losing traffic starting from today, you’ll need to check the guidelines provided by Google specific to the product reviews update.
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March 28, 2021
Unconfirmed
High SERP volatility is seen in the March-end, giving a solid sign of another unconfirmed Google search ranking update. Several webmasters have reported changes in Google Discover and reports of old news being shown in Google Discover. The automated tracking tools have picked up high fluctuations from March 28th to 30th.
The reports of ranking fluctuations and Google Discover changes giving clear signs of a possible search engine ranking algorithm update. However, Google hasn’t confirmed a search engine algorithm update during this period.
March 19, 2021
Unconfirmed
Several webmasters have reported fluctuations on March 19th, and SERP tracking tools have picked up signals once again. These are signs of a possible Google search ranking algorithm update.
Note: In a discussion related to this unconfirmed search ranking update, Google’s John Mueller mentioned many changes in Google search this week, but he has stated that he is unaware of anything specific that would result in strong fluctuations.
March 10, 2021
Unconfirmed
Peak fluctuations in Google’s web and local search results showing signs of a possible search algorithm update on March 10, 2021. While several webmasters have reported mass fluctuations in web search results, BrightLocal has picked up peak fluctuations in Google’s local search results.
The fluctuations in local search results are massive compared to the previous unconfirmed local search update in February 2021. The local search results of all the industries are above the normal, with real-estate being hit the most. BrightLocal took to Twitter that their Local RankFlux is reporting the biggest number in fluctuations to date. But, Google has not confirmed any search engine algorithm update yet.
