What is SERP Volatility?
SERP volatility refers to the sudden fluctuations in rankings, wherein webpages gain or lose a significant amount of traffic within a short period.
Webpages do not always appear in the same position on zoekresultatenpagina's. Their positions change over time. When they change quickly and within a short period, we say they have high volatility. Similarly, when the volatility is slower and less frequent, we say they have low volatility.
Google does not provide tools to monitor SERP volatilities. So, bloggers rely on third-party tools. Most of these tools are free, and typically show the Google SERP volatility situations over a few weeks or months.
Causes of SERP Volatility
SERP volatility often stems from multiple factors, with Google and its never-ending algorithm updates being the primary drivers. Three major causes include:
- Search intent changes
- Algorithm updates
- A/B SERP tests
1 Search Intent Changes
The search results page can become volatile as the searcher’s intent evolves. These changes can cause webpages optimized for the previous intent to lose visibility, while those that align with the new one will gain traction.
For example, a product review page may drop if users now prefer a comparison guide. In such cases, bloggers will observe rapid changes as Google rebalances its rankings to prioritize content that matches the new intent.
2 Algoritme-updates
Bloggers typically experience severe volatility when Google updates its search algorithm or releases significant algorithm updates. For example, bloggers experienced severe volatility when Google released or updated the Panda, Pigeon, en Pinguïn algorithm updates.
Previously ranking sites plummeted overnight because their content no longer met the new standards, while those that aligned with the update’s focus observed improvement in their rankings. The effect of these updates also lingered long after they were over as Google reassessed and balanced the results on its results pages.
3 A/B SERP Tests
Google routinely runs A/B tests on its results pages. For instance, it may test a new SERP layout, an upcoming algorithm update, or switch the current search result page features.
These tests typically result in volatiles, as bloggers lose and gain traffic quickly, depending on what Google is doing. Then, the losses and gains suddenly stop, and everyone returns to their previous positions.
What to Do During a SERP Volatility
A SERP volatility can be confusing and overwhelming, particularly when it causes a site to lose traffic. Many bloggers experiencing it for the first time, or at an unprecedented scale, may even try to resolve it immediately.
This is inadvisable and can complicate issues. Instead, you should try to understand what is happening and then determine whether it needs to be resolved.
For a start, you should confirm whether Google has released an update. A quick Google search should help you here. You should also check our Google-updates section, where we publish confirmed and unconfirmed Google updates.
Note that while Google usually announces its major algorithm updates, this is not definite, and there have been instances where Google only announced an update weeks after it started or even ended.
Google also releases multiple smaller updates several times a year. However, it does not typically announce these updates, which are a significant cause of SERP volatility.
Google also releases these confirmed and unconfirmed updates to multiple systems. So, it could be to its core algorithm, or spam, link spam, or helpful content systems.
Once done, you should monitor your traffic using Rank Math-analyse. You should then wait the volatility out. Once the search results page stabilizes, review your traffic to see how you were impacted.
If you noticed a drop in your rankings, you should also refer to this video guide on recovering from a Google algorithm update.