Webmasters, SEO and online marketing specialists are abuzz once again with rumors of Google updating their algorithms once again. The speculation arose after various SERPs monitoring tools registered high activity on August 21 and yesterday, September 4. The spike in Google SERPs activity has led to discussions about Google possibly updating their algorithms again.

Increased SERPs Activity and Volatility

The speculation began with webmasters reporting drastic drops in their rankings beginning August 20th. SERPs monitoring tools like Mozcast, SERPs.com, SERP Metrics, and Algoroo all displayed a sudden spike in activity at around the same time.

Mozcast was the first to display a spike in SERPs activity. Check out the tracked activity for August 20:

SERPs.com, SERP Metrics and Algoroo followed, their trackers registering a spike the day after:

The register from SERPs.com

Check out the sudden rise of activity from August 20-21 on SERP Metrics

A spike was also noticed in Algoroo’s tracker

No Confirmation from Google

Unlike previous instances where forums exploded with speculations of an update, the conversations about the spike in Google SERPs volatility remain more contained, with only hundreds of webmasters talking. The tools also have not yet reflected the SERPs activity from September 4, as their tracking is delayed by 24 hours. Nevertheless, the webmasters that are talking agree that Google is changing something in their mechanism that is affecting the rankings.

Google has yet to release a statement on the speculated algorithm update. They have neither confirmed nor denied that they are updating right now, and because they do not always confirm updates, we may not hear anything from them at all.

Preparing for Future Updates

Instances like this remind you to be vigilant about monitoring your rankings and adjusting your marketing strategy in accordance with these changes. Having a solid search engine optimization strategy that follows Google’s recommendations helps you avoid being hard-hit by SERPs volatility, especially when you least expect it. Some of the things you need to do are:

Check and clean your backlink profile
Optimize your on-page elements – site speed, titles and headers, metadata, images, etc.
Segment and target your local market for higher relevance and conversions
Create and publish high quality, relevant content
Build your reputation through social media and editorially-given links

Talk to us today to discuss and improve your current strategy for anticipating Google updates. We’ll help keep your site visible to your market through Google algorithm updates, whether these are rolling updates that they do not confirm or major updates they announce.