There are indications of a potential Google search ranking update on May 9th, as observed by the SEO industry and various tracking tools. This follows the March 2024 core update which started on March 5th and ended on April 19th, lasting 45 days. There were also ranking fluctuations reported before April 25th and on May 3rd.
Several Google Tracking Tools such as Semrush, SimilarWeb, Advanced Web Rankings, Mozcast, SERPmetrics, Accuranker, Mangools, Wincher, SERPstat, Cognitive SEO, and Algoroo are showing a spike in volatility.
The SEO community has noticed changes in Google's ranking, with some reporting that Google seems to be throttling traffic intermittently. Others have observed changes in their niche, with unusual sites ranking higher and more Reddit pages appearing. There are also complaints about Google's understanding of search intent, with irrelevant pages appearing in the top 10 results.
Some users have reported a significant drop in their rankings, with their pages being pushed down to the 4th, 5th, or 6th pages. There are also reports of pages continuing to decline since the March update and disappearing from the top 30.
A few users, however, reported significant increases in their site rankings. For instance, a well-known eCommerce store in Australia that had been declining over the past two years saw a significant increase.
The changes observed are not typical of a normal shuffle, leading to speculation of an impending Google update. The SEO community is closely monitoring the situation and sharing their observations on platforms like WebmasterWorld.
