Recent Comments on Search Engine Roundtable

Dan commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Again January 21

Dead, dead since December 12, no recovery, no further volatility here, just completely and utterly dead. I have months, thankfully. If no course correction is achieved in that time, after a 98% drop (simply overnight) following years of growth, I'll lose the roof above my head and much more. Love that.

Comment ID #6826937841 01/21/2026 03:04 pm

SEOwhat commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Again January 21

One of the best practices that was bestowed upon me years ago was to wait 20 days before making major changes. I do not know if this still holds, but the volatility across the big G landscape seems fairly consistent with a cadence-like pattern. I am not an expert, and I'm sure there are better opinions from better SEOs on this forum. Just sharing what I do, and what has been mostly beneficial to me and my scope of work. Good luck!

Comment ID #6826912966 01/21/2026 02:14 pm

UncleKrusty commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Again January 21

<blockquote>I have long defended the private-property rights of internet companies</blockquote>If Rand Paul defended the private property rights of others, why does he show no concern about companies like Google helping themselves to our content? Rand Paul is nothing more than a rube who works in a cube.

Comment ID #6826901459 01/21/2026 01:51 pm

Bender G commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Again January 21

Today has been dead all day, very few inquiries and sales.

Comment ID #6826876917 01/21/2026 01:03 pm

SEOwhat commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Again January 21

Rank looks like monster teeth. Up, down, up, down, up, down. No consistency that follows any type of cadence. This seems to be the norm for one week each month since September 2025. Our site has zero spam, and we have cultivated content, PDPs, and Silo structures across nearly the entire website (38,000+ pg). I can honestly say that we have done a good, honest job. At this point, I ignore rankings if traffic stays. We just keep on task.

Comment ID #6826850960 01/21/2026 12:12 pm

Akash Paul commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Again January 21

one of my client's local page is observing too much volatility since 8th of Jan 2026. Worst thing is google is ranking website which are targeting country specific keyword instead of LOCAL focus pages. I need one suggestion shall I change the content or wait for sometime?

Comment ID #6826842634 01/21/2026 11:55 am

Lisa Sicard commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Again January 21

Again, I noticed a spike in 4 websites, and this time in my favor. Feels like an ongoing daily thing these days.

Comment ID #6826823164 01/21/2026 11:16 am

JimHF commented on Google Says Don't Turn Your Content Into Bite-Sized Chunks

He’s oversimplifying. Some “bite-sized chunks” are actually helpful to our viewers. And fortunately they are also AI- and SEO-friendly. For example, informative H2s and concise, well-crafted paragraphs. It’s not an either-or. Both goals are good — a good product for viewers and also for AI and search engines.

Comment ID #6826813905 01/21/2026 10:58 am

Dimitris Abrazis commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Again January 21

Today is the worst day of the past 5 years. This is a disaster... Sounds like the end...

Comment ID #6826810689 01/21/2026 10:52 am

Ziko commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Again January 21

true

Comment ID #6826795081 01/21/2026 10:22 am

Alejandro Fishleder commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

Do you know what they are doing?

Comment ID #6826792756 01/21/2026 10:18 am

Dimitris Abrazis commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Again January 21

Ranking high means that there is trust in the website from Google, so usually the website is shown in News and Discover More

Comment ID #6826758902 01/21/2026 09:10 am

DataDonkey commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Again January 21

Human traffic is the only thing that matters, and ranking #1 still results in no traffic. I've seen total traffic decline and also shift to a reduced quality. Google is now sending us garbage traffic from countries we don't sell in such as Columbia, Gabon, Zambia, etc. Is it a bug, geo broken or by design so Google can steal converting traffic and replace it with junk? I select the later. Current volatility is probably just a continuation of Google's economic crimes against humanity. There are some politicians changing their tune about Google, for different reasons, when they are the victims. Rand Paul: I’ve changed my mind — Google and YouTube can’t be trusted to do the right thing and must be reined in - <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/01/19/opinion/rand-paul-ive-changed-my-mind-google-and-youtube-cant-be-trusted-to-do-the-right-thing-and-must-be-reined-in/">https://nypost.com/2026/01/19/opinion/rand-paul-ive-changed-my-mind-google-and-youtube-cant-be-trusted-to-do-the-right-thing-and-must-be-reined-in/</a> <blockquote>Advocating for liability for Google is no small step for me. I have long defended the private-property rights of internet companies and long defended them against overzealous, partisan abuses of antitrust law, even when I was angry with YouTube for its policies that silenced my attempts to educate the public on the potentially deadly consequences of relying on cloth masks to prevent transmission of COVID-19.</blockquote>

Comment ID #6826748039 01/21/2026 08:45 am

John A. User commented on Google Ads Still Not Coming To Gemini; Even After OpenAI's ChatGPT Ad Announcement

Ads will come once they've destroyed the competition such as ChatGPT who are spending more than they make.

Comment ID #6826736642 01/21/2026 08:16 am

John A. User commented on Google Search Monopoly Appeal Legal Docs On Search Factors

Doesn't Bing do this now, has its reputation been hurt? A lot of people here seem to praise Bing?

Comment ID #6826736113 01/21/2026 08:14 am

Andrew Martin commented on Google AI Overviews With Font Strikethrough

Maybe their AI has got so clever that it's become self-conscious and realising that what it's slopping out is just a load of crap.

Comment ID #6826735377 01/21/2026 08:12 am

Mr Bob commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

He/They/Them's been hit by, hit by, a smooth CriminalCore Update

Comment ID #6826728330 01/21/2026 07:53 am

DataDonkey commented on Google Search Monopoly Appeal Legal Docs On Search Factors

<blockquote>"Google will suffer immediate and irreparable harm as a result of the transfer of this proprietary information to Google’s competitors, and may additionally suffer irreparable financial and reputational harm should the data provided to competitors be leaked or hacked."</blockquote>What about all the irreparable harm Google has caused the world because of their economic crimes against humanity? For these crimes Google SHOULD suffer significant and irreparable harm so they become incapable of harming markets any further. Though the Dishonorable Judge Meathead's remedies are weak, Google's poor excuse to not have to share data is even weaker.

Comment ID #6826724402 01/21/2026 07:41 am

Sam commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

Thank you. This is interesting, maybe Barry can see this as well, if we all come together and look at changes near investment windows we could see a pattern emerging. This is good evidence for Adsense that money is dialled down for some of us - during updates/near investor meetings. I had a dip in December that I am concerned over. I think Adsense may need more accountability as right now the advertisors and publishers do not have transparency of earnings - and this is concerning me , I will get a report together of my experiences.

Comment ID #6826703416 01/21/2026 06:32 am

Barry Schwartz commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

I think I found it and approved it.

Comment ID #6826696865 01/21/2026 06:09 am

racefan01 commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

Same. They've set a website traffic cap, and no matter how hard you try, it won't go beyond that. New articles aren't even shown in Discover, News, or even search. What's happening now isn't even an update, it's something worse.

Comment ID #6826692753 01/21/2026 05:54 am

Dimitris Abrazis commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

Same here. Semrush shows volatility spikes again

Comment ID #6826684588 01/21/2026 05:20 am

Ted (or Big T) commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

Today traffic drop 70 percent. Huge drop. Adsense, Discover, News, Search is dead. Wow...

Comment ID #6826669581 01/21/2026 04:11 am

Daniel commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

I've been noticing a lot of spam comments in various languages lately. Clearly Google is no longer displaying what/how it should.

Comment ID #6826652835 01/21/2026 02:42 am

John A. User commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

It's making too much money to stop the chaos, it used to be everyone's friend, now it's everyone's competitor and enemy.

Comment ID #6826643577 01/21/2026 01:43 am

Daniel commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

Hi Barry Schwartz, unfortunately I posted a detailed comment with a finding and an image (twice and it was automatically removed probably by a spam filter). Can you help me with the display?

Comment ID #6826632163 01/21/2026 12:27 am

Daniel commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

When analyzing long-term data from AdSense, Google Ads, and Google Search Console, an interesting—yet rarely discussed—pattern emerges: around the periods when Alphabet (Google) announces its quarterly financial results, the Google ecosystem tends to become noticeably more volatile. For many publishers and website owners, these windows often coincide with: sudden drops in AdSense earnings (RPM, CPC, fill rate), irregular behavior in Google Ads delivery, temporary instability in organic search traffic (impressions and rankings). It is important to clarify that these fluctuations are not, in most cases, the result of SEO penalties or technical issues on individual websites. More often, they appear within broader phases of system-wide optimization and recalibration. From an operational standpoint, it is reasonable for a publicly traded company to continuously adjust its monetization and delivery mechanisms, provided these adjustments remain within the applicable legal framework and existing contractual terms. However, for publishers, the practical outcome is increased volatility—particularly in the timeframes surrounding earnings calls (roughly 2–4 weeks before and 1–2 weeks after). During these periods, publishers may observe: temporary redistribution of advertising budgets, changes in auction dynamics, algorithmic adjustments that indirectly affect visibility and monetization. As a result, small and mid-sized publishers tend to be more exposed, especially on organic and mobile traffic, while partial recovery is often observed after the reporting cycle concludes. For this reason, such movements are best interpreted as systemic volatility rather than individual site-level failure or non-compliance. A balanced approach includes: diversifying monetization channels, avoiding major SEO changes during high-volatility windows, evaluating performance trends over longer timeframes instead of reacting to short-term drops. In conclusion, Google’s earnings season impacts more than just investors. It also introduces measurable fluctuations across the broader publishing and advertising ecosystem. Recognizing this context helps publishers manage expectations realistically—without drifting into speculation or premature conclusions regarding legality or intent. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/95754d87f13942ef78ade83d7f515bd00a6cda928accaa28bed4e5447780c0b1.png

Comment ID #6826630415 01/21/2026 12:17 am

Daniel commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d46e795cc1d229232260e2fffda15305aa4583ddf27f993bd82125ffd0ccfd41.png A Quiet Pattern: AdSense and Organic Traffic Volatility Around Google’s Earnings Reports When analyzing long-term data from AdSense, Google Ads, and Google Search Console, an interesting—yet rarely discussed—pattern emerges: around the periods when Alphabet (Google) announces its quarterly financial results, the Google ecosystem tends to become noticeably more volatile. For many publishers and website owners, these windows often coincide with: sudden drops in AdSense earnings (RPM, CPC, fill rate), irregular behavior in Google Ads delivery, temporary instability in organic search traffic (impressions and rankings). It is important to clarify that these fluctuations are not, in most cases, the result of SEO penalties or technical issues on individual websites. More often, they appear within broader phases of system-wide optimization and recalibration. From an operational standpoint, it is reasonable for a publicly traded company to continuously adjust its monetization and delivery mechanisms, provided these adjustments remain within the applicable legal framework and existing contractual terms. However, for publishers, the practical outcome is increased volatility—particularly in the timeframes surrounding earnings calls (roughly 2–4 weeks before and 1–2 weeks after). During these periods, publishers may observe: temporary redistribution of advertising budgets, changes in auction dynamics, algorithmic adjustments that indirectly affect visibility and monetization. As a result, small and mid-sized publishers tend to be more exposed, especially on organic and mobile traffic, while partial recovery is often observed after the reporting cycle concludes. For this reason, such movements are best interpreted as systemic volatility rather than individual site-level failure or non-compliance. A balanced approach includes: diversifying monetization channels, avoiding major SEO changes during high-volatility windows, evaluating performance trends over longer timeframes instead of reacting to short-term drops. In conclusion, Google’s earnings season impacts more than just investors. It also introduces measurable fluctuations across the broader publishing and advertising ecosystem. Recognizing this context helps publishers manage expectations realistically—without drifting into speculation or premature conclusions regarding legality or intent.

Comment ID #6826629137 01/21/2026 12:09 am

Daniel commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

I have a CRM software in Romania and UAE. Every time I activate Google ADS, the phone rings, when I turn it off it rings less often. I am in position 1-4 on the main keywords. Google has achieved what it set out to do. Can it stop the chaos? :-)

Comment ID #6826627388 01/20/2026 11:59 pm

Max Peters commented on Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16

What happens in March?

Comment ID #6826607892 01/20/2026 10:26 pm

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