Google Search Ranking Update Sparks Volatility on May 9th

Intro

The SEO community noticed significant volatility in Google search rankings on May 9th, suggesting a possible unannounced algorithm update. Early chatter among industry experts and monitoring tools like Semrush and Mozcast indicated a spike in fluctuations that morning.

These unexpected changes follow a series of ranking shifts that began in March with a core algorithm update lasting 45 days. Despite the completion of that major update, SEOs observed further ranking volatility before April 25th and on May 3rd, culminating in the latest wave on May 9th.

Monitoring tools such as Ranktracker, SEMRush, SimilarWeb all recorded significant changes in search results, aligning with the community's concerns. SEO professionals expressed confusion and frustration over what seemed like another round of reversals. One contributor noted observing "on-and-off" traffic throttling in real-time statistics. Another noticed a decline in search intent relevance, resulting in their content being pushed to the lower pages of the SERPs.

In response to questions about the volatility, Google's Search Liaison Danny Sullivan reiterated that the company makes continuous, smaller updates to its search algorithms and components. He explained that Google conducts nearly 5,000 updates annually, and providing notifications for each one would overwhelm creators. He also emphasized that the search landscape is fluid, as algorithms constantly process new information and web changes.

This is covered on our long-standing page about core updates.

"We're constantly making updates to our search algorithms, including smaller core updates. We don't announce all of these because they're generally not widely noticeable. Still, when released, they can cause content to recover if improvements warrant."

We have a lot of different core and other ranking systems. They're regularly being updated. They're also processing new information, because the web itself is constantly changing.

If we were giving notice about all the ranking system updates we do, it would be like this:

Hi. It's 1:14pm -- we just did an update to system 112!

Hi. It's 2:26pm -- we just did an update to system 34!

Hi. It's 5:02pm -- we just did an update to system 76!

That's because we do around 5,000 updates per year, as this covers.

Plus, we'd also be saying:

Hi. It's 12:45pm, results have changed slightly because the web just changed!

Hi. it's 12:46pm, results have changed slightly because the web just changed!

Hi. it's 12:47pm, results have changed slightly because the web just changed!

Because already launched and existing systems aren't themselves being updated in how they operate, but the information they're processing isn't static but instead is constantly changing.

This type of constant "hey, we did an update" notification stuff probably isn't really that useful to creators. There's nothing to "do" with those types of updates. That's why we focus on the ones where there's either something to consider or we just think they might be broadly noticeable. This past blog post explains more about that.

"We don't announce all of these [updates] because they're generally not widely noticeable," Sullivan stated. He further explained that Google only highlights updates that are broadly impactful or need further consideration. Minor changes are unlikely to be announced since their effects are subtle and often aimed at gradual improvements.

Ultimately, these updates underscore the importance of a long-term SEO strategy focused on high-quality content, rather than attempting to respond to every ranking shift.