Waving Results

[GNews]

So guys.

I'm just wondering if this is common now. I noticed my site and competitors, got to rank front page of search for a day then it changes. Almost like Google's testing to see who gets the best user response before ranking.

We're just 'waving around' in the SERPS.

What does it take to stabilize ? What causes this jump to front page then back to a lower result, but one that's higher than before?

Can google news influence this heavily?

The power of front page is so wonderful, I need an answer Lol

 

[ryandiscord]

If you use SERPWoo you can watch sites bounce back and forth and determine whether it's an individual change or if Google is adjusting the overall results. Watching the keyword can give you an idea of how long it takes to stabilize also which positions tend to remain stable. I watch SERPs that the top 3-4 are rock solid and 5-10 bounce around like crazy. It varies by keyword.

To get an idea of the stabilization, watch for results that start out 2nd page and watch them climb and use that as a gauge. This will vary based on the authority of the site though.

 

[Ryuzaki]

Stability typically comes with the top 3 spots.

Google is always changing the algorithm, at least a couple times a day. That causes fluctuations. I suspect they also split test URLs higher to capture user metrics like CTR and pogosticking (clicking back to the SERPS) to see what better serves the user.

But what causes a jumps is a change in Page Rank. They have a Ranking Transition patent that gives you a random result from 0 to 90 days. You can get a boost immediately, a drop and then 90 days you jump back up, a boost past where you should be and then a drop back down to your new position. It's to stop spammers from back engineering the algorithm with single variable testing. On-Page will trigger this too.