#search-ranking-volatility

#search-ranking-volatility

Google officially made the switch to have AI Overviews flow into AI Mode, resulting in less traffic for publishers and site owners. Google is being forced to allow sites to opt out of AI search experiences but will you block Google, many say no. Personal Intelligence is now in both AI Mode and Gemini, and Google is personalizing some AI answers which are now powered by Gemini 3. But don't worry, core search signals are built into those AI experiences.

This week, we covered more ongoing Google search ranking volatility - January was a heated month. Google AI Overviews show more button officially flows to AI Mode, which is not good for publishers. Gemini 3 is powering AI Overviews globally now. Google is being forced to explore ways to let us say we don't want Google to use our content in AI Overviews or AI Mode. A poll says 33% of you will block Google from doing so.

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web. Apple and Google reached a deal to have Gemini power Apple Intelligence and Siri. We are also seeing signs of Google search ranking volatility over the past couple of days. Microsoft Advertising allows up to 50 search themes in PMax campaigns. Google Shopping promotions now support subscriptions and abbreviations.

There may have been another Google Search ranking algorithm tweak around October 28th or so. I am seeing some rumblings both within the SEO community chatter and the third-party Google tracking tools. It seems some are noticing big search ranking swings around October 28th. Update - this seems to be heating up into and through October 31st, Halloween. Did you notice ranking movement? Was there a Google search ranking update?

The SEO industry is currently experiencing significant chatter regarding Google search ranking volatility, especially following the June 2025 core update.