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Signs of potential Google search ranking fluctuations are emerging again, likely around January 12,, 2026. Interestingly, many of the SEO tools currently show stability, yet discussions among SEOs are picking up, highlighting notable ranking changes. This pattern resembles the behaviors observed during the January 6th update.
Looking back, the December 2025 core update began on December 11, 2025, around 12:25 p.m. ET, and concluded on December 29, 2025, roughly 2:05 p.m. ET, with two distinct spikes in volatility on December 13 and December 20.
The main reasons for discussing this are: first, if you’ve experienced unusual movements in rankings over the past few days, you’re not alone; second, to identify if others are noticing similar Google search volatility.
Current SEO chatter, predominantly from comments on a specific website over the past two days, includes observations such as:
– Traffic is decreasing significantly, with some describing it as “very low” or akin to a ghost town.
– E-commerce site owners in the US mention their traffic has been non-existent for three consecutive Mondays, with only one sale so far today.
– Several SEOs are noting that after brief recoveries, rankings and traffic are declining again, with particular mention of unseen or nearly dead Discover traffic.
– Many report a lack of stability, with significant differences in rankings month-over-month, and lower numbers compared to pre-July update levels.
– Some comment on the return of major ranking shuffles, decreased AdSense earnings typical for January, and the feeling that Google is systematically harming website profitability, leading many to bleed money.
Beyond discussions on this site, broader industry forums tend to focus on other topics, with less chatter specifically about volatility.
Regarding tracking tools, several data sources show signs of fluctuations:
– Semrush’s sensor indicates some level of instability.
– Wiredboard’s combined tool aggregator plots overall volatility.
– Accuranker, Advanced Web Rankings, SimilarWeb, Zutrix, Algoroo, Mozcast, Wincher, Mangools, Data For SEO, SERPstat, Sistrix, CognitiveSEO—all display varying degrees of movement, with many showing heightened volatility or shifts since the recent period.
Observations from all these tools suggest that a notable change in search rankings might be underway, though the full extent and impact remain to be seen.
Discussion continues on industry forums, where SEO professionals exchange insights about what they are experiencing and speculate on upcoming algorithm adjustments.
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