Google Search Rankings See Increased Fluctuation Again on January 21

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Last week, Digital Phablet reported on a significant Google Search ranking fluctuation that began around January 15th, characterized by intense volatility. Although the biggest shifts seemed to settle somewhat over the weekend, recent activity on January 20th and 21st indicates that the turbulence is returning, with ranking signals spiking once again. The overall pattern suggests that whatever triggered the initial change last week has reignited, prompting widespread discussion among SEO professionals.

There’s speculation that these fluctuations might be related to adjustments following the December 2025 core update. Google officially launched this update on December 11, 2025, at approximately 12:25 pm ET, completing its rollout by December 29, 2025, at around 2:05 pm ET. During that period, two notable spikes occurred on December 13th and December 20th. Leading up to this, there were also unconfirmed reports of ranking volatility starting on January 6th, 12th, and 15th, indicating a recent wave of ongoing updates.

At this stage, it appears that Google may be testing or refining its ranking algorithm, causing the current round of fluctuations.

Below are some of the most prominent SEO tracking tools and their current insights into the volatility:

– Semrush’s Sensor tool shows significant fluctuation levels.
– SimilarWeb’s SERP analysis indicates heightened volatility.
– Wincher’s data confirms sharp ranking movements.
– Mangools’ SERP insights align with the increased activity.
– Advanced Web Rankings also displays notable shifts.
– Wiredboard aggregates multiple tools, illustrating a broad pattern of fluctuation on a combined chart.
– Mozcast reflects a spike in volatility scores.
– Accuranker’s scans align with other signals of instability.
– Zutrix and Algoroo similarly point to ongoing ranking changes.
– Data For SEO’s index shows elevated fluctuation levels.
– SERPstat and Sistrix both record increased SERP instability.
– CognitiveSEO’s data supports the notion of a developing search update.

The evolving situation has sparked considerable chatter within SEO communities. Comments highlight dramatic drops in website traffic—some reporting declines of up to 70%, with impacts across Adsense, Discover, News, and search results. Webmasters are observing restrictions such as traffic caps and diminished visibility of new articles in Discover and News sections, suggesting that the changes may be more disruptive than typical updates.

Others note that SEO tools like Semrush show repeated spikes in ranking volatility, while some webmasters report a surge in spam comments across various languages, indicating potential shifts in how Google is filtering and displaying content. Additionally, there’s a perception that overall website performance and search activity are sluggish, possibly due to broader economic or geopolitical factors like events at Davos or holiday periods.

Discussions on forums reflect a shared sense of uncertainty, with webmasters questioning what specific changes Google is experimenting with and how long this period of instability might continue.