Rankings jumping..ALOT

[DirectoriesToday]

Hi everyone

Could anyone tell me if its fairly normal for new websites (3-4 months old) rankings to jump up and down, up and down every few days. Its heartbreaking as you think you are making progress then it drops again.

If this is normal, when generally do rankings begin to steady out?

Thanks

 

[Ruler Analytics]

That's completely normal, and Google usually enjoy favouring newer sites for a little while before giving you a good kick in the teeth.

Fluctuations can be brutal.

 

[fisicx]

It also depends on the time of day, where you are, what data centre you are using, if the site is being reindexed, if you are logged intoa google account and loads of other factors.

If you are adding new products on a regular basis that can affect things as well.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Is your traffic bouncing up and down? ar you certain your rankings are actually bouncing, and that it isn't just personalised results?

 

[zigojacko]

Sounds like typical behaviour especially with websites that are frequently updating and adding new content. You'll see umpteen fluctuations in rankings while the algorithm catches up and 'scores' all your recent changes before settling down.

Many of our clients and our own websites see ranking fluctuations daily, some huge (over 100 positions at a time) - this happens on Bing as well as Google.

 

[ZeroDouble]

As above, but can also be caused by how you build links to the site, with certain techniques (and your execution of them) making your site dance more than others.

 

[benb]

I've heard of new websites doing the "google dance" for a couple of years!

 

[finleydesign]

Was going to say the same as above, it's known as the "google dance"

 

[Sports Trophy Co]

As you carry out productive seo work you should expect to see yourself at least stay on a certain page or move up. As your competition does more work then they will take the ground. Seasonal changes can be seen when companies target search terms at certain times. I have noticed that if I am logged into google my serps are different to when I am logged out.

To ground the fluctuations it is worth getting some good back links from high PR directories. One link I have recently created is http://www.linkcentre.com/uk/sport/trophies-and-medals/
You should submit your website link to the directory subject most fitting your industry.

 

[Ricklee]

Its a google dance don't panic. Just check your backlinks also.

 

[fisicx]

It's not the 'google dance'. I do wish people would check their facts before posting.

The 'google dance' was a result of data centres updating at different times. Google used to update the index in one great lump which meant you would see wonky results as the update traveled round the world. Google now updates continuously and uses a distributive network so you don't see the dance any more.

The OPs problem isn't a problem, it's just google indexing and adjusting to new data.

 

[Gareth Mailer]

It's not the 'google dance'. I do wish people would check their facts before posting.

The 'google dance' was a result of data centres updating at different times. Google used to update the index in one great lump which meant you would see wonky results as the update traveled round the world. Google now updates continuously and uses a distributive network so you don't see the dance any more.

The OPs problem isn't a problem, it's just google indexing and adjusting to new data.

I expect you will similarly chastise me for this comment but I'll say it anyway...that's a bit harsh. Using layman nomenclature (which is what we probably should be using when discussing issues with clients), it can be referred to as the 'Google Dance', much in same way PageRank is often referred to as the passing of value or importance, when in reality, the real definition is something else (the probability a browser will land on a given website if he or she were to surf the web clicking links at random).

If you start talking indexation, caffeine, information retrieval, infrastructure updates etc. to clients, their eyes glaze over.

OP: Give it some time to settle down and future-wise, I'd recommend focusing on overall visibility (check data within Analytics), rather than specific generic rankings.

 

[webgeek]

If your rankings bounce every few days, look at the pages ranking before and after the bounce. Often you'll see that for a given phrase "blah blah", page1.html ranks on Tuesday, then page2.html ranks on Saturday. As you check the pages, you'll find page1 and page2 have remarkably similar content, titles and on-page optimisation.

This may not be the case in your situation, but for regular yo-yo'ing, it's worth looking into.

When you drop 20+ points across multiple terms, I'd be thinking diagnostics rather than dance. It's time to figure out the problem with the site, not the search engine.

 

[MASSEY]

I've noticed that you can launch a new site and rank quite well quickly. But they don't alf kick you when they realise you site is horse shit.

 

[MASSEY]

Well i am not sure why that code is being displayed instead of **** i'm guessing it's another result of the changeover, swear filters aren't working properly.

 

[Alex Brooks]

Commonly known as the google dance/google dancing, nothing to worry about, continue building quality links and you'll see ranks sticking, movement on the serps is always positive even if your dropping a few placements, with some good links you can bounce back higher than you were before

 

[mary2222]

It is probably just Google dance. As long as you are not doing anything that will get your site banned or flagged, you do not need to worry about this. I suggest you continue with your backlinking/SEO campaign, with more focus on quality links so you can build more useful backlinks in time. Also, I suggest you add content to your site from time to time as well. Good luck!

 

[MikePNV]

HI

It is normal,but first make sure that you have quality backlinks or else you will have big problems in the future