This presetation covers: - What SERP volatility is - Why SERP volatility happens - Methods to combat SERP volatility to stabilize keyword rankings

1. How to Combat SERP
Volatility
Adriana Stein | AS Marketing
SLIDESHARE.NET/ADRIANASTEIN
@ADRIANAKSTEIN

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Have you ever
lost keyword
rankings and
felt like this?

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What is SERP
volatility?

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SERPs change
based on various
contexts
Extreme ups
and downs
happen

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Take a deep breath
and review your data
and look for the cause

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Small actions
can have BIG
consequences

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Reasons For SERP
Volatility And How
To Combat Them

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Reason 1:
Mixed search
intent, SERP
variety

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Example search for
mixed intent head
keyword
“healthcare it”

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News
search
intent

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Consulting
search
intent

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Government
database
search
intent

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How to combat:
● Consider if keyword
context/intent has changed

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How to combat:
● Review keyword ranking
averages across months rather
than daily

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How to combat:
● Check for new SERP competitors

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Reason 2:
High keyword
difficulty

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Example search for
“SEO beginner guide”

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Top spots
constantly
changing
positions due
to authority

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How to combat:
● Check if competitors have
recently optimized/refreshed
content and how

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How to combat:
● If at constant low, consider if
your domain has the authority to
stably rank for this keyword

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Reason 3:
High market
competition

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Example: a brand introduced
a new product to the market
● Many brands recognized new
product and began to sell it
themselves

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Example: a brand introduced
a new product to the market
● They are frequently publishing
and have gained topical
authority

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How to combat:
● Frequently track competitors
for important keywords

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How to combat:
● Consistently review new market
competitors that may begin to
invest in SEO

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Reason 4:
Trending topic

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Example search
for “King Charles”
from 2021 vs 2022

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How to combat:
● Change keyword focus or become
more technically detailed in your
content

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How to combat:
● Target longtail, search intent
match keywords vs short head
keywords

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Reason 5:
Indexing
issues

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GSC
provides
info about
indexing
errors

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Example:
● Google marked
the short URLs
(without
/en/services) as
canonical

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Example:
● Many page
iterations during
dev,
then deleted

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How to combat:
● Check GSC or another SEO tool
for indexing errors

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How to combat:
● Often occurs during a site
migration, page optimization, or
site structure changes

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Reason 6:
Google A/B
testing SERPs

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Example: the AI tool
“ChatGTP”
● Especially for trending topics,
related searches change heavily
with news updates

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Example: the AI tool
“ChatGTP”
● The goal is to offer the user the
most relevant info, so new
content will be A/B tested

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How to combat:
● Keep track of keyword ranking
averages over 3 - 6 months

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How to combat:
● If dip is big over time, needs
optimized

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How to combat:
● If dip is only small leave it for a bit
to see if Google pushes it back up

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How to combat:
● Check analytics data to
determine if UX could be a cause
for reduction

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Reason 7:
Algorithm
changes or
penalties

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Example for a site impacted by
use of AI generated content

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Example for a site impacted by
use of AI generated content

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Using AI doesn’t bring a
penalty - but spamming does

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How to combat:
● Consider if there’s something
you’re “lacking” in relation to the
algorithm update

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How to combat:
● For example, technical issues like
site speed or topical authority

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How to combat:
● Check GSC for manual penalties

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Reason 8:
Cannibalization

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Example: a CMS brand
tries to rank for “headless
CMS”

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HOMEPAGE

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BLOG/WHAT-IS-HEADLESS-CMS/

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BLOG/HEADLESS-CMS-
ADVANTAGES/

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How to combat:
● Review which URL is ranking for
which target keywords

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How to combat:
● Check if you already targeted
keyword or similar cluster

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Review The Data
Go Forward With
Confidence

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Take on the
SERPs like
a PRO
asmarketingagency.com