Over the past 48 hours, the SEO community has been abuzz with reports of major ranking volatility in Google Search. While no official update has been confirmed by Google, data from several tracking tools—and feedback from webmasters and digital marketers—strongly suggest that a significant algorithmic adjustment may have occurred on May 12 and 13.

This unexpected turbulence comes just days after similar movement around May 8, adding to a growing pattern of frequent, unofficial search fluctuations throughout the spring of 2025.

What’s Happening?

Many SEO professionals and website owners reported sharp changes in their website traffic, with some seeing unprecedented gains and others experiencing dramatic drops. Here are just a few of the community reactions:

• “Massive traffic gains! Never seen this before.”
• “All traffic is gone… just a few clicks in the last 24 hours.”
• “Traffic is terribly bad even on weekends now—it’s so upsetting.”
• “Zombie traffic is crazy—no inquiries, no orders, just pageviews.”

While such mixed feedback isn’t unusual during volatile periods, the severity of the changes appears to have shocked many site owners.

Tools Confirm the Volatility

Several well-known search tracking platforms have registered significant shifts in rankings, including:

• Semrush Sensor
• CognitiveSEO
• Mozcast
• Wincher
• Sistrix
• SERPstat
• Advanced Web Ranking
• Accuranker
• Algoroo
• Data For SEO
• SimilarWeb

The Wiredboard Aggregator—which compiles data from multiple sources—also reflected sharp spikes in ranking fluctuations, further validating the concerns from the SEO community.

No Official Word from Google

As of now, Google has not released a statement or confirmed any algorithm update in May. The last confirmed core update occurred in March 2025, and since then, we’ve seen a series of unconfirmed tremors—most notably around April 9, April 16, April 22-23, April 25, and May 8.

Notably, some experts, including Glenn Gabe, have pointed to possible major changes around May 1–2, which may have flown under the radar.

What Should You Do?

If your website has been affected by these fluctuations—positively or negatively—consider taking the following steps:

• Monitor your analytics for traffic, bounce rates, and conversions.
• Use Google Search Console to check for changes in keyword rankings and indexing issues.
• Review recent content and link-building efforts to determine if there are any patterns tied to performance shifts.
• Stay up to date with news from Google and the SEO community.
• Avoid making knee-jerk changes to your SEO strategy. Let the dust settle and gather enough data before reacting.

As Google continues to roll out volatile changes in its search algorithms, staying ahead of the curve is more important than ever. At SEO Guru NYC, we specialize in helping New York businesses adapt quickly and strategically to algorithm shifts. Whether you’ve seen traffic spikes or drops, our team provides customized SEO solutions that keep your website visible and competitive. Don’t leave your rankings to chance—partner with experts who monitor, adapt, and optimize with every update.
Reach out to us today for a free SEO audit or consultation.