Rank Volatility In the August 2023 Google Core Update

On August 22, 2023, Google announced the release of its August 2023 core update.

This core update was not only the first one released since March 2023 but also one of the more peculiar updates I’ve seen. The rank volatility trends surrounding the update were unprecedented, which makes diving into this update particularly interesting.

The Unique Rank Volatility Patterns of the August 2023 Core Update

How impactful was the August 2023 core update? For a bit of context, let’s have a look at the wider volatility patterns surrounding the update.

Here’s what rank volatility looked like both immediately before and during the August 2023 core update:

Do you notice anything missing?

The traditional surge and spike in rank volatility is absent. Typically you’ll see a clear and demarcated spike in rank volatility on the Semrush Sensor a day or two into a core update.

There is no spike here. The closest thing to it is a late (and fairly common) surge in rank volatility toward the end of the update’s roll-out, circa September 5.

This is very peculiar in terms of how core updates “behave.”

In fact, if we go a bit farther back in time to mid-July 2023, you’ll see consistently high levels of volatility for over a month.

That pattern, combined with the absence of the typical “core...