At SEOmonitor, from around May 2026 we’re starting to see a recurring pattern in Google’s search results while investigating ranking discrepancies reported by customers. A page can appear among the top results, disappear from a later search, and then return. We refer to this repeated appearance and disappearance as volatility.
Our support and engineering teams have reproduced this behaviour during their investigations. In some checks, the same keyword has returned different sets of results within minutes. We have also seen differences in Safari between entering a query in the address bar and opening Google first.
These changes can be confusing when you’re trying to understand a sudden ranking drop or explain why SEOmonitor’s recorded result differs from a manual search, so we’ve put this guide together to explain the pattern we’re observing, the checks SEOmonitor already makes through DDC safeguards, and how you can investigate a discrepancy using the saved SERPs, a fresh recrawl and the Chrome extension.
Increased volatility is one possible explanation, rather than a conclusion to apply to every ranking difference.
What “increased volatility” looks like
Increased volatility usually refers to results that repeatedly appear and disappear across consecutive checks. For example, a page might appear on page one in one check, be absent from the top 10 in another, and return shortly afterwards. All within a several minute window.
This "special" kind of volatility and more "aggressive" rank changes are oftentimes increased during the roll-outs of Google's algorithm updates that you can check here.
What SEOmonitor does before recording a suspicious drop
SEOmonitor compares some unusually large drops with the keyword’s previous rank on the same device before accepting the change. For example, a move from position 4 to 14 meets the threshold for a suspicious drop from the top five or sudden drops to 99+ when the keyword was ranking previously in the top 50.
Before recording a drop that meets these conditions, SEOmonitor may keep showing the previously recorded rank for up to two daily updates to validate whether the lower position is continuously returned by Google.
Read all the rank-tracking safeguards that are in place to normalise Google's volatility before recording and reporting these drops in the platform.
To investigate whether the drop is continuously present or driven as a result of Google's volatility on that keyword:
Start by matching the keyword, tracked domain, language, device and precise campaign location in an incognito window of your browser.
Make sure you are comparing the same type of result. Ranks in SEOmonitor are positions in blue links. You can be not ranking in the blue links but be present in SERP features.
Step 1: inspect the recorded result
Go to Rank Tracker → All Keywords → open the keyword → Performance.
The Today / Dynamic tab shows the pages collected for the current daily result. Use the numbered page buttons to move through them. You can save this collection with Download SERP, or select Recrawl to request a fresh check.
If when you recrawl the rank bounces back, this is a clear pattern of volatility where depending on the time of the check Google has returned different results.
If after recrawling, the rank is still different to what you see in your browser go to step 2.
Step 2: compare results with the Chrome extension
Use the SERP Discrepancy Checker Chrome extension. Its installation guide includes the extension download.
Open the relevant tracked campaign in SEOmonitor. Stay signed in to SEOmonitor in your regular browser session and ensure an API token is generated in your Profile page.
Search for the tracked keyword in Google Incognito window and open Rank Discrepancy Checker.
Choose the real-time comparison and wait for SEOmonitor to run 3 crawls to inspect the results across those.
If within the comparison report you will see that within minutes the ranks of your site changes significantly, this can also serve as evidence of Google's volatility on that term.
If the ranks in the browser extension remain stable and different to what SEOmonitor reports go to step 3.
Step 3: repeat a controlled manual search
Open a separate Chrome Incognito window, remain signed out of Google, and use the same keyword, device context, language and precise location as the campaign. Repeat the search a few times always in the open Incognito window to see if the site is always returned in the SERPs.
As an additional comparison, you can also try Safari in a private window and research the keyword in the browser's address tab vs researching through Google direcly in Safari. Seeing different results from the different entry points can also be used as proof of Google's volatility.
Step 5: use Search Console as supporting evidence for 99+ drops or volatility
Check Google Search Console for the same query and a comparable date range. Look at impressions and clicks alongside average position to understand whether people are still seeing and visiting the site.
Search Console's average position is based on impressions across searches. It is not a replay of one SEOmonitor crawl or one manual search and therefore a strong average position in GSC does not by itself prove that a lower rank in SEOmonitor is erroneous, however, if in GSC you are also seeing a 99+ it can prove that the keyword is predominantly not seen by your users even if sometimes you might be seeing that keyword in your browser.
When to contact support
At all times. Data accuracy is taken with utmost importance, whenever you are unsure why SEOmonitor is reporting a rank that you can't reproduce, please report it and our team we will investigate it on our end.