Do you experience this with Google

[Casinorep]

It's driving me nuts. One day, one of my sites would appear on the first page for the keyword I target. Then the next day or sometimes in a matter of hours, it would slip down to the 2nd page, and then back up, and then down again while the other listings shuffle around. This has been going on with a few of my sites.

Is this what they refer to as "the Google dance"?

Anyone else experiencing this?

[dmedia]

Yea, it looks like google is drunk and dancing its butt off

[Nandakishore]

Yes it happens to me also. The SERP for various keywords vary between 1 and 100+ within days, going up and down. I just register the fluctuation and don't bother about it.

[Casinorep]

Well I notice that most of the top sites on the 1st page remain untouched. Only the ones below the fold shuffle around, including mine. Why is that then?

[Simmo!]

Might be something to do with Caffeine rolling out. I notice it and it's a topic of conversation on several WM forums. Stick it out and see if it settles.

[TRADEVA]

I had this, i probably still have this with one of my niche websites.
I honestly just let it be and it seems to have stayed still now for the most part.
I was only getting the page one jump to page 2 and 3 when i was beginning the site.
Time will fix it for you

[elgoog]

cafeinne is in Mayday now lol
btw..
google doesn't dance anymore, the last years...
what you are seeing is the jojo-effect perhaps...

[chamilj]

It has happened to few of my sites too.

[learn2holdem]

Yes,
This happens; no ranking is permanent. Google seems to like to introduce some motion, movement within the SERPS, like a sea of change. In some sense it means they admit that their results are not perfect, so they like them to be "fuzzy" to some extent.

Of course some rankings are more stable than others, and trust/authority and other similar stuff will make ranking more stable; take wikipedia as an example, I assume they will have more stable results than another average site on page one.

[smv80]

My best guess is that this is because you are hitting different Google databases.

[Casinorep]

So then is this ongoing or will it settle down at some point? I really want to see how it would appear from a searcher's screen rather than my own, because I know the result page can vary from different IPs or geo locations. Are there any sites that let me check its accurate placement?

[machutch]

We have the same problem but only with brand keywords. the review site what is connected to that keyword is one week in the top 10 and the next week gone completely and returns again later.

[learn2holdem]

My best guess is that this is because you are hitting different Google databases.

yes it could be, but I am not aware that you will get the results from different data centers if you always browse from the same IP. As each database, data center is local by definition. Does someone knows?

[shayla69]

I Have the same Problem Also.... But Its Funny Cause I can Check My site On two computers at the same time and they both come up on different pages... I mean How does that Happen???

[learn2holdem]

2 possible reasons:
1/ different IPs
2/ personalized SERPs

[elgoog]

yes you def can hit other dc's from the same ip

[Simmo!]

If you want my best guess ( no, you do really ) I reckon the new infrastructure allows Google to measure user behaviour better. Therefore the SERPS are bouncing daily and will continue to do so while they compare sites in different positions for different searches. It will probably gradually settle but IMO not for some time.

Thats my guess

All that aside, the days of measuring rankings accurately anywhere except in your local region are over anyway because it shows dfferent SERPs to different people based on location irrespective of which Google site you're on. Unless you spoof your location or a service comes along with a solution.

[miththu]

if it is not like this then where would all these SEO's go. Google provides them bread and butter (thanks to Google)