According to the majority of SEO experts, 2021 was one of the most turbulent years in terms of updates to the Google search algorithm. The less, it has been one of the most animated. And, of the whole year, the month of December has been, of course, the most unstable.
The main event this December has been the December 2021 Google Product Reviews Update. It started on 12/01 and ran over three weeks. But various search algorithm tracking tools have shown us sometimes alarming volatility rates. It looked like an update to the core algorithm was being implemented. But, as usual, the Mountain Viewers have not elaborated on their explanations.
Traditionally, no algorithm update is expected during the Christmas holidays. It is usually a fairly quiet time with few intrusions. But hey, we could already see with the November 2021 Core Update, which Google launched just the week before Black Friday and Cyber Monday, that Mr. Google never rests. And it seems that at the height of Christmas he has done it again.
Various search algorithm volatility monitoring tools indicate that a possible update occurred between December 27 and 28:
Effects of the algorithm update on Synapse accounts
Although 45.7% of the accounts we manage at Sinapsis do not seem to have been affected by this possible update, we have observed some fluctuations. 31.4% of our accounts have experienced a slight increase in their positioning. While the remaining 22.9% has suffered a slight drop in visibility. They are not very important effects but, as usual, our SEO department will follow up and analyze the possible reasons.