Well, firstly, let i3 just clarify that the employees of Google are not currently known to be dancing a tribal call to the Gods of SEO. (Probably because that’s what Google are).
In actual fact, this is the very technical term given to the mild fluctuations witnessed when Google is accessing and rebuilding its rankings.
What could affect the rankings during this dance?
It is ordinary for there to be some jumps between rankings, and these can be for a whole host of reasons. For example, we’re not talking just day-to-day changes, but also those that are dependent on location and different computers. Google is constantly testing all of the variables by changing search results.
It is important that you do not get too caught up in the whirling world of the Google Dance. Your SEO Company will send you over a rankings report that may state ‘keyword 1’ is position 3, and when you search, it is position 4 or 5. This is a natural reaction of Google and is not something to concern yourself with too much.
Other contributing factors could be some of the following:
1. A brand new website that has been launched may see fluctuations with rankings, and these are likely to be downward movements.
To minimise such movement, be sure to execute correct 301 redirects. It has been known for businesses to collapse through lack of vigilance in regards to a redirect plan, and their online presence reduced to non-existent. Be mindful that whilst rankings may drop upon the launch of a new website, within a month or so, they should recover and then climb upon a structured SEO campaign.
2. Poor hosting can be a surprisingly influential factor when it comes to rankings. If users are not performing in a positive manner on your site, then it can signal a worrying trend to search engines. For example, slow loading pages can lead to an increased bounce rate, resulting in Google (or others) ranking other sites above yours.
3. Google Updates. Surely, we don’t need to reinstate the importance again? Well, if we do, it is so important for you to be keeping an eye on the movements of Google and their infamous updates. Hundreds of thousands of very intelligent engineers are employed through Google to work on improving their search algorithm. There is such a thing as ‘death by Google’ so keep on the right side of their law, and keep up to date with the ‘Google Webmaster Guidelines’. For all our sakes!