Google’s April Aftershocks: Unannounced Ranking Volatility & AI Expansion Reshaping SEO Landscape
The March 2025 Core Update may have officially concluded, but April has delivered its own set of challenges for SEO professionals across the United States. Multiple ranking volatility spikes have occurred without formal Google announcements, while AI features continue their aggressive expansion into search results. If your rankings have been fluctuating wildly this month, you’re not alone, here’s what’s happening and how to respond.
Post-Update Volatility Spikes Without Warning
Despite Google’s March Core Update officially wrapping up on March 27th, significant ranking fluctuations continued well into April. Three major volatility spikes were reported on April 2nd, April 9–10th, and April 16th, each causing dramatic shifts in search positioning. Industry trackers like Semrush, Mozcast, and Sistrix all confirmed these unusual patterns.
During these volatility spikes, many websites experienced:
- Pages dropping from top positions to page 5 or beyond overnight
- Featured snippets changing unexpectedly
- Homepage rankings disappearing while inner pages ranked instead
- High-authority domains losing position for specific keywords
- Niche blogs losing entire keyword clusters
The April 16th spike appeared particularly severe, with some site owners reporting traffic losses of up to 70% within 24 hours. Curiously, some webmasters noted that the update seemed to favor non-SEO optimized sites with outdated designs over well-optimized content.
AI Overviews Expanding Rapidly
Simultaneously, Google has significantly ramped up its AI presence in search results. AI Overviews, powered by Gemini 2.0, are now appearing in approximately 20% of all search queries, a dramatic increase from just 7% in June last year.
For information-heavy industries like business and technology, AI Overviews now appear in over a third of all search results. This expansion has continued internationally, with Google rolling out AI Overviews to additional European countries.
The impact on organic traffic is concerning. Early analyses suggest AI Overviews can lead to an 18–64% decrease in organic clicks for affected queries. This represents a significant challenge for publishers who have historically relied on organic traffic.
What This Means For Your SEO Strategy
These developments signal a clear direction for Google’s search ecosystem: increased AI integration and stricter content quality enforcement. Sites that suffered during April’s volatility spikes shared common characteristics:
- Thin content with generic or AI-generated text
- Poor internal linking structure
- Excessive affiliate links
- Manipulative SEO tactics
Conversely, websites demonstrating strong E-E-A-T, genuine expertise, and solid on-page structure have weathered these changes better, with some even gaining traffic from competitors’ losses.
With AI Overviews expected to continue expanding throughout 2025 and ranking volatility likely to persist, SEO strategies must adapt quickly. Focus on creating truly valuable content that demonstrates real expertise and addresses user needs comprehensively. Google’s evolution is favoring sites that prioritize user experience over technical SEO manipulation, a trend that appears unlikely to reverse.
As we continue monitoring these developments, Rabbit Rank will provide ongoing updates to help you navigate Google’s increasingly complex search landscape.
