Google SERP Changes & Algorithm Updates - October 2026

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On the rank jump with no traffic gain, check where the jump actually happened before reading too much into it. Average position often improves because you start showing for loosely related queries at position 8 to 15, which lifts the average but sends almost no clicks. Compare impressions and clicks per query for the two weeks before and after the update, and look for terms where position held steady but CTR dropped, since that usually means an AI overview or extra SERP features pushed you down the page. For the SG and China spikes, build a GA4 segment that excludes sessions with zero engagement time and those regions, then compare conversions only. If revenue per engaged session is stable, the update probably did not hurt you, the bots are just inflating the denominator.