Two triggers, nothing else. An email when Google confirms a new ranking update, and an email when SERP volatility crosses 5 out of 10 without a confirmation. No newsletter, no marketing sequence, no digest of last week’s SEO news. At most one email a day, and usually far fewer, because Google only confirmed four updates in the whole of 2025.
Free alerts
Get told when Google moves
Two triggers, nothing else. An email when Google confirms a new ranking update, and an email when SERP volatility crosses 5.0 out of 10 without a confirmation. No newsletter, no pitches, at most one email a day.
Double opt-in, so nothing is sent until you click the link in the confirmation email. One-click unsubscribe in every message. Your address is used for these alerts and nothing else.
What triggers an alert
| Trigger | Measurement | How often it fires | What the email tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirmed update starts rolling | A new incident appears on the Google Search Status Dashboard | Four to six times a year | Which update, the type, and what not to do while it rolls |
| High volatility, no confirmation | Sensor reading of 5.0 or above across 150 tracked keywords | Occasionally, and never twice for the same day | The reading, and why a spike does not mean your site moved |
The second trigger exists because it is now the more common event. Google confirmed only four updates in 2025 while measured volatility stayed high, so most real ranking changes ship without a name. The volatility sensor catches what the dashboard does not.
Why an alert is useful and why it is not urgent
Knowing an update started is genuinely useful. Acting on it immediately is not, and the alerts say so every time.
- Record your baseline before the rollout affects it. Why: The 28 days before an update is the number any recovery gets measured against later. Once the rollout starts, that clean baseline is gone.
- Do not change anything during the rollout. Why: Recent core updates have taken 12 to 24 days and rankings move in both directions inside that window. Sites regularly recover part of a loss before the update finishes, with no intervention.
- If work is already planned, ship it. Why: Changes that are live and crawled when a rollout runs are sometimes picked up in the same rollout, which saves a full reassessment cycle.
- Wait for completion before measuring. Why: Anything measured mid-rollout is unreliable. Google marks the end date on the status dashboard, and the live tracker reflects it within hours.
How your email is handled
- Double opt-in. Why: Nothing is sent until you click the link in the confirmation email. Somebody else typing your address in achieves nothing.
- One-click unsubscribe in every message. Why: A single link that works without logging in or replying, plus the standard List-Unsubscribe header so your mail client can do it for you.
- Used for these alerts only. Why: Not added to a newsletter, not used for outreach, not shared or sold. If you want to talk about your site you will contact me, not the other way round.
- Capped at one email per 24 hours. Why: Even if several things happen at once, you get one message.
If you would rather not give an email
Everything the alerts tell you is on the site already, free and without a signup. The live update tracker syncs twice a day, the sensor updates every morning, and the core update countdown shows where the current wait sits against the historical gap. The alerts save you checking, nothing more.
Frequently asked questions
How often will I get emails?
Rarely. Google confirmed four updates in 2025 and six so far in 2026, and high volatility days without a confirmation are occasional. Most months you will hear nothing.
Will an alert tell me my site was hit?
No. The alerts describe what Google and the sensor are doing across the web. Whether your site moved is only visible in your own Search Console, which the drop analyzer can read for you.
Is this a newsletter?
No. There is no scheduled send, no roundup and no marketing sequence. Two events trigger an email and nothing else does.
What does a volatility score of 5 actually mean?
It means a large share of the top 10 results changed position compared with the previous day, across 150 tracked keywords in 15 categories. Below 5 is normal daily movement. Above 5 usually indicates a Google test or an unannounced adjustment.
How do I unsubscribe?
Click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any alert. It works immediately, with no login or confirmation step.
Already lost traffic and not waiting for the next update?
Alerts help you watch what happens next. They do not help with a drop that already happened. Send your Search Console access and within 48 hours I will tell you what caused it and whether it is recoverable. Free, no obligation.
Get free recovery audit