Understanding Volatility in Keyword Rankings for Low-Difficulty Terms

As someone reviving their SEO efforts post-COVID with a web design agency, I find myself grappling with an unusual challenge: the unpredictability of my website’s keyword rankings. I’ve noticed that even for keywords possessing a low difficulty score—typically ranging from 0 to 5—my rankings fluctuate dramatically every few days. To illustrate, I might find myself occupying the top spot one day, only to plummet to position 97 the next. It’s a bewildering cycle.

While I’m aware of a significant Google algorithm update that took place in March, I can’t help but wonder about the underlying reasons for these erratic shifts. Am I missing something fundamental that could contribute to this instability in my rankings?

Although my SEO knowledge is not at an expert level, I would consider myself fairly intermediate. My strategy involves targeting a handful of smaller cities in a sparsely populated state, where the search volumes for these keywords typically don’t exceed 10-20 searches.

I have taken steps to optimize my content—including titles, meta descriptions, headings, and alt text—and I’m pleased to say that my page speed scores a perfect 100. Given these efforts, I’m left perplexed as to what factors I should examine to address this ranking inconsistency.

If you’ve navigated similar struggles and found solutions, I would greatly appreciate your insights. Thank you!