Google Algorithm Updates

Google Algorithm Updates

Google’s algorithms change multiple times every year, and these are often just the changes we’re aware of because Google announces them (or just hints at them).

If you experience a sudden loss of traffic, this may be a result of a Google algorithm update. Being aware of these updates and what they mean is the key to addressing such issues when they happen, or being able to avoid them in the first place.

As you search the web, you’re essentially viewing Google’s (or Bing’s) index of the web – the pages that search engines have crawled and deemed to be relevant to the search query.

The results shown, and the order in which they’re displayed, is decided by algorithms. These algorithms take a range of factors into account before serving the pages which are most likely to be relevant and useful to the user typing a search term.

The Google algorithm updates consider a wide range of factors when looking to serve results, from the relevance of the page to the search query, the number and quality of links pointing to a page, key signals indicating page authority and more.

The relative importance of each ranking factor, which factors Google takes into account, and the changing importance of each is a subject of much debate among SEOs. Google tends to remain opaque about many factors, especially the exact weight of each, to make it harder to game its algorithm.

From a marketing perspective, it’s important to keep on top of algorithm changes, and to monitor changes in search rankings for possible effects and potential fixes.

Google will sometimes talk about key changes in how it will look at pages, such as an increased focus on page speed, so it pays to keep on top of such developments.

What is the Google algorithm?

Google’s algorithm is the criteria the search engine uses to display what it sees as the most relevant results to the search query.

What is Google’s latest algorithm update?

How does Google algorithm work?

Google’s algorithm takes a range of factors into account, from the relevance of the page to the number of backlinks, before deciding the order in which results are presented to the user.

History of Google algorithm updates:

Google algorithm updates 2024:

• March 2024 spam update – March 5, 2024
• March 2024 core update – March 5, 2024

Google algorithm updates 2023:

• November 2023 reviews update – November 8, 2023
  Improves the assessment of content overall, rewarding high-quality, high-value webpages with helpful content, good user experiences, and strong E-E-A-T signals.
• November 2023 core update – November 2, 2023
• October 2023 core update – 5 October, 2023
• October 2023 spam update – 4 October, 2023
  Enhances spam detection capabilities and covers more languages, including Turkish, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Hindi, and Chinese.
• September 2023 helpful content update – 14 October, 2023
  Prioritises high-quality, informative content written by people, for people, and rewards websites that consistently produce helpful content.
• August 2023 core update – 22 August, 2023
  Improves the way Google evaluates content and identifies high-quality, relevant pages to rank higher in search results.
• Topic authority system
  Assesses the expertise of a website on a specific topic to ensure that users are directed to authoritative sources for their queries.
• April 2023 reviews update 12 April, 2023
  Enhances the ranking of high-quality product reviews that are written by experts and provide in-depth information to help users make informed purchasing decisions.
• March 2023 core update – March 15, 2023
  Broad algorithm change that aims to improve the overall quality of search results by rewarding high-quality, relevant, and informative websites.
• February 2023 product reviews update – February 21, 2023
  Prioritises product reviews that are comprehensive, insightful, and provide valuable information to potential buyers.

Google algorithm updates 2022:

• E-E-A-T Update – December 15, 2022
• December 2022 Link Spam Update – December 14, 2022
  Targets websites that engage in manipulative link-building practices to artificially inflate their rankings.
• December 2022 Helpful Content Update – December 5, 2022
  Identifies and rewards websites that consistently produce helpful, informative, and people-first content.
• October 2022 Spam Update – October 19, 2022
• September 2022 Product Reviews Update – September 20, 2022
• September 2022 Core Update – September 12, 2022
• Helpful Content Update – August 25, 2022
• July 2022 Product Reviews Update – July 27, 2022
• May 2022 Core Update – May 25, 2022
• March 2022 Product Reviews Update – March 23, 2022
• Page Experience Update (Desktop) – February 22, 2022

Google algorithm updates 2021:

• November 2021 core update – November 17th, 2021
• The July Core update – July 2021
• Spam update part one – June 23rd
• Spam update part two – June 28th
• The June Core update – June 2021
• Core Web Vitals – June 2021
• The product reviews update – April 8th

Google algorithm updates 2020

• December 2020 Core Update – December 3, 2020
• Indexing Bug, Pt. 2 – October 12, 2020
• Indexing Bug, Pt. 1 – September 29, 2020
• Unnamed Update – August 15, 2020
• Google Glitch – August 10, 2020
• Google Bug Fix – June 22, 2020
• May 2020 Core Update – May 4, 2020
• Featured Snippet De-duping – January 22, 2020
• January 2020 Core Update – January 13, 2020

Google algorithm updates 2019

• International BERT Roll-out – December 9, 2019
• BERT Update – October 22, 2019
• September 2019 Core Update – September 24, 2019
• Site Diversity Update – June 6, 2019
• June 2019 Core Update – June 3, 2019
• Indexing Bugs – May 23, 2019
• Deindexing Bug – April 5, 2019
• March 2019 Core Update – March 12, 2019

Google algorithm updates  2018

• Medic Core Update – August 1, 2018
• Chrome Security Warnings (Full Site) – July 24, 2018
• Mobile Speed Update – July 9, 2018
• Video Carousels – June 14, 2018
• Snippet Length Drop – May 13, 2018
• Unnamed Core Update – April 17, 2018
• Mobile-First Index Roll-out – March 26, 2018
• Zero-result SERP Test – March 14, 2018
• Core Update – March 8, 2018

Google algorithm updates 2017

• Snippet Length Increase – November 30, 2017
• Chrome Security Warnings (Forms) – October 17, 2017
• Google Jobs – June 20, 2017
• Unnamed Update – February 6, 2017
• Intrusive Interstitial Penalty – January 10, 2017

Google algorithm updates 2016

• Penguin 4.0, Phase 1 – September 27, 2016
• Penguin 4.0 Announcement – September 23, 2016
• Mobile-friendly 2 – May 12, 2016
• AdWords Shake-up – February 23, 2016

Google algorithm updates 2015

• RankBrain* – October 26, 2015
• Panda 4.2 – July 17, 2015
• The Quality Update – May 3, 2015
• Mobile Update AKA “Mobilegeddon” – April 22, 2015