A Google algorithm update is a change in the way that Google ranks websites in search results. These changes can be small and go unnoticed, or they can be major and impact your rankings overnight. But why does Google need to update its algorithm at all?
Why Does Google Update Its Algorithm?
Since 1998, Google has become the most used search engine globally, partly because of the accuracy and features of its search results.
These search results are chosen by factors in Google’s search algorithm, a complex set of computer programs used to understand what a searcher is looking for and therefore provide the right results to answer their search.
To provide the best and most accurate results for searchers, Google needs to update and improve its algorithm regularly. It does this in what the industry calls Google algorithm updates.
Previous algorithm updates have changed the way that Google:
Understands human language
Understands search intent
Provides search result with additional features
Provides localized results
Provides similar search suggestions
Judges the quality of content on webpages
What Is A Google Core Update?
A core update is a type of Google algorithm update that has a significant impact on search results.
These are significant algorithm changes that can impact different types of websites on various platforms in various industries. Whether you have a dedicated team of Search Engine Optimisers (SEOs) or not, a Google core algorithm update can affect your website for better or worse.
So what Google algorithm updates have had the most impact on websites around the world? And how can you tell if you have been affected by a recent update?
The Most Important Google Algorithm Updates Of All Time
Florida Update — November 16, 2003
Jagger Update — September and October 2005
Big Daddy Update — March 29, 2006
Vince Update — January 18, 2009
May Day Update — April 28, 2010
Caffeine Update — June 8, 2010
Panda Update — August 12, 2011
Penguin Update — April 24, 2012
Hummingbird Update — September 26, 2013
Mobilegeddon Update — April 21, 2015
RankBrain Update — October 26, 2015
Medic Update — August 1, 2018
BERT Update — October 22, 2019
Google January 2020 Core Update — January 13, 2020
Google May 2020 Core Update — May 4, 2020
Google December 2020 Core Update — December 3, 2020
Out of the many recorded Google algorithm updates, a few significantly changed SEO and still affect the way that sites appear in search results today.
These updates, usually given affectionate names, were massive news at the time and will forever be a defining moment in search engine history.
Florida Update — November 16, 2003
In November 2003, Google released the very first algorithm update, and it changed search forever.
The Florida update is so-called because of the hurricane-like way that it took search results by storm. It impacted retail sites the most. This included hotels, clothing, jewelry, and businesses ranking for highly commercial terms with significant search volumes. And it hit them right in the middle of the holiday shopping season.
These sites all had one thing in common: they all used keyword tactics that we would now consider spammy. The sites affected used keyword stuffing, which involved repeating the keyword everywhere and as many times as possible, including in-text colored the same as the background.
These sites saw ranking plummet almost immediately after the Florida update rolled out. They lost their large search volumes to smaller sites that did not use the same spammy keyword techniques.
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