Have you ever wondered how Google knows what websites to show you when you enter a certain search term? The Google Algorithm plays a large role in this process. Just as our internet and our world continue to evolve, the algorithm changes as well. To make sure your website is in line with Google’s current standards, it’s important to understand some of the search engine’s most notable algorithm updates from recent years.

What is an Algorithm Update?

Before we can talk about the significance of recent Google updates, it’s important to discuss what an algorithm update is. In short, algorithm updates are improvements made to algorithms. But what exactly is an algorithm? An algorithm is a process used to solve a problem, like answering a search query. 

An algorithm update, then, is an improvement to the process that a search engine goes through to answer the queries of its users. 

When you enter a search term into Google, the search engine uses its algorithm to determine which websites most accurately meet your request. But as the world changes, the algorithm has to keep up. That’s why Google periodically makes updates to the algorithm so we can continue receiving the most accurate and trustworthy search results. 

While Google makes hundreds of small algorithm updates every year, there are also bigger updates that are introduced periodically. Here are a few of the biggest updates of the last decade (or so) and why they’re important. 

Panda (February 2011)

The Panda update of early 2011 was a major change to the way Google had arranged results in the past. In this update, Google cracked down on “thin” content that didn’t provide much value to its users, instead favoring more fleshed-out content that offered genuine insights and information. The “thin” content in question mostly consisted of copied or duplicated work or low-quality content that was often produced by so-called “content farms” of the time. Now, in order to get that precious first-page ranking, your content has to provide substantial value to the reader. 

Learn more about Panda here.

Penguin (April 2012)

The next major update came in April 2012 with Penguin. This time, Google began penalizing websites that used tactics like unnatural linking, purchasing backlinks, and keyword stuffing in order to boost their SEO (search engine optimization) rankings. After this update, it became much more important for websites to gain their traffic and links organically and fairly as opposed to “over-optimizing” for the algorithm. 

Learn more about Penguin here.

Pigeon (August 2013)

You likely know what a homing pigeon is, which could help explain how this 2013 update got its name. This update focused on local SEO, impacting the main Google results page as well as listings on Google Maps. Pigeon provided more accurate search results when users sought out resources “near me.” Localization was improved overall, and results near the user’s location were given preference over more generalized results. 

Learn more about Pigeon here.

Hummingbird (September 2013)

When the Hummingbird update launched in September 2013, it was one of the most impactful updates up to this point, affecting nearly 90% of worldwide searches. Instead of focusing on select words within a search query, the Google algorithm shifted to a more conversational tone, looking at the entire context of the search. This update was particularly helpful in location-based searches, such as “buy a car near me.” Hummingbird also helped to lay the early groundwork for voice search, which continues to be a significant portion of search traffic.

Learn more about Hummingbird here.

 Mobilegeddon (April 2015)

Also called the Mobile-Friendly Update, Mobilegeddon was launched in April 2015. As the name suggests, this was one of the biggest algorithm updates that Google had released up to this point, impacting searches in every language. Essentially, this update rewarded websites with mobile adaptability, prioritizing them in search rankings and giving users more mobile-friendly results. Websites that didn’t work well on mobile (for instance, those that loaded slowly on mobile or had text too small to read on mobile devices) were penalized.

Learn more about Mobilegeddon here.

RankBrain (October 2015)

RankBrain had been in testing for several months before it officially launched in October 2015. The change was so large, in fact, that it is considered more of a full-on overhaul, not just a simple update. This change served to filter search results through RankBrain, a unique machine learning algorithm. While the addition of RankBrain only impacted a handful of searches in the beginning, it has now become one of the most important algorithm changes in Google's history. RankBrain sorts through search results to provide users with the most accurate and valuable answers to their queries.

Learn more about RankBrain here.

Fred (March 2017)

The biggest update of 2017 was Fred, which, despite its silly name, was quite a serious change. Fred targeted low-quality search results, including websites with excessive ad placements and those that relied on “thin” content, much like we discussed in the Panda update from 2011. Google has pointed to their Webmaster Quality Guidelines to outline the specifics of what Fred entails. 

Learn more about Fred here.

Mobile First Indexing Update (March 2018)

The first of two significant updates in 2018 was the Mobile First Indexing Updates. As Google put it when the update launched, “Mobile-first indexing means that we’ll use the mobile version of the page for indexing and ranking, to better help our – primarily mobile – users find what they’re looking for.” Not only did this update encourage businesses to prioritize the mobile versions of their websites, but it also benefitted users in an increasingly mobile world.

Learn more about the Mobile First Indexing update here.

Medic Update (August 2018)

The Medic update, launched just a few months later, was called a “broad core algorithm update” by Google. Although the name may suggest otherwise, this update impacted sites of all kinds, not just those in the healthcare sector. Most websites that were affected by this update fell under YMYL, or Your Money Your Life; these sites involve monetary transactions like selling goods and services. In short, this update encouraged YMYL sites to focus on improving their SEO performance and create better, more valuable content.

Learn more about the Medic update here.

Site Diversity Update (June 2019)

Before the Site Diversity Update in mid-2019, it was not uncommon for users to receive multiple answers to a given query that all came from the same website. Google received feedback from users and concluded that a wide range of answers is more likely to provide users with the information they need. The Site Diversity Update meant that, in most cases, Google would only recommend one listing from a specific website within the top results. 

Learn more about the Site Diversity Update here.

BERT (October 2019)

BERT, or Bidirectional Encoder Representations with Transformers, was called “the biggest leap forward in the past five years, and one of the biggest leaps forward in the history of Search.” With this update, Google made a major push toward AI and improved its natural language processing, allowing the search engine to better understand search queries as humans would actually ask them. Search became better equipped to handle longer queries and to understand the context behind a question, providing far more accurate search results than what had previously been available. 

Learn more about BERT here.

Page Experience (June 2021)

This 2021 update was one of the most anticipated changes to come to Google. Although this update didn’t have a very noticeable effect on websites’ search rankings, it was still a vital improvement into the search process. This update focused largely on Page Speed and Core Web Vitals, which is one of the most important ranking factors in the Page Experience. Google also provided further detail about the elements of Core Web Vitals and how to measure and monitor them.

Learn more about the Page Experience update here.

Spam Update (Multiple Updates Throughout 2021)

Throughout 2021, Google put out several updates having to do with reducing spam in search results. Google created its own “spam-fighting AI” to detect spam trends such as auto-generated content and excessive ads. This update also served to protect users “against disruptive content and malicious behaviors” from websites attempting to spam users or hack into websites. 

Learn more about the Spam Update here.

 Product Reviews Update (Multiple Updates Throughout 2021)

The Product Reviews Update was another instance of Google rolling out an update in multiple steps throughout 2021. Before this update, it was common for businesses to either buy reviews or write reviews for their site that seemed “spammy” rather than gathering genuine results from users or visitors. The Products Review Update changed that. During this update, websites with seemingly untrustworthy reviews were penalized, while those with higher quality reviews were rewarded with a greater preference in search results. 

Learn more about the Product Reviews Update here.

Why Algorithm Updates Matter for Your Business

Over the last decade, Google has revolutionized the way we look for information online, and further, the search engine has changed how businesses look at their digital content. 

As we can see, major updates come to Google every few months, and it’s important to keep up. Google is constantly researching and determining how best to meet users’ needs, as well as how to create an improved user experience. In doing this, Google must re-evaluate what types of content and information it prioritizes.

Failing to keep up with Google’s various updates could have a serious impact on your website’s SEO performance. A strategy that may have been working well in the past may no longer be bringing the results you’re used to. 

It’s important to note that some of Google’s recent updates have caused websites to experience an initial dip in SEO performance, but after a readjustment period, performance returned to normal. As you are keeping up with algorithm updates and adjusting your strategy, simply keeping in line with best practices can help assure your team that it’s moving in the right direction in spite of any initial dip in performance that you may experience. 

Let Doukas Media Help

It may seem overwhelming to keep up with Google’s latest changes, but you don’t have to do it alone. The team at Doukas Media has years of experience in digital marketing and SEO, and we’re happy to help you adjust your marketing strategy to keep in line with Google’s best practices.

Doukas Media has experience working with clients in many in-demand verticals, allowing us to create a personalized digital marketing strategy to help your business reach its unique goals. Our SEO services can help boost your performance thanks to thorough keyword research, complete analytics setup, and helpful metadata creation.

For more information about improving your SEO performance and enhancing your digital presence with Doukas Media, reach out to schedule a free discovery call today