Google Algorithm Updates: You Must Need to Know

What is Google Algorithm and How It impacts SEO?

The Google Algorithm refers to the complex set of rules and mathematical calculations that Google uses to determine the ranking of web pages in its search engine results pages (SERPs). The algorithm audits numerous factors to provide users with the most relevant and high-quality information in response to their search queries.

Google consistently updates its algorithm to enhance search quality, and user experience, and combat spammy or manipulative tactics. Some key components of the algorithm include relevance, quality of content, user experience, website authority, and numerous other factors that collectively influence the ranking of web pages.

Understanding and optimizing for the Google Algorithm is crucial for websites aiming to improve their visibility and reach in online search results.

How does It impact SEO?

Google Algorithm Updates change the factors that determine search engine rankings, which has a significant effect on SEO. User experience, relevance, and high-quality content are given top priority in these updates, as they are in the core updates and Page Experience updates. Websites that comply with these factors typically have higher rankings, while those that don’t meet the updated criteria may see a decline in rank. In light of these developments, SEO tactics need to adjust and now prioritize content relevancy, page speed, and mobile friendliness. In the constantly shifting digital landscape, maintaining and increasing search visibility requires staying up to date with Google’s changing algorithms.

History of Some Important Algorithm Updates

Panda

Google introduced the panda update in FEB 2011. This update aims to filter poor and thin content from search engines and provide more relevant information to their users.

Source: – https://moz.com/learn/seo/google-panda

Penguin

The “Webspam Algorithm Update,” often known as the Google Penguin Update, was introduced in 24th April 2012. Google developed it in an effort to lessen the number of websites that manipulated search engine results pages (SERPs) by employing link schemes and black hat SEO tactics. It is now a component of Google’s main algorithm as well.

Source: – https://searchengineland.com/google-penguin-algorithm-update-395910

Hummingbird

The update called “Hummingbird” firstly launched in 22 August 2013. This algorithm is designed to improve the accuracy and relevancy of Google search results.

Source: – https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-google-hummingbird-really-works-what-we-learned-by-analyzing-9-93-million-words-of-content/

RankBrain

Google agreed to the rolling out of RankBrain, a machine learning-based search engine algorithm, on October 26, 2015. It facilitates Google’s processing of search results and gives users more relevant search results. Google stated in a 2015 interview that, behind links and content, RankBrain accounted for the third greatest weight in the ranking algorithm. According to data from 2015, “RankBrain was used for less than 15% of queries. Findings indicate that RankBrain generates results that are significantly better than those of the top 10% of Google’s search engine engineers.

Source: – https://backlinko.com/google-rankbrain-seo

Core Updates

Since 2017 Google has been constantly working on core updates to improve search results.

On the 28th of November 2023, Google revealed an upgrade that seeks to improve the assessment and presentation of reviews in search results. The goal of this Google Reviews Update is to make review information that consumers find through search searches more legitimate and relevant. It rewards sincere and educational evaluations while penalizing dishonest or poor ones.

Source: – https://www.seroundtable.com/google-november-2023-core-update-done-36462.html

Bert

With the introduction of BERT (Launched 22 Oct 2019), or Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers, a natural language processing system based on the Transformer model, Google is now able to analyze a string of words in a search query and determine their meaning in order to provide users with more relevant results.

Source: – https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-bert-update/332161/