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Introduction
Google has made many changes to its algorithm over the years, and these updates are an important part of SEO. Google is constantly updating its algorithm with new features to make sure that websites that provide relevant information to users rise above those that don’t.
The goal of these updates is simple: make it easier for people to find the most relevant information and quality they need on the internet so that they continue using Google as their primary search engine. Here we’ll go through some of the major Google algorithm changes over the past few years and how they impact your website’s ranking in search results.
Page Experience update
Google released the “Page experience update” in June 2021. This Google update focused on improving the quality of a web page to provide a better user experience to users. This includes page load time, mobile responsiveness, better navigation, engagement from users, page trust and much more.
Fred (March 2017)
Google Fred update is an algorithm update that targets black-hat tactics tied to aggressive monetization. This includes an overload on ads, low-value content, and little added user benefits.
Fred was a core algorithm update that affected all languages. It impacted low-quality content and sites with duplicate or scraped content.
- Thin or poor quality content
- Duplicate or scraped content (especially news sites)
- Hidden text (eg, ads below the fold)
Content farms or sites with low-quality content were hit the hardest. Duplicate and scraped content was also heavily penalized by Google’s algorithm update.
Thin or poor quality content Content farms or sites with low-quality content were hit the hardest. Duplicate and scraped content was also heavily penalized by Google’s algorithm update.
Possum (September 2016)
Possum was a Google algorithm update that was rolled out in September 2016. It affected websites on the same IP address, which is why it’s often called an “IP update.” This can be confusing because many sites are hosted by one server and so may have the same IP address as other sites — but Possum’s effects were only felt by websites with exactly identical content.
The primary impact of Possum was to lower rankings for sites with duplicate content. For example, if you searched for information about how to get someone’s email address, you would see results from Wikipedia (a site with high-quality content) at the top of your search results (or at least very close to the top). After Possum, you might find yourself seeing more spammy ads than ever before.
Possum lasted for about six months before being replaced by another Google algorithm update called EMD update or EMD penalty (October 2016).
Penguin 4.0 (September 2016)
In September 2016, Google launched a refresh of its Penguin algorithm. This update affected around 3.1% of English queries across the world. It also affected 2.3% of Spanish queries, 1.7% of French queries and 1.5% of German queries (based on an analysis by the Searchmetrics team).
Penguin 4 was not as impactful as previous updates but did have some notable changes to it including:
- The inclusion of more than just spam sites when assessing link quality
- More emphasis on internal links within your own website
Google made it clear that Penguin 4 was not a major update but rather a refinement to the previous version. This means that the impact will be minimal for most businesses and there are no signs of a Penguin 5 coming anytime soon.
Mobile-friendly 2 (May 2016)
The Mobile-friendly 2 (May 2016) update was an update to the mobile-friendly algorithm launched in May 2016, which affected sites that were not mobile-friendly.
It was launched to prevent users from having a poor experience on mobile devices.
The update was announced by Google on the Webmaster Blog, which stated that it would affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide. The update increased the effects of sites that were not mobile-friendly, which would now have a harder time ranking well in mobile search results.
The update was launched to prevent users from having a poor experience on mobile devices. The update increased the effects of sites that were not mobile-friendly, which would now have a harder time ranking well in mobile search results.
Rankbrain (October 2015)
In October 2015, Google introduced RankBrain as a machine-learning artificial intelligence system. It’s part of Google’s search algorithm and helps to predict what the user is searching for. This means that when you search something, RankBrain will look at the words used in your query and figure out what you’re looking for.
It then uses that information to make a suggestion, which is why sometimes you might see an entirely different result than what you were expecting. The system can also learn from the user’s search history, making it easier for Google to predict what they want.
They are now using the power of artificial intelligence. Not only does it help Google understand what you’re looking for, but it can also use that information to make your search experience easier and more efficient.
Pigeon (July 2014)
Pigeon was the name of a local search algorithm update released by Google on July 23, 2014. Pigeon was designed to make local search results more accurate and relevant by targeting a variety of signals that indicate whether a business is likely to be relevant and trustworthy.
The main effect was that local businesses which provide good experiences for users were rewarded with increased visibility on Google Maps (and other verticals). As such, it’s important for businesses today to focus on creating valuable content for consumers so as not to miss out on opportunities presented by this update!
Pigeon was the first update to focus on local search, signalling that Google is taking this type of search more seriously. The update also marked a shift in how Google treats local businesses and how they are displayed in search results.
HTTPS/SSL Update (August 2014)
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the secure version of HTTP. It encrypts your connection to websites using SSL/TLS, and it’s more secure and faster than HTTP. HTTPS sites have been given a ranking boost by Google since 2014. Starting in July 2018, Chrome will mark HTTP sites as “not secure” in order to encourage users to move to HTTPS.
Panda 4.1 (September 2014)
This update brought about many changes to the way that Google indexed sites and ranked them. Google’s Panda algorithm is used to find pages with low-quality content, and then remove them from their index. The goal of this update was to improve the overall user experience by giving people more relevant search results.
However, not all of the changes were positive: many websites experienced drops in traffic due to loss of ranking positions or even complete removal from the search engine entirely! Fortunately, there were ways for sites owners and developers to recover from this update (for example by addressing issues such as duplicate content), but it’s safe to say that most users were unhappy with these dramatic changes—and rightly so!
As far as SEO goes… well… we won’t sugarcoat it: these updates didn’t bode well for anyone who depended on organic traffic as part of their business model. However, if you’re willing/able to adapt your strategy according to what each new iteration brings us (which might mean diversifying into paid advertising channels) then there’s still plenty of opportunity out there for those who want it badly enough!
Penguin 3.0 (October 2014)
Penguin 3.0 (October 2014)
This update was designed to target web spam, especially link building. As a result, it affected many websites that were using link schemes and other forms of manipulative SEO practices.
Google algorithm updates are a part of SEO.
While Google algorithm updates are a part of SEO, they are not the only thing you need to focus on. Some of these algorithm updates can be good for your business and some can have a negative impact on your rankings.
It’s important that you stay informed about these updates so that you don’t get caught off guard when one comes out and negatively impacts your website.
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you understand Google’s algorithm updates. They are an important part of SEO, and knowing about them can help make sure that your content is relevant and up-to-date.
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