26 September 2018
The authority of a webpage will now be considered a crucial factor for the image search algorithm. Google will also analyze the placement of images on a page. So, Google will now look for not only quality content but also quality images before determining the ranking of a page. Google: Making visual content more useful in Search
1 August 2018
Medic Core Update was another broad core update released and confirmed by Google. Health and medical websites were a significant focus of this update. Google confirms Medic Core Update
24 July 2018
Google has started rolling out several changes for Chrome users for safe browsing. Now, when the users visit HTTP pages, they will face a “not secure” notification. With this update, it has become necessary for HTTP websites to switch to HTTPS. Google: A milestone for Chrome security
9 July 2018
Since today, Mobile PageSpeed has become one of Google’s Ranking Factors, which means that the mobile-optimised websites with lowest page load time have more chances of ranking higher in the SERPs. Google states that the update will affect those websites which deliver the ‘slowest experience to the users’. Google: Using page speed in mobile search ranking
14 June 2018
Video Carousels that were limited only to mobile users have now been launched by Google for desktop users as well. Google’s New Video Carousels
13 May 2018
Google has now confirmed to have shortened the length of the search snippets, but it is still slightly longer than before (a change they made in last December). Danny Sullivan also stated on Twitter that “There is no fixed length for snippets. Length varies based on what our systems deem to be useful.” Google confirms it shortened search results snippets
17 April 2018
Another routine update by Google to enhance the search performance and provide users with relevant search results. Google Confirms “Broad Core Update”
26 March 2018
Google has rolled out mobile-first indexing officially. Now, mobile-optimized websites will rank higher in the SERPs than the sites that are only desktop-friendly. This update was launched to make Google search easier for mobile users since the majority of Google searches are performed via mobile devices. Google: Rolling out mobile-first indexing
7 March 2018
Danny Sullivan confirmed the release of this broad core update by Google on Twitter. It is part of a series of updates that Google releases every day to improve the search results. Google Confirmed Weekend Algorithm Ranking Shift As “Core Update”
22 February 2018
Gary Illys from Google stated that they are going to expand and include more websites for Mobile-first Indexing. And in the coming months, more sites will be added as well. If your website is not yet mobile-optimised, it is time that you go through with the optimization. Google Mobile First Index Expanding
17 January 2018
Google designed a new ranking algorithm that would affect the mobile SERPs. The search engine will downgrade websites that have a really slow mobile page load speed. Also, Google has confirmed that the PageSpeed update will roll-out in July 2018 officially. Google: Using page speed in mobile search ranking
14 December 2017
The Maccabees update is another regular update that Google rolls-out to improve search quality. This update focussed majorly on keyword permutations and doorway pages. Google Maccabees Update Analysis Google confirms mid-December search ranking algorithm updates
1 December 2017
Google confirmed that it increased the search snippet’s character length to make them more descriptive and useful for people. A snippet is a short description of a page provided below its title and URL in the search results. Google increases length of snippets in search results
4 October 2017
John Muller confirms that Google has begun testing mobile-first indexing for certain websites to see how much impact does it have on the searches and current rankings. Also, this testing will help Google identify bugs and fixes for mobile-first indexing. If your site is not ready, then Google will not test it for mobile-first. Google Testing Mobile First Index
20 June 2017
Google for Jobs is an initiative announced by the search engine to help job seekers and employers. You can now find jobs through Google search with clear intent. For example, if you search for ‘catering jobs in Boston’, Google will give you a preview of catering job listings in Boston. Also, you can open each ad to get comprehensive information about it. Connect to job seekers with Google Search
25 April 2017
Google decides to demote misleading, low quality, offensive, and downright false information with its latest Owl update. This update further refines the search results by excluding “fake news” and provide users with relevant information from reliable sources. With the Owl update, Google also sets up new Search Quality Rate guidelines and updated ranking signals. Google Owl Update Google’s latest quality improvements target fake news queries
8 March 2017
Jokingly referred to as ‘Fred’ by Gary Illyes, this update caused major impacts across the SEO community. ‘Fred’ is known to target link quality aspects; therefore, websites with toxic links saw a sudden drop in their organic traffic. The update rolled out in the morning of 8th March 2017 but was confirmed on 24th March 2017 by Gary Illys. Google Has Now Confirmed The Fred Algorithm Update Big Google Algorithm Update Links Related Fred Update Targets Ad Heavy, Low Value Content Sites
7 Feb 2017
Google didn’t confirm this update but a major content quality update was suspected. These changes started being felt around February 1 and lasted for a completed week. The February 7, 2017 Google Algorithm Update – Analysis and Findings From A Significant Core Ranking Update February 7th Google Algorithm Update Was Big
10 Jan 2017
After giving a warning around 5 months in advance, Google rolled the update on January 10. It targeted websites with aggressive interstitials and pop-ups which hamper the mobile experience of users. A low number of webmasters reported any major impact on their sites. Google also stated that this update will only affect mobile searches to a web page and has nothing to do with anything within the website or the desktop page. Google warns it will crack down on “intrusive interstitials” in January Official: Google Intrusive Interstitials Mobile Penalty Now Rolling Out
14 Dec 2016
There has been no official confirmation by Google on this update yet, but a lot of online tracking tools recorded major fluctuations around December, 14 and December, 15. Another Google algorithm update? December 2016 December 15th Google Search Algorithm Update Signals
10 Nov 2016
A major update rollout was suspected on both November, 10 and November, 18. A number of tools and MozCast (106.) recorded and reported the same. Some people in the industry suggested that the second update may have been a reversal of the first update. A lot of people also reported about the wrong dates on Google’s search snippets. Despite these fluctuations, Google did not confirmed either of these events. Was There A Google Search Update On November 10th? November 10, 2016 Google Algorithm Update – Was It A Core Ranking Update, The Mobile-first Index Being Tested, or Both? (Updated)
23 Sep 2016
After a long wait of almost 2 years, Google finally rolled out Penguin in real time. Google also suggested penguin is now incorporated in their “main algorithm”. Another important piece of takeaway from this update was that Penguin is more “granular” implying that the algorithm will affect pages rather than the entire domain. Penguin is now part of our core algorithm Google updates Penguin, says it now runs in real time within the core search algorithm
1 Sep 2016
Webmasters witnessed a sudden and drastic fluctuation in local rankings and local pack results. Organic SERPs were also known to have been majorly affected. But since Google did not confirm the update, details are yet to be crafted. Everything you need to know about Google’s ‘Possum’ algorithm update Breaking Down Google’s Possum Update and What Role it Plays in Local SEO
12 May 2016
With the ongoing AMP project, Google is giving a good amount of significance to mobile friendly websites. After a year of rolling out “Mobilegeddon”, Google released yet another update giving a ranking signal boost to mobile friendly websites for mobile searches. Google Fully Launches The New Mobile Friendly Update Google’s mobile-friendly algorithm boost has rolled out
10 May 2016
Most tracking tools including ours showed major ranking fluctuation and changes. It is difficult to suggest what exactly happened since Google did not confirm anything. Concrete details are yet to be seen. Google Dismisses Any Recent Major Algorithm Update
23 Feb 2016
With this update, Google restructured the Adwords layout. The right column ads were officially replaced with 4 ads at top of the SERPs. Though the update affected paid campaigns, there was also an impact on organic results and CTRs. ADWORDS SHAKE UP from Google How Adwords Shake up affected websites?
08 Jan 2016
While most marketers suspected this to be another Penguin rollout, Google confirmed it was a core algorithm update. The update saw major ranking fluctuations for both desktop and mobile queries. There was a global impact on a multitude of queries. Unnamed Update/Google Core Algorithm update
26 Oct 2015
Google revealed that they use artificial intelligence to provide the best results to users. The machine learning technology has been working for months before this announcement. RankBrain has already become the third most important ranking signal. Google introduces RankBrain Google is using an AI called 'RankBrain'
17 July 2015
After a long wait of 10 months, Google finally rolled out a Panda refresh. The update will take several months to roll out completely. Since there were no immediate ranking fluctuations, the exact impact remains unclear. Google said this Panda update impacted 2 to 3% of English language search queries. How Panda 4.2 affects websites Google releases Panda 4.2
3 MAY 2015
There was a core change in the ranking algorithm regarding processing quality signals. The more interesting thing was that the fluctuations could only be seen on Mozcast & SERPmetrics. Not many fluctuations were seen on Google algorithm tracking tools. While Gary Ilyes mentioned it had nothing to do with Penguin, Panda or HTTPS. This was originally called as "Phantom 2". Google Quality Update Launched! Google's New Phantom Algorithm Update
21 April 2015
On 21st April, 2015, Google rolled out its Mobile update widely known as Mobilegeddon. The primary purpose was to pump up the rankings of mobile-ready pages and provide high quality relevant results to mobile users. Our case study showed significant drop in rankings for non mobile-friendly websites. This could be foreseen as Google had already made mobile usability reports and tools accesibile as part of Google Webamster Tools. Mobilegeddon - Mobile Friendly Update from Google How Mobilegeddon affected websites?
04 Feb 2015
Various rank tracking tools and website owners claimed major fluctuations in Google's SERPs rankings. Also, there were rumours that the fluctuations took place because of an e-commerce or mobile usability update. Despite this, Google did not officially confirm on rolling out an update. Google Search Algorithm Update Google’s Brand eCommerce Update
22 Dec 2014
Google's one of the most significant local updates, "Pigeon" was expanded to Australia, Canada, United Kingdom just before Christmas. This orginially hit U.S in July '14. Local shopping traffic was hit in peak season. Google’s Local Search Algorithm "Pigeon" Expands Update to UK, Canada, and Australia Google Pigeon Algorithm lands in UK, Australia and Canada
10 Dec 2014
Google's representative announced that they will shift Penguin to continuous updates rather than releasing major updates from time to time. Penguin To Shift To Continuous Updates
21 Oct 2014
This update was launced after two years of its original DMCA/"Pirate" update. The update was fighting against software and digital media piracy. It impacted majorly to a small group of sites causing major drops in rankings. British Phonographic Industry was among the ones who welcomed the update. Many popular torrent sites were hit including TorrentFreak. Google Pirate Update - A Post Mortem Analysis
17 Oct 2014
Penguin algorithm is revised in over an year after the previous update (Penguin 2.1), dubbed as 'Penguin refresh'. The update wasn't that big as <1% of US/English queries were affected. Even the timing of the update was not clear, as Google stated it was spread out over "weeks". Google Releases Penguin 3.0 Penguin 3.0: The Definitive Guide To Diagnosis And Recovery
23 Sep 2014
This was the 27th Google Panda Update. It affected 3-5% of search queries depending on the location. Google indicated that update would improve the rankings of high quality small and medium sized sites. It also improved the accuracy of the algorithm. The release timing of the update was unclear. Panda 4.1 Is Rolling Out Panda Update 4.1: Winners / Losers – Google U.S.
28 Aug 2014
Google completely removed authorship markups from the SERP with this update. Authorship was not of much help to the user, hence, Google realized it was not working and decided to remove it. By the next day, authorship was removed from the SERPs. This was a follow up to removal of authorship photos on June 28th. Goodbye Google Authorship
06 Aug 2014
There would be a slight boost in rankings of secure sites with this update. Encrypted sites would get more preference. The boost will initiate with small ones but will increase if the change is positive. Impact of HTTPS/SSL on Rankings
24 Jul 2014
One of the most significant local search update was rolled out that shook the Local SEO fraternity. This update improved Google’s distance and location ranking parameters in the algorithm. This provided better local search results. Traditional ranking signals became more important in processing local search results. Google "Pigeon" Local Search Algorithm Launches Google "Pigeon" Updates Local Search Algorithm
28 Jun 2014
With this update Google would stop including authorship photos in SERP inspite of the fact that Google promoting the connection between authorship and Google+. With this update it seemed Google+ was becoming less significant. By June 28th all photos were dropped from SERP. Rise & Fall Of Google Authorship Google Drops Authorship From Search Results
12 Jun 2014
This was an update to the algorithm which targeted specific spammy queries whereas the last Payday Loan Update had targeted specific spammy sites. Google's Payday Loan 3.0 Rolling Out
19 May 2014
One of the most imporatant updates to the Panda algorithm which was a data refresh and a change in algorithm. Approximately 7.5% English language queries were affected by this update. Webamsters though have data which show that Google released it before the official date given (20/5). Google's Panda 4.0 Rolling Out
16 May 2014
This was an update to the ‘Payday Loan’ algorithm which was launched earlier in June. Payday Loan companies were being heavily penalized by Google and there were limited specific details. How Google PayDay Loan 2.0 will affect Google Rolls Out Payday Loan 2.0 Updates
06 Feb 2014
The update simply talked about a refresh in an algorithm update from 2012. This update penalized sites which had too many ads on the top of their pages or had ads that were very distracting to the users. The sites which contravened the rules of Google and escaped original update were in trouble. Also dubbed as "Top Heavy". Google Page Layout Algorithm Update Google Refreshes Page Layout Algorithm
19 Dec 2013
In the first half of December, it was realised that there was a reduction in the number of authorship markup queries (15% of queries) on SERPs. Google felt that the number of authorship markup in the results was impeding the results. This was foreseen as Matt Cutts had predicted this at Pubcon Las Vegas earlier same year. Authorship in search results gets restricted
04 Oct 2013
This update just involved refreshing data, not showing any prominent changes in the algorithm. Some sites took a hit post the update while many others reported that the effect was minimal to moderate. Penguin 2.1 Is Live Now Google Penguin 2.1: Who Got Hit?
20 Aug 2013
This was an algorithm update leading to huge changes in the infrastructure. Post the update there were great improvements in semantic search and the knowledge graph. The update improved the way Google sorted and processed information. Google started ‘conversational search’, one could now ask questions and get answers. Now the search was no longer about the individual searches but also about multiple and consecutive and joined-up queries. New Google "Hummingbird" Algorithm How to Thrill Google Hummingbird
06 Aug 2013
Google introduced ‘in-depth articles, this was done to provide fresh and good quality content. Google was once again focusing on freshness, only comprehensive and fresh content would feature on SERPs. Appearing in the "In-depth articles" feature Google Introducing "In-Depth Articles" To Search Results
26 July 2013
Google did not confirm this update but it was seen that there was a sudden increase in rankings across the board ('105°F' according to MozCast). Unknown Update by Google this week
19 July 2013
Google increased the number of Knowledge Graph (KG) entries within the SERPs. According to the data provided by MozCast there was an increase of 50%. Brand searches in particular were benefitting from this, Google was giving easier access to users, in regard to information about brands. 25% of all searches would now include Knowledge Graph entries. Everything You Need To Know about Google's Knowledge Graph
18 July 2013
This update was an official Panda update, making changes to the algorithm which also softened some of the previous Panda penalties. Analysing The New Softer Panda Algorithm
27 June 2013
There were massive fluctuations in rankings approximately between June 12th and "the week after July 4th", as mentioned by Matt Cutts in a tweet. It might have been that Google was testing some changes. Once the rankings stabilized it seemed Google did not make those changes permanent and were eventually rolled back. Multi-Week Update Rolls Out
11 Jun 2013
This update caused sites ranks to dance up and down for days. Matt Cutts also announced that Panda was not in a state of ‘everflux’ instead it is updated on a monthly basis with each update taking about 10 days to complete. This was announced by Cutts at SMX Advanced. Google's Panda Dance Confirmed
11 Jun 2013
This update was released on 11th June. It targeted Payday Loan and pornographic sites for spammy practices. According to Matt Cutts, these spammy verticals would take months to clean up but this update needed time to be fully implemented, looking at close to 1-2 months. Google Begins Rollout Of Payday Loan Algorithm 3.0 Today Google Payday Loans Algorithm Update Launch is Imminent
22 May 2013
The exact nature of the changes were unknown but after speculations it said that Penguin 2.0 was targeted to the issues of page level. Google Launching Penguin 4 Google Penguin 2.0 Update is Live
21 May 2013
This update was released just before the Penguin 2.0 Update. It controlled domain crowding and diversity from page 2 and beyond on the SERPs. Domain Crowding Update
09 May 2013
Google updated its Phantom algorithm somwhere around 9th May, creating havoc in rankings on the SERP for many sites. Nobody knew what this update was actually about but many sites lost a significant amount of traffic due to this update. Return of the Phantom What You Need to Know About Google's Recent 'Phantom' Update
14 Mar 2013
Matt Cutts at SMX West talked about the next Panda update saying that it will be the last update before integrating it in the search algorithm. He also recommended to use Fetch as Googlebot. Google Rolled Out Panda Refresh Google's 25th Panda Update Is Rolling Out
22 Jan 2013
Google gave a surprise in the beginning of the New Year by giving the first official update of 2013 in which 1.2% of queries were affected. Panda 24th Version launched with 1.2% of Search Queries impacted Google's 24th Panda Update Again!
21 Dec 2012
Around Christmas Google shook everyone with its update. It was a Panda ‘refresh’ which affected 1.3% of the English queries.This update had a better impact than Pandas 21 and 22. Google Panda Update Version 23 Google Panda Strikes Again
04 Dec 2012
Google took its Knowledge Graph global and started responding to non-English queries in most major languages such as French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Italian and Russian. Knowledge Graph goes international Google released Knowledge Graph In different Languages
21 Nov 2012
This update didn’t cause much ruckus. Though Google confirmed Panda 22, which looked like to have been data-only. Google Panda Update Version 22 Google Panda Influenced 0.8% Of Queries
05 Nov 2012
This update affected 1.1% English queries, rolled out after a time gap of 5-1/2 weeks after Panda 20. Google Panda Impacts 1.1% Of US Queries In English Google Panda Refresh #21
09 Oct 2012
In early January 2012 Google started penalizing sites which had too much ad space on top on their pages. This enhanced that system further. The doubt was that is it algorithmic or data-based change. Google Updates Above the Fold Page Layout Algorithm Google Rolls Out Its Page Layout Algorithm
05 Oct 2012
It was not an algorithmic but a data based update which affected 0.3% of search queries. The industry expectations were quite high about the update, which now conflicted. Google Penguin 3.0, 0.3% Of English-Language Queries affected Google's Penguin 3.0: What You Should Know About the Latest Update
04 Oct 2012
Google released two month worth changes in one update. There were a total of 65 changes which included page quality assessment, improvement to local search, 7-result SERPs and Knowledge Graph expansion. 65 Google Algorithm Changes on August/September
27 Sep 2012
In this update there was a change in the way Google was handling exact-match domains(EMDs). EMDs became less attractive for Google,official stats suggested 0.6% of search queries were affected. Exact Match Domains Revealed Google Warns of Upcoming Exact Match Domain Algorithm
27 Sep 2012
Mixing with the EMD update, Panda algorithm was updated and the data refreshed affecting 2.4% of search queries. Industry sources decided to refer Panda updates in order as the naming conventions for the Panda algorithm got lost. Google Panda 20th Update - Impacting 2.4% English Search Queries Google Panda Update 20 Released
18 Oct 2012
This caused some ranking flux. It was not that major an update. Google Panda 3.9.2 Algorithm Update - September 18 Google Panda 3.9.2 Now Live
20 Aug 2012
With this update it made some minor changes to the Panda algorithm. This was dubbed as 3.9.1 as the 3.0 series ran out. Overview of Google Panda 3.9.1 Update Google Panda 3.9.1 Update revealed
14 Aug 2012
Google’s top 10 results on SERP for some search queries was now made limited to 7, after this update. Why 7 Search Results in Google Should be Your Brand New Lucky Number 8 Findings on Google’s 7-Result SERPs
10 Aug 2012
Google announced that it would start penalizing sites for their repeated copyright infringements. These would be measured by DMCA takedown requests. Google's DMCA Penalty update released Overview of Google DMCA penalty Update
10 Aug 2012
Google made 86 changes to the updates that had been released during June and July. These changes were made to give better and more refined search results in case of Google Images, better titles and search snippets and better detection of queries about weather. 86 changes on Google Search Algorithms
24 Jul 2012
This update affected ~1% of the search queries. Though queries were not affected that much but there was an initial period of fluctuations in results for a few days post the update. Google Panda 3.9 update July 24, 2012 Google Panda Alert: Data Refresh Starts Tonight
19 Jul 2012
Google issued a warning through Webmaster Tools about unnatural links. Suddenly, Google announced that the warnings won't create any serious problem, but nobody had an idea what did it actually meant. Google's Confusing Unnatural Link Warnings Freak Out SEOs & Webmasters Google Sending New Link Warnings
25 Jun 2012
This was also another of Panda’s data refresh updates which didn't created much affect on SERPs. Google Panda 3.8 update - June 25th , 2012 Google Panda 3.8 Rolled out: What To do Next?
08 Jun 2012
This was an algorithmic update which affected less than 1% of search queries. Considering its previous two updates (3.5 and 3.6) this one had a greater effect on rankings. Official Google Panda Update Version 3.7 On June 8th Google Panda 3.7 Refresh
07 Jun 2012
This update made 39 changes to the Penguin Update. This update brought better detection of major new events, detecting hacked pages and music rich snippets on mobile. Essentially also better link-scheme detection and update to Google News. 39 Google Algorithm Changes on June 2012
25 May 2012
In this update Google announced that it would handle "Penguin" Data separately from the main search index, much like Panda data. Google Penguin 1.1 Pushed Out Confirmed: Google Penguin Update 2
16 May 2012
The idea behind this update was to make information more directly available to the users. This was done by improving its semantic analysis and interpretation to automatically display information within SERP for certain searches. Introducing the Knowledge Graph Knowledge Graph by Google
04 May 2012
Google revised Penguin by making 52 changes. The changes included better identification of country for web pages, improved pagination handling, the introduction of identification of country for webpages, offering better HTML 5 resource caching for mobile including a 15% larger "base" index. 53 Google Algorithm Changes in April
27 Apr 2012
This update did not have much impact. It was released only a week after the last update (3.5). Panda Update 3.6 Is confirmed Panda 3.6 on April 27th
24 Apr 2012
Initially termed as the web spam update. The update mainly focused on over optimization done through keyword stuffing, spam links, etc. it affected 3.1% English search queries. Warnings were issued by Google through Webmaster tools. The sites were heavily penalized for not following Google’s Guidelines. It was a major update after Panda. Google Launches "Penguin Update"
19 Apr 2012
This update had minimal effect but it introduced a host of changes. The impact could not be easily ascertained. It made some minor changes and refreshed Google Panda’s data. Panda Update 3.5 Is Live
16 Apr 2012
Google had by mistake devalued domains, thinking they were parked, but in actuality were not. This update fixed the bug. Google’s Mistake Over Parked Domains
03 Apr 2012
Google made 50 changes to improve Google’s search quality. The changes gave better local results, sources in Google News, introduced the +1 button to more countries and domains, changes to anchor-text "scoring" etc. Google also tweeted confirming the implementation of last Panda update. 50 Google Algorithm Changes in March
23 Mar 2012
It was reported by a ‘Googler’ that by refreshing the update around 1.6% search queries were affected. Panda refresh rolling out Google Panda Update 3.4 Rollout
12 Mar 2012
This wasn’t an update but a video giving the public insight into Google’s Weekly Search Quality Review Meeting’. It featured Matt Cutts and Amit Singhal among others and viewers get an idea of Google's process and priorities. uncut video: search quality meeting
27 Feb 2012
This was a minor update to the way Google handled link evaluation after one year and three days of launch of original Panda algorithm update. This improved rankings for local search results. Panda 3.3 confirmed Confirmed: Panda 3.3 Update
27 Feb 2012
40 changes were made in Google’s Search Quality Highlights. These changes increased accuracy in detecting official sites, improved synonyms for foreign languages, and brought freshness in search results and a Panda update. 40 Google Algorithm Changes in February
27 Feb 2012
The monthly update was given the name as Venice. This update localized organic results by pulling in local data for local searches.The exact date for release was unclear. Google was making it evident that it will continually look out for local searches. Google’s Venice Update Changed Global SEO
03 Feb 2012
Google made 17 changes to its algorithm for better speed, freshness, and spell-checking. The major announcement was about to tighten the integration of Panda into the main search index. 17 search quality highlights Google’s Search Updates in January
19 Jan 2012
This update attacked ad-sense packed sites and were devalued. The update wasn't officially called anything but was dubbed as "Top Heavy" by some. Too Many Ads "Above The Fold" Now Penalized by google Page Layout Algorithm
18 Jan 2012
The update released was a Panda Data Update in which the algorithm wasn't changed. Google didn't mention anything about "Panda flux" which was about making frequent updates. Panda 3.2 Update Confirmed Changes in Panda 3.2 Update
10 Jan 2012
This update was primarily to promote Google+ social data and user profiles in the SERP. There was a toggle button to switch off personalization and hide these from Search Engine Results which many did. Search, plus (+) Your World Google introduced new feature, called Search Plus Your World
5 Jan 2012
Google made 30 changes to its search result algorithm. The changes were to give better snippets, detect spam in image search and to give better results for lyrics. 30 search quality highlights
Dec 2011
It announced 10 specific algorithm changes that focused on giving fresh results and to detect parked domains. Search quality highlights 10 Google Algorithm Changes on December 2011
18 Nov 2011
After the release of Panda 2.5, Google released "Panda Flux" after which updates started happening frequently. The two updates which came were minor ones, leading the industry analysts to lose the count for the updates.It was decided that from now only the highly impact full changes will be numbered. Panda 3.1 Update - 11/18 Minor Panda Algorithm
14 Nov 2011
Matt Cutts just announced 10 changes that Google had made to its algorithm. Google was trying to become transparent with webmasters. Ten Pack of Updates 10 New Google Algorithm Changes
03 Nov 2011
This update affected 35% of search queries. Primarily time specific search query results were affected by this update. Google was clearly stating fresher content would be given more importance and wanted webmasters to keep updating content on the website to provide a good user experience. fresher search results Freshness Impact on Google Searches
18 Oct 2011
This update encrypted search queries and was released mainly due to privacy reasons. This would change the way SEOs worked in the future since it meant "not provided" for organic traffic. Google expanded Search Encryption Impacts
5 Oct 2011
In October this update released small changes to the Panda Update. It affected 2% of search queries and was announced by Matt Cutts on Twitter. Google Panda Refresh - Flux Update
28 Sep 2011
Google made some further changes to the Panda Update. It significantly impacted many sites (~2% was quoted by Matt Cutts). Google Panda 2.5 Update Confirmed Google Algorithm update - 2.5 Version
21 Sep 2011
Eric Schmidt's (Google's CEO) announced that 516 updates had been made in 2010. Interesting bit was that they tested 13,000 updates in the same year. Google announced that they wanted to give primary importance to their users and their search experience. 516 Google Algorithm
15 Sep 2011
This update was mainly for e-commerce sites. It cleared their crawling and duplication issues with rel="next" and rel="prev" attributes. This update improved the consolidation and canonicalization for View All pages. Pagination for SEO New Options for Paginated Urls
16 Aug 2011
This update was for enriching search snippets on SERP. Google introduced expanded site links which would provide more information beneath each link. Authoritative sites could display up to 6 six links under the site link. Evolution of Google's Sitelinks Google Expands and Manages Sitelinks
12 Aug 2011
Panda went on a world tour. It now covered all major languages (except- Chinese, Japanese and Korean) in its algorithm changes which affected 6-9% of queries in local markets. Panda Goes International - 2.4 Version Panda 2.4 Released
23 Jul 2011
This update made small changes to the Panda Filter. It mainly refined the existing algorithm. Get Ready for Panda 2.3 Panda 2.3 Out
28 Jun 2011
It was a new social media platform. This was Google’s answer to Facebook. It was based on a different model which emphasized sharing content through social groups called ‘Circles’. Within 2 weeks, Google+ had 10M users. Google Plus - A New Social Platform Google+ Social Network
21 Jun 2011
This update targeted the sites which scraped the content from its original source to prevent the violators from ranking better than the original content owner and Panda 2.2 was officially acknowledged. It would also continually update Panda-impacted sites and data, reminding webmasters about Google Dance. New Panda Update - 2.2 Panda Version 2.2
02 Jun 2011
This update focused on presenting structured data to provide more enriched results to the user, which was jointly supported by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. Search snippets took center stage post the update. Schema.org Released Schema Structured Data
09 May 2011
Google did not release any information about this update. People decided to consider that this update just made minor changes to enhance the existing Panda Update. Google Panda 2.1 Update Is here Another Panda update
11 Apr 2011
This update added additional signals to refine the algorithm for English search queries specifically (not limited to English-speaking countries). Google started collecting data about sites that users had blocked. This was an indication to Google that these sites might be offering a poor user experience. Google Rolls Out Panda Update High-quality sites algorithm
30 Mar 2011
Google launches the '+1' Button which helped the users to influence the search results within their social circle including both organic and paid results. This allowed doing optimization through recommendation. This was Google's answer to Facebook and Twitter. Google launches +1 Button Google Launches "Like" Button for Web Sites
23 Feb 2011
One of the most important updates was released affecting about 12% of search queries, this update attacked spam by targeting low quality sites that were not adhering to Google’s Quality Guidelines. Panda cracked down on thin content, content farms, sites exploiting ad-sense etc. Since the update was a major, it lasted for a couple of months, and hitting Europe in March 2011. High Quality Sites Algo launched Real Impact of Google "Panda" Algorithm
28 Jan 2011
This update affected 2% of search queries. It reduced the impact of scrapers by changing how the algorithm processed content attribution. This update clearly was leading the way for something bigger, Panda. Attribution Update Confimed Algorithm change
Jan 2011
Google went a step ahead with this update. It was a direct attack on spam. It caught overstock.com webmasters heavily indulging in black hat SEO techniques. Same thing happened with JCPenney. This update was another precursor to the Panda update. Overstock penalizes by Google Google Penalizes Overstock due to Over Linking
Dec 2010
Google confirmed that it was now including social signals like Twitter and Facebook in its ranking algorithm and Microsoft confirmed this. Social Signals Impact on Search Rankings Social Signals for SERPs
Dec 2010
Google modified its algorithm to adjust the visibility of sites that were getting increased visibility on SERP due to their negative reviews. This was done after New York Times reported how an e-commerce site DecorMyEyes was having higher visibility due to negative reviews. Benefits of Negative customer reviews Hidden benefits of bad consumer reviews
Nov 2010
In this update Google allowed its users to preview pages within the SERPs using a magnifying icon. This focused on landing page quality, usability and design. Instant Previews of Search Results Google Instant Preview is Live!
08 Sep 2010
Primarly targetting user experience rather than SEO itself, this update offered instant results to the users as they typed their search query. Introducing Google Instant Google launches Instant search
Aug 2010
Google's new decision to serve the same domain many times in the search results, increased the visibility of those domains. Earlier it allowed each domain to appear only once or twice in the search results. Multiple Results from Same Domain - Google Brand Update Google's First page results Dominated by One Domain
Jun 2010
Google made changes to its caffeine algorithm. It improved the speed of search results and provided 50% fresher index. Indexation and crawling were seen much more hand in hand. Google Caffeine Rollout - New and Improved Search Index Google’s indexing infrastructure - Caffeine
May 2010
This was a pre-cursor to Google's future Panda Update. Google was penalizing sites with thin content by cutting off a major chunk of their long tail traffic. Effects of this update were felt in April and in early May. "Mayday" Impacts Long Tail Traffic Matt Cutts Videos About Mayday Update
Apr 2010
Google rebranded its local business center as Google Places. Maps were now an important part of local search. From now on Google would also provide options for local advertising to its paid search customers. Google's Local Business Center Is Now 'Google Places' Google's Local Business Center is over now
Dec 2009
Google improved its search freshness through this update. It added real-time content to its search like twitter feeds, Google News, newly indexed content, etc. over time it would also include social media. Google launches Real-time search feature Real-Time Search Update
Aug 2009
Google released an update of upcoming infrastructure change and invited people to help to check it. The goal was to make crawling faster while making the index bigger, and the ultimate goal being ranking being real time by aligning indexation and it together. Understanding Google Caffeine Search Results Information on Caffeine Update
Feb 2009
In this update, Canonical Tag was now being jointly supported by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft which allowed the Webmasters to tell Search Engines about which instance of any duplicate content is the version of the content which needs to be displayed to the visitors. Use canonical URLs - rel=canonical Introducing Rel Canonical Tag
Feb 2009
This update by Google favored major brands. This had a minor effect on search results. But, this had a greater and lasting impact on many smaller brands. Vince Update - Offline Brand Authority in SERPS Google's Vince Update – Brand or No Brand?
Aug 2008
Google wanted to guide the searchers while they typed the search query. Through this update Google started displaying a drop down, displaying possible searches that the user could type in search results. This would later power Google Instant. Google Suggest Feature For Search Queries Google Suggest - An innovative feature
Apr 2008
People were seeing some changes in search results but nothing much was known about this update. Interestingly though, Matt Cutts had requested Webmaster Tools feedback on the changes that had been made. Suspicions arose that Google was pushing its own properties. Google Search Index Update - Google Dewey The "Dewey" Update - April '08
Jun 2007
Matt Cutts announced that some less important adjustments had been made. Nothing much was known about this update except that it was named in the honor of Vanessa Fox, as she was leaving Google. Google "Buffy" Update - June 2007 Google "Honorary Update"
04 May 2007
Google changed the way it displayed search results through this update. It added news, videos, images and other content which could be relevant to a users search query. Introducing “Universal Search” By Google Google Universal Search Update
06 Nov 2006
With this update Google changed the way pages were filtered out into its supplemental index. Rumors flew out that Supplemental Index meant being de-indexed, Google confirmed that was not the case, and having good quality links would ensure being in the main index. Supplemental Update Google supplemental index - Good or bad?
Dec 2005
Google made a new crawling and indexing system. Google brought in a whole new range of technicalities like URL Canonicalization and redirects. The changes were very extensive hence; the update took till about March 2006 to finish. De-indexing was noticed on low quality webpages. Big Daddy Update Google's Indexing Timeline
Oct 2005
This update targeted pure spam. The update focused on poor quality reciprocal and paid links. Additionally link farms were also penalized. The update was gradually released between September to November but the changes were reported in October. Jagger Update Review Spam in Google’s index - Update Jagger
Oct 2005
Google merged its Maps data with its Local Business Center thus focusing more on local search. This would eventually drive how Local SEO functions in the future. Google Combines Locals and Maps Searches Google Merges Google Local With Maps
Sep 2005
It was also called the false update. SEOs started noticing changes in rankings but Matt Cutts explained that Google is always in a state of “everflux”, making low- level changes all the time. Cutts also said that Google updated its PageRank and BackLink data on an ongoing basis but, made it visible to the public by updating it once in 3 months. Gilligan Update : A False Update From Google Google Update Gilligan – Or Not
Jun 2005
This update shifted Google’s focus to providing results most relevant to the users search query. Google started collecting data about the users search history to provide relevant results it thus, made search more personalized. Google Personalized Search : New update on June 2005 Search History gets personal
Jun 2005
With this update, Google enabled webmasters to submit XML sitemap using webmaster tools, thus traditional HTML sitemaps became less important. Google Sitemap : New Feed Program Creating Sitemaps For Search Engines
May 2005
The 'GoogleGuy' announced that Google was rolling out "something like 3.5 changes in search quality." Nobody was sure about what this update was concerned with, though some of them said that it had something to do with how Google handled duplicate content and non-canonical URLs. 'GoogleGuy' wqs possibly Matt Cutts. Dealing with the effect of Bourbon Update GOOGLE UPDATE "BOURBON"
02 Feb 2005
The specifications of this update were not very clear. Some said it was the refinement in the implementation of LSI. Some said that Google was penalizing suspicious sites. Update Allegra - 2-2-2005 Discussion On a new Update Allegra
Jan 2005
This update was to protect the site from low quality outbound links and spams. Google, Microsoft and Yahoo at the same time gave support to the 'NOFOLLOW' attribute to fight against spammy blog and forum comments. Search Engines On Support For Nofollow Attributes Stop comment spam
Feb 2004
With this update, Google’s indexes increased significantly. Keyword analysis went to the next level with the advent of Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) and Google became better at understanding synonyms and even better at contextual meanings. Google also started identifying link 'neighbourhoods'. Google’s ‘Brandy’ Update on 17th-20th February 2004
Jan 2004
Austin was a refinement to the Florida update. Google continued to penalize deceptive on page tactics like META stuffing, invisible text. The latest update - Austin Google Update Austin Again!
Nov 2003
With this update, Google updates its algorithm which marked a complete change of game. The old SEO techniques like keyword stuffing were no longer relevant now. A lot of business crashed after this. Google now had drawn a line against spam, it also showed the algorithm employing AI to understand context rather than pure text on a web page. Florida Google Dance Update
Sep 2003
Google created a supplemental index to store the documents which were not important. This was done with the intention of increasing the documents to be indexed without having to compromise with quality. The PageRank Technology was used to filter out pages to the secondary index. Google's Supplemental Index Results
Jul 2003
This was the end of Google Dance. Now, instead of indexing once in a month, Google started indexing on the daily basis, leading to fresh results and even fresher rankings. New Google Dance - "Update Fritz"
Jun 2003
This marked the end of the monthly updates and the beginning of regular updates. It included some major infrastructure changes at Google. Esmeralda Update
May 2003
This update included the major change in the way Google crawled and did the analysis of the backlinks. This was named after a pizza restaurant in Boston! Google Dominic Update Discussion
Apr 2003
Here came the time for punishments! Google became a watchdog for looking out for hidden texts and links and co-owned domains. Google clearly drew a line with a websites whose link building had not been done right. The Cassandra Update!
Feb 2003
This was launched in SES Boston, and was the first Google update to which a name was given. It combined a string of algorithm updates along with a major index update. This was the beginning of the coming index updates, which caused the rankings on the SERPs to fluctuate, informally also called 'Google Dance'. The Boston Update!
01 Sep 2002
This was Google’s first publicly announced algorithm change. It saw a fall in the quality of Google’s search results and gained a lot of criticism from the webmasters. Do the Google Dance Google Update Discussion On Webmasters
11 Dec 2000
Google launched the browser toolbar which provided fast, highly relevant and effective search results from any web page on the internet. It enabled the users to search the pages of any website, even if the website doesn’t have a search engine of its own. Alongwith, TBPR(Tool bar PageRank) became accessible to webmasters. Google Toolbar : A New Google Product