What are Google Algorithms?

Google’s algorithms are a complex system used to retrieve data from its search index and instantly deliver the best possible results for a query. The search engine uses a combination of algorithms and numerous ranking factors to deliver webpages ranked by relevance on its search engine results pages (SERPs).

In its early years, Google made only a handful of algorithm updates. Now, Google makes thousands of changes every year.

How core updates work

Core updates are designed to ensure that overall, we’re delivering on our mission to present helpful and reliable results for searchers. These changes are broad in nature and don’t target specific sites or individual web pages. As web content changes, we assess and update our systems to keep pace.

One way to think about a core update is to imagine that a friend asked you for your top food recommendations. While you do have a list of your 20 favourite restaurants, things have changed since you initially wrote it in 2019. Some new restaurants that didn’t exist before are now candidates for your list. You might reassess some restaurants and realise they move to a higher spot on the list, given how many consistently positive experiences you had there, or to account for your friend’s preference for dog-friendly restaurants. The list will change, and restaurants that move down aren’t necessarily “bad”; they are just replaced by other restaurants that make your top 20.

Things to keep in mind when making changes

• Avoid doing “quick fix” changes (like removing some page element because you heard it was bad for SEO). Instead, focus on making changes that make sense for your users and are sustainable in the long term.
• Consider how you can improve your content in meaningful ways. For example, rewriting or restructuring your content can make it easier for your audience to read and navigate the page.
• Deleting content is a last resort and should be considered only if you think it can’t be salvaged. In fact, if you’re considering deleting entire sections of your site, that’s likely a sign those sections were created for search engines first, and not people. If that’s the case for your site, deleting unhelpful content can improve the performance of your good content.

How many times does Google update its search algorithms?

Google Search Algorithms updates are constantly changing. In 2022, Google made 4,725 updates to Search Engine, including changes to rankings and the look of search results. This means Google Search changes about 13 times a day on average. Many of these changes are minor. But algorithm updates tend to have a bigger, more noticeable impact. These updates help Google to show more relevant, Useful, and high-quality content to users while reducing spam and low-quality websites. Some major updates that strongly affect website rankings. Google algorithm changes are important to maintain visibility and improve search performance. 

Major Google algorithm updates: A brief history

• Panda (Initial launch in : 2011 )

What is Google Panda : 

Google Panda checks whether a website has useful, original, and promoting high-quality content. If a website has low-quality or duplicate content, Panda can lower its ranking in search results. 

Google launched Panda to:

• Reduce low-quality websites
• Stop thin or duplicate content
• Reward helpful and user-focused content
• Keyword stuffing
• Bad user experience

How to stay safe from Panda :

• Write original and helpful content
• Avoid copying content from other sites
• Focus on user intent

How does it affect?

The initial Panda update affected about 12% of all queries and saw sites with thin content or high ad-to-text ratios drop in the rankings. Panda has been updated consistently since 2011 to include new data signals, including user engagement metrics (e.g., bounce rates and time spent on site), content comprehensiveness, authoritativeness, and site architecture. Its data is processed outside of the main Google index, much like that of the Penguin algorithm.

•  Penguin (Initial launch: 2012)

What is Google Penguin : 

The Google Penguin algorithm update is an important part of SEO that focuses on reducing spam and improving search result quality. It was introduced in 2012 and focuses on unethical link-building practices, such as buying backlinks or using keyword-stuffed anchor text. Its goal is to reward websites with natural, high-quality links and penalize those trying to manipulate rankings. This update for SEO is very important for their website ranking to accentuate clean link profiles, relevant content, and ethical SEO strategies to achieve long-term search engine rankings.

How does it affect?

It affected 3.1% of English queries at launch, but this soon expanded to a larger data set. Penguin has sent ripples through the industry to rival any other set of updates, and it now works in real time (rather than at intervals) to fine-tune the search results. 

3. Hummingbird (Initial launch: 2013)

What is Hummingbird

Hummingbird helps you to understand Google algorithms and also understanding the meaning of a search query, not just the individual words.

Why Hummingbird is Important in SEO :

• In this algorithms Keyword stuffing no longer works
• High-quality, meaningful content performs better and also reduces Low-quality websites.
• Content should answer user questions clearly

How does it affect?

Hummingbird has affected how all queries are interpreted, but it has particularly benefited the companies that work to create conversational search experiences. Google labeled this update “Hummingbird” because it is “precise, useful and fast”.

4. Possum (Initial launch: 2016)

What is Google Possum

Possum is a Google search algorithm update launched in 2016. It was an update that focused on improving the quality of local results, based on the exact location of the searcher and the quality of available results.

How does it affect?

Many businesses that sit just outside of a city’s geographical limits saw an increase in their visibility, as Google relaxed the fixed rules it previously had in place. Users also saw more variety in the search results, based on specific modifiers or the order of words in their search query.

The Mobile-First Indexing

Mobile-First Indexing in SEO means that Google mainly uses the mobile version of a website to rank and index pages, instead of the desktop version. This seismic shift marked the move to a mobile-first world.

Why Mobile- First- Indexing Matters In SEO

-Your mobile content should be the same as desktop

-The site should be mobile-friendly and fast

-Text, images, links, and structured data must appear on mobile

-Responsive design works best

How does it affect?

The roll-out has been very gradual, but all websites will be affected worldwide. Although it is taking time to get right, Google is completely committed to making this change. Webmasters should be monitoring Google crawl activity to see the impact of their shift to mobile-first indexing.