Google updates its search engine often to provide better search results for users. Over the years, Google has introduced various updates, and in recent years, Google has gone with a core update, which usually happens twice a year. Before core updates, Google introduced many updates under various names. Here, let us know about the top 5 Google Algorithm updates in the past.

Top 5 Google Algorithm Update

Here are the top 5 Google algorithm updates that have changed the search on a huge scale.

Panda

Panda was introduced in February 2011 and had the main goal of reducing the low quality websites or thin websites from SERP. It focuses on the quality of the content. It was also known as “Farmer” initially as it was launched to curb the content mills. Content mill refers to the companies that hire employees to create content as soon as possible. They mostly prefer quantity over quality, to generate more revenue. This made the low-quality sites pop up first then the useful sites. So, the Panda algorithm was launched and those sites were affected and the content mills went on loss. This involves the whole page if any duplicate contents are spotted, which also refers to the repetition, untruthful, and plagiarized content. The websites will be penalized and target the entire site not just a single page. Panda accesses the whole site and rewards top ranks for high-quality content.

Penguin

Penguin was first carried out in 2012 and in 2016, it was integrated into Google’s core ranking system. Penguin intended to fight web spam by measuring the quality of backlinks on the site. It also affects a part of a page that has mistakes in keyword levels. In simple words, it is a filter, which penalizes lower-quality backlink sites. Google staffer John Mueller stated that the presence of a large number of low-quality links pointing to one page of your website could result in a reduction of Google’s trust in your entire website. This targeted the black-hat link-building techniques, including buying links, link farming, automated links, PBNs, and others. It penalized pages that use black hat link-building techniques.

Rank brain

The rank brain uses machine learning and artificial intelligence, which means the machines teach themselves with the data inputs. It analyzes the pattern and user behavior to provide the most relevant results. Google feeds the data which in return it teaches itself over time to deliver more relevant results. It is the 3rd most useful ranking factor.

Pre pre-rank brain is designed to access websites with traditional signals. Post Rank brain accesses a website with the help of the quality of the content. To understand the complexities of user behavior on social media platforms, let’s analyze a search query like “best restaurants near me”. What is the true intent of this search?

Are they looking for a specific type of cuisine, like Italian or Thai food? Do they prioritize budget-friendly options or fine dining experiences? Is the user on the move, searching for restaurants near their current location, or are they planning a future outing? Perhaps they’re browsing from their couch, open to exploring options within a wider radius, or need recommendations close to the venue. By considering these possibilities, showcasing search results better serves the user’s specific needs.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird Update was released on August 30, 2013s which senses the meaning of the query and a semantic search. The semantic search refers to the interpretation of the contents. The main goal is to give results that are more accurate and relevant. If you search for “Best restaurant near me”, before Hummingbird updates Google might return results with general information about restaurants, including visitor centers, timings, and more.

But, after Hummingbird, Google understands what you are looking for specifically and would return results with curated lists, locations, reviews, and more on each restaurant. In this example, even though the search query doesn’t mention “location” or “reviews,” Hummingbird recognizes the intent behind the search and shows results accordingly. As soon as Google understands the search intent, it accesses the page with quality content and relevance rather than depending on the keyword. So, Ranking with the help of keyword stuffing became ineffective after the launch of Hummingbird.

Mobilegeddon

Mobilegeddon was launched in 2015 and was specially launched for the people who use mobile to search websites and it ranks the mobile-friendly websites accordingly on the search results page. This update was not for organic search but for the user experience who uses a mobile to search.

Google stated the reasoning behind the change: “When it comes to search on mobile devices, users should get the most relevant and timely results, no matter if the information lives on mobile-friendly web pages or apps.” The impact of Mobilegeddon is more than the panda and penguin. Now, Searchers can find websites that are optimized according to the mobile. The websites are readable without any zoom or tap gestures. It optimizes according to the screen size and avoids horizontal scrolling and unplayable content.

What is a core update?

As we said before over the past few years, Google has come up with core updates, lets see an overview of it. Google rolls out frequent updates to make its environment and Google search work better. Google Core update is where the team brings out major changes to Google’s search engine algorithm which will result in the rankings of the SERP. It shows that it has brought a broad change to the Google algorithm. The Google algorithm decides the ranking of the pages in the search results pages which considers numerous factors.

Google updates its algorithm 6 times a day on average, which is 2000 times per year. But the core update affects the website in most cases which is why Google notifies everyone about its core updates which are updated twice a year. Based on the updates the Google ranking changes a lot and the factors considered to rank the page also changed a lot over the years from counting backlinks numbers to users’ helpful content. Apart from these core updates, Google has updated its search engine completely several times before to improve its search.

Summing Up

Google’s algorithms will keep on changing and it will affect your ranking in SERP. So, being updated about the changes is the most important step in SEO. It acts as a filter and continuously works in the best way to provide quality content and the best user experience. A team of SEO experts works behind every site to make their site adopt the Google Algorithm. If you are running a business online and want to get your business adopted by a search engine, get in touch with our experts and avail our SEO services to increase your visibility in the digital world. Also, we at Nexiqus provide various digital marketing services to build your brand online and help you grow big to reach all your goals.