Google algorithm updates are frequent and are implemented to improve how Google ranks and evaluates content. Google takes into consideration many factors like search history, the quality of content, and the user’s exact location which is called the Google search algorithm that determines which search results to display for a given query.
Google algorithm updates occurs many times a year and many of them are small to notice but some of the other updates tend to change the way SEO is done. Algorithm updates usually can result in loss of traffic and rankings.
The information on the web is constantly changing, so Google assesses the quality of its systems frequently and releases updates. This is to ensure the quality standards are always maintained. Google also penalizes sites that are solely created to boost their search rankings.
The content presented on websites should meet Google’s guidelines and should be high quality also ensuring the user experience.
How often does the update occur?
The search algorithm of Google is updated continuously and many of the updates are small and go unnoticed. It is noteworthy that Google makes 500-600 updates each year and are solely meant to improve the quality of how Google evaluates content on websites.
Here are The Top 10 Google Algorithm Updates You Need To Know
January 2025 core update
The January 2025 core update focussed on user experience, user engagement and content quality. The update emphasized on relevant and helpful results and emphasized on how websites are evaluated by the search algorithm.
June 2024 spam update
The June 2024 Google spam update improved the ability of Google’s systems to detect and penalized spam websites. The update targeted websites that manipulated the search results and implemented spam tactics.
Helpful content update(2022)
This update targeted low quality content that was aimed for search engines and not for users. The system would track content that is not helpful and only tries to attract search traffic. It also aimed to focus on tracking more AI generated content and gave emphasis on content that has human value.
Page experience(2021)
The page experience update focused more on user experience rather than content. It would consider ranking pages that load more quickly, have a stable layout and are more mobile friendly. It compelled websites to improve their page’s experience by making sure the site is responsive, uses lazy loading,and image compression.
Passage ranking(2021)
The passage ranking update gave more emphasis on analyzing individual sections(passages) of a web page which will better understand the context and relevance of content. It would display specific passages that directly match a user’s query.
Bert(2019)
In October 2019, Google revealed an upgrade to its BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) algorithm. It was created to better comprehend user intent and increase the relevancy of search results.
Rank Brain(2015)
By examining user queries and content, Google’s 2015 RankBrain algorithm update leveraged machine learning to enhance search results. Enhancing the user experience was the main goal of the update.
Humming Bird(2013)
The 2013 “Hummingbird” upgrade was a major shift in Google’s algorithm that prioritized context and natural language over keyword matching in order to better grasp the meaning of search queries.
Penguin(2012)
In April 2012, Google announced an update to its Penguin algorithm aimed at improving search results and decreasing web spam. It is currently a component of Google’s main algorithm.
Spam update(2021)
In 2021, Google released many updates on spam, including one in June about link spam, one in July about spam, and one in November on webspam. These changes were made to identify and penalize low-quality content in an effort to enhance search results.
Conclusion
Updates to the Google algorithm alter how Google considers user experience, backlinks, and article quality. Both SEO tactics and the appearance of search results may be impacted by these changes.
