Google Algorithm Updates

140 updates · newest first · page 6 of 6

• 16 May 2007
  Google Universal Search (May 2007): Blended Results and the End of Ten Blue LinksAlgorithm

  Launched 16 May 2007. Universal Search blended news, images, video, maps and books into Google's web results, ending the ten-blue-links page and opening new routes to visibility.

• Nov 2006
  Google's Supplemental Index Update (2006): When Pages Fell Into the 'Supplemental Hell'Algorithm

  Reported in late 2006. Many pages slipped into Google's supplemental index, which Google tied to low PageRank; the label was dropped in July 2007 and the separate index phased out.

• 1 Dec 2005
  Big Daddy (2005-2006): Google's Infrastructure Update ExplainedAlgorithm

  Big Daddy was an infrastructure update, not a ranking tweak. Here is how it rolled out, what it changed and the technical SEO lessons that still apply.

• Sep 2005
  The Gilligan Update (September 2005): The 'False' Update and PageRank RefreshesAlgorithm

  September 2005. Webmasters named Gilligan after toolbar PageRank and backlinks changed, but Matt Cutts said it was only already-used data becoming visible, not a real algorithm update.

• Sep 2005
  The Jagger Update (2005): Google's Three-Part Attack on Link SchemesAlgorithm

  Rolled out in three stages in October and November 2005. Jagger devalued reciprocal link swaps, link farms and paid links and hit hidden text and cloaking, an early forerunner of Penguin.

• May 2005
  The Bourbon Update (May 2005): Duplicate Content and Reciprocal LinksAlgorithm

  Rolled out late May to June 2005. Bourbon brought about 3.5 quality changes, per GoogleGuy, and was linked to duplicate content, www/non-www canonical issues and reciprocal link schemes.

• Feb 2005
  The Allegra Update (February 2005): The Sandbox, LSI and Suspicious LinksAlgorithm

  Rolled out in early February 2005. Allegra caused widely felt but unexplained ranking shifts; some sandboxed new sites recovered, and Google said most changes were not due to nofollow.

• Feb 2004
  The Brandy Update (February 2004): Bigger Index, LSI and Link NeighbourhoodsAlgorithm

  Rolled out 17–20 February 2004. Brandy came with an index jump to 4.28 billion pages and reportedly gave more weight to anchor text and topically related links, sparking the LSI theory.

• Jan 2004
  The Austin Update (January 2004): Florida's Sequel Against On-Page TricksAlgorithm

  Hit sites around 23 January 2004. Austin extended the Florida crackdown, catching hidden text, stuffed meta tags, FFA link farms and off-topic link swaps that had survived the first wave.

• 1 Nov 2003
  The Florida Update (2003): The Shake-Up That Ended Old-School SEOAlgorithm

  The November 2003 Florida update upended keyword-stuffing SEO just before the holiday season. Here is what is known, what is myth, and what still applies.

• Jul 2003
  The Fritz Update (July 2003): Google Moves to Daily Index UpdatesAlgorithm

  Summer (July) 2003. Fritz replaced Google's monthly batch index updates with incremental, near-daily refreshes, ending the Google Dance and starting the daily ranking movement called “everflux.”

• Jun 2003
  The Esmeralda Update (June 2003): The End of the Monthly Google DanceAlgorithm

  June 2003. Esmeralda was the last of Google's regular monthly index updates, marking the end of the “Google Dance” as Google moved toward rolling, near-daily index changes.

• May 2003
  The Dominic Update (May 2003): When Google Changed How Backlinks CountedAlgorithm

  May 2003. Dominic changed how Google counted and reported backlinks, while webmasters saw Freshbot take over from the monthly deep crawler, a step toward the end of the Google Dance.

• Apr 2003
  The Cassandra Update (April 2003): Google's Early Crackdown on Hidden Text and Link SwapsAlgorithm

  April 2003. Cassandra was reported to target hidden text, hidden links and mutual links between co-owned websites, one of Google's first clear moves against manipulative link patterns.

• Feb 2003
  Google's Boston Update (February 2003): The First Named Google UpdateAlgorithm

  February 2003. Boston was the first Google update the SEO community named, reportedly announced at SES Boston during the era of monthly “Google Dance” index refreshes.