Google Algorithm Updates

140 updates · newest first · page 4 of 6

• 23 Sep 2016
  Penguin 4.0 (2016): Real-Time Penguin and Link DevaluationLinks

  In September 2016 Penguin became part of Google's core algorithm, ran in real time and started devaluing spam rather than demoting whole sites. Here is what that means for links and disavow files…

• 1 Sep 2016
  The Possum Update (2016): Local Filtering Changes ExplainedLocal

  Possum was an unconfirmed September 2016 local search change that filtered similar listings and helped businesses outside city limits. Here is what was observed and what it means now.

• 12 May 2016
  Google's Second Mobile-Friendly Update (May 2016): Strengthening the Mobile SignalMobile

  Fully rolled out 12 May 2016. Google strengthened the mobile-friendly ranking signal it launched in 2015, assessed page by page, so pages that still failed the test lost more ground in mobile results.

• 9 Mar 2016
  Google Retires Toolbar PageRank (March 2016): The End of a Public MetricAlgorithm

  Confirmed March 9, 2016 and switched off April 15, 2016. Google removed the public 0-10 Toolbar PageRank score, which fuelled link selling, while keeping PageRank in its ranking systems.

• 24 Feb 2016
  AMP in Google Mobile Search (February 2016): The Top Stories Carousel ArrivesMobile

  Launched February 23-24, 2016. Google began showing AMP pages in mobile search, with an AMP-only Top Stories news carousel that pushed publishers to adopt AMP until 2021.

• 19 Feb 2016
  Google Removes Right-Side Ads (February 2016): The Four-Ad Top BlockAlgorithm

  Rolled out from February 19, 2016. Google removed desktop right-side text ads worldwide and showed four ads above organic results on highly commercial searches, pushing organic listings down.

• 11 Jan 2016
  Panda Joins the Core Algorithm (January 2016): The End of Panda RefreshesCore update

  Confirmed January 2016. Google said Panda had become one of its core ranking signals, ending named Panda refreshes, though it stressed Panda was not running in real time.

• 26 Oct 2015
  Google RankbrainAlgorithm

  To sort its search results, Google uses a machine-learning system known as the RankBrain. Ask how it works and fits into the overall classification scheme of Google?…

• Aug 2015
  The Local 3-Pack (August 2015): When Google Cut the Local 7-PackLocal

  Rolled out August 7, 2015. Google cut the local pack from seven listings to three, removed phone numbers and full addresses, and made local visibility far more competitive.

• 17 Jul 2015
  Panda 4.2 (July 2015): The Slow-Rolling Final Panda RefreshQuality

  Began rolling out July 17-18, 2015. Panda 4.2 was a refresh affecting 2-3% of English queries that took months to roll out, the last Panda update Google confirmed by name.

• 3 May 2015
  The 2015 Quality Update (Phantom 2): Google's Quiet Core ChangeCore update

  In early May 2015 SEOs noticed big ranking swings and called it "Phantom". Google later confirmed a change to how its core algorithm processes quality signals. Here is what we know and why it stil…

• 21 Apr 2015
  Mobilegeddon (2015): Google's Mobile-Friendly Update in ContextMobile

  Mobilegeddon was the industry nickname for Google's 21 April 2015 mobile-friendly update. The hype was enormous; the measured impact was modest. Here is what happened and what it teaches about hyp…

• 16 Mar 2015
  Google's Doorway Page Update (March 2015): The Ranking Adjustment Against DoorwaysAlgorithm

  Announced March 16, 2015. Google's doorway page update was a ranking adjustment against large sets of near-identical pages, such as city and keyword-variation page farms.

• 17 Oct 2014
  Penguin 3.0 (2014): The Long-Awaited Refresh and Its RecoveriesLinks

  Penguin 3.0 arrived on 17 October 2014, more than a year after the previous Penguin release. It let some cleaned-up sites recover and exposed the problem with slow refresh cycles.

• 23 Sep 2014
  Panda 4.1 (September 2014): Helping Small Sites and Targeting Thin AffiliatesQuality

  Rolled out from September 23, 2014. Panda 4.1 added new quality signals, affected 3-5% of queries and hit thin affiliate, keyword-stuffed and deceptive sites.

• 28 Aug 2014
  The End of Google Authorship (2014): Why Author Photos VanishedAlgorithm

  Author photos vanished in June 2014, and on August 28, 2014 Google dropped authorship from results entirely, saying it was less useful to users than hoped.

• 6 Aug 2014
  HTTPS as a Ranking Signal: What Google's 2014 Announcement Really MeantAlgorithm

  In August 2014 Google said HTTPS would become a very lightweight ranking signal. Here is what that meant then, how HTTPS later became part of page experience, and what realistic expectations look…

• 24 Jul 2014
  Google’s Pigeon UpdateLocal

  What is the Pigeon Update? When was the Pigeon Update launched? What is the importance of the Pigeon Update? How does the Pigeon Update affect your website? Here are the…

• 20 May 2014
  Google's Panda 4.0 Update (May 2014): What Changed and Who LostQuality

  Rolled out May 20, 2014. Panda 4.0 hit thin, duplicate and aggregated content across about 7.5% of English queries, with eBay, Ask.com and gossip sites among the biggest losers.

• 4 Oct 2013
  Penguin 2.1 (October 2013): The Refresh That Hit 1% of SearchesLinks

  Rolled out 4 October 2013. Penguin 2.1 was a data refresh of the Penguin 2.0 link spam algorithm that Matt Cutts said noticeably affected about 1% of searches, followed by a year-long wait.

• 6 Aug 2013
  Google In-Depth Articles (August 2013): A SERP Block for Long-Form ContentAlgorithm

  Launched 6 August 2013. Google added an in-depth articles block for evergreen long-form content, with markup advice for publishers; the label went in 2015 and the block faded by 2019.

• 1 Aug 2013
  Google Hummingbird (2013): The Rewrite Behind Conversational SearchAlgorithm

  Hummingbird was a major rewrite of Google's ranking systems, in use from August 2013 and revealed on 26 September 2013. It shifted Search toward understanding the meaning of whole queries.

• 1 Jun 2013
  The Payday Loan Updates (2013-2014): Google vs. Spammy Query NichesSpam

  Between June 2013 and June 2014 Google released three Payday Loan updates aimed at heavily spammed queries such as payday loans, casinos and pills. Here is what each did and how high-spam niches a…

• 22 May 2013
  Penguin 2.0 (2013): Deeper Link Spam Detection ExplainedLink spam

  Penguin 2.0 launched on 22 May 2013 and reached further into sites than the original Penguin. Here is what Google confirmed, what SEOs inferred, and what it still teaches about links.

• 27 Sep 2012
  The Exact Match Domain (EMD) Update: Why Keyword Domains Lost Their EdgeAlgorithm

  In September 2012 Google cut back on low-quality exact match domains ranking too easily. Its exact match domain system still exists. Here is what that means for choosing a domain in 2026.