Google Algorithm Updates

140 updates · newest first · page 5 of 6

• 10 Aug 2012
  The Pirate Update (2012): How Copyright Notices Affect RankingsAlgorithm

  Since August 2012, Google has used the volume of valid copyright removal notices as a ranking signal. Here is how the Pirate update started, how it was refined, and how removal-based demotions wor…

• 25 May 2012
  Penguin 1.1 (May 2012): The First Penguin Data RefreshLinks

  Rolled out 25 May 2012. Penguin 1.1 was the first Penguin data refresh, affecting under 0.1% of English searches and proving that cleaned-up sites could recover on the next run.

• 16 May 2012
  The Knowledge Graph Launch (May 2012): 'Things, Not Strings'Algorithm

  Announced 16 May 2012. The Knowledge Graph gave Google a database of 500 million+ entities, brought knowledge panels to results pages and moved search from keywords to things.

• 24 Apr 2012
  Google Penguin (2012): The Update That Changed Link BuildingLinks

  Penguin hit link schemes and keyword stuffing in April 2012. Here is what Google said, how the industry reacted and how recovery worked under the original Penguin.

• 19 Mar 2012
  The 2012 Blog Network Deindexing: How Google Took Down BuildMyRankAlgorithm

  Mid-March 2012. Google deindexed most of the paid BuildMyRank blog network and reportedly others, a warning shot against link networks five weeks before Penguin launched.

• 27 Feb 2012
  The Venice Update (2012): When Local Results Entered Organic SearchLocal

  Venice made Google's organic results location-aware in 2012. Here is what changed and what it means for local businesses and multi-location brands.

• 19 Jan 2012
  Page Layout Algorithm (Top Heavy): Google's Ads-Above-the-Fold UpdateAlgorithm

  In January 2012 Google began demoting ad-heavy pages with little visible content. Here is what the page layout algorithm did and why it still matters.

• 10 Jan 2012
  Search Plus Your World (January 2012): Google+ Inside Search ResultsAlgorithm

  Launched 10 January 2012. Search plus Your World blended signed-in users’ Google+ posts, photos and profiles into results, sparking a backlash from Twitter and Facebook over self-preference.

• 3 Nov 2011
  The Freshness Update (2011) and Google's Freshness Systems TodayAlgorithm

  Google's 2011 Freshness update favoured recent results for time-sensitive searches. Here is what changed and how freshness systems work in 2026.

• 18 Oct 2011
  Secure Search and '(Not Provided)' (October 2011): How Google Hid Keyword DataAlgorithm

  Announced 18 October 2011. Google moved signed-in users to encrypted search, stripping organic keywords from analytics and starting the “(not provided)” era; all searches followed in 2013.

• 12 Aug 2011
  Panda 2.4 (August 2011): Panda Expands to Most LanguagesQuality

  Rolled out 12 August 2011. Panda 2.4 extended the quality algorithm to all languages except Chinese, Japanese and Korean, affecting about 6–9% of queries in most languages.

• 11 Apr 2011
  Google's Panda 2.0 Update (April 2011): Panda Goes GlobalQuality

  Rolled out 11 April 2011. Panda 2.0 extended the quality algorithm to all English queries worldwide and used blocked-site data as a signal, hitting eHow UK, Ciao and HubPages.

• 23 Feb 2011
  Panda Update Google – A Complete GuideQuality

  What is Panda Update Google? Panda is the official name of a Google update that is intended to reduce the prevalence and rewards unique and convincing content of…

• 28 Jan 2011
  Google's 2011 Scraper (Attribution) Update: Protecting Original SourcesAlgorithm

  In January 2011 Google targeted sites that scraped others' content. Here is what changed, what Google said and how to protect your originals today.

• 1 Dec 2010
  The DecorMyEyes Update (December 2010): Google Demotes Merchants Who Treat Customers BadlyAlgorithm

  Announced 1 December 2010. After a New York Times story, Google added an algorithm that demoted DecorMyEyes and hundreds of other merchants giving customers an extremely poor experience.

• Dec 2010
  Social Signals in Ranking (December 2010): What Google and Bing AdmittedAlgorithm

  Confirmed in December 2010. Google and Bing told Search Engine Land they used tweeted links and author authority in some rankings, starting a decade-long social signals debate.

• 8 Sep 2010
  Google Instant (September 2010): Search Results as You TypeAlgorithm

  Launched 8 September 2010. Google Instant loaded results as users typed, sparking fears about long-tail SEO that did not come true; Google retired it in July 2017 as search went mobile.

• 20 Apr 2010
  Google Places (April 2010): Local Business Pages Become a Ranking BattlegroundLocal

  Launched 20 April 2010. Google renamed its Local Business Center to Google Places, linked listings to Place Pages and added service areas, coupons and updates for owners.

• 1 Apr 2010
  The Mayday Update (2010): Long-Tail Traffic and Thin PagesAlgorithm

  Mayday hit long-tail traffic on sites with many thin pages in spring 2010. Here is what Google confirmed and how to audit deep pages today.

• 7 Dec 2009
  Google Real-Time Search (December 2009): Tweets and Fresh News in the SERPAlgorithm

  Announced 7 December 2009. Google real-time search streamed tweets, news and fresh posts into results, ranking the latest items when relevant, until the Twitter deal ended in July 2011.

• 4 Dec 2009
  Personalized Search for Everyone (December 2009): When Signed-Out Results Became PersonalAlgorithm

  Announced 4 December 2009. Google extended personalized search to signed-out users, using 180 days of cookie-based search history, ending the idea of one ranking for everyone.

• 10 Aug 2009
  Google Caffeine (2010): How a New Index Made Search FresherAlgorithm

  Caffeine rebuilt Google's index so new pages could appear within minutes. Here is what it changed, what it didn't, and how it shaped content strategy.

• 1 Feb 2009
  The Vince Update (2009): Did Google Start Favoring Big Brands?Algorithm

  In 2009 big brands seemed to jump up Google's results. Google said Vince was about trust, not brands. Here is what happened and how small businesses can compete.

• Mar 2008
  The Dewey Update (March 2008): A Big Shuffle and Claims of Google Self-PreferenceAlgorithm

  Reported from late March 2008. Dewey caused a large, unexplained ranking reshuffle; Matt Cutts asked for feedback, and some believed Google was boosting its own properties such as Google Books.

• Jun 2007
  The Buffy Update (June 2007): A Bundle of Small ChangesAlgorithm

  Reported mid-June 2007 and named after departing Googler Vanessa Fox. Buffy moved some single-word rankings, but Matt Cutts said it was not really an update, just small changes.