Google Algorithms and Their Updates - Everything You Need to Know About Them
Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2024 7:31 am
The Google search engine uses a ranking system to help us find the information we need most. The ranking of websites is determined by a series of algorithms that constantly analyze millions of pages in order to rank them according to the adopted criteria. Depending on the query, location or previously visited pages, the search engine user receives results that are supposed to respond to the entered phrase as accurately as possible.
The full list of factors that affect a website's position in the ranking is unknown - only a few of them have been officially confirmed by Google. Some SEO specialists say there are a dozen or so, others say several dozen or even several hundred. The constant development of search algorithms makes it extremely difficult or even impossible to catch all the factors and determine their weight. Depending on the user's intentions, the date of publication of information may have a great or very little significance. The same is true for the length of the content.
Additionally, the introduction of machine learning elements into algorithms means that the number of ranking factors is constantly growing and is determined not by humans, but by machines.
What are Google algorithms and how often are they updated?
An algorithm is a set of actions that must be performed to achieve a desired effect. In the case of Google search algorithms, this is the display of valuable pages to Internet users.
As I mentioned earlier, the final effect visible in SERPs consists of not one, but a dozen (maybe even a few dozen) algorithms that sort, classify, evaluate and, like everything in nature, constantly evolve. In the past, changes in algorithms were relatively rare and extensive. Currently, there are almost daily updates, smaller or larger. However, some of them are so large that they have their own names. It is worth mentioning here the Medical Update from August 2018, which turned out to be tragic for many portals.
A good source of information about changes are industry portals and following information posted on social media by SEO specialists from around the world.
Having trouble with your visibility in Google?
Rely on the specialists from KS!
Check out the offer!
Google algorithms and their updates from the inside
PageRank
PageRank was the first algorithm used to rank pages in a newly created search engine. It was created by Larry Page (after whom the algorithm is named) and Sergey Brin as part of their research project at Stanford University in 1996. The algorithm was based on a simple premise: pages with more links from other sources are valuable and should be rewarded with higher positions in search results.
The PageRank coefficient gave the value of a page on a scale from 0 to 10, thanks to which it was easy to compare with the competition. Information about the coefficient value was available for a long time in the Google toolbar (Google ToolBar) and in the tools for developers - Google Webmaster Tools (today Google Search Console).
The ease with which the algorithm could be manipulated (for example by adding a website to so-called link farms or excessive use of keywords in the meta keywords tag) forced the Mountain View giant overseas chinese in canada data to create other ways of classifying pages. The development of algorithms such as Panda and Penguin began to marginalize the significance of the PageRank indicator in assessing the quality of a page, which led to its complete withdrawal in 2016.
Date introduced: 1998
Goal: Classification of websites based on the number of links leading to them and the PageRank coefficients of these pages
Who benefited: Pages that had a significant number of links
Who lost: Sites with no external links leading to them
Google Panda Algorithm
Google Panda algorithm.
Panda (Google Panda)
The fight against spam and unfair SEO techniques brought the first animal into Google's fold. The Panda algorithm , named after engineer Navneet Panda, was officially introduced on February 23, 2011. At first, it worked as a filter and was not part of the main algorithm. It was not until January 2016 that it was incorporated into the main search algorithm.
The introduction of Panda was based on Google's desire to combat low-quality sites, duplicate content, and spam. The algorithm is designed to increase the value of sites it considers valuable, and to lower those that do not meet Google's criteria. In extreme cases, services were subject to penalties that resulted in the removal of sites from the index.
Panda was updated monthly in its initial period of operation. Since 2013, changes have been introduced in conjunction with updates to the main algorithm, making it difficult to link them to changes in Panda itself.
Activities to avoid:
creating low-quality or automatically generated pages with little value for the user (thin content)
copying content from other sites ( duplicate content )
keyword stuffing, which aims to artificially saturate content with valuable phrases
creating content that misleads the user by providing outdated or false information (poor user experience)
The Google algorithm is constantly being developed, which forces creators to constantly care about the quality of the pages on the site and the content contained therein.
Date introduced: February 23, 2011
Goal: Fight against low quality pages, duplicate content and keyword stuffing
Updates: monthly until 2013, now changes are introduced continuously
Who Benefits: Sites Creating Valuable Content
Who lost: Low-quality portals where most of the content is duplicates and sites using keyword stuffing
The full list of factors that affect a website's position in the ranking is unknown - only a few of them have been officially confirmed by Google. Some SEO specialists say there are a dozen or so, others say several dozen or even several hundred. The constant development of search algorithms makes it extremely difficult or even impossible to catch all the factors and determine their weight. Depending on the user's intentions, the date of publication of information may have a great or very little significance. The same is true for the length of the content.
Additionally, the introduction of machine learning elements into algorithms means that the number of ranking factors is constantly growing and is determined not by humans, but by machines.
What are Google algorithms and how often are they updated?
An algorithm is a set of actions that must be performed to achieve a desired effect. In the case of Google search algorithms, this is the display of valuable pages to Internet users.
As I mentioned earlier, the final effect visible in SERPs consists of not one, but a dozen (maybe even a few dozen) algorithms that sort, classify, evaluate and, like everything in nature, constantly evolve. In the past, changes in algorithms were relatively rare and extensive. Currently, there are almost daily updates, smaller or larger. However, some of them are so large that they have their own names. It is worth mentioning here the Medical Update from August 2018, which turned out to be tragic for many portals.
A good source of information about changes are industry portals and following information posted on social media by SEO specialists from around the world.
Having trouble with your visibility in Google?
Rely on the specialists from KS!
Check out the offer!
Google algorithms and their updates from the inside
PageRank
PageRank was the first algorithm used to rank pages in a newly created search engine. It was created by Larry Page (after whom the algorithm is named) and Sergey Brin as part of their research project at Stanford University in 1996. The algorithm was based on a simple premise: pages with more links from other sources are valuable and should be rewarded with higher positions in search results.
The PageRank coefficient gave the value of a page on a scale from 0 to 10, thanks to which it was easy to compare with the competition. Information about the coefficient value was available for a long time in the Google toolbar (Google ToolBar) and in the tools for developers - Google Webmaster Tools (today Google Search Console).
The ease with which the algorithm could be manipulated (for example by adding a website to so-called link farms or excessive use of keywords in the meta keywords tag) forced the Mountain View giant overseas chinese in canada data to create other ways of classifying pages. The development of algorithms such as Panda and Penguin began to marginalize the significance of the PageRank indicator in assessing the quality of a page, which led to its complete withdrawal in 2016.
Date introduced: 1998
Goal: Classification of websites based on the number of links leading to them and the PageRank coefficients of these pages
Who benefited: Pages that had a significant number of links
Who lost: Sites with no external links leading to them
Google Panda Algorithm
Google Panda algorithm.
Panda (Google Panda)
The fight against spam and unfair SEO techniques brought the first animal into Google's fold. The Panda algorithm , named after engineer Navneet Panda, was officially introduced on February 23, 2011. At first, it worked as a filter and was not part of the main algorithm. It was not until January 2016 that it was incorporated into the main search algorithm.
The introduction of Panda was based on Google's desire to combat low-quality sites, duplicate content, and spam. The algorithm is designed to increase the value of sites it considers valuable, and to lower those that do not meet Google's criteria. In extreme cases, services were subject to penalties that resulted in the removal of sites from the index.
Panda was updated monthly in its initial period of operation. Since 2013, changes have been introduced in conjunction with updates to the main algorithm, making it difficult to link them to changes in Panda itself.
Activities to avoid:
creating low-quality or automatically generated pages with little value for the user (thin content)
copying content from other sites ( duplicate content )
keyword stuffing, which aims to artificially saturate content with valuable phrases
creating content that misleads the user by providing outdated or false information (poor user experience)
The Google algorithm is constantly being developed, which forces creators to constantly care about the quality of the pages on the site and the content contained therein.
Date introduced: February 23, 2011
Goal: Fight against low quality pages, duplicate content and keyword stuffing
Updates: monthly until 2013, now changes are introduced continuously
Who Benefits: Sites Creating Valuable Content
Who lost: Low-quality portals where most of the content is duplicates and sites using keyword stuffing