Google Algorithm History and Latest Updates for 2022
Google capitalized on the early state of the internet by identifying the first way of crawling the web and organizing web pages in terms of relevance. Their system for doing so was called PageRank.
Because of how effective PageRank was, Google solidified its spot as arguably the most powerful website the world has ever known. Google is still so effective and influential, in fact, that changes to its algorithm can have massive influences on industries.
We're going to look at some Google algorithm history today. We'll explore the primary changes to Google's algorithm over time, exploring how and why Google makes these changes. The ideas below should give you some useful insight into the way that Google makes shifts and how those shifts can affect your business.
Let's get started.
Google Algorithm History for Beginners
Note that there are hundreds of sub-updates and different updates that occur on a near-constant basis. Google is always changing to try and meet the market's needs.
That constant change allows Google to stay on its toes and consistently provide users with excellent results. That said, there are a few massive changes in Google's past that have shaken things up significantly.
We're going to look at these big changes rather than focus on every small increment of change that Google's made. The first one is, well, Google's first iteration.
PageRank was the first step in Google's long journey to the present. This proprietary software was invented by Larry Page, who the program is named after. It just so happens that his name is a perfect match for the term web "page" as well, so PageRank has a couple of interpretations.
That said, PageRank allows Google to determine the hierarchy of web pages based on the value of the links to that site. So, if you had a large number of popular sites linking to your website, you could assume that your website would be pretty important.
That's the first search engine algorithm, and PageRank is still an aspect of Google's algorithm today.
2003 to 2010 Updates
One of the first updates was called the "Florida Update." This change made it a lot more difficult for sites to optimize with spam tactics or different aspects of SEO that would be considered "black hat" today.
This includes things like keyword stuffing, purchasing links, using invisible links, and more. Interestingly, Google made these changes just before the holiday season, leaving countless websites in ruin just before their more lucrative months.
That update was in 2003. Following that, Google made another change in 2005 that was aimed at those with unsavory link-building practices. These updates were a sequence called the "Jagger" updates. These updates were relatively successful, making it more difficult to be a spammer with any success in the search results.
Big Daddy, another 2005 update, was intended to change some of the infrastructural aspects of search rankings. Things like unsavory linking practices, the nature of redirects, and more were adjusted in this update.
Moving forward to 2009, Google executed the Vince and Caffeine updates. The Vince update rewired the front pages of a lot of search phrases. It served big brands and gave large companies the top spots in lieu of their poor optimization.
Up until that point, most of the top-ranking sites were owned by those with knowledge of Google. Big companies hadn't invested in optimization yet, and the Vince update gave them a significant boost. The Caffeine update simply streamlined Google's ability to crawl the web.
This resulted in quicker rankings when new content was posted.
2010 to 2013 Updates
The first update of 2010 was the Mayday update. This change gave the algorithm more specificity when trying to rank for long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords are those with more than a few words. In most cases, the more words available in the keyword, the more specific the search. The Mayday update allowed Google's results to be more specific.
The primary updates for 2011 were called Panda Updates. There were 10-20 significant revisions and changes to this update over the course of the next year.
This update was an early shift in the algorithm's trend toward quality over relevance. One aspect of the change reduced the value of the quantity of content in an attempt to disincentivize "content farming."
Content farming attempts to boost rankings by adding countless posts, articles, and pieces of content to a site. It also stuffs those sites with numerous advertisements and displays. Panda worked to punish this practice and improve the search results.
In 2012, the Venice update rolled out and allowed users to start getting results based on their IP address and location based on GPS. This was a massive step forward for local SEO.
Another massive update in 2012 was the Penguin update. This rolled out a set of changes that would punish those who over-optimized websites. Again, things like keyword stuffing and unnatural links were punished.
2013 to 2017 Updates
Throughout the next year or two, Google would keep making updates to the Panda Update. The same was true for the Penguin Update. Those two changes to the algorithm were slowly getting refined and reworked into the central algorithm.
In late 2013, the Hummingbird update rolled out. This change affected a massive number of searches and made it easier for individuals to search Google with their voices. Programs like Alexa or Siri were getting worked into the fabric of Google search.
In 2015, Google rolled out its "Mobilegeddon" or "Mobile-friendly" Update. This simply put a little more value on the sites that had optimized for mobile devices. Similarly, sites with those optimizations would rank better in mobile search results.
Late October brought RankBrain, which is a fundamental advancement of the search algorithm. It's a way for Google to categorize users and use the information it has to provide better results. It's now an aspect of almost every single search on the site.
The remaining updates of 2016 were primarily revisions to Panda and Penguin.
2017 - 2020 Updates
The first updates of 2017 were targeted at intrusive interstitials. These are pop-ups and various advertisements that make both desktop and mobile experiences more difficult.
Shortly after, there were updates called the "February" Updates. These targeted black hat networks of bloggers and content mills that were creating spammy content. The changes shifted value in the direction of quality content.
The following updates of 2017 were mostly unnamed and only spotted by users and SEO professionals. Note that Google doesn't always cite its changes and updates.
SEO tracking software and the vigilance of those who are affected by updates, then, are the only ways that we can know about certain updates. It's hard not to notice one of these changes when your profitable site is suddenly nowhere to be found online.
The majority of 2018 was occupied by a series of updates and releases for the Broad Core Update. This update, though difficult to dissect, attempted to help under-rewarded sites to move up in the search rankings. Some sites that were stuck at the bottom of the stack but had a lot to offer benefited from this update.
Some individuals call this update "Medic" because of the belief that it mostly affected medical sites. The next significant update was called the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) update. Shortly after, the update rolled out into nearly every single language that Google operated in.
2020 to 2022 Updates
One of the first significant changes in 2020 was that featured snippet items weren't duplicated in the search results. So, if you were lucky enough to get the snippet, you wouldn't be included in any other way.
Early 2020 was also punctuated by a number of updates to the Core Update. In early 2021, Google started to use specific passages from pages as aspects of ranking.
In April of 2021, Google refreshed the way it ranked product reviews. Product reviews without any actual substance were heavily punished. In June of 2021, Google rolled out advanced efforts to improve the protection of victims and the punishment of sites that look to exploit individuals.
The summer of 2021 was peppered with Spam updates as well, targeting the hackers and excessive marketing tactics that were prevalent in the early pandemic. The Core Update was also completed during the summer of 2021.
Later in the year, Google also released a big change concerning "Core Web Vitals." 2022 has only been host to small updates as well as a larger "Product Reviews" update that refines the way Google ranks product reviews.
It's also worth noting that BERT was updated and continues to be updated this year. These changes refine BERT's ability to understand the context and nature of search queries.
How to Interpret Google Updates
As you can see, Google's updates steer the search engine in the direction of quality. Black hat tactics and spamming are always issues that Google contends with and adapts to.
Further, changes in the nature of products and culture (voice search, mobile devices) are incorporated into the algorithm. Most of the time, these updates roll out over a long period of time. Single changes aren't likely to upend your spot in the search rankings.
That is, unless you're participating in spam, unnatural linking, or other black hat tactics that Google punishes. These updates generally punish bad behavior, reward good behavior, and affect fewer than 1% of the websites in the index.
That means you should be aware of changes to the Google algorithm, but don't worry too badly because you might not notice much difference when they roll out. You will, however, notice changes over the course of two or three years.
If you're not checking in on SEO best practices every few months, you'll miss the gradual change and find yourself in the dust. Google makes a significant shift forward over each year or two, even though all of its incremental changes happen without many of us knowing.
In fact, many of the updates we're aware of are speculative and based on the interpretations of SEO professionals!
What To Expect in The Future
It's difficult to predict what Google will do, but there are trends in a few clear directions. First, it's clear that mobile searches and voice search technology are here to stay. Google should continue to refine its ability for users to effectively make searches via voice technology.
That usually means long-tail keywords that are more conversational. For example, you might search "food near me" on your mobile phone when typing, but ask "where's the best food near me" when speaking.
Further, the value of quality content will only continue to increase. Fluff and filler content will start to lose more value. This happens as Google's AI gets better at reading context clues, evaluating quality metrics, and interpreting user behavior on web pages.
Challenges with usability and versatility of content will stay at center stage as well. It's important that your content is optimized for mobile and desktop, otherwise, you could experience serious penalties over time.
How to Improve Your SEO
In the face of so many Google algorithm updates, you might be scratching your head. It's tough to stay up-to-date and make the necessary changes.
That's why it's so important to utilize various SEO resources. You might even need to consult some professional help to get your campaigns underway. SEO professionals are always on top of various changes and understand how to adjust them.
If your site is a little worse for the ware, you should think about working with an expert to fine-tune things. Sometimes, little changes to the back end of your site or the way you're producing content can make a massive difference.
For example, optimizing for the most popular keywords is a common practice. This is bad for small businesses, though, because the most popular terms are often filled with competition. Finding alternative keywords with less competition is a great way to refine your SEO practices.
Want to Learn More?
We hope our look at Google Algorithm history was useful to you. There's a lot more to learn about understanding the Google Algorithm for SEO, however.
We're here to help. Explore our site for more ideas on search engine optimization, digital marketing, and a whole lot more.
