Google is constantly updating its algorithms, and has been doing so since 1998. These updates are meant to improve the user experience and improve search results. Historically, the company has made hundreds of smaller algorithm changes every year. The most notable updates are named Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird, but there are also hundreds more that take place each year.
The Big Daddy update was the first of these, which was released in March. It made a number of changes to the infrastructure of Google, including improvements to crawling speed and integrating indexation and ranking. However, the change was not fully operational until the following year. The next major update was Jagger, which targeted low-quality, reciprocal, and paid links. This update was followed by the Google Local/Maps update in November. This update moved all Maps data into the Local Business Center.
As per google updates history, Google also made several changes to its algorithm, including the knowledge graph. These updates aimed at improving search results by providing more information about a topic. These updates were primarily intended to improve the search experience, and they’ve undergone various development and expansion. In the first few months of their existence, Google launched updates aimed at tackling spammy niches. The company was targeting Payday Loan sites and websites with adult content. It took them about 2 months to fix this problem.
Another big upgrade that affected search results was Google’s Local Proximity Update. This update streamlined the way in which search results are displayed and made local search results more accurate. Additionally, it removed the requirement for keyword stuffing and made it possible for local search results and links of a higher quality to show on the first page of results. In addition to this, it rewarded websites that were optimised for mobile devices and made it mandatory for websites to display responsive web pages.
The core algorithm used by Google was updated in December of 2020. This was a significant update that occurred independently from the previous “Medic” update and had a significant influence on the results that were returned in search queries. The new algorithm is based on the importance of the user experience. In addition to the core upgrades, Google also implemented standalone updates. These updates are being made in an effort to enhance the overall quality as well as the relevance of the content that can be found on websites.
Google has also introduced a handful of monthly upgrades. In the month of May, the company distributed a total of 39 updates. This included improvisation of its Panda algorithm and changes to its Google News section. Penguin also underwent significant changes in 2014. Google is anticipated to continue to make periodic modifications to its algorithms to make search results more accurate. These modifications may affect 0.8% of English queries.
In July 2014, Google introduced the Pigeon update. The presentation of the results of local search queries was modified by this latest update. It manoeuvred local SEO into a position that was more central to the algorithm. In addition to that, it gave HTTPS websites a boost in ranking.
