Each year Google changes its search algorithm hundreds of times. While most of these changes are minor, every few months Google rolls out a “major” algorithmic update that affects search results in a significant way.
For search marketers, knowing the dates of these Google algorithm updates can help explain fluctuations in rankings and organic website traffic. Below, we’ve listed the history of Google’s algorithm changes that had the biggest impact on search results. Understanding these updates can be critical to search engine optimization.
Google Local Algorithm Expands
DECEMBER 22, 2014
The Local Algorithm was originally launched in July 2014, and has now been expanded to English speaking countries globally. This update is known by the industry-given name of Pigeon and allows Google to provide more accurate and relevant information regarding local searches.
Penguin 3.0 Extended
DECEMBER 11, 2014
The Penguin Algorithm has had significant change since its first appearance in April 2012, and now a Google spokesperson has confirmed that the major, infrequent updates will be replaced by a steady stream of minor updates.
The spokesperson told Search Engine Land:
“That last big update is still rolling out [referring to Penguin 3.0]— though really there won’t be a particularly distinct end-point to the activity, since Penguin is shifting to more continuous updates. The idea is to keep optimizing as we go now.”
Our own Shiri Berzack discusses this move towards a steady stream of Penguin updates and the positive effects it could have on businesses moving forward.
On the other side, Jill Kocher, from Practical Ecommerce, discusses the challenges this could place on companies particularly when trying to decipher reasoning behind declines or increases in traffic.
Pirate Update #2
OCTOBER 21, 2014
Pirate Update #2 should not affect a wide variety of sites since it specifically targets only those that have received DMCA takedown requests. In August of 2012 Google pushed out their first Pirate update by filtering down (or completely out in documented cases) pirated content in their attempt to help copyright owners.
Penguin 3.0 Update
OCTOBER 18, 2014
Pierre Far, Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google UK, has confirmed their roll-out of the Penguin 3.0 algorithm update on Friday, so far affecting fewer than 1% of queries in the US English search results.
This is great news for anyone hit in October 2013 with a Google penalty during the Penguin 2.1 update, as Google’s John Mueller confirmed recently in the Google Webmaster Central Help Forum that if you’ve corrected the situation that caused the penalty “you’d need to wait for the algorithm and/or its data to refresh to see any changes based on the new situation”. Further elaborating on that, Pierre Far posted:
“This refresh helps sites that have already cleaned up the webspam signals discovered in the previous Penguin iteration, and demotes sites with newly-discovered spam.
It’s a slow worldwide rollout, so you may notice it settling down over the next few weeks.”