Author: Ryan Walsh
What are Google updates?
So, every year, Google (Alphabet) makes thousands of adjustments to its algorithm.
These adjustments are called “algorithm updates.” Yet Google often also rolls out “core algorithm updates,” which roll out less frequently but can cause substantial ranking flux. This means that businesses can usually change substantially regarding where they rank.
So, in short, thousands of Google algorithm updates are rolled out each year, and these more minor updates often only cause small movements in a business’s ranking.
Therefore, the large core Google updates substantially change where a business ranks. From personal experience, we would say that significant core updates happen a few times a year, yet here in the U.K., we often see a core Google algorithm update around Christmas or the build-up to Christmas.
Table of contents:
- What are Google algorithm updates?
- When does Google roll out these updates?
- What are Google core algorithm updates?
- How to best insulate your website from Google algorithm updates
What exactly are Google algorithm updates?
Google wants to offer the best and most helpful answer to any query.
Because millions of new pages and blog posts are submitted to Google for indexing daily, there’s a constant influx of new pages competing to get ranked on page one of Google.
Therefore, it’s a constant battle: Businesses constantly want to get ranked on page one of Google, and Google has to decide which pages are best.
Therefore, Google uses Google’s quality assessments to work out which pages best answer that query.
For example, placing pages on the first page offers the best and most relevant answer.
Because various businesses compete for space on page one, Google’s algorithm must determine which pages and blog posts it wants to rank.
Machine learning
Many SEO professionals widely think that most updates today are due to A: I and machine learning.
For example, Google brought Rank Brain into its algorithm, which introduced machine learning into the algorithm.
Therefore, many think Google is examining how long shoppers spend on a page (dwell time). They also analyse bounce rates (if a shopper leaves after visiting one page).
So, Google is thinking of using its web browser, Google Chrome, and the Android operating system on smartphones to work out how interested shoppers are in that particular page. If a shopper spends a long time on the page, this is a sign that they are very interested in the products or information the business offers. Generally speaking, it’s businesses with high dwell time plus low bounce rate; this page is A. I and machine learning detect and rank higher on Google’s search engine results page.
Why Google algorithm updates take place
But why bother to keep improving the SERPs?
And why do so many Google algorithm updates take place?
Well, this is a Brilliant question.
It’s a bit like a food recipe. Let’s say Heinz tomato sauce. It’s popular worldwide due to its taste, and because it’s so popular and high quality, why would Heinz want to change the recipe?
Well, they don’t.
However, search algorithms differ, such as those of Microsoft Bing and Google Alphabet. They need to change, adapt, and improve constantly.
That’s because pages and blog posts that are relevant today might not be applicable in a relatively short period.
An in-depth article on the best e-bikes in 2024 won’t be relevant next year because their respected manufacturers will make a whole new bunch of bikes, which might be better again.
Then, we must return to the point that businesses constantly add new pages and blog posts and ask Google, through Google Search Console, to index these pages.
So, every day, millions of pages need to be indexed by Googlebot. Therefore, these pages need to be indexed and crawled.
So it’s a bit like a high street, where you have a bunch of shops all trading with one another, yet there’s always a construction site at the end, with new shops being added. Then, the customer, the shopper, constantly has more choices regarding where they want to shop.
Well, this is the same with Google’s algorithm; it constantly has new content marketing to crawl and index, so it has to work out which new pages to crawl and index and add to its index.
Targeting spam
Writing high-quality content marketing takes enormous amounts of time. If you want to write a detailed, high-quality piece, this will take a lot of time.
So naturally, you will have copywriters or businesses that don’t want to spend time writing a couple of thousand-word articles.
They will want to cut corners, fool the system, and look to cheat if they like.
Over the years, businesses have used spun content marketing and cloaking to try and do this. Yet these methods do not work because
Google’s algorithm is now advanced; well, it can easily detect this low-quality spam work, and those pages won’t get indexed, and if there’s too much of this work on a website, the website will incur a penalty.
So, how often does Google roll out new algorithm updates?
Well, daily, as mentioned earlier, thousands of more minor updates are rolled out every year; these don’t seem to upset the apple cart, so to speak, in terms of businesses that don’t notice many changes. For example, a company might move up and down a few places across keywords.
However, it’s the central core algorithm updates that change where businesses rank substantially; these tend to happen, we would say, less than 5 times a year, yet when they do roll out, they often cause “ranking flux” that can be picked up the various Google algorithm update tracking tools. For example, the changes are usually shown on line graphs or bar graphs, and the bar graphs usually turn red during these
major Google algorithm core updates.
Moz published some exciting data.
If you’re interested in learning about search engine optimisation, we recommend Moz. It’s one of the best resources for this topic.
Moz published this critical data; in 2009, there were estimates to be around just 375 Google algorithm updates. It sounds like a lot, yet you then have to contrast it with the current data, which is that in 2013, there were thought to be more than 890 changes. So, it more than doubled in that timeframe. Now, fast forward to more recent data, and in 2021, there were thought to be over 4,367 changes, so now you can see why SEO professionals have their work cut out, with such a massive amount of changes made to algorithms every year.
What are the different algorithm updates Google calls?
Google often describes its algorithm updates with the following descriptions:
• Core updates
• Targeted updates
• Unconfirmed updates
Core algorithm updates
What exactly are the “core Google algorithm updates?
The Google Search Liaison employee Danny Sullivan began calling some “core updates” in March 2018.
SEO agencies often refer to these as “Google Core Updates”—the more extensive updates, the more significant ones, if you like. These tend to be rolled out and affect multiple industries.
For example, every business sector, from aerospace to companies selling fitness equipment, tends to feel the effect of the Google Core updates.
Your money, your life websites (YMYL)
So businesses which can have an impact on someone’s life, such as, say, a site offering medical advice, these websites are quality-checked even more by Google. So by that, we mean they have a much higher threshold to pass, in terms of the information, which must be of high quality, well, very high quality. Often, they need to have a very high Google E-EAT score. So, these websites tend to be related to offering health, financial or other advice, such as lawyers’ websites, yet the information must be very high quality to get on page one of Google.
Algorithm updates that targeted spam
Spam Updates
Spam updates, such as Google Penguin updates, were used to weed out businesses that used manipulative SEO practices. So, again, if these websites cut corners and didn’t implement quality SEO but just tried to trick Google into thinking the SEO is good when it’s not, these businesses would have been smacked by a Google penalty. For example, Google penalties, such as Google Penguin updates, have removed companies from Google’s index that built spam low-quality links.
So, in a nutshell, there’s a right way of doing SEO, a correct way, but those businesses that look to flout the rules, which go against the grain, so to speak, are often hit by a Google penalty.
Link spam updates
Link spam updates, such as Google Penguin updates, as mentioned earlier, were massive. They also send an unmistakable signal to businesses that Google doesn’t want businesses to spam SEO tactics.
Therefore, Google has made its position on this issue very clear. SEO agencies globally should be aware of this. Google wants to give its customers the best possible answers and helpful advice.
The customers are shoppers, and people use the search engine to find answers to a question.
Now, Google doesn’t want to present a low-quality answer, a 500-word answer of waffle, where the shopper is dissatisfied.
No, Google wants to present the best possible answer, a high-quality answer, and these pages always have a very high Google E-EAT score.
So, the Google E-EAT score stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Whether you are writing about how to cook a chicken Korma or the best electric cars to buy now, the answer must be very detailed, perfect, and informative so that the reader feels that they have been offered a comprehensive answer to their question.
Unconfirmed Google updates
Does Google roll out unconfirmed Google updates?
Well, yes, Google is constantly rolling out unconfirmed updates. By that, we mean updates for which Google offers no prior warning.
Yet SEO agencies globally often use what are referred to as “SEO weather tools,” which usually include bar graphs showing green, amber, or red levels of ranking flux.
So, say, for example, you’re running a business and tracking where 100 keywords are ranked in Google’s index, and these change substantially. Let’s say a business ranking 7th moves to position 37. Well, this could be because of a Google core algorithm update.
SEO tools can sometimes track thousands of different businesses’ rankings. When many companies suddenly see their keywords change substantially, this is often because of a Google core algorithm update. Usually, the various SEO algorithm tracking tools will pick up on this.
So, how can you best insulate your website from future Google updates?
Well, there’s only one way: to make sure every aspect of your business’s SEO is white hat, high-quality, and the best possible work you can produce.
Lack of lustre effort results in a lack of lustre performance.
Now, you don’t need to burn the midnight oil, write blog posts, and improve your technical SEO and off-page SEO until you experience burnout.
It’s not about that; it’s just about implementing quality work that you feel offers the best possible answer to that query.
When you have done your very best effort, it’s down to Google’s algorithm to compare your technical SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO with your direct competitors to see how your work compares with theirs.
Suppose you have followed Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and read and implemented work on your website with Google E-EAT in mind.
This work should fare better and be more insulated when Google rolls out major algorithm updates.
Now, if you run a business and hire the wrong SEO agency, they will cut corners, use a ton of spun content marketing, or add content thin content marketing. Well, this work will get hit severely by the Google algorithm updates.
So, quality always pays dividends when it comes to improving your SEO.
Don’t cut corners, and don’t look for ways to fool Google’s algorithm into thinking your SEO is better than it is, such as buying spam links.
Just don’t do it.
Instead, produce quality work and offer quality answers that you think your shoppers want to read.
And if you don’t have the time to do this work, we are always here to help.
Prices start from £500 PCM. Call us if you need further help improving your business’s local or organic SEO.