Why Does Google Keep Changing Things Up?
Here are a few reasons why Google continues to change its algorithm.
To improve the user experience: At the end of the day, Google’s ultimate goal is to provide users with the best possible experience. If they feel like they’re not getting relevant results, they’re likely to go elsewhere.
To stay ahead of the competition: Google is constantly under pressure from other search engines, like Bing and Yahoo, who are looking to steal market share. By keeping its algorithm a secret and constantly changing it, Google makes it difficult for others to catch up.
To fight spam: Spammers are always trying to game the system and get their low-quality content to rank highly. Google’s job is to make sure that doesn’t happen, and they do that by regularly changing the algorithm.
Of course, there are other reasons why Google changes things as well. But these are some of the most common ones.
What Does This Mean for You?
Whether you are a Melbourne SEO company or a webmaster, you need to be prepared for change. Google is never going to give you a heads up before they roll out a new update, so you need to be constantly monitoring the latest news and rumours.
You also need to be flexible in your approach. What worked last year might not work this year, and what works today might not work tomorrow. The only way to stay ahead of the curve is to experiment, test, and adapt your strategies on an ongoing basis.
And finally, don’t get too upset when things change. Yes, it can be frustrating when your hard work doesn’t pay off overnight. But remember that SEO is a long-term game. As long as you’re making progress, you’re on the right track.
With these points in mind, here are the ten most significant Google updates that the search giant has rolled out over the last decade.
1. Google's PageRank algorithm
Google’s PageRank algorithm is one of the most important changes that has shaped SEO. It determines the importance of a web page by looking at the number and quality of links that point to it. This means that pages with more high-quality links are more likely to rank higher in search results.
2. Google's Hummingbird algorithm
Google’s Hummingbird algorithm was a major change to the way that Google understands queries. It focuses on the meaning behind a query, rather than just the individual keywords. This makes it much better at understanding the intent behind a search and returning relevant results.
3. Google's Panda algorithm
Google’s Panda algorithm is designed to identify low-quality content and demote it in the search results. This means that pages with thin, poorly written, or plagiarized content are less likely to rank well.
4. Google's Penguin algorithm
Google’s Penguin algorithm is designed to identify links that are manipulative or artificial. These links can come from low-quality directories, link farms, or other spammy websites. If your website has a lot of these kinds of links pointing to it, your rankings will suffer.
5. Google's Pigeon algorithm
Google’s Pigeon algorithm is designed to improve local search results. It takes into account factors like location and distance when returning results for queries with local intent. This makes it more likely that businesses near the searcher will show up in the results.
6. Google's Mobile-Friendly algorithm
Google’s Mobile-Friendly algorithm is designed to improve the search experience for users on mobile devices. It gives a ranking boost to websites that are optimized for mobile devices, making them more likely to show up in the results for mobile searches.
7. Google's RankBrain algorithm
Google’s RankBrain algorithm is a machine learning system that helps Google understand queries better. It looks at click data and user behavior to determine what people are really looking for when they enter a query. This information is then used to rank results more accurately.
8. Google's Fred algorithm
Google’s Fred algorithm is designed to target low-quality content. It is similar to Panda in that it looks for pages with thin, poorly written, or plagiarized content. However, it goes a step further and also looks for pages that are trying to game the system by including a lot of keywords or links just for the sake of ranking higher.
9. Google's Possum algorithm
Google’s Possum algorithm is designed to improve local search results. It takes into account factors like location and distance when returning results for queries with local intent. This makes it more likely that businesses near the searcher will show up in the results.
10. Google's Medic update
Google’s Medic update was a broad algorithm change that affected many different types of websites. It was designed to improve the quality of medical information on the web. This included making sure that results are from authoritative sources and are relevant to the query.
Wrapping Up
These are just a few of the algorithm changes that have shaped SEO over the years. As you can see, Google is constantly tweaking its algorithms to improve the quality of its search results. This means that SEO is an ever-changing field and businesses need to stay up to date on the latest changes if they want to maintain their ranking in the search results.
