People use search engines to find information, and the goal of search engines is to provide their searchers with accurate and relevant information. This is what exactly Google does. You might have heard the term “Google Search Algorithm” before.
What is Google Search Algorithm?
Google search algorithm is briefly the set of rules or procedures that Google uses to sort through billions of web pages it has and provide the best answers to its users. Ideally, these algorithms are intended to create great user experience by providing the best results to its searchers.
Here are a few Google algorithm updates you should know to avoid getting penalties for your website.
#1. Google Hummingbird Update
Hummingbird is the current search algorithm that Google is using with a view to provide better results to the searchers. Google has started using hummingbird about August 30, 2013 and made changes on September 26, 2013. With this update, Google is paying more attention to the meaning behind the words in a search term. This is due to the fact that pages matching the meaning are better than pages matching just a few words.
#2. Google Mobile Friendly Update
Google has launched a mobile friendly algorithm update on April 21, 2015, which is known as “Mobilegeddon”. As the name implies, the main objective of this update is to give priority to websites that display well on Smartphones and other mobile devices. However, the change does not affect searches made from a desktop computer or a laptop.
#3. Google Panda Update
Google Panda Update is a search filter algorithm introduced by Google in February 2011. This algorithm is intended to stop sites with poor quality content from getting ranked into Google’s top search results. Google panda is updated frequently. When this happens, websites that are previously hit by the update may escape if they have made the correct changes. However, this update may also catch websites that are escaped before.
#4. Google Penguin Update
Google Penguin Update was launched in April 2012. The objective of this update is to catch websites that are spamming Google search results by buying links or obtaining links through link networks that are designed to boost Google rankings. When a new penguin update is launched, websites that have taken corrective actions to remove bad or spammy links with the help of Google disavow links tools may probably regain their rankings. However, new sites that are not previously caught may probably get trapped by Penguin.
#5. Google Pigeon Update
Google Pigeon Update was launched on July 24, 2014. This update is intended for U.S. English results to provide more accurate, relevant and useful local search results that are combined to the conventional web search ranking signals. This update provides results based on the location of the users as well as local directory listings.
#6. Google Payday Update
The Payday Update by Google is launched on June 11, 2013. This is targeted at cleaning up search results for conventionally spammy queries like [payday loan], pornographic and other highly spammed queries.
#7. Google Pirate Update
This update is a filter algorithm, which was launched in August 2012. This is designed to stop websites with lots of copyright infringement reports filed through Google’s DMCA system from being ranked well on search results. When this filter is updated regularly, websites that are previously hit may escape if they have made the correct improvements. This filter may also catch new sites that are escaped previously.
#8. Google EMD Update
The EMD or Exact Match Domain update is a filter Google has launched in September 2012. This is to prevent low quality websites from ranking well on Google just because of the words they have in their domain names that match the search terms. Here websites with poor quality or irrelevant content may get punished. Websites that have improved their content may recover their good rankings when a new EMD update happens. However, new websites with poor content and those earlier missed by the EMD, may get caught.
#9. Google Top Heavy Update
Google’s Top Heavy Update was launched in January 2012. This update is meant to prevent sites that are flooded with ads from ranking well in Google search results. This algorithm is also periodically updated. When this happens, websites that have removed a large number of ads may regain their lost rankings. However, new websites with lots of ads may get caught.