Wednesday 12 June 2019

Complete list of Google Updates since 2010


S. NoUpdate NameDate first Rolled OutFeaturesConfirmed by Google
1Google June 2019 Core UpdateJune 3rd 2019Google set a new precedent with its "June 2019 Core Update" by, for the first time in the history of Google Updates, announcing the roll-out of a major core algorithm change in advance. This update was the second major update of 2019 altering the core algorithm, and was rolled out on the 3rd of June, as preannounced.Yes
2» Google June 2019 Core Update
3Google March 2019 Core UpdateMarch 12th 2019In this global core algorithm update, there were ranking shifts for keywords related to health and other sensitive topics. The algorithm was also adjusted to favor trust and expertise, as well as user signals.Yes
4» Google March 2019 Core Update
5Google Halloween UpdateEarly November 2018Fluctuations in the SERPs at the start of November 2018 point to an unofficial quality update. The timing of this update led to the name, "Halloween Update", although it was not officially confirmed by Google.No
6E-A-T-Update #2Early October 2018This adjustment of the E-A-T Update saw health sites that had profited from the first E-A-T Update lose visibility. Similarly, some website that had been negatively impacted by the first E-A-T Update experienced a recovery.No
7Google Birthday UpdateSep-18Unofficial Google update that affected many domains previously affected by the August 2018 E-A-T Update; often with an inverse trend.No
8E-A-T-UpdateAug-18Official Google update that rewards Expertise-Authority-Trust websites, especially for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) keywords.Yes
9» Google E-A-T-Update
10Mobile Speed UpdateJul-18Since 9th of July 2018, a website's load time is an official ranking signal for Google's mobile search results. According to Google, the Speed Update only impacts websites that provide the slowest user experience.Yes
11» Google Speed Update Analysis
12Video Carousels on DesktopJun-18Google has started showing video carousels for desktop searches. At the same time, many organic video rankings disappeared. This has led to Visibility fluctuations for websites with a lot of video content like YouTube or Vimeo.No
13Rollout of Mobile-First-Index26th March 2018After a year-and-a-half of preparation, Google announced that the mobile version of websites would, for the first time, be used to create its Google Index. This switch to Mobile-first indexing initially only affects a few websites, with Google not revealing how long the rollout is expected to last or when it should be completed.Yes
14» Rollout of the Mobile-First Index
15Core Algorithm Update12th March 2018In November 2017, many webmasters suspected that a Google-Update had taken place. These suspicions were confirmed with the official Core Update, which was rolled out on 12th March 2018, leading to major fluctuations in the search results. Winning websites from autumn 2017 received another boost; losers saw further decline.Yes
16» Core Algorithm Analysis
17Update Snippet Length30th November 2017This update saw Google increase the length of meta descriptions displayed for many search results. The maximum length used to be 155 characters; with the update it (nearly) doubled to 300.Yes
18User Localization Update27th October 2017Since October 2017, users are given search results based on their current physical location, regardless of the top-level domain (e.g. Google.com/Google.co.uk) they enter into the address bar.Yes
19» Localization Update Analysis
20Chrome HTTPS Warning17th October 2017The release of Chrome 62 also includes the display of a warning for websites that request user data but that fail to implement HTTPS encryption correctly or completely.Yes
21Dictionary Update25th June 2017In June 2017, an update created (more) Visibility improvements for dictionary domains. URLs for dictionaries improved their rankings, mainly for short-tail keywords that could have various different user intents.No
22» Dictionary Update Analysis
23Fred Update3rd March 2017The update was not officially confirmed by Google. The name comes from Gary Illyes, who jokingly said that all updates would now be called "Fred." Pages most affected were those with low-quality content without any real added value for users. The update is thought to have targeted excessive use of advertising banners, meaning it can possibly be considered an iteration of the so-called "Interstitial Penalty."Yes and no
24Phantom V UpdateFeb-17The heavy impact observed on rankings suggested that adjustments were again made to the Phantom Update. The update was not confirmed by Google. Nevertheless, the pattern of results pointed to this being a "Phantom."No
25» Phantom V Analysis
26Interstitial Penalty10th January 2017This update was supposed to primarily target pages that made aggressive use of interstitials and pop-ups because of their negative impact on user-friendliness.Yes
27Penguin Update 4.027th September 2016 to 6th October 2016This large update of the Penguin algorithm was carried out in several steps, lasting around two weeks. In the second phase, websites had the chance to escape the Penguin filter and regain rankings by having penalties removed.Yes
28» Penguin 4.0 Analysis
29Mobile Update 212th May 2016This update gave increased weight to websites' mobile-friendliness when evaluating rankings for the mobile Google search. Websites that had not yet been optimized for smartphones at the time of the first Mobile Update had the chance of regaining rankings they had lost in the mobile SERPs.Yes
30» Mobilegeddon 2 Analysis
31Phantom Update IV10th May 2016The pattern of this unconfirmed update was similar to previous Phantom Updates, with the traffic on a number of the same websites being affected. It is therefore assumed that this was the fourth iteration of this algorithm adjustment.No
32» Phantom IV Analysis
33Google Core UpdateJan-16Pages with high-quality, holistic content were the big winners for many keywords. But it was not just the amount of content that was decisive in determining rankings. far more, it was the question whether the content was relevant for fulfilling the user intent.Yes
34» Google Core Update Analysis
35Phantom Update IIIDec-15After a change to Google's Quality Rater Guidelines, webmasters and SEOs across the world saw changes to their rankings. Various analyses found that the update primarily addressed user intent and content quality.
36» Phantom III Analysis
37RankBrain26th October 2015RankBrain is a self-learning system that is, first and foremost, supposed to deal with search queries that Google is not yet familiar with. Every day, more than 15% of searches made by users are new to Google.Yes
38» RankBrain Analysis
39Panda Update No. 28Mid-July 2015The latest Google Panda came ten months after the previous one, again focusing on content quality, redundant, irrelevant content and spam. However, with long roll-out times (approx. 8 weeks) of updates, and (near-)simultaneous algorithm changes, it was not always clear for webmasters which updates were affecting their traffic.No
40(Panda 4.2)» Panda 4.2 Analysis
41Newswave UpdateMid-June 2015This update, which Google did not confirm, primarily affected search queries related to trending keywords and information-related keywords. Media websites benefited most from this roll-out.No
42» Newswave Analysis
43Phantom Update IIMay-15While Google confirmed that changes were made to the ranking signals for website quality, no further details were provided. For this reason, this update was dubbed "Phantom."Yes and no
44(a.k.a Quality Update)This second iteration of the Phantom Update (after the first in May 2013) caused extreme fluctuations in the SERPs, and led to some websites losing half of their traffic. The impact of this algorithm update was felt worldwide.
45» Phantom II analysis
46Mobile Update (#Mobilegeddon)22nd April 2015Google used this update to turn websites' mobile-friendliness into a ranking factor for mobile search. It was the first update that Google explicitly announced before rolling it out.Yes
47» Mobilegeddon Analysis
48Brand/eCommerce UpdateFeb-15A possible update to Google's algorithms sent waves through the rankings of brand websites and online shops. The update focused on keywords with a high search volume.No
49» eCommerce Update Analysis
50Pirate Update Version 2 (DMCS Penalty)21st October 2014This is an improvement to the Pirate Update. Above all, this is supposed to recognize and penalize copyright infringements better. Google confirmed this iteration.Yes
51» Pirate 2 Analysis
52Penguin 3Oct-14Google announced another Penguin Update, yet the changes caused by this latest one were neither obvious, nor did they seem to happen all at once. Overall, less than 1% of search queries were affected, over the course of several weeks, making the impact of this Penguin on websites' traffic much less than other that of other iterations.Yes
53Panda Update No. 2723rd September 2014In particular, pages lacking in content were affected. Google stated that the update affected up to five percent of all search queries.Yes
54(Panda 4.1)» Panda 4.1 Analysis
55HTTPS/SSL Update6th August 2014This update saw HTTPS encryption become a ranking signal. For Google, the update was an important step towards increasing security when using websites worldwide. It was not immediately clear how strongly this would actually influence rankings.Yes
56» HTTPS Update Analysis
57Panda Update No. 2619th May 20147.5% of English-language search queries were affected by Google's Panda Update. The fourth generation of this algorithm again adjusted the quality demands placed on websites.Yes
58Panda 4.0» Panda 4.0 Analysis
59Payday Loan Algorithm Update 2.0Estimated around 16th May 2014This update improved Google's capability of filtering out pages with spammy search queries from the search results. This was intended to greatly improve the user experience for people searching on Google. At the same time, it became more difficult for spam-heavy domains to achieve good rankings.Yes
60Page Layout Update Version 3 ("Ads above the fold")6th February 2014This update saw Google take a stricter approach towards websites with too much advertising "above the fold." Such ads make for a vastly inferior user experience, so Google penalized the affected websites.No
61Penguin Update 2.14th October 2013The Penguin Update was adjusted, with a moderate impact on the search results. The first iteration of the second generation tweaked what was already well-known and did not cause too much havoc in the SERPs.Yes
62Hummingbird Update20th August 2013The Hummingbird Update improved the semantic search and extended the Google Knowledge Graph. Since Hummingbird, Google to recognize relationships between search queries. This update can be considered the predecessor of RankBrain.Yes
63» Hummingbird Analysis
64Panda Update „Recovery"18th July 2013This update reduced the effect of past Panda Updates e.g. by removing formerly imposed penalties. This Panda was not included in the update numbering.Yes
65Pay Day Loan Algorithm11th June 2013This Google Update targeted niche websites that are frequently affected by span, like pornography or credit sites. The update was announced on 11.06.2013.Yes
66Penguin Update 2.022nd May 2013The algorithm of this update was overworked and greatly improved, in order to advance the fight against link spam.Yes
67» Penguin 2.0 Analysis
68Phantom IMay-13The first version of what would become known the Phantom Update. Google did not confirm the precise nature of the algorithm change but the industry certainly felt the impact of this, and later Phantom Updates.No
69Panda Update No. 2514th March 2013This was probably the last Panda Update before this algorithm was incorporated into Google's core algorithm.Yes
70Panda Update No. 2422nd January 2013According to Google, around 1.2% of all search queries were affected by this update.Yes
71Panda Update No. 2321st December 2012This data refresh affected 1.3% of English-language search queries. Yes
72Panda Update No. 22 and Pony Update21st November 2012This update, which was confirmed by Google, seems to have basically been a data refresh. Nevertheless, it led to major drops in rankings for many websites.Yes
73» Pony Analysis
74Panda Update No. 215th November 2012This refresh affected 1,1% of English-language search queries.Yes
75Page Layout Update No. 2 ("Ads above the fold")9th October 2012Google did confirm this update but it is not clear whether it was simply a data refresh or something bigger.Yes
76Penguin Update 1.25th October 2012Only 0.3% of all search queries were affected by this Penguin Update.Yes
77Panda Update No. 20 and EMD Update (Exact Match Domain Update)27th September 2012The EMD Update considerably lowered the importance of Exact Match Domains. Since then, the relevance of keyword domains is no longer as high as it used to be. Together with the Panda Update, implemented at the same time, this created noticeable changes in the search results.Yes
78Panda Update No. 1918th September 2012As with the update carried out four weeks earlier, this data refresh only had a limited impact on the search results.Yes
79Panda Update No. 1820th August 2012This update of the data basis for the Panda Update only had a small impact.Yes
80Pirate Update (DMCA Penalty)10th August 2012The introduction of this update saw pages punished that are guilty of copyright infringement and e.g. offer pirated material. The assumption is that websites were affected who had previously been reported to Google via so-called "DMCA Takedown Requests."Yes
81Panda Update No. 1724th July 2012This data refresh caused movement in the SERPSs for several days. Google stated that around 1% of search results were affected.Yes
82Panda Update No. 1625th June 2012This data refresh had a limited impact on the SERPs.Yes
83Panda Update No. 158th June 2012This Panda Update affected about 1% of all search queries.Yes
84Penguin 1.126th May 12This update was a data refresh for the Penguin algorithm, with Matt Cutts stating that it affected very few searches (<0 .1="" td="">Yes
85Panda Update No. 1427th April 2012This update to the Panda algorithm was confirmed by Google, yet only had a slight impact on the search results.Yes
86Penguin Update No. 124th April 2012This update is also referred to as a "Webspam Update" because it targets webspam measures like keyword stuffing and first affected 3.1% of all English-language search results.Yes
87» Penguin Analysis
88Panda Update No. 1319th April 2012This update was not officially confirmed and did not have a major impact.No
89March 50 Pack Update + Tweaks to handling of anchor text3rd April 2012Google used this update to revise the way that anchor texts are evaluated. This update also saw optimization of the image search. The implementation of this update also affected search queries with local character.Yes
90Panda Update No. 1223rd March 2012Google stated that this update affected around 1.6% of all search queries.Yes
91Panda Update No.1127th February 2012This was a small adjustment to the Panda Update that did not create significant fluctuation.Yes
92Page Layout Update ("Ads above the fold")19th January 2012Following this update, websites are punished if they display too much advertising above the fold. This is seen as inhibiting the user experience.Yes
93Panda Update No. 1018th January 2012This update was confirmed by Google, but it was not clear to what extent the algorithms were actually changed.Yes
94Panda Update No. 918th November 2011This was another in the series of frequent Panda Updates.Yes
95Freshness Update3rd November 2011Google announced that this update affected 35% of all search queries. The adjustment to the algorithm dealt primarily with how up-to-date websites are.Yes
96» Freshness Update Analysis
97Panda Update No. 85th October 2011According to Google's Matt Cutts, this update to the Panda Algorithm affected up to 2% of all search queries.Yes
98Panda Update No. 728th September 2011Google confirmed this iteration of the Panda Update, but gave no further details.Yes
99Panda Update No. 612th August 2011This Panda Update was rolled out worldwide on the same day, and did not just affect English-language search queries. The only languages not affected were Korean, Japanese and Chinese.Yes
100Panda Update No. 523rd July 2011This was another Panda Update confirmed by Google.Yes
101Panda Update No. 421st June 2011The fourth update to Panda (also known as 2.2) was confirmed by Google, continuing the trend of monthly updates.Yes
102Panda Update No. 39th May 2011The third Panda Update was more minor, the first to not be given full update status, and was named "Panda 2.1." To avoid confusion, this article numbers gives each Panda Update a unique number, not distinguishing between major and minor.Yes and no
103Panda Update No. 2.011th April 2011The second Panda Update saw the algorithm change rolled out worldwide (for English-language queries), continuing to focus on low-quality content. Its impact also covered a more diverse range of websites, with estimated 2% of search queries affected.Yes
104Expanded Sitelinks16th August 2011Google tested the roll-out of expanded sitelinks, which greatly increase the size and visibility of a result in the SERP, over a few weeks. Eventually, Google settled on maximum six expanded links for a result, each with the URL and short snippet.Yes
105Schema.org Update2nd June 2011In an unusual act of cooperation, Google, as well as two other major search providers, Yahoo and Microsoft, made joint steps towards encouraging the use of structured data. Websites that use Schema markup can have more information shown on the SERP in the form of a Rich Snippet.Yes
106Panda/Farmer Update23rd February 2011Originally dubbed "Farmer" because of its impact on content farms, this update would later become known as "Google Panda." This was a serious attempt by Google to remove sites with thin or farmed content from the high positions in their search results, and give a boost to reputable, content-heavy sites.Yes
107» Panda/Farmer Analysis
108Caffeine8th June 2010This was a major change to Google's indexing structure to include news, blog posts and other updates in its search results faster. Google stated that Caffeine meant that "50% fresher results" were provided thanks to the rollout of Caffeine.Yes
109May Day UpdateMay-10This update was intended to improve the quality of search results. Mostly longtail keywords were affected.Yes
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
 
;