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SITEWIDE SIGNAL
September 2023 Helpful Content Update (#3)
The September 2023 helpful content update improves Google's classifier and works across content globally in all languages.
Read More
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Google Algorithm Update Tracker
Google algorithms are constantly changing.
Certain SEO practices, especially those exploiting loopholes, can have a negative impact on your website’s ranking and visibility. It’s crucial to avoid such tactics and ensure your SEO strategy is grounded in understanding your target audience and adhering to technical best practices aligned with Google’s guidelines. Click into each of the updates below to learn what to look for, how to respond on your website, and find helpful resources to improve your website’s SEO and UX.
Certain SEO practices, especially those exploiting loopholes, can have a negative impact on your website’s ranking and visibility. It’s crucial to avoid such tactics and ensure your SEO strategy is grounded in understanding your target audience and adhering to technical best practices aligned with Google’s guidelines. Click into each of the updates below to learn what to look for, how to respond on your website, and find helpful resources to improve your website’s SEO and UX.
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Five most recent Google updates
All Google updates & details
Impact on your website's ranking and visibility—especially if you're cutting corners. It's important to not look for loopholes in the ranking algorithms. Even if you're not cutting corners, your SEO strategy need to be informed by your target audience and be technically sound.
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2023
SITEWIDE SIGNAL
September 2023 Helpful Content Update (#3)
The September 2023 helpful content update improves Google's classifier and works across content globally in all languages.
Read More
confirmed
September 2023 Helpful Content Update
Google's Sept 2023 update improves search quality, rewarding informative websites. It penalizes low-value content, emphasizing high-quality, user-focused material.
confirmed
August 2023 Core Update
August 2023 Core Update caused major ranking shifts across verticals. Semrush data showed peak volatility at 9.3, surpassing March 2023. Comparatively, March's impact on rank volatility was more significant in certain areas. RankRanger and seoClarity also noted significant fluctuations, making this update noteworthy in SEO
confirmed
April 2023 Reviews Update
Google's April 2023 Reviews Update emphasizes user experience signals, integrating the "Experience" element into E-A-T guidelines. It requires high-quality, credible, and informative reviews, impacting all review-based content beyond products.
confirmed
March 2023 Core Update
Google's April 2023 Reviews Update emphasizes user experience signals, integrating the "Experience" element into E-A-T guidelines. It requires high-quality, credible, and informative reviews, impacting all review-based content beyond products.
confirmed
February 2023 Product Reviews Update
February 2023 Product Reviews Update enhances review guidelines, emphasizing reviewer knowledge, review credibility, and overall content quality.
2022
confirmed
December 2022 Link Spam Update
December 2022: Google's SpamBrain AI targets link spam, nullifying purchased and outgoing link sites' value. Global impact, finalized on Jan 12, 2023.
confirmed
December 2022 Helpful Content Update
In December 2022, Google enhanced its classifier to promote original, user-centric content over content mainly produced for search engine traffic. This multilingual update was completed on January 12th, 2023.
confirmed
October 2022 Spam Update
In October 2022, Google targeted sites that violated webmaster guidelines, specifically focusing on those seeking short-term gains by ignoring best practices. The update concluded on October 21st."
confirmed
September 2022 Product Reviews Update
In September 2022, Google prioritized content that reflected firsthand knowledge and expertise in its Product Reviews Update (20 Sep). This update specifically targeted English-language product reviews. The rollout ended on September 26th.
confirmed
September 2022 Core Update
In September 2022, Google prioritized content that reflected firsthand knowledge and expertise in its Product Reviews Update (20 Sep). This update specifically targeted English-language product reviews. The rollout ended on September 26th.
confirmed
August 2022 Helpful Content Update
August 2022 Helpful Content Update (25 Aug): Emphasizing original, user-friendly content, this update had a rollout duration of up to 2 weeks.
confirmed
July 2022 Product Reviews Update
July 2022 Product Reviews Update (27 Jul): A focus on content with firsthand knowledge and expertise, this update was specifically for English-language product reviews. The update concluded on August 2nd.
confirmed
May 2022 Core Update
May 2022 Core Update (25 May): Another significant shift in the Google algorithm, emphasizing the E-A-T principles. It's known to cause considerable ranking changes. Finalized on June 9th.
confirmed
March 2022 Product Reviews Update (#3)
March Product Reviews Update (23 Mar): This update prioritized product content based on firsthand knowledge and expertise. The rollout was completed on April 6th.
confirmed
Page Experience Update
In February 2022, the Desktop Page Experience Update (22 Feb) highlighted pages that provided superior user experiences, taking into account factors like mobile-friendliness, speed (Core Web Vitals), intrusive interstitials, and safe browsing. The update finished rolling out on March 3rd.
2021
confirmed
December 2021 Product Reviews Update
"Google's Product Reviews Update boosts expert-driven product reviews, demoting low-quality ones. It targets review pages, emphasizing expertise and user experience. Despite ranking shifts, sites focusing on informative reviews have gained visibility."
confirmed
November 2021 Local Search Update
"Nov-Dec 2021, Google adjusted local search factors: relevance, distance, prominence. Adapt local SEO efforts to match rebalanced factors. If your Google Business Profile's ranking is unchanged, your business likely wasn't affected."
confirmed
November 2021 Core Update
"Nov 2021 Google Core Update: SEO impact varied. Winners: reference sites, e-commerce. Health, media fluctuated. Pinterest lost, stock photos gained. Effects ongoing, complex factors at play."
confirmed
November 2021 Spam Update
"In 2021, Google launched spam update, targeting harmful sites using AI techniques. This ongoing effort aims for a spam-free search experience by filtering low-value and Black Hat SEO websites."
confirmed
Page Title Rewrites
"In 2021, Google launched spam update, targeting harmful sites using AI techniques. This ongoing effort aims for a spam-free search experience by filtering low-value and Black Hat SEO websites."
confirmed
July 2021 Link Spam Update
"Google's Link Spam Update targets link spam in multiple languages. It focuses on sponsored, guest, and affiliate links, emphasizing proper tagging with "rel" attributes. Non-compliance may lead to Google manual actions, highlighting Google's commitment to enhancing search quality."
confirmed
July 2021 Core Update
"Google's core updates enhance search quality, focusing on E-A-T principles. They cause significant ranking shifts. The update was fully implemented by July 12th."
confirmed
Spam Update Part 2
"Spam updates target guideline violators, prioritizing best practices. This update swiftly enforced on the same day, penalizing sites seeking short-term gains."
confirmed
Spam Update
Spam updates are directed at websites that disregard Google's webmaster guidelines. They typically impact sites pursuing immediate benefits at the expense of ignoring established best practices. Notably, this particular spam update was fully implemented on the very day it was launched.
confirmed
Mobile Page Experience Update
"Page Experience updates highlight user-friendly pages, considering mobile design, interstitials, safe browsing, and Core Web Vitals speed metrics. Finalized on September 2nd."
confirmed
Multitask Unified Model (MUM) update
"Google's MUM update revolutionizes search, using AI and language processing for complex queries across languages and media. It enhances global search quality, emphasizing entity-based and user-centric content, optimizing for diverse media."
Unconfirmed
June 2021 Core Update
"Google's core updates improve search, emphasizing E-A-T factors. Result: ranking shifts. This update ended on June 12th, marking significant algorithm changes."
confirmed
April Product Reviews Update
"Google's product review update prioritized expert insights. It enhanced review quality, emphasizing firsthand knowledge. Update ended on April 22nd, ensuring valuable product information."
Unconfirmed
Passage Ranking
"The passage ranking update, ending Feb 15, boosted specific content relevance. Aim: precise search results, easy access to specific information for users."
2020
confirmed
December 2020 Core Update
"The Dec 2020 Core Update, ending Dec 16, enhanced search quality via E-A-T factors. Result: major ranking shifts, impacting website visibility and traffic."
UNconfirmed
Subtopics Ranking
Google implemented Subtopic Ranking to enhance its understanding of relevant subtopics in search results, providing a broader range of relevant content to users. The specific date of this update is approximate.
UNconfirmed
Indexing & Canonicalization Bugs
A series of separate bugs occurred simultaneously, causing fluctuations in search engine results pages (SERPs). The Mobile Indexing bug was resolved on October 8th, while the Canonicalization issue was fixed on October 14th.
UNconfirmed
Google Glitch
A significant glitch disrupted Google's search results, resulting in low-quality sites ranking higher than expected. The issue was resolved on the 11th, addressing concerns raised by SEOs and webmasters.
confirmed
May 2020 Core Update
"May 2020 Core Update aimed at result quality via E-A-T factors. Ended on May 18, causing significant ranking changes, impacting website visibility and traffic."
UNconfirmed
Featured Snippet De-duping
"Google's Snippet De-duping update, started Jan 13, lists a page once on SERPs. Ensures organized search experience, removing duplicate listings."
confirmed
January 2020 Core Update
"Jan 2020 Core Update improved result quality via E-A-T factors. Led to notable ranking shifts, impacting webpage visibility and ranking."
2019
confirmed
International BERT Rollout
Google confirmed that the BERT natural language processing algorithm was rolling out internationally, in 70 languages. This announcement came after speculation from the SEO community, and the exact timing of the roll-out is unclear.
confirmed
BERT Update
Google upgraded their algorithm and underlying hardware to support the BERT natural language processing (NLP) model. BERT helps Google better interpret natural language searches and understand context.
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
SERP trackers registered multiple days of ranking flux, with MozCast showing early signs on October 2 and peaking at 98°F on October 4. Google did not confirm an update, and no details were forthcoming.
confirmed
September 2019 Core Update
Google rolled out another core update. The update measured at 97°F on MozCast (fairly high, but not historically high) and seemed to impact sites affected by previous core updates. Google did not provide many details.
confirmed
Featured Snippets Update
Google announced an update to the algorithm affecting the freshness of featured snippets in search results. This update will allow Google to find the freshest featured snippets for queries where current information will be most useful.
unconfirmed
"Maverick" Update
Ranking trackers and webmaster chatter registered a week of heavy flux (MozCast peaked at 95°F on July 16) that was later dubbed the "Maverick" update by the search community. Google did not confirm an update, and details were limited.
confirmed
Site Diversity Update
Google pre-announced a "site diversity" update, claiming it would improve situations where sites had more than two organic listings. Moz data showed that, while the update did marginally improve SERPs with 3-5 duplicate sites on page one, the impact was relatively small.
confirmed
June 2019 Core Update
Google pre-announced a "core" update, but with limited details. Sites impacted in previous core updates seem to have been affected, in some cases, and some major UK publishers reported heavy losses. On average, the impact was smaller than the August "Medic" update, as measured by MozCast.
confirmed
Indexing Bugs
Two days in a row, Google confirmed indexing bugs. The first bug reportedly was preventing new content from being properly indexed. MozCast confirmed unusually high SERP flux from May 23-25 (peaking on the 23rd), but it's unclear if this was directly related to the bugs.
confirmed
Deindexing Bug
Google confirmed a bug that dropped pages from the search index around the weekend of April 5th. Moz data suggested drops on April 5th and 7th, with about 4% of stable URLs falling off of page one. Most sites recovered soon after.
confirmed
March 2019 Core Update
Google confirmed a "core" update, stating it was the third major core update since they began using that label. MozCast hit a peak of 101.2°F, a bit below March 1st temperatures. No specific details were given about the nature of the update.
Unconfirmed
19-result SERPs
For one day, Google showed anomalous page-1 counts, with up to 19 organic results. These appeared to be related to In-depth Articles, which disappeared entirely on March 6. MozCast reached 108.2°F, but it's unclear how much of this was due to the temporary boost in organic counts.
unconfirmed
Valentine's Day Update
Algorithm trackers and industry chatter indicated some sort of unconfirmed update took place on and before this date. However, unlike other updates, mostly positive changes in rankings were being reported.
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
After a relatively quiet December and January, tracking tools detected heavy ranking flux, with MozCast reaching 103.4°F.
2018
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
MozCast hit 103.1°F, and webmaster chatter and other tracking tools indicated high algorithm flux. Google did not confirm.
unconfirmed
Unconfirmed Halloween Update
Webmasters noted Halloween changes, hinting at a Google update, though unconfirmed. Limited proof of a significant update; chatter probably from August's algorithm changes and Google's enhanced neural matching usage.
unconfirmed
Unconfirmed Update
Tracking tools and webmaster chatter indicated heavy algorithm flux, and MozCast spiked to 109.7°F. No confirmation from Google
confirmed
A "Small" Update
SEO community observed traffic changes on Google's 20th birthday. Sites hit by August update saw recovery. Google confirmed a smaller update on September 29, distinct from broad core algorithm shift.
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
MozCast temperatures hit 107.6°F, and webmaster chatter around an update spiked, but Google would not confirm any significant changes.
confirmed
"Medic" Core Update
Google confirmed a "broad core algorithm update," with wide reports of massive impact. It rolled out over the period of a week, but peaked on Aug 1-2. This update seemed to disproportionately affect sites in the health and wellness vertical, although large-scale impact was seen in all verticals.
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
Algorithm trackers and webmaster chatter signaled heavy rankings flux, but Google did not confirm. MozCast recorded its highest temperature in 2018 at 114°F.
confirmed
Mobile Speed Update
Six months after announcing it, Google rolled out the mobile page speed update, making page speed a ranking factor for mobile results. Google claimed that this only affected the slowest mobile sites, and there was no evidence of major mobile rankings shifts.
confirmed
Video Carousels
Google moved videos from organic-like results with thumbnails into a dedicated video carousel, causing a shake-up in results that were previously tracked as organic. At the same time, the number of SERPs with videos increased significantly (+60% in MozCast).
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
Algorithm tracking tools and webmaster chatter showed heavy activity, but Google did not confirm an update. MozCast showed very high temperatures over a 3-day period, peaking on May 23
confirmed
Snippet Length Drop
After testing longer display snippets of up to 300+ characters for a few months, Google rolled back most snippets to the former limit (about 150-160 characters).
confirmed
Broad Core Algorithm Update
The April 2018 core update, like other updates, was aimed at improving the end-user experience by delivering the most relevant content for search queries.Google didn’t announce this update and only came out with its announcement after speculation that there may have been a core update.
confirmed
Mobile-First Index Rollout
Google launched mobile-first index after months of testing. Impact on overall index unclear due to gradual migration. Webmasters will receive notifications in Google Search Console.
confirmed
Zero-result SERP Test
On a small set of Knowledge Cards, including some time/date queries and unit conversion calculators, Google started displaying zero organic results and a "Show all results" button. A week later, Google stopped this test, but we believe it is an important sign of things to come.
confirmed
"Brackets" Core Update
Google's core update confirmed on March 7, but volatility started on March 4, with spikes until March 8, lasting almost two weeks. Named "Brackets" by Glenn Gabe, Google didn't provide details.
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
Rankings showed a spike in volatility (across a number of tools) around February 20th, which quickly settled down, sometimes signalling a targeted algorithm update. Google did not confirm any update in this time period.
confirmed
January 2018 Core Update
The January 2018 Update was a comprehensive core update aimed at all aspects of the site’s SERPs. It was followed by the March and April core updates of that year.
2017
unconfirmed
Maccabees Update
Ranking fluctuations noted on December 14th, dubbed "Maccabees" by Barry Schwartz. Google confirmed small updates around that time. Holiday updates, disruptive to e-commerce, attract more attention.
confirmed
Snippet Length Increase
Google expanded search snippets after two years of testing, doubling the Meta Description limit to 300 characters from 155. Google confirmed the update but didn't share specifics on how snippets are handled.
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
"Algorithm trackers and webmaster chatter detected a high amount of flux, peaking (in our data) around November 15. Google did not confirm an official update."
unconfirmed
Featured Snippet Drop
From October 27-31, Featured Snippets dropped significantly. Simultaneously, Knowledge Panels surged, notably for broad terms like "travel" and "web design." Some panels vanished by December 15.
unconfirmed
Fall Flux
Algorithm trackers (including MozCast) and webmaster chatter spotted increasing flux starting around September 25th, which seemed to spike on the 27th, after a period of relative calm. No update was officially confirmed.
unconfirmed
Quality Update
On August 19-20, minor SEO volatility observed, hinting at a Google quality update. Category pages, aggressive ads, low-quality content affected, per Glenn Gabe. Speculation arose about testing starting on August 14 due to similar page impacts.
unconfirmed
Quality Update
SEO ranking tools detected some minor volatility on July 9, potentially another (unconfirmed) Google quality update.
unconfirmed
June 25 Update
Various SEO tracking tools detected a significant, though unconfirmed, Google update on this date. One analysis found that this update caused the biggest fluctuations for pages ranking in Positions 6-10. While it impacted most niches, the good and beverage industry was reportedly impacted the most.
unconfirmed
Quality Update
Starting May 17 and lasting for about a week, SEO tracking tools reported lots of SERP volatility. While the impact seems limited, those sites impacted by this update tended to have issues with aggressive/deceptive advertising, UX issues, and thin/low-quality content.
unconfirmed
Google Tops 50% HTTPS
According to our MozCast 10K tracking set, half of page-1 Google organic results were secure/HTTPs as of mid-April. This increased to close to 75% by the end of 2017.
unconfirmed
Fred Update
An unconfirmed Google ranking update seemed to target more of the link quality aspects of the overall algorithm. The SEO community dubbed this update “Fred” based on a joke by Google’s Gary Illyes, who suggested that all future Google updates be called “Fred.”
unconfirmed
February 7 Update
This unconfirmed major update resulted in massive rankings shifts in Google’s SERPs, which also meant major increases or decreases for some websites. Overall, it seems higher-quality and more relevant websites gained the most visibility.
unconfirmed
February 1 Update
This was a minor and unconfirmed Google update. Although all information about this update is more speculation than fact, it seemed to target private blog networks or those doing spammy link building.
confirmed
Intrusive Interstitials Update
Google penalized aggressive mobile interstitials and pop-ups, warning five months prior. High MozCast temperatures on January 10-11, but minimal impact reported by SEOs on affected sites.
2016
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
Multiple Google trackers showed massive flux around December 14-15, including a rare MozCast temperature of 109°F. Webmaster chatter was heavy as well, but Google did not confirm an update.
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
MozCast recorded spikes (106°) on November 10th and 18th, sparking industry chatter. Some speculated the second spike reversed the first update. Google didn't confirm. Many reported SERP anomalies, but causality was unclear.
unconfirmed
Penguin 4.0, Phase 2
Penguin 4.0's second phase reversed old penalties, taking up to two weeks. A peak on October 6th (116°) occurred, unclear if Penguin or new update. Temperatures dropped after October 6th.
confirmed
Penguin 4.0, Phase 1
Penguin 4.0's first phase started around September 22-23, introducing a gentler algorithm devaluing bad links instead of penalizing sites. The rollout spanned a few days, coinciding with a temperature spike (113°) on September 27th.
confirmed
Penguin Update 4.0
The final update to the Penguin algorithm saw it integrated into Google’s core algorithm, meaning Penguin was now evaluating websites and links in real-time. Another big change was Penguin devalued links, rather than downgrading the rankings of pages
Unconfirmed
Image/Universal Drop
MozCast recorded a nearly-record 111° temperature and a 50% drop in SERPs with image (universal/vertical) results. The universal result shake-up opened up an organic position on page 1, causing substantial ranking shifts, but it's likely that this was part of a much larger update.
Unconfirmed
Possum Update
There was a drop in local pack prevalence, and the local SEO community noted a major shake-up in pack results. Data suggests this update (or a simultaneous update) also heavily impacted organic results.
confirmed
Mobile-friendly 2
This update was more of a boost to the original Mobile-Friendly Update of 2015, a real-time, page-by-page signal that only impacts mobile search results. This update was meant to “increase the effect of the [mobile-friendly] ranking signal.”
confirmed
Core Update
Major fluctuations were being observed in the search results.Google’s Gary Illyes confirmed it was a core ranking algorithm update.
confirmed
Panda Core Algorithm Incorporation
Google integrated Panda into the core algorithm, marking the end of its separate filter status. Panda now operates as a core ranking signal, not in real time, following the slow 4.2 rollout.
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
Multiple tracking tools (including MozCast) reported historically-large rankings movement, which Google later confirmed as a "core algo update". Google officially said that this was not a Penguin update, but details remain sketchy.
2015
confirmed
RankBrain
Google introduced RankBrain, a machine learning algorithm, refining search results for better user answers. Initially for 15% of new queries, it's now involved in nearly all searches, recognized as the third most vital ranking factor.
confirmed
Panda Update 4.2
Google announced a Panda refresh that would take months to roll out and impact 2 to 3 percent of English queries. Due to the slow nature of the rollout, it’s unclear how substantial the impact was or precisely when it occurred. It was the final confirmed Panda update.
confirmed
Quality Update
The Quality Update (or the Phantom Update) was a confirmed change to Google’s core ranking algorithm – specifically, how Google assesses quality signals. Websites with content quality issues, as well as too many ads, seemed to be impacted the most by this update.
confirmed
Mobilegeddon
Google pre-announced an algorithm update, telling us that mobile rankings would differ for mobile-friendly sites starting on April 21st. The impact of this update was, in the short-term, much smaller than expected, and our data showed that algorithm flux peaked on April 22nd.
unconfirmed
Unnamed Update
Multiple SERP-trackers and many webmasters reported major flux in Google SERPs. Speculation ranged from an e-commerce focused update to a mobile usability update. Google did not officially confirm an update.