Having traced Google’s major updates across more than two decades, it’s worth stepping back and asking what the overall picture looks like,

Over the course of 2021, 2022, and into 2023, Google ran a series of updates specifically targeting review content. Collectively referred to

In October 2022, Google rolled out a broad spam update that targeted websites using manipulative tactics to inflate their search rankings. While

In August 2022, Google introduced an update with a name that made its purpose unusually explicit. The Helpful Content update was designed

In June 2021, after months of advance notice from Google, the Page Experience update began rolling out. Unlike many previous updates which

In October 2019, Google announced one of the most significant advances in how it understood language since Hummingbird. The update was based

In August 2018, a broad core algorithm update rolled out that caused some of the most significant ranking shifts seen in years.

In September 2016, a significant but unannounced change rolled through Google’s local search results. It was given the nickname Possum by the

In October 2015, Google confirmed something that had been quietly running in its algorithm for several months. A machine learning system called

The name alone tells you something about the expectations surrounding this update. When Google announced in advance that it was making mobile-friendliness

For businesses that rely on customers in a specific area, few Google updates have been as directly relevant as Pigeon. Launched in

In September 2013, Google made one of the most significant changes to its search engine since the company launched. Unlike Panda and