The recent BERT update that Google rolled out has made some waves among the digital marketers!
Generally, Google updates its algorithm almost 500 to 600 times a year but not all of them have major impacts.
Also, to list all of the updates will take days to discuss, really.
Here is a list of 9 major Google Algorithm Updates that created a huge impact on its search engine results.
PANDA
Launch date: February 24, 2011
Initially, Panda was a filter rather than an update but in January 2016, it was officially incorporated into the core algorithm.
The Hazards?
Plagiarism, Duplicate Content, User- Generated Spam, keyword stuffing, poor user experiences.
Panda used to assign a content quality to webpages & down ranking sites with low-quality or spam content. Panda works with “quality score” to web pages.
Regular site checks by a site crawler, like Website Auditor to check any plagiarism or thin content.
PENGUIN
Launch date: April 24, 2012
The main objective of this update was to down-rank sites whose links seemed manipulative.
The Hazards?
Spammy or irrelevant links, Links coming from sites created purely for SEO link building, Paid links, Links with overly optimized anchor text.
Since 2016, Penguin is also a part of Google’s core ranking algorithm, which operates in real-time ensuring penalties & recovery in less time.
To be safe, look out for any spikes in your profile link, get rid of any spammy links in your profile by contacting the webmasters of the linking sites.
HUMMINGBIRD
Launch date: August 22, 2013
Hummingbird was launched by Google to better interpret search results & match them with searchers’ intent.
The Hazards?
Keyword stuffing; low-quality content.
Although keywords are important, Hummingbird made it easier for pages to get a rank even it sometimes did not have the same exact keywords. It was a natural language processor & is a major algorithm for interpreting search results as it adds a meaning behind a search as a whole.
The solution is to focus on related searches, that can be synonyms to diversify your content expansions. Also adding a keyword that your target audience speaks is also a way to get better results with Hummingbird.
PIGEON
Launch date: July 24, 2014 (US); December 22, 2014 (UK, Canada, Australia)
Pigeon had a major role in terms of searches in which the user’s location plays an important part.
The hazards it focused on?
Poorly optimized pages, Improper setup of a Google My Business page, Poor on- and off-page SEO.
Pigeon creates a closer tie between local & core algorithm which means similar SEO factors are now being used to rank local & non-local Google results.
To adjust your site’s result one has to Invest effort into on- and off-page SEO.
After this update there was a 50% decline in the number of queries local packs are returned for, giving a ranking boost local directory sites with more cohesiveness between Google Search & Google Maps.
MOBILE UPDATE
Launch date: April 21, 2015
This one was a BIG update for Google.
The hazards?
Lack of a mobile version of the page; poor mobile usability.
Google Mobile Update ensured that mobile-friendly pages or sites appear at the top rank whereas, pages not optimized for mobile ranking were either taken down from the SERP’s or ranked down low.
To stay safe from this update the obvious way is to make your site mobile friendly.
Also, taking a ‘mobile-friendly test” is extremely important if you want to get a good rank in mobile SERP’s. WebSite Auditor can be used to check for this test.
RANKBRAIN
Launch date: October 26, 2015
RankBrain is a machine learning system that is a part of Google’s Hummingbird algorithm.
The hazards it targeted?
Lack of query-specific relevance features; shallow content; poor UX.
RankBrain helps Google to decipher the meaning behind each & every query & providing the best response. Arguably, RankBrain can sometimes summarize what a page is about, evaluate the relevancy of search results, and teach itself to get even better at it with time.
One of the prime ways to handle this algorithm is to increase the User Experience of your website or page. There is a definite reason why low user experience can rank your page down in Google’s SERP & that is your site should be useful for the audience you are targeting. Also, content optimization is very essential to help with the tight-knit competition in the market.
POSSUM
Launch date: September 1, 2016
Possum update was based on changes in Google’s local ranking filter. This update gives results depending on the physical availability of the search result.
The hazard it targeted?
Sharing a physical address with a similar business, competition in your target location.
Possum also resulted in greater variety among results ranking for very similar queries giving a boost to the local businesses, especially ones outside the city area.
To combat this update you need to upgrade your usage of local keywords which can easily be tracked. Location-specific rank tracking can also be used to increase your visibility range.
FRED
Launch date: March 8, 2017
With Fred, it targeted thin, affiliate-heavy or ad-centered content.
Fred especially targets websites that violates Google webmasters guidelines. Many blog sites are there low-quality posts that appear to be created mostly for the purpose of generating ad revenue.
To avoid this update, you need to watch out for your content. Review your site for irrelevant content, and update the low word count pages with relevant, useful information.
And lastly,
BERT
Launch date: October 25, 2019
BERT is arguably the biggest change to Google search in the past 5 years. Bert was introduced for Google to better understand search queries.
Bert targeted search results with all nuances of contexts. BERT algorithm is a deep learning algorithm related to natural language processing.
For instance, Google will now take prepositions like “to” or “for” to understand & give more meaningful results.
There are many other updates by Google but as we said, it is not possible to describe each of them. But if you are still interested to get more updated information, you can check out this page here!
Want your business to get a top rank at the Google search results? We at Skyram provide SEO & complete digital business strategy to give your brand maximum page visibility & traffic. Connect with us here!
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