{"id":44899,"date":"2023-05-17T12:00:35","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T19:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/?p=44899"},"modified":"2025-04-26T18:03:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T01:03:54","slug":"history-of-google-algorithm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/resources\/history-of-google-algorithm\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of the Google Algorithm"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Google arrived on the scene, it changed the way people used the internet forever. Since that time, the search engine evolved to help make access to the internet easier.<\/p>\n

As such, the Google algorithm history consists of ongoing tweaks and changes. The goal? To ensure high-quality user information, while avoiding spammy content.<\/p>\n

This article will chronicle the history of Google algorithm updates from PageRank to modern day.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

What is the Google algorithm?<\/h2>\n

The Google algorithm is a complex system used to retrieve data from around the web in order to serve results on the search engine results pages (SERPs). Google uses a combination of algorithms and ranking factors to identify pages that best answer a search query.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0SEO content marketing<\/a>, the algorithm is a guiding star and a mystery. Content is always seeking to appease the algorithm. But the inner workings of it aren’t fully known or understood.<\/p>\n

What was the original Google algorithm?<\/h2>\n

When\u00a0Google launched in 1998,\u00a0it used an algorithm called PageRank. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin created this software.<\/p>\n

According to Google<\/a>, PageRank operated “by counting the number and quality of links to a page to determine a rough estimate of how important the website is. The underlying assumption is that more important websites are likely to receive more links from other websites.”<\/p>\n

Through this algorithm, it was fairly easy to see how to boost web traffic: get more links.<\/p>\n

What was the first Google algorithm update?<\/h2>\n

Google made small updates to its search requirements over the years. But in 2011, Google really shook up the SEO world and changed SERP history with its Panda update. The\u00a0Panda update<\/a>\u00a0was \u201cdesigned to reduce rankings for low-quality sites\u2014sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Effectively, the Panda update took aim at websites that created content just to improve search rankings. This impacted two website types::<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Affiliate sites that primarily existed to link to other pages<\/li>\n
  2. Sites with very little, or thin, content<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Panda update was also notable because Google continued to implement the change. Google periodically re-ran the Panda algorithm before adding it to the core algorithm in 2016.<\/p>\n

    Every major Google algorithm update timeline<\/h2>\n

    \"Google<\/p>\n

    Following Panda’s introduction in 2011, Google issued the following algorithm updates:<\/p>\n

    2012 – Venice<\/h3>\n

    The Venice update launched\u00a0local SEO<\/a>. When it was implemented, Google acknowledged that searchers wanted to find things near their locations. After Venice, Google\u2019s search results included pages based on the user’s set location or IP address.<\/p>\n

    2012 – Penguin<\/h3>\n

    The Penguin update took aim at the original PageRank algorithm by analyzing backlinks. Previously, backlink volume mattered. With Penguin, backlink quality was key. Penguin analyzed if backlinks to a site were genuine, or purchased to trick the search engines.<\/p>\n

    This created a seismic shift in SEO. What we now think of as “black hat” techniques, like buying links, no longer added SEO value. In fact, the opposite was true. If Penguin found artificial links, Google assigned a negative value to the site involved.<\/p>\n

    2012 – Pirate<\/h3>\n

    The aptly named Pirate update generated negative rankings for Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown requests. \u00a0The DCMA was implemented to combat illegal streaming and bootlegging. Google couldn’t tell if content actually violated copyrights. This means that it’s unclear how many DMCA violations trigger a negative ranking factor. Still, multiple copyright violations hurt rankings. As such, it’s better to avoid\u00a0copyrighted content.<\/p>\n

    2013 – Hummingbird<\/h3>\n

    The Hummingbird update tackled the issue of\u00a0voice search<\/a>. Hummingbird focused on a whole search phrase, rather than specific words. For example, a previous a search for “what makes Italian food taste good” might previously pulled content optimized for “Italian food” Hummingbird changed this, allowing Google to contextualize the query and serve results around particular flavor profiles.<\/p>\n

    Hummingbird did not appear to have any negative impacts to search. But it was a reminder to write content for humans, rather than keywords for Google.<\/p>\n

    2014 – HTTPS\/SSL<\/h3>\n

    The HTTPS\/SSL update didn’t get a fun name. But it was important. This update gave a ranking boost to sites correctly implementing\u00a0HTTPS to ensure more secure websites from a user standpoint.<\/p>\n

    2015 – Mobildeggion<\/h3>\n

    The 2015 Mobile update, sometimes called “mobilegeddon,” was an algorithm overhaul designed to make SERPS more mobile-friendly. This gave mobile-friendly sites a ranking advantage in Google\u2019s search results.<\/p>\n

    2015 – RankBrain<\/h3>\n

    The RankBrain algorithm utilized machine learning to analyze past searches to improve results.\u00a0Google has since said<\/a>\u00a0that RankBrain is one of the most important updates it created.<\/p>\n

    2016 – Possum<\/h3>\n

    Built on the previous Venice update, Possum also examined the local search.\u00a0This algorithm update gave rise to “near me” queries. After Possum, local results became more varied, depending more on the user’s physical location and query phrasing. This particularly\u00a0helped businesses located outside of city limits<\/a>\u00a0but still near the user’s physical location.<\/p>\n

    2018 – Speed Update<\/h3>\n

    The Mobile Speed Update of 2018 added mobile site speed as a ranking factor. As visitors wanted information quickly on mobile devices, slower load speeds cost SERP rankings.<\/p>\n

    2018 – Medic Update<\/h3>\n

    The Medic update\u00a0emphasized and focused on a website’s expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T). Medic impacted pages related to user well-being and happiness like:<\/p>\n