Just like any other aspect of ever-changing and shifting trends of digital online media marketing, the biggest online search engine Google also changes its search engine algorithm. Although it changes around 500-600 times a year, mostly these updates are minor. However, Google sporadically presents significant algorithm update once or twice every year that affects the organic search engine results in a major way.
For any digital media marketer, knowing about these updates is crucial, and they have to prepare for it in advance. These updates can affect organic rankings, which further influences organic website traffic, reaches, impressions, conversions and ultimately sales. Knowing the dates of these Google updates can immensely help a marketer to enhance their organic rankings by improving search engine optimization of their websites. So it is important to have a dedicated lead and research department that know all about the Google algorithm updates.
Google has a very long history of renowned algorithm updates and search engine index changes. Following are some of the major updates that were presented by Google in the past. In order to become a successful search engine marketer, it is highly imperative to know about them so you can have a good idea why, when and how Google updates its organic search engine algorithm.
Panda
Known as a search filter update, it was introduced in February 2011. Its basic aim was to stop websites to result in Google search results that employ poor quality or plagiarized content. This search filter is updated on a timely basis, so no site can escape from its wrath.
Hummingbird
Hummingbird is the name of Google update which is being used as of September 2013. As the name suggests, this update was meant to be fast and accurate, as the hummingbird itself is a fast flying bird. This update focuses on different words in queries, making sure the whole meaning of the sentences is taken into account. The goal is to present the Google organic search engine result in a more relevant manner, not just a few words.
The reason behind its design was to bring genuine and relevant content forward in the search results, to help increase user interface and experience. This update was considered to be the changing point in the search engine history and was the point where black-hat and white-hat SEO was separated. For people that are asking what is white hat link building or white-hat SEO, it is an SEO strategy that focuses on editorial content that is likely to be read by a real person.
Penguin
Penguin update was launched by Google in April 2012. Its basic purpose was to catch website that is involved in influencing organic search result b the methods of spamming. It focuses specifically on sites that are purchasing or obtaining links through networks that are designed to enhance organic ranking.
After the release of a new Penguin update, websites that are practicing link spamming and have successfully evaded the analysis before, are specifically targeted.
Mobocalypse
Mobocalypse is known by multiple names. But here we will call it Mobocalypse. A significant mobile search engine ranking algorithm, it was released on 21st April 2015. Its major purpose was to increase mobile-friendly pages in search engine results on mobile phones.
This update also focuses on relevancy, by taking all the mobile searches into account. This is a fact that people are using mobile phones for every other thing. So this update was important in many ways.
Pigeon
Pigeon update was launched on 24th of July. It encompasses English results for all I.Ps of United States of America. It provides a new algorithm, which enhances search engine results by providing relevant, precise and useful organic search results. These results are drawn more carefully to customary web search rankings. Further reviews and researches made by Google determined that this new algorithm improves position and distance ranking constraints.
EMD
EMD update or better known as Exact Match Domain is a filter launched by Google in September 2012. Its purpose is to stop any poor quality website from organically ranking on top pages simply because they had matching domain names with the search query. After this updates, multiple sites have updated their content with original articles and text. Sites with poor quality content with the exact domain name as of search, are relegated to lower ranking pages.
Pirate
Google introduced an update in the form of a filter in August 2012, to avert websites with multiple copyright violation reports. This filter is updated occasionally and it doesn’t allow any website to escape a review. It also catches new websites or those sites that have been caught before.
Payday
Google Payday was launched in June 2013. Google developed Payday as a new algorithm to target cleaned up search results for customary spam requests. These requests include pornography sites, payday loan, and any other junk probe. With Google Payday, making transactions online to websites that are actually genuine and working to enhance your online experience has become quite easy. It was a significant update in a completely new dimension, which was also the very first of its kind.
About Author:
Author of this content is a great blogger Yousuf A. Raza who loves guest blogging and content marketing. Currently, He is working as a digital marketing expert at Flights Comparison. You can catch him at Facebook and Twitter to learn more about him.
