What major updates in SEO and which ranking algorithms should be known by every website/blog owner?

The thing is the world’s online search giant (a.k.a. Google search engine itself) introduces different changes to its overall SEO and ranking algorithms – some of them are just tiny tweaks, and the others may occasionally shake up the whole approach to organic ranking in its relevant list of the SERPs. But taken in general, all major updates which have taken place so far, and therefore are of the most crucial importance for the whole realm of Google’s organic SEO, ranking algorithms, as well as the rest of significant changes related to that point (for example, algorithmic updates themselves, foundational adjustments, ranking penalties, etc.) – are falling into eight primary algorithm updates. 

From the viewpoint of SEO, these ranking algorithms are commonly known among the industry experts under the following names: 

• Panda algorithm (dated February 24, 2011);
• Penguin update (launched April 24, 2012);
• Hummingbird (launched August 22, 2013);
• Pigeon (dated July-December, 2014);
• Mobile-First Index (initially delivered in April, 2015);
• As well as RankBrain (dated October 26, 2015);
• And Possum algorithm update (launched September 1, 2016). 

All that being said, below I’m going to quickly run through each original algorithm update in greater detail. Ultimately, to give you a big picture of all your traffic changes, which may have correlated with the most significant changes in SEO and the major ranking algorithms that have taken place so far. So, let’s see them all.

Dramatic Changes in SEO: 8 Ranking Algorithms & Updates of Top Importance

Panda

This first major algorithm update had been initially delivered to tackle the primary content-related problems, such as too thin, duplicate, plagiarized, spammy on-page content, as well as the rest of potentially arising issues, such as “keyword overstuffing.” For all website owners and blog writers, Panda has brought a dire need for running regular check-ups to detect any content duplication, and potential occurrences with too thin/”overstuffed” articles/posts and on-page HTML elements (like Meta Descriptions, Image ALT Tags, etc.). And for detecting all these related problems and taking timely adjustment, I personally recommend using website crawler tools, like Semalt Website Analyzer, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, PowerSuite Website Auditor, and any other online analysis platforms with a good reputation and use-proven performance. More specifically, for plagiarism-related content occurrences and external duplication issues, you are recommended to use online checker tools like Copyscape, ETXT Antiplagiat, or any other related helper, which is popular among professional webmasters and content writers.

Penguin

Among the other major updates, Penguin was generally related to off-page SEO and ranking algorithms, which had been initially designed to tackle the most frequently arising external link issues, such as spammy/irrelevant links, and those embedded with over-optimized link text anchor. Note, that unlike Panda algorithm update, Penguin is now working in real time – mainly to fit its main objective in down-ranking every website or blog, whose external link profile deems tricky or manipulative. For website owners and bloggers, this type of SEO ranking algorithms calls for only legitimate usage of White-Hat techniques in link building (i.e., creating backlinks for SEO only naturally/organically – at least without using Private Blog Networks, getting paid links, joining Link Exchanges, Link Wheels, or Automated Link Farms). That’s it.

Hummingbird

This algorithm update had been initially designed to keep tackling content-related issues, being mainly focused on keyword stuffing and SEO content of generally low quality (evaluated in the eyes of the live user, to be more precise). In other words, Hummingbird works on supporting Google with better “understanding” of the search queries – ultimately, to provide best-fitting search results not only regarding the exact keyword match, but considering the main user intent behind the search itself. From the viewpoint of webmasters and site owners, it means that now it’s recommended to focus more on the natural, user-friendly language processing (otherwise, Latent Semantic Indexing), instead of abusing with the main target keywords to maximize the average keyword density per every web page. Now such content optimization “techniques” are not working anymore. Moreover, that would be a sure-fire way to earn yourself at least a temporary ranking penalty.

Pigeon

Among the other local SEO ranking algorithms, Pigeon update highlights the importance of the actual user’s location when delivering best-fitting search results based on the actual human behavior. Put simply, this major algorithm update is intended to build much tighter connections between Google’s general core algorithm, and its locally-oriented mode of measuring organic ranking positions for each web page within its index. From the viewpoint of the overall optimization process for local search, Pigeon emphasized the right usage of top relevant business directories, as well as local listing submissions, and a proper choice of the main/secondary business categories. That’s all you need to know to that point.

Mobile-First Index

Mobile-oriented algorithm update was designed mainly to fix the lack of a mobile-friendly version of the website, as well as poor mobile functionality for user browsing via standard portable devices like smartphones and tablets. Put simply, its general idea was to get all pages which are poorly optimized for mobile-friendly UX – filtered out from Google’s organic search listing, or at least have them significantly ranked down the SERPs. As for you, Mobile-First Index update means that you should focus now more on providing better page loading speed, in line with maintaining proper portable usability, to be fully consistent at least under the most popular Internet browsers/mobile apps.

RankBrain

Given that this one is fully related to the rest of Hummingbird-based SEO ranking algorithms, this tweak was generally intended to work on further elimination of shallow content and poor UX. So, RankBrain simply keeps working on Google’s machine learning system that helps the search engine understand the meaning of keyword-based expressions behind their queries. Ultimately – to serve even better search results, which are provided as the best-fitting responses to those search queries. That’s it.

Possum

Possum is another locally-oriented major algorithm update, which was aimed at providing diverse local search results, which should be even more tailored to the user’s current search location (i.e., in terms of the actual proximity). Given that there is nothing too specific about that (of course, besides its revamped approach to keyword research, that calls us for discovering more location-specific search terms, under really tight keyword competition in every target location), let’s finally proceed with the last major update in SEO regarding ranking algorithms of the core importance to every website’s/blog’s organic rankings.

Fred

The last of officially confirmed Google’s SEO ranking algorithms, Fred update is targeted solely at the Major Webmaster Guidelines (their most significant violations, to be more precise). Among the others, the lion’s share of affected low-quality web pages are blogs with spammy or automatically-generated SEO content – which appear to have the primary (and arguably the only) purpose of pumping the maximum amounts of revenues generated with ads. In other words, Fred is designed to tackle every openly thin and affiliate-heavy (otherwise, advertising-centered) on-page content, which actually delivers no added value to the user (i.e., is bringing nothing but harm – from the viewpoint of flawlessly perfect UX). As a result, now every site owner and, more specifically, all blog writers without exception – should at least keep watching out for such content violations to take prompt action. Ideally, you are recommended to revise Google’s Search Quality Guidelines to make sure every web page showing ads can actually provide a fully informative, ample and purely relevant data of genuinely high quality. 

That’s why you should probably rethink your own pages, and simply make sure that nothing is about tricking with Google’s SEO ranking algorithms (particularly in case you have a lot of gateway pages, which are actually jam-packed with affiliate links, banner ads, and any other means of commercial advertising that may potentially harm net positive user experience you’re providing with your website or blog pages). Of course, most publishers are making affiliate profits off, let’s face it, actually too annoying pop-ups and banner ads occasionally taking the lion’s share of on-page space. That way, everything might as well seem quite acceptable (at least from the viewpoint of the most explicit violations against Google’s Major Webmaster Guidelines). But under any circumstances, the world’s search giant keeps doing its best to provide better user experience – so you should simply keep in mind that your website or marketing blog is still intended to deliver a measurable added value to the user with only original and purely relevant content, first and foremost. Doing so, you will always have a big room for getting your hard effort awarded with bigger income from showing popping-up ads or placing some banners. Just make sure you’re still focused on the user, rather than maximizing your income-generating potential with getting too many annoying ads – and you’re done.