What is the Google Algorithm?
The Google algorithm is a complex process that retrieves data from its vast index by evaluating multiple factors to deliver the most relevant and accurate answers to users’ search queries.
Search engines like Google use this algorithm, along with numerous ranking factors, to determine which websites best match a searcher’s intent and should appear in the top results.
During this process, Google scans and analyzes websites to assess their relevance and quality in relation to the user’s query.
Google continually updates and refines its algorithm to improve search results. In 2020 alone, Google rolled out over 4,500 updates—most of which focused on its ranking system, followed by changes to the user interface and other aspects.
On average, Google makes 4 to 6 updates daily, amounting to several thousand updates each year.
While the exact details of Google’s algorithm remain a closely guarded secret, SEO professionals analyze trends and signals to better understand how to optimize websites for improved performance in search results.
How does Google's search algorithm work?
As mentioned earlier, Google keeps the specifics of its search algorithm confidential. However, it is widely believed that the algorithm considers over 200 ranking factors to determine website rankings.
According to Google’s official documentation, key criteria include the meaning, relevance, quality, usability, and context of content to decide which results best answer a user’s query.
To provide the most useful results, search algorithms consider numerous factors and signals. These include the words in your query, the relevance and usability of web pages, the expertise of content sources, and your location and personal settings. The importance of each factor varies depending on the type of query. For instance, content freshness is more critical for current news topics than for static information like dictionary definitions.
Major Google Algorithm Updates
Google updates its search algorithm multiple times each year. These updates generally fall into two categories:
Minor Updates: Small, incremental changes made regularly. These usually have little to no noticeable impact on search rankings.
Core Updates: Significant overhauls to Google’s algorithm, often given distinct names. Core updates can dramatically affect website rankings and the overall SEO landscape.
Below is a list of some of the most influential core algorithm updates from the past decade that have reshaped how SEO works.
Panda
Launched in 2011 and fully integrated into Google’s core algorithm by 2016, Google Panda targets low-quality, thin, duplicate, and keyword-stuffed content. Its primary goal is to combat black hat SEO tactics by assigning a quality score to webpages based on multiple factors, then ranking them accordingly.
Panda is highly effective at identifying and penalizing websites with poor content. Frequent updates allow faster penalties and recoveries, encouraging sites to maintain high-quality content.
Penguin
Introduced in 2012, Google Penguin focuses on eliminating spammy, manipulative backlinks. It targets over-optimized anchor text and unnatural link-building practices, such as links from link farms or paid schemes.
The objective of Penguin is to discourage unethical backlink tactics and ensure that websites earn links naturally, improving the overall quality of search results.
Hummingbird
Google Hummingbird update, rolled out in 2013, focuses on interpreting the searcher’s queries and inferring the meaning behind them.
It shifted the search results from exact-match search queries to inferring and understanding the searcher’s intent. It filtered out the low-quality and keyword-stuffed content from the search results and focused on search intent.
This algorithm has made it possible for the content to rank better even if it has not covered the exact keywords.
Pigeon
Google Pigeon was launched in 2014 and has improved local search results and helped local businesses grow better than ever.
Searchers will now have more precise results based on their location.
Earlier, small businesses had to focus more on SEO practices, but with Google Pigeon, every minor to large business will have equal chances of growth and appearance in search results.
Location and distance are key elements of a search plan that determine the search results. This algorithm has also affected the results in Google Maps and those shown in regular search results.
Mobile Update
Google's mobile update came in 2015, encouraging mobile-friendly pages and dropping off the ranking of websites with poor mobile usability.
As more search traffic comes from mobile, it was necessary to focus on mobile-friendly versions of web pages.
Subsequent updates rolled out in 2018 and 2020 - focused on ranking websites based on how fast their mobile version loads and user-friendliness.
RankBrain
Another Google core algorithm update was also made in 2015. RankBrain is a machine learning system launched as a part of the Hummingbird algorithm to focus on providing more relevant search results by understanding the meaning behind the search terms.
The purpose was to provide more accurate results to the searchers that go beyond their exact match query and understand the intent behind their query.
Where to find Google’s algorithm official updates?
Google makes several changes and updates its algorithm several times a day.
Core updates have a major impact on rankings, so staying up to date with all the latest algorithm updates, documentation, and other statements released by Google is essential.
Whenever an algorithm update is made, it is officially announced on different platforms of Google. You can stay in touch with official channels of Google like:
Google’s official Twitter page
Google Search Central’s YouTube channel
If you have any questions regarding Google's algorithm or want to know how it works, you may ask Google’s John Mueller during official hangouts hours on YouTube.
The bottom line
Google's algorithm is a complex process that keeps on changing. Despite several changes, the main essence of ranking and presenting the best relevant content to searchers will remain the same.
It is ideal to stay in touch with Google's official platforms to know about the latest updates and refreshes.
Meanwhile, create quality content for your audience, build authority, keep your website updated and user-friendly, and focus on building relevant links.
These are some of the things Google really cares about the websites and gives weightage to them.