Google’s algorithm is their system that produces search results; it’s essentially the system that ranks websites. While you shouldn’t have to fear algorithm updates if you’re using the right SEO and inbound marketing practices, it can be beneficial to know the basics, especially if you handle your agency’s SEO strategy on your own. It’s important to make sure you’re always in line with what Google wants and what they dictate as best practice, as they currently hold 67% of the search engine market share.

Google makes hundreds of improvements to search every single year. These include algorithm updates, product changes, interface changes, and more. According to Google’s Head of Search, Google made over 890 improvements in 2013 alone, which included algorithm updates. Algorithm updates are specifically designed to prevent unethical tactics from influencing the search results. Several years ago, it was “easy” to game the system and gain better search rankings instead of earning them. This is no longer the case, as Google continues to get more intelligent and understanding of what search users are really looking for; they will always put users first.
To make sure you have the basics, we’ve detailed the three major Google algorithm updates below.

Panda Update
In 2011, Google began rolling out what they called the Panda updates. These updates were introduced in order to crack down on low-quality content. Low-quality content can include:

• Thin (short, lacking substance) content
• Content farms
• Websites with more ads than content
• Duplicate content

By September of 2014, Google had rolled out 27 Panda updates. These updates will continue to be released in order to combat continuous “shady” SEO and content practices.

Penguin Update
Google released the first Penguin update in 2012. Like Panda, since its inception, Penguin has seen several continuous roll outs over the years. The goal of these updates is to combat webspam and over-optimization, which can include websites that:

• Make pages for search engines, not users
• Deceive users
• Use tricks to improve search rankings

Instead, Google’s quality guidelines recommend that you make your website stand out from others in your field. Provide high quality, unique, and valuable content for search users and your target audience. Do not use unlawful practices to try and get visitors to your site, and definitely do not try and trick Google to get higher search rankings and more traffic.

Hummingbird
The Hummingbird update came along in August 2013. Unlike Panda and Penguin, the Hummingbird update did not target specific tactics, but was an overhaul of the way Google’s algorithm operated. This update was essentially a replacement for the overall algorithm. As with many of Google’s updates, Hummingbird was aimed to provide a better user experience for search users by making it precise and fast. It also helped Google deal with how search users’ are searching now. Rather than matching their search results pages to certain keywords, Google wanted to answer whole questions and queries (e.g. “Where is the closest insurance agency?”).

Bonus: Local Search Update
In July of 2014, Google enacted an update to the local search algorithm (where you see map and local listing results). Google has said that this update helps tie the local algorithm to the core search algorithm, with the goal of providing a higher quality and relevant experience for search users seeking local results.