Google updates its algorithm hundreds of times every year. Some of these are announced and most go unnoticed. These updates have huge impacts on search engine organic results. For most marketers, knowing about Google updates is important as they are essential in making digital marketing decisions.
Google 2015 updates
Here’s a recap of Google updates that happened in 2015:
1. Mobile Friendly Update
– Launched April 21, 2015
– Also known as Mobiglegeddon, this update was launched to improve mobile search results. Mobile-friendly sites got a boost in rankings, while non-friendly sites dropped.
– This makes mobile-friendliness a highly important ranking factor.
2. Quality Update
– Launnced May 3, 2015
– Google announced this update to change the way it assesses quality of websites.
– Webmasters had to reevaluate the quality of their published conent.
3. Panda 4.2
– Launched July 17, 2015
– The Google Panda Update was first launched in 2011. The latest Panda update affected 2-3% of search querries.
– Sites with poor, spam, irelevant and redundant content are affected by this update.
4. RankBrain
– Launched October 26, 2015
– One of the most revolutionary components added to Google’s search algorithm
– RankBrain uses the power of machine learning — means a computer can teach itself to do something rather than be taught by humans.
– Designed to draw connections between entities. It learns the meaning behind more complex web searches so that it can present more meaningful results to future search queries.
What To Expect In 2016 and Beyond
– Google will continue to emphasize that content should serve valuable purposes
– Search results will present user-focused content
– More major updates are on the way
– Machine learning is the future of search
– Customer satisfaction is still the key to good results