Google announces Core Search Algorithm Update

Recently, Google has confirmed with us that this was an update to the core search algorithm and nothing related to the Panda algorithm that we are expecting to see updated shortly. In addition, Google told us to expect core search algorithm updates in the future as they continue to work on making search quality better.

Google sent us this statement:

This is not a Panda update. As you know, we’re always making improvements to our search algorithms and the web is constantly evolving. We’re going to continue to work on improvements across the board.

This echoes a similar statement Google sent us back with what we coined the Google Quality Update, so I wouldn’t be surprised if what some of the SEO community noticed was around changes to that core search algorithm from May 1st.

The interesting part is that many of the automated tracking tools such as Mozcast showed huge spikes in terms of changes happening in the Google search results. Initially Dr. Pete Meyers thought that maybe the HTTPS algorithm was updated and given more weight, but Gary Illyes from Google said on Twitter that this was not the case. I suspect the reason so many tools showed a spike this week was related to the number one Google search result, Wikipedia, changing all its URLs to go HTTPS this week, which ultimately changed so many 1-5 Google search results, causing the tools to spike.

So from what we know, this was not Panda, not HTTPS and also not Penguin. It was simply a normal Google core search update where Google won’t give us any details on.

Get to know google better with penguin update

Google launched the Penguin Update in April 2012 to better catch sites deemed to be spamming its search results, in particular those doing so by buying links or obtaining them through link networks designed primarily to boost Google rankings. When a new Penguin Update is released, sites that have taken action to remove bad links (such as through the Google disavow links tool or to remove spam may regain rankings. New sites not previously caught might get trapped by Penguin. “False positives,” sites that were caught by mistake, may escape. Our latest news about Penguin is below.

The fifth confirmed release of Google's "Penguin" spam fighting algorithm is live. That makes it Penguin 5 by our count. But since this Penguin update is using a slightly improved version of Google's "Penguin 2" second-generation technology, Google itself is calling it "Penguin 2.1."

Google has said before that search engine optimization, or SEO, can be positive and constructive—and we're not the only ones. Effective search engine optimization can make a site more crawlable and make individual pages more accessible and easier to find. Search engine optimization includes things as simple as keyword research to ensure that the right words are on the page, not just industry jargon that normal people will never type.

“White hat” search engine optimizers often improve the usability of a site, help create great content, or make sites faster, which is good for both users and search engines. Good search engine optimization can also mean good marketing: thinking about creative ways to make a site more compelling, which can help with search engines as well as social media. The net result of making a great site is often greater awareness of that site on the web, which can translate into more people linking to or visiting a site.

The opposite of “white hat” SEO is something called “black hat webspam” (we say “webspam” to distinguish it from email spam). In the pursuit of higher rankings or traffic, a few sites use techniques that don’t benefit users, where the intent is to look for shortcuts or loopholes that would rank pages higher than they deserve to be ranked. We see all sorts of webspam techniques every day, from keyword stuffing to link schemes that attempt to propel sites higher in rankings.

The goal of many of our ranking changes is to help searchers find sites that provide a great user experience and fulfill their information needs. We also want the “good guys” making great sites for users, not just algorithms, to see their effort rewarded. To that end we’ve launched Panda changes that successfully returned higher-quality sites in search results. And earlier this year we launched a page layout algorithm that reduces rankings for sites that don’t make much content available “above the fold.”