Google Algorithm Update Tracker

Google algorithms are constantly changing.

Some changes can have a significant impact on your website's ranking and visibility—especially if you're cutting corners. It's important to not look for loopholes in the ranking algorithms. Even if you're not cutting corners, your SEO strategy need to be informed by your target audience and be technically sound.

Click into each of the updates below to learn what to look for, how to respond on your website, and helpful resources to improve your website's SEO and UX.

Five most recent Google updates

April 2023 Reviews Update
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March 2023 Core Update
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February 2023 Product Reviews Update (#6)
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December 2022 Link Spam Update
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December 2022 Helpful Content Update (#2)
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All Google updates & details

UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Search Ranking Algorithm Update

April 2023 Reviews Update

Started
Apr 12, 2023
Completed
Apr 25, 2023
Announced
Apr 12, 2023
This update affects Google Search's reviews system, which aims to reward high-quality review content. The reviews system doensn't just evaluate product reviews - it evaluates all first-pary website content providing recommendations, opinions, or analysis on any topic: products, entertainment, services, or businesses. It does not evaluate third-party reviews, for example user reviews.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
April 2023 Reviews Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Core Update

March 2023 Core Update

Started
Mar 15, 2023
Completed
Mar 28, 2023
Announced
Mar 15, 2023
This is Google's first core algorithm update since September 2022.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
March 2023 Core Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Search ranking algorithm update

February 2023 Product Reviews Update (#6)

Started
Feb 21, 2023
Completed
Mar 7, 2023
Announced
Feb 21, 2023
Google seeks to promote product reviews that are high quality and helpful to users as evidenced by insightful, original content created by experts and/or product enthusiasts.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
February 2023 Product Reviews Update (#6)
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Spam update

December 2022 Link Spam Update

Started
Dec 14, 2022
Completed
Jan 12, 2023
Announced
Dec 14, 2022
Google is updating SpamBrain, their AI-based spam prevention system, to make sure it can keep catching new types of link spam.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
December 2022 Link Spam Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Sitewide Signal

December 2022 Helpful Content Update (#2)

Started
Dec 5, 2022
Completed
Jan 12, 2023
Announced
Dec 8, 2022
The December 2022 helpful content update improves Google's classifier and works across content globally in all languages.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
December 2022 Helpful Content Update (#2)
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Search ranking algorithm update

October 2022 Spam Update

Started
Oct 19, 2022
Completed
Oct 21, 2022
Announced
Oct 19, 2022
Google has made a noteworthy improvement to their automated systems that detect search spam.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
October 2022 Spam Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Search ranking algorithm update

September 2022 Product Reviews Update (#5)

Started
Sep 20, 2022
Completed
Sep 26, 2022
Announced
Sep 20, 2022
Google is cracking down on product reviews that aren't authentic or don't help users.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
September 2022 Product Reviews Update (#5)
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Broad core update

September 2022 Core Update

Started
Sep 12, 2022
Completed
Sep 26, 2022
Announced
Sep 12, 2022
Google makes core updates several times a year to increase the relevancy and usefulness of search results, and smaller core updates are not announced. Core updates are made to keep pace with the evolving web and include broad changes and refinements to Google’s algorithm and systems.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
September 2022 Core Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Sitewide signal

Helpful Content Update

Started
Aug 25, 2022
Completed
Sep 9, 2022
Announced
Aug 18, 2022
This update includes a new, weighted, sitewide signal meant to reward content that’s useful to searchers and downgrade content that is unoriginal, unsatisfying, unhelpful, and written to rank well on search engines rather than help or inform people. Pages with “people-first content” could still rank well even if a website has been deemed unhelpful.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
Helpful Content Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Search ranking algorithm update

July 2022 Product Reviews Update (#4)

Started
Jul 27, 2022
Completed
Aug 2, 2022
Announced
Jul 27, 2022
Google really wants us to provide authentic and helpful product reviews
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
July 2022 Product Reviews Update (#4)
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Broad core update

May 2022 Core Update

Started
May 25, 2022
Completed
Jun 9, 2022
Announced
May 25, 2022
Google makes core updates several times a year to increase the relevancy and usefulness of search results, and smaller core updates are not announced. Core updates are made to keep pace with the evolving web and include broad changes and refinements to Google’s algorithm and systems.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
May 2022 Core Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Search ranking algorithm update

March 2022 Product Reviews Update (#3)

Started
Mar 23, 2022
Completed
Announced
Apr 8, 2021
Improvements to Google's ability to identify high-quality reviews.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
March 2022 Product Reviews Update (#3)
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Desktop ranking update

Page Experience Update

Started
Feb 22, 2022
Completed
Announced
Nov 4, 2021
Commonly referred to as Core Web Vitals, the Page Experience update is now being released on desktop.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
Page Experience Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Product Reviews

December 2021 Product Reviews Update (#2)

Started
Dec 1, 2021
Completed
Dec 15, 2021
Announced
Dec 1, 2021
Improvements to Google's ability to identify high-quality reviews.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
December 2021 Product Reviews Update (#2)
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Mobile ranking update

Page Experience Update

Started
Jun 15, 2021
Completed
Aug 31, 2021
Announced
May 28, 2020
Core Web Vitals metrics in mobile search results.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
Page Experience Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Search ranking algorithm update

April 2021 Product Reviews Update (#1)

Started
Apr 8, 2021
Completed
Apr 2, 2021
Announced
Apr 8, 2021
Identify and surface high-quality reviews.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
April 2021 Product Reviews Update (#1)
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Algorithm update

BERT Update

Started
Oct 24, 2019
Completed
Announced
Oct 25, 2019
Improved understanding of user search queries using a deep learning algorithm: Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
BERT Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Algorithm update

Medic Update

Started
Aug 1, 2018
Completed
Announced
Aug 1, 2018
Increased importance of expertise, authority, and trust (E-A-T) for YMYL (Your Money Your Life) content: sensitive topics that could potentially have a large impact on users’ finances, health and well-being.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
Medic Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Broad core update.

Mobile Update

Started
Apr 21, 2015
Completed
Announced
Feb 26, 2015
More weight is placed on a mobile user’s experience of the website. This update applies to all search results in all languages, globally, and applies to individual pages, not sitewide.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
Mobile Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Algorithm update

RankBrain Update

Started
Mar 20, 2015
Completed
Announced
Oct 26, 2015
Rollout of machine learning to better understand search queries, searcher intent and entities.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
RankBrain Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Algorithm update

Hummingbird Update

Started
Aug 26, 2013
Completed
Announced
Sep 26, 2013
Improved search results for long-tail keywords and enabled conversational search. Humming bird also improved the appearance of search results on mobile devices.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
Hummingbird Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Algorithm Update

Penguin Update

Started
Aug 26, 2012
Completed
Announced
Apr 24, 2012
Improved understanding of link quality to downgrade spam and optimize search results for users. Google also rolled out a series of Penguin updates through September 2016.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
Penguin Update
UPDATE COMPLETE
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Algorithm update

Panda Update

Started
Feb 23, 2011
Completed
Apr 11, 2011
Announced
Feb 24, 2011
Lowered the ranking of sites with thin, low-quality content to help searchers find more high-quality results.
More about the update, what we're seeing, and what you should look out for:
Panda Update
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