Google Updates Overview

Google Updates are important events for webmasters and SEOs everywhere. These algorithm changes, filters, data refreshes or other alterations are often to blame when a website suffers a drop in ranking or SEO Visibility.

Short introduction to Google Updates

A Google Update, such as the Mobile Update or Phantom Update, is the term used to describe a change affecting how rankings are calculated by the search engine, Google. Some updates are major algorithm changes and others may be the application of filters of a refresh of the data basis that an algorithm runs on. The general aim of any update is always to improve the relevance and quality of the search results, with most changes focusing on one or more particular features, such as an optimization to fight search engine spam or to combat duplicate content.

Most updates are initiated manually and rolled out for Google’s individual country indexes. Some updates, like the Penguin Update or Panda Update, are already part of Google’s so-called “core algorithm”. They have become so integral to the search engine that they now develop continuously and automatically, and are no longer manually updated.

Each year, Google implements over 600 adaptations and updates to its algorithms. Most of these alterations take place unnoticed and are not announced within the search engine industry.

The most significant Google Updates take place when there is an adjustment to the structure and functionality of the algorithm. These have more of an impact a Data Refresh, which does not add any new features to the core algorithm, and simply updates the data used by the algorithm.

Google Updates since 2010

The table lists all important Google Updates since 2010. These are listed chronologically, starting with the most recent (as of June 2017).

Update Name	Date first Rolled Out	Features	Confirmed by Google
Google September 2022 Core Update	September 12, 2022	On September 12, Google announced the release of the “September 2022 Core Update”. The rollout will take two weeks.	Yes
Google Helpful Content Update	August 25, 2022	On August 25, Google announced the rollout of the “Helpful Content Update” has begun. The rollout has been completed by September 9, 2022. » Google Helpful Content Update	Yes
Google May 2022 Core Update	May 22, 2022	After over a week of speculation from the SEO community, Google announced its May 2022 Core Update on May 25. 2022. » Google May 2022 Core Update	Yes
Google Product Reviews Update December 2021	December 1, 2021	On December 1st Google has announced that a December 2021 Product Reviews Update will be rolled out. » Google Product Reviews Update December 2021	Yes
Google November 2021 Core Update	November 17, 2021	On November 17, 2021, Google announced that they were releasing a broad Core Update. According to Google the rollout has been completed by November 30th. » Google November 2021 Core Update	Yes
Google June/July 2021 Core Update	July 1, 2021	The rollout of the second part of the Google June/July 2021 Core Update started on July 1st, 2021 and ended on July 12th. » Google June/July 2021 Core Update	Yes
Google Page Experience Update	June 15, 2021	The rollout of the Page Experience Update and the introduction of the new user experience metrics Core Web Vitals began on June 15, 2021 – and, according to Google, will drag on for two and a half months and not be completed until the end of August 2021. » Page Experience Update & Core Web Vitals	Yes
Google June/July 2021 Core Update	June 2, 2021	Google has announced a two-part summer update. After the June update we can see losers in the fields of Thin Content or YMYL. Some of the winning pages are older pages and some were losers in the past after the December or November 2020 updates. » Google June 2021 Core Update	Yes
Google December 2020 Core Update	December 3, 2020	Google is announcing its third Core Update 2020, and we can see some clear shifts in rankings in typical areas related to E-A-T and content – music, health, news, and ecommerce. » Google December 2020 Core Update	Yes
Google May 2020 Core Update	May 4, 2020	In the midst of the corona pandemic, Google is announcing its second Core Update 2020, and the changes resulting from this Core Update appear to affect many industries; from prescriptions to health to finance. » Google May 2020 Core Update	Yes
Google Update February 2020	February 7, 2020	Major changes to the Google search results were observed on 7th and 8th of February 2020. This update was not confirmed as a Core Update by Google, with Google simply repeating its line that algorithm updates happen all the time. » Google Update February 2020	Yes and no
Google January 2020 Core Update	January 13, 2020	The first official Core Update of 2020 was rolled out on 13th January 2020. There is not yet any information regarding its impact. With this update, Google continues its communication strategy of (pre-)announcing Core Updates on Twitter. » Google Update January 2020	Yes
Google Update November 2019	November 7, 2019	Webmasters in the USA who run affiliate sites have observed massive changes in the travel, food and health sectors. Google has not commented on the changes, but SEO experts have described the update as “aggressive”. » Google Update November 2019	Yes
Google BERT Update	October 24, 2019	It’s the biggest change to Google’s algorithm for five years, affecting one in ten search queries. With the Google BERT Update, Google aims to improve the interpretation of complex long-tail search queries and display more relevant search results. » Google BERT Update	Yes
Google September 2019 Core Update	September 24, 2019	The September 2019 Core Update was rolled-out globally, starting on the 24th of September. This Google Update focused on improvements in the content quality in the SERPs. For the second time, Google pre-announced a core algorithm update in advance. » Google September 2019 Core Update	Yes
Google Rich Snippet Review Update	September 18, 2019	Star-ratings for websites, which Google had previously shown in the SERPs, were drastically reduced. With the update, reviews are no longer displayed in the SERPs if generated by the websites themselves. Google called this a “self-serving” mark-up which was not adding value for users.	Yes
Google June 2019 Core Update	June 3, 2019	Google set a new precedent with its “June 2019 Core Update” by, for the first time in the history of Google Updates, announcing the roll-out of a major core algorithm change in advance. This update was the second major update of 2019 altering the core algorithm, and was rolled out on the 3rd of June, as preannounced. » Google June 2019 Core Update	Yes
Google March 2019 Core Update	March 12, 2019	In this global core algorithm update, there were ranking shifts for keywords related to health and other sensitive topics. The algorithm was also adjusted to favor trust and expertise, as well as user signals. » Google March 2019 Core Update	Yes
Google Halloween Update	Early November 2018	Fluctuations in the SERPs at the start of November 2018 point to an unofficial quality update. The timing of this update led to the name, “Halloween Update”, although it was not officially confirmed by Google.	No
E-A-T-Update #2	Early October 2018	This adjustment of the E-A-T Update saw health sites that had profited from the first E-A-T Update lose visibility. Similarly, some website that had been negatively impacted by the first E-A-T Update experienced a recovery.	No
Google Birthday Update	September 2018	Unofficial Google update that affected many domains previously affected by the August 2018 E-A-T Update; often with an inverse trend.	No
E-A-T-Update	August 2018	Official Google update that rewards Expertise-Authority-Trust websites, especially for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) keywords. » Google E-A-T-Update	Yes
Mobile Speed Update	July 2018	Since 9th of July 2018, a website’s load time is an official ranking signal for Google’s mobile search results. According to Google, the Speed Update only impacts websites that provide the slowest user experience. » Google Speed Update Analysis	Yes
Video Carousels on Desktop	June 2018	Google has started showing video carousels for desktop searches. At the same time, many organic video rankings disappeared. This has led to Visibility fluctuations for websites with a lot of video content like YouTube or Vimeo.	No
Rollout of Mobile-First-Index	March 26, 2018	After a year-and-a-half of preparation, Google announced that the mobile version of websites would, for the first time, be used to create its Google Index. This switch to Mobile-first indexing initially only affects a few websites, with Google not revealing how long the rollout is expected to last or when it should be completed. » Rollout of the Mobile-First Index	Yes
Core Algorithm Update	March 12, 2018	In November 2017, many webmasters suspected that a Google-Update had taken place. These suspicions were confirmed with the official Core Update, which was rolled out on 12th March 2018, leading to major fluctuations in the search results. Winning websites from autumn 2017 received another boost; losers saw further decline. » Core Algorithm Analysis	Yes
Update Snippet Length	November 30, 2017	This update saw Google increase the length of meta descriptions displayed for many search results. The maximum length used to be 155 characters; with the update it (nearly) doubled to 300.	Yes
User Localization Update	October 27, 2017	Since October 2017, users are given search results based on their current physical location, regardless of the top-level domain (e.g. Google.com/Google.co.uk) they enter into the address bar. » Localization Update Analysis	Yes
Chrome HTTPS Warning	October 17, 2017	The release of Chrome 62 also includes the display of a warning for websites that request user data but that fail to implement HTTPS encryption correctly or completely.	Yes
Dictionary Update	June 25, 2017	In June 2017, an update created (more) Visibility improvements for dictionary domains. URLs for dictionaries improved their rankings, mainly for short-tail keywords that could have various different user intents. » Dictionary Update Analysis	No
Fred Update	March 3, 2017	The update was not officially confirmed by Google. The name comes from Gary Illyes, who jokingly said that all updates would now be called “Fred.” Pages most affected were those with low-quality content without any real added value for users. The update is thought to have targeted excessive use of advertising banners, meaning it can possibly be considered an iteration of the so-called “Interstitial Penalty.”	Yes and no
Phantom V Update	February 2017	The heavy impact observed on rankings suggested that adjustments were again made to the Phantom Update. The update was not confirmed by Google. Nevertheless, the pattern of results pointed to this being a “Phantom.” » Phantom V Analysis	No
Interstitial Penalty	January 10, 2017	This update was supposed to primarily target pages that made aggressive use of interstitials and pop-ups because of their negative impact on user-friendliness.	Yes
Penguin Update 4.0	September 27, 2016 to October 6, 2016	This large update of the Penguin algorithm was carried out in several steps, lasting around two weeks. In the second phase, websites had the chance to escape the Penguin filter and regain rankings by having penalties removed. » Penguin 4.0 Analysis	Yes
Mobile Update 2	May 12, 2016	This update gave increased weight to websites’ mobile-friendliness when evaluating rankings for the mobile Google search. Websites that had not yet been optimized for smartphones at the time of the first Mobile Update had the chance of regaining rankings they had lost in the mobile SERPs. » Mobilegeddon 2 Analysis	Yes
Phantom Update IV	May 10, 2016	The pattern of this unconfirmed update was similar to previous Phantom Updates, with the traffic on a number of the same websites being affected. It is therefore assumed that this was the fourth iteration of this algorithm adjustment. » Phantom IV Analysis	No
Google Core Update	January 2016	Pages with high-quality, holistic content were the big winners for many keywords. But it was not just the amount of content that was decisive in determining rankings. far more, it was the question whether the content was relevant for fulfilling the user intent. » Google Core Update Analysis	Yes
Phantom Update III	December 2015	After a change to Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines, webmasters and SEOs across the world saw changes to their rankings. Various analyses found that the update primarily addressed user intent and content quality. » Phantom III Analysis
RankBrain	October 26, 2015	RankBrain is a self-learning system that is, first and foremost, supposed to deal with search queries that Google is not yet familiar with. Every day, more than 15% of searches made by users are new to Google. » RankBrain Analysis	Yes
Panda Update No. 28 (Panda 4.2)	Mid-July 2015	The latest Google Panda came ten months after the previous one, again focusing on content quality, redundant, irrelevant content and spam. However, with long roll-out times (approx. 8 weeks) of updates, and (near-)simultaneous algorithm changes, it was not always clear for webmasters which updates were affecting their traffic. » Panda 4.2 Analysis	No
Newswave Update	Mid-June 2015	This update, which Google did not confirm, primarily affected search queries related to trending keywords and information-related keywords. Media websites benefited most from this roll-out. » Newswave Analysis	No
Phantom Update II (a.k.a Quality Update)	May 2015	While Google confirmed that changes were made to the ranking signals for website quality, no further details were provided. For this reason, this update was dubbed “Phantom.” This second iteration of the Phantom Update (after the first in May 2013) caused extreme fluctuations in the SERPs, and led to some websites losing half of their traffic. The impact of this algorithm update was felt worldwide. » Phantom II analysis	Yes and no
Mobile Update (#Mobilegeddon)	April 22, 2015	Google used this update to turn websites’ mobile-friendliness into a ranking factor for mobile search. It was the first update that Google explicitly announced before rolling it out. » Mobilegeddon Analysis	Yes
Brand/eCommerce Update	February 2015	A possible update to Google’s algorithms sent waves through the rankings of brand websites and online shops. The update focused on keywords with a high search volume. » eCommerce Update Analysis	No
Pirate Update Version 2 (DMCS Penalty)	October 21, 2014	This is an improvement to the Pirate Update. Above all, this is supposed to recognize and penalize copyright infringements better. Google confirmed this iteration. » Pirate 2 Analysis	Yes
Penguin 3	October 2014	Google announced another Penguin Update, yet the changes caused by this latest one were neither obvious, nor did they seem to happen all at once. Overall, less than 1% of search queries were affected, over the course of several weeks, making the impact of this Penguin on websites’ traffic much less than other that of other iterations.	Yes
Panda Update No. 27 (Panda 4.1)	September 23, 2014	In particular, pages lacking in content were affected. Google stated that the update affected up to five percent of all search queries. » Panda 4.1 Analysis	Yes
HTTPS/SSL Update	August 6, 2014	This update saw HTTPS encryption become a ranking signal. For Google, the update was an important step towards increasing security when using websites worldwide. It was not immediately clear how strongly this would actually influence rankings. » HTTPS Update Analysis	Yes
Panda Update No. 26 Panda 4.0	May 19, 2014	7.5% of English-language search queries were affected by Google’s Panda Update. The fourth generation of this algorithm again adjusted the quality demands placed on websites. » Panda 4.0 Analysis	Yes
Payday Loan Algorithm Update 2.0	Estimated around May 16, 2014	This update improved Google’s capability of filtering out pages with spammy search queries from the search results. This was intended to greatly improve the user experience for people searching on Google. At the same time, it became more difficult for spam-heavy domains to achieve good rankings.	Yes
Page Layout Update Version 3 (“Ads above the fold”)	February 6, 2014	This update saw Google take a stricter approach towards websites with too much advertising “above the fold.” Such ads make for a vastly inferior user experience, so Google penalized the affected websites.	No
Penguin Update 2.1	October 4, 2013	The Penguin Update was adjusted, with a moderate impact on the search results. The first iteration of the second generation tweaked what was already well-known and did not cause too much havoc in the SERPs.	Yes
Hummingbird Update	August 20, 2013	The Hummingbird Update improved the semantic search and extended the Google Knowledge Graph. Since Hummingbird, Google to recognize relationships between search queries. This update can be considered the predecessor of RankBrain. » Hummingbird Analysis	Yes
Panda Update „Recovery“	July 18, 2013	This update reduced the effect of past Panda Updates e.g. by removing formerly imposed penalties. This Panda was not included in the update numbering.	Yes
Pay Day Loan Algorithm	June 11, 2013	This Google Update targeted niche websites that are frequently affected by span, like pornography or credit sites. The update was announced on 11.06.2013.	Yes
Penguin Update 2.0	May 22, 2013	The algorithm of this update was overworked and greatly improved, in order to advance the fight against link spam. » Penguin 2.0 Analysis	Yes
Phantom I	May 2013	The first version of what would become known the Phantom Update. Google did not confirm the precise nature of the algorithm change but the industry certainly felt the impact of this, and later Phantom Updates.	No
Panda Update No. 25	March 14, 2013	This was probably the last Panda Update before this algorithm was incorporated into Google’s core algorithm.	Yes
Panda Update No. 24	January 22, 2013	According to Google, around 1.2% of all search queries were affected by this update.	Yes
Panda Update No. 23	December 21, 2012	This data refresh affected 1.3% of English-language search queries.	Yes
Panda Update No. 22 and Pony Update	November 21, 2012	This update, which was confirmed by Google, seems to have basically been a data refresh. Nevertheless, it led to major drops in rankings for many websites. » Pony Analysis	Yes
Panda Update No. 21	November 5, 2012	This refresh affected 1,1% of English-language search queries.	Yes
Page Layout Update No. 2 (“Ads above the fold”)	October 9, 2012	Google did confirm this update but it is not clear whether it was simply a data refresh or something bigger.	Yes
Penguin Update 1.2	October 5, 2012	Only 0.3% of all search queries were affected by this Penguin Update.	Yes
Panda Update No. 20 and EMD Update (Exact Match Domain Update)	September 27, 2012	The EMD Update considerably lowered the importance of Exact Match Domains. Since then, the relevance of keyword domains is no longer as high as it used to be. Together with the Panda Update, implemented at the same time, this created noticeable changes in the search results.	Yes
Panda Update No. 19	September 18, 2012	As with the update carried out four weeks earlier, this data refresh only had a limited impact on the search results.	Yes
Panda Update No. 18	August 20, 2012	This update of the data basis for the Panda Update only had a small impact.	Yes
Pirate Update (DMCA Penalty)	August 10, 2012	The introduction of this update saw pages punished that are guilty of copyright infringement and e.g. offer pirated material. The assumption is that websites were affected who had previously been reported to Google via so-called “DMCA Takedown Requests.”	Yes
Panda Update No. 17	July 24, 2012	This data refresh caused movement in the SERPSs for several days. Google stated that around 1% of search results were affected.	Yes
Panda Update No. 16	June 25, 2012	This data refresh had a limited impact on the SERPs.	Yes
Panda Update No. 15	June 8, 2012	This Panda Update affected about 1% of all search queries.	Yes
Penguin 1.1	May 26, 12	This update was a data refresh for the Penguin algorithm, with Matt Cutts stating that it affected very few searches (<0.1%).	Yes
Panda Update No. 14	April 27, 2012	This update to the Panda algorithm was confirmed by Google, yet only had a slight impact on the search results.	Yes
Penguin Update No. 1	April 24, 2012	This update is also referred to as a “Webspam Update” because it targets webspam measures like keyword stuffing and first affected 3.1% of all English-language search results. » Penguin Analysis	Yes
Panda Update No. 13	April 19, 2012	This update was not officially confirmed and did not have a major impact.	No
March 50 Pack Update + Tweaks to handling of anchor text	April 3, 2012	Google used this update to revise the way that anchor texts are evaluated. This update also saw optimization of the image search. The implementation of this update also affected search queries with local character.	Yes
Panda Update No. 12	March 23, 2012	Google stated that this update affected around 1.6% of all search queries.	Yes
Panda Update No.11	February 27, 2012	This was a small adjustment to the Panda Update that did not create significant fluctuation.	Yes
Page Layout Update (“Ads above the fold”)	January 19, 2012	Following this update, websites are punished if they display too much advertising above the fold. This is seen as inhibiting the user experience.	Yes
Panda Update No. 10	January 18, 2012	This update was confirmed by Google, but it was not clear to what extent the algorithms were actually changed.	Yes
Panda Update No. 9	November 18, 2011	This was another in the series of frequent Panda Updates.	Yes
Freshness Update	November 3, 2011	Google announced that this update affected 35% of all search queries. The adjustment to the algorithm dealt primarily with how up-to-date websites are. » Freshness Update Analysis	Yes
Panda Update No. 8	October 5, 2011	According to Google’s Matt Cutts, this update to the Panda Algorithm affected up to 2% of all search queries.	Yes
Panda Update No. 7	September 28, 2011	Google confirmed this iteration of the Panda Update, but gave no further details.	Yes
Panda Update No. 6	August 12, 2011	This Panda Update was rolled out worldwide on the same day, and did not just affect English-language search queries. The only languages not affected were Korean, Japanese and Chinese.	Yes
Panda Update No. 5	July 23, 2011	This was another Panda Update confirmed by Google.	Yes
Panda Update No. 4	June 21, 2011	The fourth update to Panda (also known as 2.2) was confirmed by Google, continuing the trend of monthly updates.	Yes
Panda Update No. 3	May 9, 2011	The third Panda Update was more minor, the first to not be given full update status, and was named “Panda 2.1.” To avoid confusion, this article numbers gives each Panda Update a unique number, not distinguishing between major and minor.	Yes and no
Panda Update No. 2.0	April 11, 2011	The second Panda Update saw the algorithm change rolled out worldwide (for English-language queries), continuing to focus on low-quality content. Its impact also covered a more diverse range of websites, with estimated 2% of search queries affected.	Yes
Expanded Sitelinks	August 16, 2011	Google tested the roll-out of expanded sitelinks, which greatly increase the size and visibility of a result in the SERP, over a few weeks. Eventually, Google settled on maximum six expanded links for a result, each with the URL and short snippet.	Yes
Schema.org Update	June 2, 2011	In an unusual act of cooperation, Google, as well as two other major search providers, Yahoo and Microsoft, made joint steps towards encouraging the use of structured data. Websites that use Schema markup can have more information shown on the SERP in the form of a Rich Snippet.	Yes
Panda/Farmer Update	February 23, 2011	Originally dubbed “Farmer” because of its impact on content farms, this update would later become known as “Google Panda.” This was a serious attempt by Google to remove sites with thin or farmed content from the high positions in their search results, and give a boost to reputable, content-heavy sites. » Panda/Farmer Analysis	Yes
Caffeine	June 8, 2010	This was a major change to Google’s indexing structure to include news, blog posts and other updates in its search results faster. Google stated that Caffeine meant that “50% fresher results” were provided thanks to the rollout of Caffeine.	Yes
May Day Update	May 2010	This update was intended to improve the quality of search results. Mostly longtail keywords were affected.	Yes