The Google algorithm in 2018: Infographic of major updates 2017

The Google algorithm in 2018: Infographic of major updates 2017

The Google algorithm constantly undergoes many changes, but some are major. In 2018, the Google algorithm is decked with many major updates that were made in 2017, here they are in an infographic:

The Google algorithm has weathered in 2018, many changes occurred in recent months. It is in 2017 that Google has undergone several major updates for its leading search engine, even if it is constantly refined, modified and optimized day by day.

To be convinced of this, one only needs to take notice of the history of changes in the Google algorithm over the years. It can also be useful to understand SEO through the 3 main algorithms of Google: Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird .

SEO remains an inexact science for experts

SEO, whatever one may say, is one of the most inaccurate sciences if we consider its many mutations and parameters evolving constantly. It involves both the technical aspect of a website, and its editorial dimension if we consider all that concerns the optimization of content.

This is why it is impossible to promise anyone to reach the top position on Google with a simple keyword slipped into a content, which may nevertheless appear relevant. The competition of a keyword, the authority of a website and its structure, are only a few of the dozens, for which SEO or SEO agency has an impact.

It is sometimes more relevant to follow a few simple rules around the Google algorithm and the fundamentals of SEO , than to try to overdo it by over-optimizing your work.

SEO remains a complex and not so easy to demystify universe, where the Google algorithm dictates its laws. Robots (bots) dedicated in part to crawling and indexing content on the internet will never be unemployed.

Major updates to the Google algorithm in 2017

The infographic proposed below by the Oncrawl website, lists all these updates to the Google algorithm, occurred in 2017. The exact dates are mentioned in the infographic.

Google's mobile algorithm: Mobile-First by Google

Google talks about the new Mobile First algorithm since November 4, 2016. It aims to rank websites that include a mobile version in their web pages. Deployment has started on a small number of sites and will continue to evolve over several months in 2018.

Update Maccabees

Google announced that it has made several small improvements during this period, which is part of its ongoing efforts to improve relevance. Sites without data schema and those based on satellite pages were the most impacted by this update.

Google Update "unamed"

On November 15, many experts in the SEO world noticed fluctuations in rankings on both desktop and mobile. This update did not seem to be related to the Google Penguin algorithm or the Google Panda algorithm. No confirmation has been provided.

More access to international search results via Google's ccTLDs

On October 27, 2017, Google decided to offer more local results, while denying access to top-level country code international results (google.co.uk, google.ca ...).

Google Update "unamed"

Between September 13 and September 28, 2017, the RankRanger tool identified a series of one-day fluctuations peaks that could be linked to an update of the Google algorithm.

Google Update "unamed"

Some major fluctuations were noticed by the SEO community around the end of the summer of 2017. After analyzing the data, SEO experts thought it was a qualitative update negatively impacting sites with broken UI elements, aggressive advertisements or depleted content.

High fluctuations affecting sites in positions 6 to 10 in the SERPs

According to the Rank Risk Index, a prolonged series of significant fluctuations in rankings has been noted. They concluded that the most significant fluctuations had affected the sites occupying positions 6 to 10 at the bottom of the page.

Google Update "unamed"

According to the Rank Risk index, a Google update would have shifted the rankings of some of the largest e-commerce sites in the world, including Amazon or eBay.

Fred update Targeting Low Quality Content

This update targeted sites that did not follow Google's guidelines and focused on revenue rather than users. Fred primarily affects sites with low or poor content.

The Google Phantom 5 update

On February 7, several websites that used interstitials while loading on mobile devices were downgraded. We still have no insight from Google about it but it seems that the update was based on the URLs and it only affects the individual pages and / or directories.

Update dedicated to Japanese SERPs

Google has announced the launch of an update dedicated to Japanese SERPs. The goal was to improve the quality of the results and to create a web ecosystem that brings useful and reliable content to users.

Possible update of the Google Penguin algorithm

Many tracking tools showed significant turbulence around February 1st. The impacted websites seemed to make use of SEO "Black Hat" methods, specifically an aggressive link building strategy, which is reminiscent of the Penguin algorithm.

Penalty on Intrusive Interstitials

Google announced that it was downgrading websites using "intrusive interstitials" because they "may be problematic on mobile devices where screens are often smaller."