The evolution of SEO according to the Google search algorithm

The evolution of SEO according to the Google search algorithm: -

Google has rolled out dozens of updates to refine search engine results pages (SERPs) and provide users and businesses with an intuitive search path online.

A long history of search engine optimization could fill volumes, and trying to keep up with Google algorithm updates is a full-time job.

Google algorithm updates are important for SEO.

Google is the most used search engine in the world with more than 86% of the market share.

The company chooses to do with its search algorithm greatly influences the website's ranking in the SERPs.

The hundreds of components used to power Google's search engine algorithm are a notorious mystery.

Marketers don't know exactly how each piece of the puzzle contributes to the bigger picture.

SEOs are constantly catching up and trying to adapt and predict algorithm changes.

Smart search engine optimizers manage expectations and prepare for algorithm updates and changes.

Google releases updates to its algorithm in the form of code patches.

These code patches vary in scope, but all affect the performance of the search algorithm and, in turn, may affect current search engine optimization best practices.

Algorithm updates work to refine the accuracy and relevance of search results by evaluating how well a website's content aligns with a search query.

The first algorithm updates helped pave the way for modern search engines to function.

Try to improve the way the search engine evaluates content, crawls and penalizes links, and improves the user experience.

Google improved the process through major algorithm updates:

Custom Search - It was only in 2005 that Google began customizing search results based on search history.

No follow links: Google created the no follow link in 2005 to give websites the ability to exclude certain pages from search indexing.

XML sitemaps - Websites relied heavily on HTML for indexing until Google introduced XML sitemaps.

Google Maps integration: Google Maps integration with Google's Local Business Center revolutionized local search in October 2005.

Universal search: The ability to search in different formats (images, news, maps, etc.).

Google Tip: Autocomplete suggestions started filling potential search queries for users in August 2008.

Canonical tag: Canonical tag is the method for duplicate content problems these days.

Real-time search: Real-time indexing of news for social media platforms became possible in late 2009.

Here a list of the updates during this time for research:

Boston

Cassandra

Dominic

Emerald

Fritz

Florida

Austin

brandy

Allegra

Bourbon

Gilligan

Jagger

Big potato

Buffy

Dewey

Vince

Help

Caffeine

Instant

Google Updates (2012-2015):

2011 and 2012 saw the release of two of Google's biggest algorithm updates to date: Panda and Penguin.

Panda: 

The zoo of Google algorithm updates.

A pinwheel design features the Google "G" logo in the center, surrounded by six sections, each displaying an animal or image associated with a major Google update: dove, hummingbird, penguin, panda, and a ball. in flames symbolizing the update of mobilegeddon.

Google Panda was launched in February 2011 with a central focus on how Google's algorithm determined the quality of website content.

The updates initially affected twelve percent of all search queries. 

Content farms were heavily penalized for keyword stuffing and mindless content creation, and Panda changed the way SEOs write content to this day.

Penguin:

Google Penguin did for link building in 2012 what Panda did for content in 2011.

The algorithm update selected websites that use black hat link building for search ranking, such as purchased links or other skeptical link building tactics.

Subsequent updates to Penguin made websites no longer able to Optimize for search at the expense of user experience without being penalized in the SERPs.

Updates over the next several years continued to improve the relevance of the SERPs.

Improve local search and accommodate mobile devices.

Hummingbird:

Google Hummingbird was a 2013 algorithm update that made it possible for Google to better understand what users meant by search queries.

Keywords became less important than the general intent of the query.

Dove:

Google Pigeon altered how local search results work in 2014, bringing local and national search closer together.

The update changed the layout of local results and the way Google handled location cues.

Third-party sites like Yelp also received more authority on the SERPs.

Mobilegeddon:

The Mobilegeddon algorithm update in 2015 made "mobile device compatibility" a mantra for web marketers.

Mobilegeddon favored sites optimized for mobile devices and penalized those that were not.

Google Updates (2016-present):

Users never stop searching, so Google never stops updating the algorithm.

In the last five years there has been an increase in the use of new technology to make the algorithm and, by extension, search engine results pages, more intelligent and intuitive.

Rank Brain:

Google Rank Brain update was released in April 2015.

Rank Brain differs from previous updates in that it is an artificial intelligence (AI) technology that uses machine learning to improve search results.

Rank Brain is used to sort live search results, match words and phrases, and filter never-before-seen search queries and keywords. 

The purpose is to get closer than ever to a user's query intent, as Hummingbird did two years earlier.

Opossum:

Google Possum was a minor but significant algorithm update in 2016 that further helped differentiate between local search results.

BERT:

Google BERT (Transformers Bidirectional Encoder Renderings) is the latest update (2019).

This cutting-edge technology focuses on natural language processing skills. 

BERT continues to refine how well search results and search algorithms can understand users' search queries.

Modern Google algorithm updates influence SEO in 2020:

The common perception is that Google algorithm updates are bad for SEO. 

Prepared and optimize the website so that it is not significantly affected by any algorithm update.

Optimize for local:

Focus on quality over quantity when it comes to content and keywords.

Optimize for mobile devices:

Valuable link building trumps quick and dirty link building.

Optimize speech and voice search naturally.

Intent is just as important as keywords in search queries.

Don't let new algorithm updates stray away from quality content and comprehensive search engine optimization.