I need to start this blog post with an admission – I am often guilty of criticising the SEO industry for obsessing about things that really don’t actually matter.
In my defence, I do believe that a lot of SEO ‘experts’ tend to make things much more complicated than they need to be, in order to justify charging handsomely for their wisdom / services.
One area where I find myself constantly pushing back relates to algorithm updates.
This issue surfaced again on a client call this week, when a perfectly valid question was raised about the potential impact of Google’s August 2024 core update (have a read of https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2024/08/august-2024-core-update?hl=en for details).
As usual, I found myself regurgitating my usual mantra that they don’t need to worry about algorithm updates as they are following all SEO guidelines and focusing on creating great content rather than trying to game the search engines.
Am I right to say that you should largely ignore the fizz of excitement amongst the SEO community every time there is an algorithm update?
A brief history
Before diving into their impact, it is worth mentioning some of the more influential algorithm updates of recent(ish) years.
There are, of course, more than this list but these are the updates that I feel stand out more than most and were arguably the most impactful:
Panda (2011)
The Panda update sought to reduce the rankings of low-quality, thin content websites. Whilst the spammy sites were hit hard, Panda was designed to reward sites with unique, relevant, and high-quality content.
Penguin (2012)
Whilst Panda was all about on-site quality, the Penguin algorithm update was all about off-site activities. Penguin targeted spammy link-building practices, so the big losers were those sites that were engaged in low quality / unnatural link schemes. This update really drove home the importance of organic backlink strategies.
Hummingbird (2013)
The Hummingbird update introduced an extra layer of intelligence from Google with the introduction of semantic search. In a nutshell, this improved Google’s ability to understand search intent and the context of queries rather than just focusing on keywords. Consequently, old school keyword stuffing techniques were rendered entirely redundant.
Mobile-Friendly Update (2015)
Recognising the explosive growth in mobile search traffic, this update was the start of Google’s prioritisation of mobile-friendly websites. If you had previously ignored mobile users, you probably had a rude awakening at this point!
RankBrain (2015)
The RankBrain update was a machine learning-based algorithm that helped Google process and rank pages more intelligently by understanding user intent. This was really a development of Hummingbird and continued the general principle that you should think about the user needs and create engaging content, rather than obsess about on-page optimisation techniques.
BERT (2019)
The Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) update improved Google’s ability to interpret natural language, helping it better understand longer, more conversational queries. At the time, Google claimed that it was the most important update in five years and that it impacted 10% of search queries. In my humble opinion, it was really just a refinement of previous updates and was an inevitable stepping stone as improvements were made to the ability for machines to understand the true meaning of content, including nuance and context.
Core Web Vitals (2021)
This update focused on rewarding sites that had a great user experience. Familiar to anyone who has used Google Search Console, the main pillars of Core Web Vitals were loading speed, interactivity and visual stability. In simple terms, it focused on rewarding sites that were built to create a great user experience.
Do you need to worry about algorithm updates?
In my humble opinion, you only really need to worry about Google updates if you are using antiquated SEO techniques, rather than focusing on your users’ needs.
If you read through the algorithm updates mentioned above, there is a common theme of Google trying to stamp out low-quality sites and reward those that publish fantastic content.
The shift of focus from keyword-stuffed content with masses of completely irrelevant links to high-quality, user-centred content has been a constant drum beat throughout the history of algorithm changes.
The ‘quality over quantity’ model also applies to link building. If you are engaging in manipulative link building strategies, you run the risk of being penalised in the post-Penguin world. If you are focused on earning links through the publication of great content, you can sleep easily at night.
Is my cynicism justified?
Google’s algorithm updates reflect a clear trend: the focus is increasingly on providing the best possible experience for users.
From better understanding intent with BERT and RankBrain to emphasising user experience with Core Web Vitals, Google is pushing websites to prioritise users over search engines.
This shift has made SEO more holistic and complex but also more rewarding for those who adapt. If you are consistently trying to improve your website for your users rather than attempting to outwit search engines, I still maintain that you really do not need to worry about algorithm updates.
There are no sea changes – simply refinements to a consistent goal, which is to help users find the best quality sites for any given search.
If you embrace that goal, I do not think that you need to obsess about algorithm changes. If you are doing things properly, you are likely to be rewarded by any update, so they should be seen as an opportunity rather than anything to be worried about.
