Audit of the website’s link profile

The main task of Google Search is to provide users with relevant information based on their queries and to bring the most relevant sites to the top of the results. And to achieve this, the search and ranking algorithms of sites need to be constantly optimized, improved and perfected. It is for this purpose that Google releases regular updates to its algorithms, which to one degree or another affect the positions of sites in search results. This is what we will talk about in more detail today.

Google update – what is it

An update is a renewal of algorithms and site ranking tools that search engines introduce to achieve maximum relevance in search results and reduce the number of “low-quality” sites or pages.

Often, the deployment of the next update can have a significant impact on positions: some sites suddenly lose previously occupied lines in the search results, while others, on the contrary, quickly rise to the top. But why does this happen? And is the search results update really that important for Google?

Why do search engines release updates?

There are several key reasons why search engines release new updates regularly.

• Improved search results: Updates help improve the relevance and accuracy of searches, providing users with more relevant and useful information based on their queries.
• Fighting spam. Many updates are aimed at finding sites that use unethical methods to increase their rankings. For example, over-optimization or excessive use of keywords, or when optimizers use black SEO methods.
• Adaptation to new trends. Changes in user behavior, new technologies and changes in the way information is consumed require search engines to adapt their algorithms accordingly to meet new requirements.
• Security enhancements: Some iSO mobile app development updates are aimed at finding and eliminating vulnerabilities, protecting against malware and phishing sites.
• Ensuring fairness. The search results update helps to some extent to prevent some sites from monopolizing search results, providing equal conditions for all web resources.

But by and large, each update is aimed at providing a better user experience and increasing the level of trust in the search engine. Search engines themselves benefit from this, because in this way they attract more audience, which makes it possible to earn money on advertising and more.

 How to track new updates

To ensure that the next search results update does not come as a surprise to you and you can prepare for it, it is very important to know about it in advance. To do this, you can monitor the following resources:

• Google Search Center, in which the company regularly publishes news about updates, as well as important information about changes in search algorithms.
• AccountGoogle Search Centralwhen snbd host usingon X.com (formerly Twitter), where the company also posts information about new updates and shares tips on how to optimize sites for the changes.
• Popular blogs and sites with news on SEO promotion. For example,Search Engine Roundtable, where you can also find useful information about the latest updates and the intricacies of optimizing web resources taking into account new requirements.

To track how a particular search results update or link update has affected your site specifically, you can useGoogle Search Console. The service allows webmasters not only to monitor the positions of resources in search results, but also to receive notifications about identified problems, as well as recommendations for correcting them and improving the overall performance of the site.

Features of Google updates

Each update has certain goals. Some of thcomp usa cfo leted theem are quite global, others are relatively minor. We suggest considering some of their features, which will also help to better understand what an update is in principle and how it affects Google’s search results:

• Frequency and scale. Google can release minor updates almost every day. They usually do not have a significant impact on search results. But each major update, which appears every few months, has a much greater impact.
• Algorithmic changes. A search results update may change ranking algorithms, which directly affects the positions of sites in search results.
• Focus on user experience. Almost every update is aimed at improving the user experience in one way or another. For example, updates related to mobile optimization, site security or page loading speed.
• Improving content quality. Google strives to provide its users with high-quality and relevant content, so updates often include algorithms that determine its quality, uniqueness, and the expertise of its authors (for example, the EAT update: Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
• Fighting spam. Search engines regularly update their algorithms to fight spam and low-quality sites that try to manipulate search results. Google penalizes web resources that use unnatural links, cloaking, hidden texts, and the like.
• Local updates: Some updates are specific to local search, such as those that affect results only in certain geographic regions.

These features of Google updates clearly show how the company is actively working to improve its search engine to provide users with the best experience and meet their expectations as much as possible.

Main types of updates

There are several categories of such updates:

• Ranking algorithm updates are some of the most global and significant, as they affect how sites are displayed in search results. For example, Core Updates, Helpful Content Update.
• Spam/Quality updates are designed to better detect and combat spam and low-quality content in Google Search. Most of these updates are released 1-2 times a year, sometimes more often.
• Local SERP updates impact local search results and Google My Business. They affect how local businesses are displayed and ranked.

Mobile search updates, user experience (UX) updates, and others also impact search rankings. The frequency and impact of these may vary.

Some of Google’s key updates

Every year, Google rolls out several major core updates and even more minor updates that also affect the positions of sites in search results to some extent. The most significant updates of recent times include:

• February 2024 Core Update — a major update aimed at improving the relevance and quality of search results. This update also included changes to ranking algorithms aimed at improving the understanding of context and user intent. In March, another core update was released, also quite large-scale.
• May 2024 Spam Update — an update aimed at combating spam in search results and low-quality content. It increased the search engine’s requirements for the quality and usefulness of content. As a result, many sites that published insufficiently high-quality or unoriginal materials noticeably dropped in search results.
• June 2024 Spam Update is another update aimed at combating spam, which essentially expands and complements the previous update.

Now that Google is increasingly feeling the pressure from AI tools, the company is making more and more efforts to improve its own algorithms so as not to lose users. Accordingly, updates are starting to come out more often, and they have become more global.