Google Algorithm Changes

Google's famous algorithm tweaks, search index revisions, and refreshes have a lengthy history. The following is a timeline of key Google search algorithm updates.

Want to keep up with the newest algorithm tweaks and changes? Get the most recent algorithm update news and guides.

How frequently does Google change its search algorithms?

Google search is always evolving. Google made 4,500 changes to search in 2020. This figure includes updates to its ranking system, user interface, and other features. Google also conducted almost 600,000 experiments. That means Google search changes 12 times every day on average.

Google algorithm updates: 

Here is a complete history of Google algorithm adjustments that you should be aware of.

Updated September 2022 Product Reviews

This was the year's second Product Reviews Update and the fifth overall. While Google generally avoids overlapping algorithm changes, this version was released before the September 2022 Core Update was complete. It was created to recognise English-language product reviews that are beneficial to searchers. The rollout ended on September 26.

September 12th, 2022 Core Update

This was the second core update of the year, and it went live three days after the helpful content update. Overall, it appeared to be less substantial than prior core updates, particularly the core update in May 2022. The rollout was completed on September 26.

August 25th, helpful material update

On August 18, Google disclosed details about its new helpful content update, a sitewide signal designed to reward content that assists or informs users rather than content developed solely to score well in search results. It began on August 25 and ended 15 days later on September 9.

To guarantee that you are creating human-first content, Google has given a list of 15 questions to ask about your content reviews. It also stated that the most vulnerable forms of information will be online education materials, arts and entertainment, retail, and technology-related content. However, the effect was particularly noticeable in a few website categories (e.g., ringtones, coding, lyrics). It had a rather minor total impact.

Updated July 27th, 2022 Product Reviews

Google initially stated that the fourth version of the product reviews update would take 2-3 weeks to roll out, but then reported that it had been fully rolled out after six days. This is more of a refresh than anything else, and it is intended to reward high-quality product reviews. In comparison to previous product review upgrades, this update was less widespread and had less ranking fluctuation.

May 25th, 2022 Core Update

This was the first major core algorithm upgrade in 2022, and the first in almost 6 months. Google stated that the full rollout will take up to two weeks.

Updated March 23rd, 2022 Product Reviews

The third release of the product reviews update, which will take 'a few weeks' to fully roll out, builds on the work of the two previous product review updates, according to Google. This upgrade, like many before it, is intended to assist Google in identifying high-quality product evaluations and rewarding them with higher rankings.

Google included three new pieces of advice: ranked lists, 'best' product recommendations, and creating evaluations for many vs. individual products.

Page Experience Update (desktop) on February 22nd

Except for the page's need to be mobile-friendly, this update contained all of the signals from the mobile version of the page experience upgrade. It took 9 days to complete the rollout.

Updated December 1st, 2021 Product Reviews

The Google product reviews update, like the April Product Reviews Update, aimed to reward excellent product reviews in search results. Google intended to display people's material that was intelligent and original, created by subject matter experts or fans. This upgrade took around three weeks to fully roll out.

Google's latest advice for this update: provide links to different sellers and more multimedia 'proof' around your product reviews.