Google updates its algorithms around 500 times every year (which means a change every 17.5 hours). Sometimes they are little and unnoticed adjustments, but other times, they are huge transformations which can turn over the results. These algorithms are informatics programs which search for clues to offer users the most relevant results.
Panda algorythm
Panda is an algorithm designed to combat the low quality content in the search results. On the one hand, it punishes websites with unappealing content and with excessive ratio of advertisements; on the other hand, it rewards websites which create unique and relevant content for their users. It is integrated in the core of Google.
The last algorithm updated was the Panda on the 24th of October this year, which is called Panda 37. This update is not confirmed but was launched during the deployment of Penguin 3.0. Its effect ware initially attributed to Penguin, but finally it was found out that the sites experimented problems related to the quality of content. This update reveals the confusion created due to the cross of algorithms and anticipated the difficulties caused by the updated in real time.
On the 25th of September, it was launched the Panda 36, called Panda 4.1. This algorithms incorporated new signs to detect low-quality content with a higher precision. It was expected that little sites with high quality content were better positioned. It affected to 3% and 5% of the total of inquiries.
During this year it was also launched the Panda 35, Panda 34 (Panda 4.0), Panda 33, Panda 32 and Panda 31.
Penguin algorythm
This is an algorithm crated to combat the SPAM web. It affects websites trying to manipulating the ranking by using the SEO black hat techniques, especially by creating artificial links. On the other hand, the websites which don’t use these techniques are beneficiated with a space provided in the search results.
Google search automatically patrons in the profile of the links among the sites in its index. When it is positive, an algorithm sanction is applied, which means a fall in the ranking. After that, some of the sites affected can be manually revised.
Although the impact of the updated is less than the impact of Panda, according to official data, many websites are influenced due to the fact of creating links against the guidelines of the search.
The last updated Penguin algorithm, was the Penguin 6 (alias Penguin 3.0) on the 17th of October, 2014. The main of this update is helping the websites, which have remove all the artificial links, to be recovered and penalizing these ones which send SPAM. It affected to less than the 1% of the inquiries in English.
Pigeon algorythm
This new algorithm was released on July 24, 2014. Its aim is proportioning local results which are more useful, pertinent and accurate, affecting the maps of Google and the results of the web local search.
According to Google, its aim is not acting to act against the SPAM, but rather expanding the capacity of search by including some factors used in the search and some characteristics like the knowledge graphic, the orthographic correction and the use of synonyms. In addition, it is more accurate in terms of SEO.
Payday loan algorythm
This update introduces a new algorithm, whose aim is cleaning the results of the search tending to send SPAM, like those ones related to loans, drugs and pornography.
The first algorithm was released on May 20, 2014 (2.0) and was directed to websites which send too many SPAM content and affected the 0.2% of the enquiries in English.
But on June 11, 2014 the version 3.0 was released in order to combat SPAM enquiries like casinos or Viagra on Google.com.
Page layout algorythm
This algorithm affects websites whose content is buried under too many advertisements, since scrolling to look for the right content is negative for the user’s experience. That is why Google wants to avoid this king of pages in its results. These pages are ranked bottom of the list.
The last update of this algorithm was on February 6, 2014, also called the “above the fold” algorithm, and was announced by Matt Cutt via Twitter.
