What is an Algorithm Change? 

Let us first of all start with what is an algorithm change?  When search engines first started operating, search marketers were easily able to derive ways to make the search engine think that their client’s site was the one which deserved a better rank. As Google came into the picture, its engineers started looking for ways to prevent these malpractices. With the arrival of Caffeine in 2010, these practices were zeroed as now updates in Google algorithm were made many times a day as compared to once in a few weeks previously.  

The three of the most noticeable changes that took place were the Panda algorithm, the Penguin algorithm and the Humming bird algorithm. 

Google’s Algorithm has changed many times in the last few years. It’s always evolving, and always getting more user-friendly. Content creators must therefore, be constantly changing the way they create content, to keep up with the changes within Google. Some ways to follow these changes include: 

  • The use of cornerstone content 
  • Using a variety of keywords 
  • Keeping your content fresh and up-to-date 
  • Reading about the various versions of Google, and how their algorithms have run 
  • Using the SEO best practices only when it makes sense 

Panda Algorithm 

Panda first came into the picture on February 23, 2011 and caused major changes. The main aim of Panda was to promote sites with genuine content while demoting sites with sub-standard content.  This obviously affected a large number of sites. A few important factors to look at, with respect to Panda are: 

  • Thin content 
  • Duplicate content 
  • Low quality content 

Penguin Algorithm 

The Penguin algorithm rose up the horizon on April 24, 2012. The main aim of Penguin is to reduce the trust that Google has on sites that have previously cheated it by trying to secure a higher rank by indulging in wrong practices. While the main focus of Penguin is on unnatural links, there are still other factors where Penguin makes its presence felt. However, links are by far the biggest concern for Penguin. 

Hummingbird Algorithm 

The announcement for Hummingbird was made by Google on September 26, 2013. However, it was announced that Hummingbird had been in action for more than a month by then. Rumours are that many sites were destroyed by Hummingbird. But all but a few of these claims seem to be false. Had Hummingbird been responsible for the dramatic fluctuations taking place, many SEO’s would have reported this in August 2013, but none of these happened. The main aim of Hummingbird algorithm is to help Google understand user queries better.