Google’s Biggest Search Engine Algorithm Updates Of 2016 [Gifographics]

It is well-known that Google makes changes to its search algorithm several times in a year. In fact, smart digital marketers keeps tabs on these updates in an effort to create favorable implications for themselves. Though most of the changes that Google makes are minor, it does intermittently roll out major search engine algorithm updates as well. Google Panda, Penguin and Possum are examples of this. It is the major updates that considerably impact search engine results.

Needless to say, digital marketers and SEO professionals need to stay abreast of these updates to understand the changes in their rankings, organic website traffic, and to enhance search engine optimization. Digital marketers realize that whenever search algorithms are changed, the subsequent consequences are visible in search results across devices.

Further, Google makes these updates in order to make it easy for users to find the information they’re looking for in minimal time.

The Penguin and Possum updates were the two major updates announced by Google in 2016. In fact, the Penguin update has been included in its core algorithm. This means that changes made to websites will be considered quickly by Penguin, thanks to real-time refreshes. This update is granular, which implies that only spammy pages will be penalized, and not the entire website.

The Possum update affects local listings by filtering results based on a spam score. Possum was created to filter out business listings on Google My Business from the Local Pack and Local Finder.

In an effort to transform the digital space into a mobile-friendly one, Google announced an algorithm update that helps improve rankings of Web pages that are optimized for mobile devices and relevant to users’ search.

Now that we’re well into 2017, it is important to take stock of the year gone by, keep up with Google’s algorithm updates and consider their implications on website rankings. SEO experts stand to gain immensely from this by formulating complementary strategies to improve website rankings.

Google updates clearly establish that websites that follow clean SEO practices and focus on creating helpful and unique content will have no trouble in earning credibility.

The following gifographic by E2M Solutions summarizes every notable Google search algorithm update rolled out in 2016. It is a review of the core algorithm updates, AdWords placement, Possum update, the return of the Penguin, and everything that made a difference in the search world last year.