Understanding Search Engine Algorithm Changes

Google’s July 2025 Update: What’s Changing in Search Link In Bio. Google completed its June 2025 Core Update rollout on July 17, but the ranking shifts are still unfolding — and July brought additional refinements that many are seeing across their traffic and visibility metrics. Here’s what stands out: Core Focus Areas: • Better alignment with user intent • More weight on E-E-A-T (expertise, experience, authority, trust) • Stricter penalties for manipulative link-building and keyword stuffing • Increased visibility for structured, well-organized content (especially for snippets and AI Overviews) • UX and mobile-first design now directly impacting rankings Under the hood: Google is applying newer systems like MUVERA and its Graph Foundation Model to improve how it understands relationships between content, context, and authority — not just keywords. What this means for site owners and marketers: • Sites with thin or outdated content saw drops • Sites focused on depth, clarity, and trustworthiness gained • UX, mobile performance, and semantic clarity are now critical 📌 If you saw volatility in early to mid-July, this is likely why. Now’s a good time to review your content, technical SEO, and user experience with fresh eyes. #SEO #GoogleUpdate #SearchEngineOptimization #ContentStrategy #EAT #July2025 #DigitalMarketing #SERP #TechnicalSEO #UX

Google's recent March Core update states that they are reducing "low-quality, unoriginal content in search results by 40%". What does Google actually mean here? Some believe Google is implying "plagiarized" content. Others believe Google is implying AI content. After some investigations and research, I think originality is penalizing queries that see a lot of SERP Content "Similarity" and Google's imminent release of SGE. This is why Google isn't decreasing originality by 100%. Here's what is happening: 1. Topics have varying degrees of SERP similarity. 2. Featured Snippets are produced when almost all content agrees on the answer 3. Legacy Google algorithm focused on serving content from authority site that focused on answering standard questions 4. What's AI and LLMs (and SGE) good at answering? Questions where there's already a high amount of information similarity 5. Does it surprise you that Helpful Content Update decimated a bunch of content that looked similar? 6. If the new Google model has an SGE sitting on top of the SERPs, and the goal of that SGE is to answer the highly agreed upon questions.... what's the future of Google need to look like to stay useful? 7. First-hand, experience-rich content. Yes, that's why you saw a rise of discussion boards like Reddit and Quora. Yes, that's also why Google inked a deal to capture that 8. Manual Search Evaluators with updated Page Quality Ratings to include "Experience" because SGE / AI expected to cannibalize a ton of "similar" content queries 9. So what's one to do about it? - Create Engaging, Experience-rich, and Entertaining Content - Build a brand that's searchers trust in the industry / space - Prioritize content strategy that offers new perspectives Agree, disagree? Open to thoughts here as I'm still workshopping this theory!

Whoa, Danny Goodwin found additional documents from Google's anti-trust trial. It revealed some interesting SEO insights on how Google uses clicks, user data and little-known ranking factors: Danny Goodwin's article analyzes the testimony of Pandu Nayak, a VP of Search at Google. His testimony and released documents reveal some really interesting takeaways: 1. Nayak stated that there are "maybe over a hundred signals" when it comes to Google's search rankings. Some of the most prominent include: Topicality, content quality, words on the page, localization and Navboost. 2. When matching documents to the user query, Google assigns each page a score. The scores are then sorted and Google presents those documents to users. 3. Nayak claims that "Navboost" is one of the most important ranking factors. The system memorizes user clicks on queries within 13 months and uses this data to determine rankings. It seems that Google built an entire system that used user clicks to produce the search rankings. 4. The testimony also referenced "Glue", which is another name for Navboost but includes all other rich features on a given SERP. This system is able to aggregate all user interactions such as "clicks, hovers, scrolls, and swipes" and creates a common metric that compares search results and features. 5. Search features that are not traditional web results are also assigned their own separate score. Google uses the "The Tangram system". Freshness plays a huge factor in determining these types of search features as it influences elements whether or not Google shows features such Top Stories. 6. The testimony also covered the "IS score" which measures Search quality and comes from 16K+ user testers. These scores seem to represent the total utility that a particular search result gives to users. They referenced how if Wikipedia was moved from a particular search result, that could lower the IS score by half a point. 7. Google also stated that their network of testers and IS scores are "very powerful way of being able to iterate rapidly on experimental changes". If Google is able to make a change and then quickly get 16K+ datapoints of feedback, they can quickly see what changes work and which don't. 8. Documents also revealed slides that show how Google uses trillions of clicks to understand how users interact with the search results by analyzing behavior patterns. In fact, the documents stated that "reliance on clicks has increased over the past decade". 9. One slide talks about how clicks are used as a proxy objective. Google will predict which results users will click, improve those results and fine-tune results based on user feedback. One of the main measurements is "Were click predictions better or worse than the baseline?" While's its a longer article you'll learn a lot more about how Google thinks about information retrieval and their reliance on metrics such as click data, freshness and scoring. #SEO #technicalSEO

Last week, Google rolled out a massive update & it was a bloodbath for some AI-generated content. Here’s what we know and how you should respond: 👉 **40% reduction in “unhelpful” content** Google updated the core algorithm to try to target low-quality, “unhelpful” content. This means that pages that Google deems as unhelpful should be less likely to rank in the SERPs. What makes content “unhelpful”? Past Helpful Content Updates (HCU) have indicated that Google assesses helpfulness based on: - Original information, reporting, research, or analysis - Comprehensive overview of the topic - Goes “beyond the obvious” - Descriptive and helpful titles and headings - (Mostly) free of spelling and stylistic errors - Well produced and presented 👉 **Manual actions for “PURE SPAM”** In addition to algorithmic updates targeting “unhelpful” content, Google also handed out hundreds or thousands of manual actions. This means that they felt the algorithm changes alone did not sufficiently punish the worst offenders. The sites are now marked as “PURE SPAM” and mostly/totally de-indexed. 😬 👉 **Scaled content abuse** Google also targeted, “scaled content abuse.” In other words: Thin pages with programatically- and AI-generated content could be considered scaled content abuse and punished. Make sure that procedurally-generated content provides enough value to meet the “helpful content” guidelines above. 👉 **Parasite SEO** Google took a swipe at so-called “parasite SEO.” Basically, content that piggybacks off of an existing site’s authority to rank for all kinds of unrelated keywords. E.g.: A major local newspaper publishing an article or sponsored content about the “best appetite suppressants.” We can surmise that this indicates more focus on topical authority as a signal. In other words, if you’re publishing content on a wide array of different topics, it could send up red flags. 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦? First: DON’T PANIC. Most of the sites severely impacted were egregious offenders—the “SEO goblins” flooding the internet with content to make a quick buck. *Your site was likely not impacted.* (But, feel free to DM me if it was or you’re worried about it.) Some takeaways: ✅ Use AI primarily as a drafting, outlining, or editing tool. Avoid publishing AI-generated content without human review and editing. ✅ Double down on creating “helpful content”—think, content that could not possibly be created by current AI technology. ✅ Focus your strategy. Rather than slinging topics at random, try to build a focused moat of the topics most important to your business. ✅ Assess the value of any programmatic or AI-generated content on your site. If it’s, “purely for search,” then look for ways to add value for humans. Happy to answer questions (to the best of my abilities). Good luck in the SERPs! ✌️ — If this was "helpful content": 1. Follow or connect on LinkedIn 👋 2. Share!

Boom: Core, HCU into core, and Spam -> You wanted a big update? Well, here's a BIG update. REALLY BIG. The March 2024 core update is rolling out, but it's more complex than previous core updates. Google said it will reduce unhelpful content in the SERPs by 40% and will use a variety of innovative signals and approaches to do so. It will take several weeks for the update to roll out, maybe even a month. *Multiple systems* within the core ranking system will be updated and released during the larger broad core update. Google explained there will be more volatility than with regular broad core updates. So yep, buckle up. :) Google has refined how it understands "which pages are unhelpful, have a poor user experience, or feel like they were created for search engines versus people." This could include "sites created to match very specific search queries." And I have covered the UX and ads part of the HCU before with the Sep HCU(X). DO NOT IGNORE THAT. And regarding the HCU, just like Panda and Penguin of the past, the helpful content system is now part of Google's core ranking systems. That was faster than I thought it would be... but does make sense. So, no more helpful content updates. This will all be part of Google's core ranking algo now (and broad core updates). And beyond all of that, Google is also rolling out March 2024 spam updates with spam policy updates too. These will yield both algorithmic and manual actions. First, there's "scaled content abuse search spam", which is an update to the "spammy automatically-generated content" policy. It's been expanded to account for more sophisticated scaled content creation methods. So producing content at scale to boost search rankings via automation, or combo of human and automation (like using generative AI), is against Google's guidelines. Then there's "expired domain abuse spam" where expired domains are purchased, and then repurposed, "with the intention of boosting search rankings of low-quality content." I call this the Conch House spam update. :) And finally, there's "Parasite SEO", and Google is giving site owners two months advanced notice before they roll out an update targeting those tactics on May 5. So, a BIG heads-up if you are hosting lower-quality third-party content that can piggyback on the power of your domain. Google will start to take action in two months from both an algorithmic and manual actions perspective. You can read more about all of this in Barry Schwartz's post on Search Engine Land and in the blog post published by Google. #google #seo

Google’s algorithm is wasting no time in removing low quality sites from the search results. Dive into the latest Google update with these key insights from the March 2024 release, shedding light on manual actions and how they impact digital strategies. 🔍 **1. Algorithm Tweaks:** - Google's algorithm underwent subtle yet impactful tweaks, influencing search result rankings. - Stay vigilant as these changes may prompt manual actions to ensure compliance with the updated criteria. 💡 **2. Increased Emphasis on Content Quality:** - Quality content remains the linchpin for SEO success. - The update reinforces Google's commitment to delivering valuable and relevant content to users. 🛑 **3. Stricter Enforcement of Guidelines:** - Manual actions are becoming more stringent in enforcing Google's guidelines. - Webmasters need to adhere closely to best practices to avoid potential penalties. 🤖 **4. Embrace AI and Machine Learning:** - Google's reliance on AI and machine learning is growing. - Align your SEO strategies with these technologies to enhance visibility and performance. 🔄 **5. Ongoing Adaptability:** - The digital landscape is dynamic; continuous adaptability is paramount. - Regularly audit and update your strategies to remain in sync with evolving search algorithms. 🔒 **6. Focus on Security Measures:** - Security is a top priority for Google. - Ensure your website is secure with HTTPS, and address any security issues promptly to avoid penalties. 👁️🗨️ **Final Thoughts** Staying ahead in the ever-evolving realm of SEO requires a keen eye on updates. This March 2024 Google update underscores the importance of content quality, adherence to guidelines, and a proactive approach to algorithm changes. Embrace these insights to fortify your digital presence and maintain a competitive edge. #GoogleUpdate #SEOInsights #DigitalMarketing #AlgorithmChanges #ContentQuality

⚠️ 🚨 Google just rolled out their latest core and spam update - here is everything you need to know... As always, Flying V Group Digital Marketing's emphasis on providing highly valuable, unique, and original information to clients is immediately highlighted in Google's notice: "Today we announced the March 2024 core update. This is designed to improve the quality of Search by showing less content that feels like it was made to attract clicks, and more content that people find useful." This notice also mentions that Google's spam policies have been updated in an effort to combat AI generated spam content. These are my key takeaways for the March 5th, 2024 Google Core Algorithm Update after reading all of the updates: 1. This is a more complex update than usual. The update is planned to roll out over the next month and the full effects of the updates will be felt over the next few weeks/months. 2. Google is anticipating more fluctuations in rankings than with a regular core update. 3. KEY POINT: there is nothing new or special that creators need to do for this update as long as they've been making satisfying content meant for PEOPLE. - the emphasis on people is critical as you should ALWAYS create for the end user and not search bots. 4. The new spam policies highlight against bad practices that include the following: expired domain abuse, scaled content abuse, and site reputation abuse. 5. Of the above policies, the key focus is on the scaled content abuse, which also combats AI production of content with little to no value. The new policy builds on the previous spam policy about automatically-generated content, ensuring that Google can take action on scaled content abuse as needed. This is no matter whether the content is produced through automation, human efforts, or some combination. After reading the above, I am sure you want to ask me, "Well, Robb, what should we do?" Well, that is a difficult question to answer because it depends on how you create content and information. But, what I can do is answer what Flying V Group is going to do: Abosutely nothing different. We have always prided ourselves on providing highly valuable content and information that injects our own personal experiences while supporting our clients. You should be doing the same. Don't create content just for the sake of ranking content. Create content that will educate, inform, and support your potential customers. Write content that evokes emotion and tells stories about certain trials and tribulations or learning experiences that you went through during this period. At the end of the day, people do business with people. Google's algorithms are going to constantly change and adjust, but as long as your focus on supporting real people does not, you will be just fine. Thanks for reading and please let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment! 🚀 #GoogleCoreUpdate #GoogleUpdates #SEO

AI is quietly rewriting the rules of Search. Today’s Google earnings might make it loud. Alphabet Inc. is expected to post $79B in revenue and 13% YoY EPS growth for Q2. On paper, things look solid. But beyond the top-line numbers, the most important trend to watch isn’t revenue. It’s how search is changing, from within Google itself. According to Semrush and other industry trackers: LLM-powered search already accounts for 4% of global queries → 13–17% of desktop Google searches now show AI overviews → In info/entertainment categories, LLM summaries show up in 50%+ of searches → By 2026, LLM share of search is forecast to hit 17% → By 2028, it may fully surpass traditional search This pace of change could even beat mobile search’s rise, which took 7 years to overtake desktop. And this is all happening inside Google, before OpenAI or Perplexity even enter the mainstream search habits of the average user. So if you’re a founder and SEO is core to your discovery strategy, this shift should be sounding alarms. The next 12 months are going to be critical for adapting. You need to understand: → How AI tools are presenting your brand → Whether you’re showing up in LLM answers → And how to optimize for a world beyond blue links If you're trying to figure out your next steps here, my former if(we) colleague Billy Leung is building Datacy, one of the first tools focused on AI Results Optimization (AIRO), helping companies audit and improve their presence in AI-generated search. His startup is definitely worth checking out, among others. It’s early, but this space will grow fast. → Consumer behavior is evolving. → Discovery is being rewritten. → The next generation of growth channels is already here. How are you adapting to this new era of search for your business? Lmk in the comments below! 👇🏾 ---— 👋🏾 Want more startup advice and tech news? Follow me here: Justin Gerrard And check out my podcast: Rush Hour Podcast ♻️ Repost if you think someone in your network would benefit! #google #alphabet #earnings #search

Google has launched its first search engine updates of 2024, which aims to “reduce unhelpful content in search results by 40%.” 📉 Per Google, this update is meant to refine how its search engine qualifies web content that is “unhelpful, offers a poor user experience, or feels like it was created for search engines instead of people.” This update is more complex than what Google traditionally rolls out, which means many websites might see more dramatic changes in their keyword rankings than usual. So, what can marketers do to avoid the impact? Not much. The best strategy is to focus on creating high-quality, substantive #content that your audience finds helpful, rather than aiming to achieve high rankings in search engines. Let’s break down the components of what Google defines as “helpful” vs. “unhelpful” content. Helpful Content: ✅ Satisfies user needs: Addresses specific search queries and provides users with the info they're looking for in a clear and concise way. ✅ Demonstrates expertise: Written by subject matter experts with reputable knowledge on a given area of interest. ✅ Trustworthy and reliable: Backed by evidence, data, and trustworthy sources. ✅ Original and valuable: Offers unique insights or perspectives that go beyond repackaging existing information and/or echoing self-serving biases. Unhelpful Content: ❌ Low-quality or thin content: Lacks depth, substance, or originality, and fails to provide users with valuable information. ❌ Created solely for ranking: Focuses on keyword stuffing or other manipulative tactics solely to improve search ranking, rather than user experience. ❌ Lacks expertise: Written by individuals without relevant knowledge or experience, potentially leading to inaccurate or misleading information. ❌ Unsatisfying or irrelevant: Doesn't address the user's search intent or leaves them feeling confused or with unanswered questions. We'll have to wait and see how long it takes for Google to sort out the mess of unhelpful content cluttering up its search results. With #generativeAI taking off the way it has, more and more derivative, keyword-thirsty content is being churned out at record speeds. If recent core updates are anything to go by, I suspect Google will make some serious headway with its latest roll out. #SEO #content #google #googlecoreupdate #marketing #tech #news #SEM CC: Grippi Media Anthony Atiq Thy Nguyen Caroline Prater Julie Revelant

“Future of Search” - new cartoon and post (link in comments) The future of search is ask. The future of results is answer. I like how Carl Holden at Zellus Marketing described the shift in how we’re all going to be navigating the Internet: “Since the turn of the millennium, the verb "search" has dominated our interaction with the internet—inputting keywords into a box and sifting through a list of results. In the last year, AI has catalyzed a move towards a new verb that will redefine our digital experience: ‘Ask.’” This shift in verbs from “search” to “ask” has major implications (and downstream consequences) for anyone using the Internet. “Ask” is different for everyone, so it implies a deep understanding of user-intent, personalization, predictive analytics, and contextual filtering. I think it also risks contributing to what Ian Whitworth described as “The Great Same-ening.” Some of this shift has been underway for a while, with the rise of zero-click search — where users use search engines to surface an answer, rather than clicking through to a website. In 2022, Semrush found that 25.6% of desktop searches and 17.3% of mobile searches were zero-click searches. This was a year before ChatGPT shuffled the entire playing field and Microsoft and Google kicked off a new search engine arms race. Some predict that web site traffic will drop 15-25% in 2024 as the search engine landscape changes and directs fewer people to individual web sites. Insight Partners recently demoed what Google Search Labs is calling “Search Generative Experience (SGE)” for a preview of the next evolution of search. While the current Google results page gives a majority of real estate to organic links, the new SGE has far less space for organic results. One of their takeaways: “It is likely that organic traffic will be fighting for space in a world where there is much less available than in the past.” What’s more, Insight Partners found that only 57% of links cited by Google’s new Search Generative Experience are from the current first page of organic results. So sites that currently perform well in SEO won’t automatically get traction in the new world. Marketers have learned to weather every algorithm change at Google. As I drew in a cartoon once, “the algorithm giveth, and the algorithm taketh away.” Yet this shift feels different. AI Optimization is becoming the new Search Engine Optimization and no one really knows how this will play out.