Every year Google makes a bunch of algorithm changes which determine the ranking order of websites. The exact number is not known, although we believe these run into the hundreds, if not thousands. Usually these changes are felt very little through the search world, with most of the changes being very subtle.
2011 was different, with around 14 changes which not only had an impact but prompted all SEOs to review their marketing strategies.
Below are the most significant changes made by Google in 2011.
Attribution Update – January 28th 2011
Scraping of website content has become a big problem for webmasters, and an even harder problem for Google to deal with. January saw the roll out of an attribution update which was designed to counter content scraping. Google predicted this would affect around 2% of all searches.
Panda/Farmer Update – February 23rd 2011
The most significant algorithm change of 2011 was an unexpected arrival. Named after an engineer Navneet Panda, Google Panda rocked the SEO world, with over 12% of searches being affected. Panda was built to tackle poor quality websites ranking well with poor content and usability. Several high profile websites were hit hard, as well as directories and instructional sites.
The Google Panda update forced all webmasters and website owners to look at their website from many different angles. The update consisted of a machine learning algorithm, which used real user data to rate websites. Things such as ad to content ratios, poor navigation and site structure were all areas which the search engine were now looking at and ranking you against. User metrics such as bounce rates and page views were also now heavily being looked at as an indicator to the user experience on your website.
+1 Button Integrated – March 1st 2011
Google rolled out the +1 button on the side of all search results. This showed Google’s intentions of entering the social sharing bubble. The +1 button allowed you to effectively vote for the website, and share it with your social circle.
Panda 2.0 Update – April 11th 2011
Google rolled out the Panda update to non-English speaking countries.
Panda 2.1 Update – May 9th 2011
This update was relatively minor and we assume it was just a few tweaks. Google never discussed this update in any great detail.
Google + Rolled Out – June 28th 2011
Google looked to take a piece of the social media pie by rolling out the Google + social platform. Using circles, users could define different groups and target them individually. This is something which Facebook would later integrate into their service. It is reported Google + had 10 million registered users within two weeks of going live.
Panda 2.3 Update – July 23rd 2011
Another Panda update which was never confirmed by Google, 2.3 was again thought to be an algorithm update.
Panda Goes Global – August 12th 2011
Google finally rolled out the Panda update to all versions of the search engine across all countries. This was said to affect a further 6-9% of searches. This had no impact on the English Language search as it was already live, international sites were affected by this update.
Expanded Site links – August 16th 2011
Getting on the first page of search results above the fold was hard enough before Google decided to reward number one spot with more links! Rolled out in the middle of August, Google now gave 12 sub links to the number one ranked site in the results. They later changed this to 6, probably due to the amount of space it was taking on page one.
Eric Schmidt Gives Insights – September 21st 2011
Google CEO Eric Schmidt revealed that in 2010, Google released 516 algorithm changes to the search engine. What was more astonishing was the fact he stated that they had tested over 13,000 possibilities.
Panda 2.5 Update – October 5th 2011
Another illusive Google Panda update which was never discussed in much detail. The effect on search results was not known.
Query Encryption – October 18th 2011
In the ‘interest of privacy’, Google decided that they needed to block the search queries of visitors who were logged into their Google accounts. This meant that webmasters viewing their Google Analytics would now see a (not provided) keyword, representing all logged in users.
What was very interesting about this update was that if you are running an Adwords campaign, you are still provided with the data and search queries. Was Google pushing for more Adword usage?
Freshness Update – Nov 3rd 2011
Affecting up to reportedly 35% of queries, the freshness update was designed to reward websites who are frequently updating content and providing users with more relevant results.
Panda 3.1 Update – November 18th 2011
The last of the Panda updates for the year, again designed to iron out some of the problems which were perhaps unfairly downgrading websites.
So there you have it, a year full of changes in the SEO world with some updates having a much greater impact than others. What this tells us about what to expect for 2012 is anyone’s guess, but there is very little chance of it rolling by without another ‘Panda’ style update!
Credit to SEOMoz for the update changes.