Google confirms its notable ranking changes on the Google Search Status Dashboard: broad core updates several times a year, spam updates, and in earlier years separate helpful content and reviews updates. Below is a history of the confirmed changes, from Panda in 2011 to the latest dashboard entries, with what each one was about. Every date comes from Google's own pages; dates from the dashboard are rollout start dates in US Pacific time.
How often does Google update its algorithm?
Constantly, in small ways that are never announced. Several times a year Google makes broad changes it calls core updates, which reassess content across the web rather than targeting particular sites. It also runs updates aimed at specific problems, such as spam. Google posts the notable ones on the Search Status Dashboard, whose ranking history goes back to late 2021. Earlier changes were announced on the Google Search Central blog.
Which updates shaped Google Search before 2022?
- 2011, Panda. A system to make sure high-quality, original content appeared in results and to reduce the rankings of low-quality content. Google says it became part of its core ranking systems in 2015.
- 2012, Penguin. A system to fight link spam. In September 2016 Google announced Penguin was part of its core algorithm, working in real time and adjusting rankings based on spam signals rather than affecting a whole site.
- August 2013, Hummingbird. Described by Google as a major improvement to its overall ranking systems.
- August 2014, HTTPS. Google started using secure, encrypted connections as a light ranking signal.
- 21 April 2015, mobile-friendly update. Google expanded its use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal for mobile searches worldwide.
- 2016, mobile-first indexing begins. Google started crawling and indexing the mobile version of pages. On 31 October 2023 it announced the move was complete.
- July 2018, Speed Update. Page speed became a ranking factor for mobile searches, affecting only the slowest pages.
- October 2019, BERT. Google began applying BERT language models to better understand the meaning of searches.
- 2021, page experience update. Google announced a gradual rollout from mid-June to the end of August, using signals including Core Web Vitals. The dashboard's earliest ranking entries follow in November 2021: a spam update on 3 November, a core update on 17 November and a product reviews update on 1 December.
What changed in 2022?
- 22 February: page experience update for desktop
- 23 March, 27 July and 20 September: product reviews updates
- 25 May and 12 September: core updates
- 25 August: the first helpful content update, aimed at content made mainly for search engines rather than people
- 19 October: spam update
- 5 December: helpful content update
- 14 December: link spam update
What were the Google algorithm updates in 2023?
- 21 February: product reviews update
- 15 March: core update
- 12 April: reviews update, which Google said now covers reviews of products, services and things
- 22 August: core update
- 14 September: helpful content update
- 4 October: spam update
- 5 October and 2 November: core updates
- 8 November: reviews update
Older versions of this page listed a "May 2023 page experience update". No such update appears on Google's dashboard, so it has been removed.
What changed in 2024?
The March 2024 core update, starting on 5 March, was described by Google as more complex than usual, involving changes to multiple core systems. It took 45 days to roll out. Alongside it, Google:
- folded the helpful content system into its core ranking systems, so there are no longer separate helpful content updates;
- started a spam update on the same day and announced three new spam policies: expired domain abuse, scaled content abuse and site reputation abuse, with the last taking effect from 5 May 2024;
- replaced First Input Delay with Interaction to Next Paint as the Core Web Vitals measure of responsiveness, also in March.
The rest of the year brought a spam update on 20 June, core updates on 15 August, 11 November and 12 December, and a spam update on 19 December.
What has changed since 2025?
- 2025: core updates on 13 March, 30 June and 11 December; a spam update on 26 August.
- 2026: a Discover update on 5 February; spam updates on 24 March, 24 June, 18 August and 24 September; core updates on 27 March and 21 May.
Check the dashboard itself for anything newer; it lists each update with its start date and how long the rollout took.
What does this history tell site owners?
Three patterns stand out. First, named systems tend to become part of the core: Panda, Penguin and the helpful content system all ended up inside Google's core ranking systems. Second, spam updates follow new spam policies, so the policy list is worth rereading whenever it changes. Third, the direction has been consistent since Panda in 2011: original, helpful content on a fast, secure, mobile-friendly site. Google's advice on core updates says most sites don't need to worry about them.
If your traffic moves around an update, our guide on what to do before and after a Google update covers how to diagnose it. For the mobile side of this history, read our post on mobile-first indexing. To check your own site against these standards, start with our free site audit or talk to our SEO team.
Questions people ask about Google algorithm updates
Where can I check whether a Google update is happening now?
On the Google Search Status Dashboard, under Ranking. It shows each confirmed update with its start date, and Google adds a note when the rollout is complete.
Does Google still release helpful content updates?
No. Google says the helpful content system became part of its core ranking systems in March 2024, so helpfulness is now assessed as part of core updates.
What is the difference between a core update and a spam update?
A core update is a broad change to how Google ranks content overall and does not target specific sites. A spam update improves Google's detection of practices that break its spam policies, such as link spam or scaled content abuse.
Are Panda and Penguin still running?
Not as separate updates. Google lists both as retired systems that became part of its core ranking systems, in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Further reading
Official guidance on the subject, from the platforms themselves: