Read more: https://expresswriters.com/infographic-a-timeline-history-of-seo-and-web-copywriting/

1. SPAM
Google's
2012-PRESENT
A Timeline of
MAJOR SEO CONTENT UPDATES
What: Google’s algorithm began updating in real time
and providing page-specific analysis, which was more
specific than its previous incarnation.
Users: Outdated site changes and website hacks will
affect your search results less often.
Publishers: Your pages may index faster when you
publish or update content.
Content Creators: Even if it doesn’t hit Google News, your
timely content has more value. You’re still competing with
social media, but you can create a live blog that updates as
time goes on, just as news sites do during major events. This
is creating a liveblogging trend on regular blog platforms
like WordPress – it’s not just for microblog sites like Twitter
anymore.
What: This Google update penalized sites with intrusive
pop up ads.
Users: Google is more likely to lead users to sites without
annoying pop ups.
Publishers: Publishers must reconfigure sites to function
and funnel traffic without pop up ads. Rely on persuasive
content to meet your goals.
Content Creators: What is the purpose of the ads
formerly appearing on the site for which you’re writing?
Consider this strongly when you construct calls to action
(CTAs) and the content itself. Use streamlined graphics to
accomplish this task.
May 12: Mobile Friendly
(Boost) Update
What: This boosted mobile-friendly sites in the SERPs
beyond the existing preference.
Users: If you’re on mobile, this will serve you more posts
that will display well on your device.
Publishers: There’s a further emphasis on mobile. If
Mobilegeddon didn’t wake you up, this should do the trick.
Content Creators: Mobile-friendliness includes a lot of
factors, not all of which are disclosed by Google. Mobile
-friendly content contains short paragraphs, bullet lists
(when applicable), and immediate information.
February 23: AdWords Update
What: Google axed sidebar ads. Instead, you got another
ad at the top when you search (total four).
Users: Be aware of which results are ads (there’s still an
ad box to the left of the result to indicate that it’s an
advertisement). If you’re on mobile, ads will take up most
of your screen initially after your search.
Publishers: If you’re not pouring money into advertising,
direct your content efforts towards appearing in the Google
Knowledge Graph.
Content Creators: Aim for the knowledge graph, find out
what people are asking and answer their questions, and hone
your keyword and content planning strategy.
In September of 2016, many site owners reported penalties
and promotions in SERPs (search engine page results)
January 10: Intrusive
Interstitial Popup Penalty
January 10: Intrusive
Interstitial Popup Penalty
What: Google announced that RankBrain has been active
for half a year. RankBrain intelligently learned from searches.
This artificial intelligence improved the algorithm to get users
the information they need.
Users: This helps you have a better search experience.
RankBrain may not only learn about audiences in general,
but you specifically, especially if you’re signed into Chrome
as you browse. While that’s creepy, it’s also useful.
Publishers: RankBrain means your site needs to be geared
towards usefulness, even if you’re selling a product. If you’re
selling gardening equipment, your free garden planner and
your how-tos should be front and center – NOT your latest
sale item.
Content Creators: You’re officially writing for the people,
not the search engine. You’re not in the race to rank unless
you’re also taking the time to be the most useful.
October 26: RankBrain
Announcement
What: Google began showing three local
map results instead of a list of seven.
Users: Google’s more integrated with its maps app now, so
while you’ll get less results without having to scroll, you can
click on any of them and easily navigate or call the
business. Google will also tell you the hours of the business
and other important info you need on the go.
Publishers: If you have a local business and want to know
where to spend your advertising dollars to rank in SERPs, this
may be your answer. Make sure you have your business listed on
Google and ensure your biz page and your website both list
accurate hours and locations.
Content Creators: Check out the competition for local
keywords. The future of search is also social, and it looks like
Google’s going in that direction. If you can encourage readers to
check in as your CTA, you’ll put the business ahead of the game.
August: Local 3 Pack /
“Snack Pack” Update
September 23: Google
Penguin 4.0
Google Penguin 4.0
In January of 2016, it’s clear that Google was tweaking and
updating their algorithm. This is called the “Ghost Update.”
October 15 - Possible Zombie Update - This was an
indication of what was to come – and also of the new
normal, which means small tweaks and unannounced algo
updates every now and then. People call this one the
“Zombie Update.”
What: This was another unannounced update that Google
confirmed after the fact. Webmasters reported significant
fluctuations. (I run a small website with quality content and
noticed a positive change around this time.)
Users: You don’t have to worry much about this one; this
just made it easier for Google to serve you useful results.
Publishers: This is indicative of a continual focus on
quality. Publish better content, even if that means you have
to do it less often.
Content Creators: Quality is increasingly important to
Google. Aside from being informative, your posts must be
polished: that means expert flow, short paragraphs, flawless
grammar, and natural, authoritative links to more resources.
May: Phantom 2 /
Google Quality Update
What: Google announced this one well in advance. Sites not
mobile-friendly were severely penalized in the SERPs following
this update.
Users: You can use your phone more! More sites are mobile
-friendly for you.
Publishers: If your site isn’t mobile friendly, don’t even
bother investing in SEO or content. You need to fix your site
first so that it’s ready for mobile devices. You should know that
mobile use has overtaken desktop use, and mobile usage rates
are even higher in countries like India, where some internet
users use phones and tablets exclusively. When it comes to UX
(userexperience), makes sure your site’s mobile version allows
navigable menus and spacing between links for ease of use.
Content Creators: Think about how your content will look
on a mobile phone. Infographics need to be responsive and
vertical; you should also remember to keep your paragraphs
short. Are you linking to obile-friendly sites, or ones that will
only frustrate your reader?
April: Mobilegeddon
February-March: Fred
What: Analysts noticed search engine ranking changes,
but Google remained quiet on the details. Google’s Gary
Illyes said the update targeted aspects of already
published guidelines, but observers specifically noticed
the targeting of low-value content. Other algorithm
updates preceded Fred, but details are sketchy and it’s
unknown whether they are related to Fred.
Users: Better quality search results.
Publishers: As always, you need to be on top of your
content game. Now is a great time to go back through
some mediocre content and improve quality.
Content Creators: Work on restructuring and improving
previous content to maintain or improve ranking.
2017
2016
2015
What: This update tightened up the Penguin algorithm
update. It’s reported that Google also rewarded sites that
improved since the last Penguin updates.
Users: This update helps you get better quality search
results rather than stuff link-spammed to the top.
Publishers: Take out your spammy links! It’s not worth it.
Content Creators: Continue to be mindful of the links
you include in your posts. Make sure to check their domain
authority and Alexa rating.
October: Penguin 3
2014
What: Google Authorship allowed authors to claim their digital
identities and connect their posts to it. In search results, the
author’s name and photo appeared near the result, potentially
adding legitimacy to the post.
Users: If you read a lot of content in the same niche, you’ll
probably recognize your favorite authors and know to click on
their posts because they’re reputable. This update removed
that ability.
Publishers: Make sure your site’s blog posts contain
bylines. If you’re using a content management system
(CMS) like WordPress, set this to display the author’s name.
Content Creators: This isn’t a great move for you, because
Google Authorship could help you build authority quickly. You
should start your own niche blog, even if you update it infrequently
(but regularly) to increase your authority in any given area.
Consider a portfolio site as well. I recommend Pressfolios
(Pressfolios.com).
August: Google Ends Authorship
What: This update affected local search. This means it included
not only local factors, but quality / organic factors as well. Google
began looking at whatever website was linked to your Google
Local page and integrated with Maps.
Users: This update helps you find better local stuff faster.
Publishers: Your Google Local (now Google Business) page
will take tumble in the SERPs if your site isn’t up to speed.
Content Creators: Local content is increasingly valuable, and
your client’s Google Business page will suffer if you don’t make
the location clear on the content of the website. This includes not
only copy, but also alt-tags, meta info, and photo captions.
July: Google Pigeon
What: Google issued “thin content warnings” to people who
had sites with content that had little or no value. What did
they have in common? They were mostly PBNs, or large
networks of interlinked blogs meant to game the system.
Publishers: If you’re using an SEO service, make sure they’re
using white hat and grey hat (at worst) techniques. You really
don’t want unnatural links in there. It’s a risky, short-term
strategy that will only hurt you in the long-run. Make sure you
thoroughly evaluate an SEO pro before hiring them. With old
school tactics, you’re just paying to get hurt. Invest in a clean
site structure and content instead.
Content Creators: Create pithy content and don’t stuff with
fluff. Make sure your blog posts are 350+ words and cut the
garbage to avoid penalties. Always use reputable links.
September: Private Blogger
Networks (PBNs) Removed
What: Google refined Panda, which penalized sites with
low-quality content and bolstered some smaller sites with
high-quality content.
Publishers: Good content gets a boost here. This one’s
a win for the underdog, so keep publishing genuine, useful
content.
Content Creators: At this point, many larger businesses
are really committing to high-quality content because
Panda isn’t going anywhere. Remember all that freelance
work you lost as a result of Panda hitting ‘content mills’ and
citizen journalism sites? Now that very same algorithm
update will start to result in high-paying gigs from
independent clients. It was a tough few years, but things
are looking up for a talented writer.
September: Panda 4.1
Users: This helps you find sites with more genuine links and
quality information. You’re less likely to come across an
article that will lead you astray (to a gambling or porn website,
in particular, if that’s not what you were looking for).
What: Google gave updates to sites with SSL, a security
feature. Though the boost was minor, this was their way of
encouraging SSL usage.
Publishers: SSL is best practice, so it’s something you
should have anyway. Contact your web host provider and
upgrade to SSL if you haven’t already. This is especially
important if you have an e-commerce component to your site.
Content Creators: This shouldn’t affect you too much, but
you can check to see if a potential client’s got an SSL site. If
they don’t and they’re accepting money for services online, it’s
an indication that they probably have no idea what they’re
doing or that they’re very new to online commerce.
August: Secure Sockets Layer
(SSL) Boost
Users: This makes the web slightly safer for you, ranking
secure sites above those that aren’t.
What: This algorithm update messed with rankings temporarily.
For a short time, it took more than a month for changes to affect
ranking. Sites that were too heavily optimized took another
penalty here.
Publishers: Avoid over-optimization. If you’re going for local
results, don’t spam your location keywords. At this point, it only
hurts you!
Content Creators: Focus on natural content. If your copy
sounds unnatural, it’s better to use the keyword less and focus
on genuine copy.
May: Panda 4.0
Users: For a while, you may not have gotten the most
up-to-date information when searching, but it’s all fixed now.
Panda 4.1
In July, Google also removed photos from Authorship, so only
the author’s name appeared. This should have been a warning
sign about Authorship’s untimely demise. (We miss you,
Authorship </3 ).
Panda 4.0
An Actionable Retrospective for Users, Publishers, and Content Creators
We’re used to Google updates and announcements now, but do you recall the old days of improved search? Panda, Penguin, and
even Mobilegeddon shook things up for content creators, publishers, and Google users. Content writers have had to adapt
considerably: not only do we have to know about past and upcoming changes, we advise on inbound content strategies that
benefit the end user in current times.
This timeline starts in January of 2012 and ends in February-March 2017, and has
been especially created for content marketers, by content experts.
We put together a compilation of the major Google SEO and algorithm updates and how they affect content creation and
content marketing. You’ll also see unofficial updates, during which users noticed fluctuations but there was no official Google
announcement. Enjoy!
What: This update targeted sites with multiple ads above the
fold. (Digitally speaking, that’s the first desktop view of page
without scrolling.)
Publishers: Time to change up your ad locations. Stop
putting so many of them above the fold.
Content Creators: Focus on creating strong ledes and
introductions in your blog posts. If you’re writing for a site that
makes its money through ad revenue, your future income
could depend upon making sure that reader stays on the page
long enough to scroll down. Hold the reader’s attention so that
they scroll down to see the ads and don’t bounce off the page
right away. You should also include an internal link to another
page on the site to encourage a lower bounce rate and better
site structure.
February: Page Layout 3
Users: You get results with less of those annoying ads
crowding the top of the page.
What: Technically a separate update than Panda 4.0, this update
focused on querie that had a lot of spammed and keyword
-stuffed sites in the SERP results.
Users: This kicked some of those Spammy McSpammerson
sites to the curb!
Publishers: If you’ve got a non-spammy website in a
legitimate but oft-keyword- spammed industry like law or casino
gaming, you’re in luck! The spammy sites took abeating, and your
site probably rose in the SERPs.
Content Creators: You might have noticed that certain
industries still hired you to write some keyword-stuffed content.
That’s about to change. This was an ideal time to re-brand
yourself as a social media specialist, editor, or creator of
high-quality content.
May: Spam Targeting
SPAM

2. UPDATE....
SPAM
2013
What: Google stated that Authorship wouldn’t be as
important as a ranking factor. It’s the beginning of the end
for Authorship.
Users: This may have changed the SERP results order just
a bit for you, but not much.
Publishers: Authorship isn’t as important anymore. If you
blog as your brand name, strengthen your About page to
mitigate an increase in brand authority.
Content Creators: This is the beginning of the end for
the glorious Authorship. It’s a good time to claim your own
personal brand with your name as the URL. While you’re at
it, snag a free about.me page and make sure you link all
your social media from it.
In October-December, there were some DNS errors in
Webmaster Tools and an announced Penguin 2.1 update.
The consequences of Penguin 2.1 were not overt or noticeable.
December: Authorship Decrease
August: Hummingbird
What: Announced after its release, this update was an
improvement on the query side, helping the algorithm
understand what people search for.
Users: Google will give you some more relevant answers,
make sense of misspelled words, and more.
Publishers: It’s time to take a hard look at what search
queries drive people to your site. Keep looking, because the
more Google refines its Hummingbird qualities, the better
information you’ll get. Take note of what people aren’t looking
at to find your site and adjust your content strategy to suit.
Content Creators: Start thinking about answering questions
accurately. Write from the perspective of an answerer to a query.
People look up “Chinese Restaurant San Francisco” and “What
Chinese Restaurant has the best General Tso’s Chicken in San
Francisco?” You need to make content addressing both of these
questions.
What: Google began highlighting long-form articles, or
content it identified as going deep into the details in response
to a user query.
Users: Want detailed information about something? This will
help you find it.
Publishers: People crave in-depth knowledge about your
niche, which means Google is thirsty for long-form content.
Extend the length of some the content you publish, even if that
means publishing less frequently.
Content Creators: Get good at long-form content and get
used to making it – its importance is now noticeable. Your
esoteric knowledge is becoming more and more valuable as
time goes on. Now it’s time to shine.
August: In-Depth Articles
July: Knowledge Graph Expansion
What: The Knowledge Graph grew. It began providing more
information.
Publishers: What does the Knowledge Graph reveal for
your topic? Make sure you update your site so that it presents
all of the requisite Knowledge Graph data.
Content Creators: Make sure you’re thorough with the
topic of your blogs and articles. Answer queries in your posts.
If someone queries: “Where is the best place to buy organic
apples in Louisville, KY?” then your content should be “Our
Farm LLC is the best place to buy organic apples in Louisville,
Kentucky.”
July included a crackdown on spammers and a confirmed
multi-week update. There was also a confirmed Panda update
of little consequence.
What: Matt Cutts announced more regular Panda rollouts
and updates.
Users: Searchers might have noticed sudden changes in
search results if they looked up the same thing repeatedly.
Publishers: In some instances, sudden changes are
reflected in Google Analytics.
Content Creators: Most industries aren’t too affected, but
if you’re writing in the insurance or loan industries, it’s time to
clean up your act and create quality copy.
June: Multiple Panda Rollouts
June: Algorithm Update
Targets Spammers
What: Porn, payday loans, and other categories frequently
keyword spammed received specific focus in this algorithm
update.
Users: If you’re legitimately looking for loans or
pornography, you may receive more legitimate results.
Publishers: Keyword stuffing isn’t going to work for you
anymore, especially in these categories. Adult content site
Pornhub shifts organic efforts to produce targeted and
educational content.
Content Creators: If you’re writing for a site in one of
these categories, this is a time for your legitimacy to help
you stand out. You can leap ahead in the SERPs by producing
informative and educational content instead of just
spamming keywords.
What: Between 2 and 3 percent of English language queries
were affected by another Penguin update.
Users: You’ll get more accurate search results but probably
won’t notice a major shift as a result of this update.
Publishers: Ranking changes are generally slight, but
possibly noticeable.
Content Creators: This is yet another clue to Google’s
path and preferences – Penguin is here to stay.
May: Penguin 2.0
May: Domain Diversity Update
What: This update allowed for a greater variety of domains to
show up in the SERPs.
Publishers: Diversify your content and consider long tail
keywords if you want to continue dominating SERPs. It’s a good
time to invest in cornerstone content to strengthen your
strongest page for a given keyword.
Content Creators: Use more internal links to create
cornerstone content. You need to tell Google which page it
should pick as Google’s now limited for each term.
Users: Ever look something up only to find 10 results from the
same website? This update will give you more options.
SPAM
What: Google rolled out a Panda update right before
Christmas. They promised not to do a major update so close
to a holiday again.
Users: Since this happened on December 21, it probably
didn’t impact search results for most of your holiday
shopping. This also happened well after Hanukkah, which
ended on December 16.
Publishers: Your SERP rankings might have changed right
before a major holiday. Your SEOs, web developers, and
content writers may have been on vacation.
Content Creators: You were probably (hopefully) on
vacation. Maybe you returned to work only to find a bunch
of panicked emails about SERP ranking. It was altogether
terrible timing.
December: Holiday Panda Update
October: 65 Changes
and Penguin 3
What: Google’s been busy, and their list of 65 specific
updates exemplified UX and searchability improvements.
Publishers: As Google fine tunes the algorithm, it’s apparent
that accuracy is more important, as is search history. Build up
your reliance on long tail keywords.
Content Creators: User intention improvements gives you
a bit more leeway to write for the user and not the search
engine. Google starts to recognize synonyms in a more useful
way, so you can cut down on the keyword spamming.
Users: Autocomplete becomes more useful (and also more
hilarious) as Google auto-suggests search terms more
comprehensively in the search field.
2012
What: This Google update lessened the impact of exact
match domains (EMDs). EMDs are domains that match
keyword searches; prior to this, “best shoe shop London”
might automatically match “bestshoeshoplondon.co.uk”
Users: Your searches will be more relevant rather than just
lead you to relevant-sounding domain names.
Publishers: Having the keyword in the domain name is still
useful, but you really need to back it up with authoritative
content.
Content Creators: This could result in more work for you.
Publishers can’t rely on a domain name to draw in viewers;
inbound marketing just became more relevant.
September: Exact
Match Domain Changes
August: Limited SERP Results
What: For a limited amount of queries, only seven results
showed on the first page of the SERP.
Publishers: This means competition’s a bit tighter on the
SERP. Relevance is key.
Content Creators: Some of your page one content could
be on page two now. You could repurpose or significantly
update the existing content to help it sneak onto page one.
Improve, improve, improve.
Users: You’ll get less results for certain queries, but they
should be especially relevant.
What: Google began to penalize sites commonly accused of
copyright infringement to comply with DMCA.
Users: You’ll get less results that lead you to pirated and
illegally uploaded media.
Publishers: Don’t publish pirated or copyrighted material
or Google will penalize you.
Content Creators: It’s time to really check yourself when
it comes to copyright. Do you have permission to publish
that song, clip, or photo? Always credit appropriately and
don’t use something if you don’t have permission.
August: DMCA (Digital Millennium
Copyright Act) Compliance Update
June: Inorganic Backlink
Signals + 39 Updates
What: Google improved a lot: hacking detection, multi-
language support, mobile autocomplete, news ranking, audio
file support, SafeSearch, freshness, and “recent” feature
on mobile.
Publishers: Newsworthiness becomes more relevant – if
your content qualifies for Google News, make sure you
consistently use it (but only if this applies to your content).
Content Creators: Those organic backlinks mean even
more, so consider doing some more guest blogging. This
update helped Google better detect spammy links, which
clears the path for natural links.
Users: You’ll find an easier experience on mobile or tablet
searching, and if you’re using an Asian language, the whole
thing will make a lot more sense.
What: Knowledge graph began differentiating people, places,
and things. It also began serving up some basic information
about any given topic without requiring the user to click
through to a website, but it did list a source.
Users: You can find basic info with one less click, thanks to
Knowledge Graph.
Publishers: Updating low quality content doesn’t work
anymore. If the content is low quality, you can no longer exploit
its freshness for SERP ranking.
Content Creators: Answering user questions becomes even
more important. You want to earn that Knowledge Graph spot so
users click through for more information. Be sure to answer the
question generally in the beginning of your content. If the
question for which you want to appear in the Knowledge Graph is
“What color is the American flag?” your content should say “The
American flag is red, white, and blue.” A public domain image
accompanying it may also help you rank in Knowledge Graph.
May: Knowledge Graph
Implementation and 52 Updates
April: Google Penguin
What: This update penalizes SEO spamming, link networks,
and purchased links.
Publishers: This is it – no more paid links or link networks.
You need to rely on your own charm (and content) to win a
SERP ranking. If you have content without these things, you
should rank higher in the SERPs.
Content Creators: Don’t include shady links in your
content and be especially particular with your links.
Users: You’ll get more relevant search results, and hopefully,
less spammy content.
What: Google provides local search results even if you do not
include a location.
Users: You’ll get relevant, local results. Searching for Italian
food near you? You may get something in your neighborhood,
even if you did not ask.
Publishers: This makes it easier for your local business to
get found as long as Google can discern your location. If you
have a brick and mortar location, make sure your full address
is listed prominently on your site ASAP.
Content Creators: Make sure your content includes
location information (city, state for those in the United States).
February: Venice
January: Google
Plus Search Integration
What: Google uses data from your Google Plus experience to
help you search.
Publishers: Shareability on G+ is now a real factor. A G+
share button on your content/sites could go a long way.
Content Creators: Google is really paying attention to
what people share. Your SERP position could rise or fall
based upon shareability at this point.
Users: Don’t have a Google Plus account? That’s ok, Google
will kind of force it on you and then use your data to improve
your searches.
What: Got lots of ads above the fold? Google’s not so fond of
that anymore.
Users: You should have a better browsing experience with
less ads in the way.
Publishers: Move your less lucrative ads below the fold to
avoid this penalty.
Content Creators: Good ad copy is now more valuable
than ever, as is knowledge about what makes an effective ad.
Now is an ideal time to learn a little more about what kind of
words make a digital ad work.
January: Ad/ Page Update
Throughout 2012, Google also pushed out multiple Panda
and Penguin updates, most of which affected 1-3 percent
of queries.
Looking for history prior to 2012? Check out thorough timelines from Moz:
https://moz.com/google-algorithm-change and The Hoth:
https://www.thehoth.com/google-update-history/
How Have Google Algorithm Updates Affected Your Content?
Care to see how these algorithm changes may have affected your website? Plot your Google
Analytics data alongside this timeline: https://www.rankwatch.com/google-timeline.html
Remember, various factors affect your website traffic as well, including virality of individual pieces of
content, paid advertising, and more. Don’t forget to factor that in when you’re considering how
algorithm changes may have affected your site.
As you improve and implement quality content into your inbound marketing strategy, keep a close
watch on those analytics. Tailor your content to your audience.
Most website owners who employ inbound marketing see a serious boost in the quality of their traffic.
You want people who hang around a while, consider you part of their community, and buy – not someone
who found your site because you keyword spammed. Knowing the content you should create, and
spending time and quality to maintain a constant schedule can greatly benefit your presence online.
Author: Tara Clapper
Compiled by: the Team at Express Writers
UPDATE....