Google Algorithm Update Tracker
Every confirmed and unconfirmed Google algorithm update from 2021 to today. Impact analysis, affected niches, ranking signals and recovery workflows for each event.
Browse by update type
2026(7 updates)
A broad core update rolling out mid-July 2026 with wide SERP shifts across informational and commercial queries.
Targets low-effort AI mass content, cloaking and expired-domain abuse. Sites relying on scaled generic content see the largest declines.
Broad relevance re-ranking with visible movement for how-to, product and health content.
The largest core update since 2024 — recalibrates helpful content signals and site-level quality scoring.
Second-tier spam sweep focused on scaled abuse and manipulated reputation signals.
Targets ranking in Google Discover — visual quality, headlines and click satisfaction rebalanced.
Year-end broad core update that reset rankings across many verticals into 2026.
2025(7 updates)
SpamBrain update focused on link spam and manipulative anchor patterns.
Broad core update with mid-summer SERP volatility — heavy movement for review and comparison content.
Trackers noted elevated volatility bridging late May and mid-June 2025 without a Google announcement.
Historic March 2023 core update page — refreshed with long-term outcomes and recovery patterns observed through 2025.
Manual and algorithmic action against third-party content published on high-authority domains to exploit their rankings.
Broad core update with strong impact on informational content and affiliate reviews.
Local pack shuffling reported by trackers in early January 2025.
2024(14 updates)
Targets scaled content abuse and reputation manipulation after core rollout.
Broad core update rolled out immediately after November — compounded volatility across many niches.
Broad core update focused on rewarding original, useful content.
Trackers logged multi-week SERP volatility bridging late September into October 2024.
Google acknowledged a ranking issue during the August 2024 core rollout.
Broad core update explicitly designed to reduce unhelpful content and reward smaller, independent sites.
Tracker-only volatility in late July 2024.
SpamBrain update against low-quality mass content and manipulative patterns.
Trackers noted a burst of volatility in mid-May 2024.
Refinements to how desktop page experience signals contribute to ranking.
Introduced expanded scaled-content-abuse, site-reputation-abuse and expired-domain-abuse policies.
Core update targeting a 40% reduction in unhelpful content.
Tracker volatility in mid-February 2024.
Local pack shuffling early January 2024.
2023(20 updates)
Year-end volatility without a Google announcement.
Reviews system refinement — targets first-hand experience and expertise in review content.
Second core rollout of November 2023 with broad SERP shifts.
Broad core update following the September helpful content update.
Expanded the helpful content system beyond English.
SpamBrain nullifies unnatural links across languages.
Tracker volatility spike.
Tracker volatility spike.
Tracker volatility spike.
Product reviews refinement expanded to more languages.
Reviews system generalized beyond products to services, businesses, media and destinations.
Tracker volatility spike.
Tracker volatility spike.
Tracker volatility spike.
Tracker volatility spike.
Tracker volatility spike.
Broad core update in late August 2023.
SpamBrain update focused on cloaking, scraped content and international spam.
Major refinement of the helpful content signal — one of the most impactful updates of 2023.
2022(18 updates)
Tracker volatility spike.
Tracker volatility spike.
SpamBrain spam update.
Tracker volatility spike.
Product reviews refinement.
Local pack volatility.
Broad core update in September 2022.
Introduced the site-wide Helpful Content signal against content written for search engines rather than people.
Widespread Google Search outage.
Product reviews refinement.
Tracker volatility.
Improvements to multilingual and transliterated title rendering.
Broad core update in May 2022.
Tracker volatility.
Tracker volatility.
Product reviews refinement.
Tracker-recorded peak volatility.
Adjustments to how DMCA notices affect ranking.
2021(39 updates)
Extended volatility episode across September 2021.
Single-day tracker spike.
Elevated SERP volatility on June 30, 2021.
Tracker volatility spike.
Tracker volatility spike.
Original mobile Page Experience rollout combining Core Web Vitals, HTTPS, mobile-friendliness and safe browsing.
Local search rebalancing.
Product reviews refinement.
Broad core update in November 2021.
SpamBrain anti-spam refresh.
Tracker-recorded peak volatility.
Google began systematically rewriting page titles in the SERP.
Combined link spam nullification and title rewriting adjustments.
Tracker volatility.
Tracker-recorded peak volatility.
Tracker volatility.
Local pack shifts.
SpamBrain nullifies unnatural links at scale.
Tracker volatility.
Tracker-recorded elevated volatility.
Local pack shifts.
Tracker-recorded elevated volatility.
Tracker volatility.
Tracker volatility.
Tracker volatility.
Tracker volatility.
Tracker volatility.
Tracker volatility.
Tracker-recorded peak volatility.
Tracker-recorded elevated volatility.
Local pack shifts.
Local pack shifts.
Enables Google to rank a specific passage within a long page as if it were a standalone answer.
Original launch of the product reviews system focused on rewarding in-depth review content.
Broad core update in June 2021.
Tracker volatility around reviews queries.
Second wave of SpamBrain anti-spam updates in 2021.
SpamBrain anti-spam update.
Broad core update in July 2021, completing the split June/July rollout.