What are Google's core algorithm updates?

Google's core algorithm updates refer to significant changes made to the way Google ranks web pages in its search results. These updates can have a noticeable impact on search engine rankings and organic traffic for websites. While Google makes frequent smaller updates, core updates are larger changes that typically occur several times a year. Here are some notable Google core algorithm updates:

1. **Panda (2011):** Aimed at improving the quality of search results by penalizing websites with low-quality or duplicate content, thin content, and content farms.

2. **Penguin (2012):** Targeted spammy link practices, including link schemes, buying links, and over-optimization of anchor text. It aimed to promote natural and high-quality link building practices.

3. **Hummingbird (2013):** Introduced to better understand the intent behind search queries and provide more relevant results. It focused on semantic search and the context of keywords within a query.

4. **Pigeon (2014):** Affecting local search results, Pigeon aimed to provide more accurate and relevant local search results by tying local search ranking factors more closely to traditional web ranking signals.

5. **Mobile-Friendly Update (2015):** Often referred to as "Mobilegeddon," this update boosted the ranking of mobile-friendly pages on mobile search results. It aimed to improve the mobile user experience by prioritizing mobile-friendly websites.

6. **RankBrain (2015):** A machine-learning component of Google's algorithm that helps process and understand search queries better. It interprets the meaning behind queries and provides more relevant search results.

7. **Fred (2017):** Targeted websites with low-quality content and heavy ad placement above the fold. It penalized websites that focused on revenue generation rather than providing valuable content to users.

8. **Medic (2018):** Thought to have targeted health and medical websites specifically, although its impact was felt across various industries. It emphasized expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) of content.

9. **BERT (2019):** Stands for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers. BERT helps Google understand the context of words in search queries more accurately, especially for longer, more conversational queries.

10. **Core Updates (2020 onwards):** Google continues to roll out broad core algorithm updates several times a year, impacting rankings across various niches. These updates often focus on improving relevance, expertise, and user satisfaction.

Google's core algorithm updates are aimed at improving the overall quality of search results by rewarding high-quality, relevant content and penalizing low-quality, spammy, or manipulative practices. Websites that follow SEO best practices, focus on providing valuable content, and prioritize user experience tend to benefit from these updates in the long run. Keeping up with Google's core updates and adapting your SEO strategy accordingly is essential for maintaining and improving search engine rankings.