Here are Google’s biggest search algorithm updates of 2017

Tuesday January 23, 2018 , 2 min Read

Gone are the days when Google used to announce its algorithm updates with much fanfare. With time, the updates became gradual and unannounced. Now looking back at 2017, there were several changes that will set the stage for the future of search.

In 2017, Google favoured voice search and Internet of Things (IoT), as mobile is the preferred device to conduct searches instead of desktops. Anyone remember Google’s mobile-first indexing?

The search engine giant also showed a preference for succinct, bite-sized content, which immediately answers the searcher’s query. The brief content is no competition for long-form content, which still has many takers. However, many people like to get everything served on a platter and save time rather than searching for a needle in the haystack.

In addition to this, Google once again gave prominence to users by heavily coming down upon interstitials. The ballgame changed when its large number of quality updates hit pages, which compromised on the user interface. Sites that focused solely on revenue generation and not on helping users had to face the music and were dropped like hot potatoes.

It also made the transition from “what people search” to “how people search.” Even user-generated content featured in Google’s ranking factors, which can be attributed to the rise of content creators on various channels, who come up with original, high-quality content.

There were some more updates that caught our attention, which aren’t here to stay in the near future.

Cut to the chase, these are 11 of the biggest Google Search Algorithm updates of 2017, which you can put to good use. These updates set the stage for 2018 and we are eager to find out how these will impact search this year.

Google's Biggest Search Algorithm Updates Of 2017 - a visual representation by E2M