1. Mobilegeddon: The Mobile-Friendly Revolution

Google rolled out a mobile-friendly update, dubbed Mobilegeddon, in April 2015. This upgrade was a radical change in the way Google judged the sites with the introduction of mobile-friendly pages to the mobile search results. Very few were those who thought that the update would have such a great long-term impact, but slowly and steadily, the realisation that initially the update was a little overrated has come to stay.

What Mobilegeddon Targeted:

* Non-mobile-friendly sites
* Text that was too small or hard to read
* Layouts that were not adaptable
* Pages that necessitated horizontal scrolling or zooming

Google was already aware of the impending increase in mobile search volume over desktop search volume, and it did happen. Nowadays, mobile devices account for over fifty percent of the total worldwide web traffic. Mobilegeddon was not merely an update; it was a signal for companies. The elimination of bad mobile usability practices led to a quick ranking drop, while the sites professionally designed for mobile drew noticeable traffic.

What It Means for Marketers Today:
The adoption of mobile-first design is now a demand rather than an option. Google has already switched to mobile-first indexing, which implies that your mobile site is the chief version used for ranking. Modern-day SEO success demands fast loading times, clean interfaces, and responsive layouts to be in place.
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2. Fred Update: Cracking Down on Sites with Ads and Low-Value Content

The Fred Update, which was launched in March 2017, was not officially acknowledged by Google, but SEO specialists soon saw it as a tool to punish those websites that were merely minting money by being of no use to the users.

Sites Fred was aiming at:

* Sites that were full of advertisements
* Content that is purely affiliate with no real substance
* Pages made just to make money and not to provide any substantial info.

Fred took a direct shot at blogs and affiliate sites that were heavily reliant on ads, used misleading content, or produced shallow articles merely for ranking and getting clicks. A lot of sites lost a major portion of their traffic overnight because they did not put users first.

What It Means for Marketers Today:
Google still gives content that is value-first the highest priority. So to stay out of penalties:

* Cut down on unnecessary ads
* Create content that is thorough and very useful
* Steer clear of clickbait and superficial articles
* Make the text more readable and clear

Fred drove home an important point: the revenue should be a by-product of quality, not a shortcut to it.
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3. Medic Update: Enhancing E-A-T for YMYL Content

Google’s first major update in 2018, dubbed the Medic Update, was a major core update that changed things up quite a bit for websites that were classified as YMYL (Your Money Your Life). These comprised the areas of health, finance, legal, and safety, where inaccurate information could lead to huge user harm.

What Medic Aimed for:

* Sites with poor E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
* Content that is untrustworthy or of low credibility
* Medical and financial information is not backed by any expert

The ranking of many health blogs, wellness sites, and financial advisory pages was affected considerably. Google’s plan was straightforward: to give users the right, trustworthy, and research-based information.

What It Means for Marketers Nowadays:
In order to be listed in YMYL areas, you will need to develop trust. This involves:

* Presenting author qualifications
* Referencing reliable sources
* Having clear About and Contact pages
* Receiving high-quality backlinks from respected websites

The Medic Update made E-A-T a permanent SEO requirement, particularly for sensitive topics, and this was the case for the long term.

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4. Pigeon: Enhancing Local SEO Accuracy

One of the most significant updates in Google’s local search was the Pigeon Update released in July 2014. It connected traditional ranking signals and local search results tightly, thus making local SEO very competitive and very precise.

Pigeon Aimed at:

* Local SEO signals that were weak or inconsistent
* Incorrect local listings
* NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) inconsistency that was not up to the mark

Pigeon drastically enhanced Google’s capability to provide precise and location-based search results. It allowed local businesses with good optimisation to have higher visibility not only in the search results but also in the map packs.

What It Means for Marketers Today:
The local traders are to concentrate on:

* NAP consistency that is to be maintained throughout all channels
* Google Business Profile optimization
* Local citation building
* Customer review collection

In a way, Pigeon was one of the main factors that influenced the development of the local SEO landscape.
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5. Possum: Filtering Local Search Manipulation

The Possum update was released in September 2016, and it was another important change to the local algorithm that aimed at the diversity and fairness of local search ranking.

The target of Possum was:

* Duplicate or nearly identical Google Business listings
* Businesses trying to manipulate local ranking
* Poor geographic relevance

This update was meant to filter out results instead of punishing websites. For instance, businesses just outside of city limits, even if they are very close, were allowed a fairer chance of being ranked. Meanwhile, listings that were spammy and duplicates were filtered out in order to clean up the results.

This is the effect on marketers nowadays:
Local SEO is now very sensitive to location. To succeed:

* Have one accurate listing and keep it up to date
* Steer clear of duplicate or fake locations
* Make sure that your business location is clear and consistent

Possum made local search results more balanced and accurate, giving the opportunity to get an index of the genuine businesses while filtering out the spam.
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