Algorithm Updates Making Waves in the Digital Marketing World

There are several notable updates in the realm of digital marketing. Firstly, Google Panda, introduced by Google in 2011, aimed to enhance the quality of content by penalizing low-quality websites and encouraging higher-quality content. Google Penguin, launched in 2012, focused on rectifying inconsistencies in links to websites in search engine results, thereby promoting sites with relevant links. Google Hummingbird, introduced in 2013, was designed to improve the efficiency and relevance of Google search results, ensuring that websites achieve meaningful outcomes with their content. Google BERT, released in 2019, aimed to provide more accurate search results by understanding the context of words in searches. The Facebook EdgeRank update tailors homepage content based on users’ interests and interactions.

What is an Algorithm Update?

In digital marketing, an algorithm update refers to the periodic refreshment and enhancement of search engine or social media algorithms. These updates are necessary to prioritize higher-quality content, improve user experiences, or regulate advertising algorithms across various platforms. For instance, Google considers numerous factors to rank websites and regularly updates and modifies its algorithm accordingly. These updates prompt website owners and digital marketers to adjust their strategies. Algorithm updates on social media platforms occur frequently, adjusting algorithms based on how users view content and engage with it. These updates may require content creators and digital marketers to recalibrate their content strategies.

Algorithm updates typically aim to facilitate users in achieving their goals more easily based on their experiences. However, sometimes updates may lead to unexpected outcomes for website owners or digital marketers, necessitating a reconsideration of their strategies in light of these developments.

Why Are Algorithm Updates Implemented?

Digital marketing algorithms are updated to provide more relevant advertisements and results for search engine and social media users. These updates aim to enhance platform security by identifying and removing spam, fake content, and imitations intended to defraud users from the algorithm. Platforms update algorithms to handle different content or sources fairly and impartially, allowing content from various sources to be displayed in equal proportions. Social media and search engine companies regularly update advertising algorithms to improve the performance of advertisers, facilitating the development of targeted ad campaigns. Each online platform has specific objectives, and algorithm updates help them achieve their goals.

Updating algorithms in search engines is aimed at improving and enhancing factors such as website content, keywords, mobile marketing, and customer journey. Website owners need to monitor their compliance with these algorithm updates to ensure their websites rank highly in search results.

Algorithm Updates from Past to Present

Google PageRank Updates (Early 2000s): Google’s search engine ranking algorithm, PageRank, determines the ranking of websites from 0 to 10 by examining them. Google regularly updated and changed this algorithm. For example, updates like Florida, Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird significantly impacted search results.

Facebook EdgeRank Update (2011): This update created two separate sections in the Facebook news feed: Top Stories and Most Recent. The posts in these news headline sections consist only of connections, pages, and friends with whom you have actively interacted. This update allowed users to see more relevant posts according to their own algorithm. The EdgeRank update calculates accounts based on the user’s own algorithm. For example, factors such as previously liking a post, commenting on posts, or working/studying in the same place as the user increase the likelihood of seeing the post of the person sharing it. Thus, everyone has their own proximity score created. Another algorithm brought by the EdgeRank update is that the more interactions a post receives, the more likely it is to be shown to more people. Finally, the newer the post, the more likely it is to be viewed in the Top Stories section.

Instagram Algorithm Update (2016): With this update, Instagram transitioned to an algorithm that determines when and how users’ posts will appear in their timelines. This way, Instagram discovers users’ more personal areas and offers them the most suitable pages.

Youtube Algorithm Updates (2010): Youtube continuously updated and changed its algorithms, providing a personalized algorithm by taking into account users’ viewing histories and preferences.

Twitter Algorithm Updates (Since 2015): Twitter used a personalized algorithm for users to determine the content they would encounter in their timelines. This algorithm took into account the user’s interests, the accounts they follow, and the tweets they interact with, creating timelines based on their own data.

These updates are seen to be made to improve user experiences and service quality in both social media and search engines.