Google Algorithm History
Every confirmed Google core and spam update from the last two years — exact rollout dates, durations and what each one targeted. Click any update for the full breakdown and what to do about it.
Sourced from Google's Search Status Dashboard and Search Engine Journal's algorithm history. Newest first.
12
confirmed updates
8
broad core updates
4
spam updates
26 days
longest single rollout
May 2026 Core Update
A broad core update reweighting content-quality signals across the index — reported to also influence which sources appear in AI Overviews.
Read the breakdownMarch 2026 Core Update
A broad core update that began just two days after the March 2026 spam update finished — a rare back-to-back pairing.
Read the breakdownMarch 2026 Spam Update
A very brief spam update — roughly a day — with muted impact, immediately preceding the March 2026 core update.
Read the breakdownDecember 2025 Core Update
An end-of-year broad core update, reported to increase brand visibility in 'best of' and comparison-style query results.
Read the breakdownAugust 2025 Spam Update
A lengthy spam update — roughly four weeks — enforcing Google's spam policies across search results.
Read the breakdownJune 2025 Core Update
A broad core update refreshing how Google assesses overall content quality and relevance across the index.
Read the breakdownMarch 2025 Core Update
A regular broad core update that surfaced more genuinely helpful content and continued reducing unhelpful, search-engine-first pages.
Read the breakdownDecember 2024 Spam Update
A spam update enforcing Google's spam policies, rolling out immediately after the December 2024 core update finished.
Read the breakdownDecember 2024 Core Update
An unusually fast core update that landed just weeks after the November 2024 core update — a rare back-to-back rollout.
Read the breakdownNovember 2024 Core Update
A broad core update — the longest rollout of 2024 at 24 days — continuing Google's push to reward helpful, reliable, people-first content.
Read the breakdownAugust 2024 Core Update
A broad core update Google said explicitly aimed to surface genuinely useful content and reward independent sites hurt by prior updates.
Read the breakdownJune 2024 Spam Update
A spam update enforcing Google's spam policies, cleaning up manipulative and low-quality spam tactics in search results.
Read the breakdownKnow how the next update moved your rankings
Indexly tracks SERP volatility, ranking shifts and traffic impact for every Google core and spam update — so you see exactly which pages each rollout touched.