If your website’s rankings have ever suddenly dropped or jumped, you’ve felt the impact of a Google algorithm update. These changes can shake up search results overnight, leaving even well-established brands wondering what happened to their traffic.
Google’s algorithm is now more dynamic than ever. With advances in AI, machine learning, and natural language understanding, each update fine-tunes how Google decides which websites deserve to be seen. Core updates, spam updates, and content-focused systems now roll out throughout the year which means that staying visible in search results requires constant awareness and adaptability.
So, what exactly is Google’s algorithm, and how does it work? At Verkeer, we break down what goes on behind the scenes, explain how these changes affect your business, and show you what you can do to stay ahead.
Google’s algorithm is the system the search engine uses to decide which web pages appear when you search for something. Every time you type a query into Google, the algorithm scans billions of pages in its index and ranks them in order of relevance, quality, and usefulness.
Usually a term used by technical whizzes and mathematical geniuses, an algorithm is essentially a set process or guidelines that describe how to perform or achieve a task. Google follows this same definition for its search engine. Think about the last time you searched for something on Google. Regardless of what you typed in, there would have been millions of potential results for you to choose from with a select few on the first page. How did it decide which results to show you, and why did it decide that order? Google’s algorithm.
To find out how and where to rank a webpage, Google needs to index and crawl the website or webpage. Crawling in this sense means when Google scours a page or website and analyses every element possible. Each trait of the page is then given a value and the one with the most value is rewarded with highest rankings. Top spots are often taken by businesses who have expertise in-house or who work with an SEO agency.
Part of Google’s algorithm uses keywords to determine a ranking for a website or page, and in years gone by it was commonplace for people to ‘keyword stuff’ their website content with the thinking that the more the keyword was written, the more important a page was to a topic. However, Google clocked onto this and amended their algorithm so that anyone who was stuffing their content with keywords was penalised. This tactic and other ‘black hat’ SEO tactics are usually done to try and outsmart Google but are always quickly penalised as a result. In other words, you have to play by their rules, otherwise there are consequences.
In 2025, Google’s algorithm has evolved well beyond simple keyword matching. While keywords still help Google understand context, the focus has shifted to meaning and intent e.g. how well a page satisfies what users actually want to know. Outdated tactics like keyword stuffing or using hidden text no longer work and can lead to ranking penalties. Instead, Google rewards content that demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
Another major shift in recent years has been Google’s emphasis on helpful, people-first content. The Helpful Content system (now part of the Core algorithm) prioritises pages written for users rather than search engines. Combined with ongoing Core Updates throughout 2024 and 2025, these changes have made search results more dynamic but they always reward brands that offer genuine value and strong technical performance.
Google rarely shares the full details of its algorithm updates, but each new release continues the same mission: improving the quality and relevance of search results. For businesses, that means keeping content authentic, technically sound, and focused on user intent is more important than ever.
However, in mid-2024, a large collection of internal Google Search documents was accidentally published on GitHub, revealing rare insights into how the search engine may evaluate and rank content.
While the documents didn’t disclose how ranking signals are weighted, they confirmed that Google tracks and stores a vast range of data points, including
Notably, the leak referenced systems like Navboost (which uses click data to influence rankings), SiteAuthority (a possible measure of overall site trust), and signals tied to E-E-A-T principles and user satisfaction.
The information also suggested that Google keeps historical versions of pages, factors in brand recognition, and may consider signals from Chrome to assess engagement. Though Google hasn’t verified the authenticity or context of these files, the leak aligned with testimony from the U.S. antitrust trial confirming that user clicks play a role in ranking.
Google’s algorithm has changed a lot over the years. What started as a simple system focused on links and keywords has turned into something far more advanced, using AI to understand meaning, intent, and user experience.
Back in the early 2010s, updates like Panda and Penguin shook up the SEO world. Panda tackled low-quality and duplicate content, while Penguin cracked down on spammy link building. Those two updates pushed everyone to think less about keyword stuffing and more about creating genuine, helpful content.
Then came Hummingbird in 2013, which helped Google understand natural language searches, followed by RankBrain in 2015, its first big step into machine learning. By 2019, BERT made it possible for Google to grasp the full meaning of words in context. Suddenly, search was no longer about what you typed, but what you meant.
In more recent years, the focus has shifted toward experience and trust. Updates like Page Experience and Helpful Content rewarded sites that were fast, easy to use, and genuinely valuable to readers. Around this time, Google also introduced E-E-A-T to guide what “quality” content really looks like.
In July 2024, Google released the Explicit Fake Content Update, aimed at reducing harmful deepfakes and non-consensual explicit imagery in search results. It wasn’t an SEO-focused update, but it showed how seriously Google takes authenticity and user safety.
The March 2024 Core Update was a major one, folding the Helpful Content system directly into Google’s main ranking algorithm. From that point on, the “helpfulness” of your content became a core ranking signal, not an optional extra.
Then in June 2025, Google rolled out another broad Core Update designed to highlight content that best satisfies user intent. It wasn’t as dramatic as some earlier updates, but it reinforced a clear trend: Google continues to reward content that is relevant, trustworthy, and written for people rather than algorithms.
Most recently, the August 2025 Spam Update took aim at manipulative SEO tactics and low-quality content. Sites relying on spammy automation, keyword dumping, or thin AI-generated pages saw big drops in visibility. It was a reminder that shortcuts rarely work for long in search.
Every time Google changes its algorithm, it changes how people find information online. For businesses, that means visibility in search results can shift overnight. If your website relies on Google to bring in traffic, these updates can directly impact how many people see your products, services, or content.
When Google rolls out a Core Update, it’s refining how it recognises quality, relevance, and trust. Sites that regularly publish useful, well-structured, and credible content tend to perform better after these updates. On the other hand, websites that use outdated SEO tactics or neglect content quality can see a sudden drop in rankings and traffic.
Algorithm updates also matter because they push everyone to raise their standards. They reward businesses that invest in great content, good design, and smooth user experiences. Whether it’s improving site speed, earning strong backlinks, or writing content that genuinely helps people, these are all long-term wins that go beyond SEO.
For smaller brands, keeping up with updates can feel daunting, but it’s also an opportunity. Each change helps level the playing field for businesses that are authentic, transparent, and customer-focused. If you stay informed and adapt quickly, you can turn every algorithm update into an advantage rather than a setback.
It’s important to stay up to date with any changes that Google makes, no matter how minor or major, because the ripple effects can be quite significant. The Verkeer team has experienced hundreds of algorithm changes, and each time we’ve adapted and moved forward successfully. If you want to learn about how we can help your business, get in touch anytime.
If you want to understand how your website might be affected, or how to future-proof your SEO strategy, get in touch with our team and we’ll be happy to help.