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The Algorithm Updates Google Announces Aren’t The Only Changes They Make

Vanessa Fox on October 3, 2012 at 9:14 am

Yesterday, Google’s Matt Cutts tweeted a reminder that Google makes one or two algorithm changes every day (around 500 a year).

Google talked about this in a video they published last year, but it can be easy to forget.

The algorithm changes that Google announces are only a tiny fraction of the changes they are making. And if your site loses traffic on a day that Google announces a change, it’s possible that what Google announced isn’t what caused the drop.

The one question I am asked nearly every day is how can marketers keep up when the algorithms change all the time? And my answer is the same one as it has been since I started working for Google (and hasn’t changed since): Google’s algorithms are always evolving to better reach their goal of providing the best possible results for searchers. Focus on creating pages that are the best possible results for your audience and you’ll always be building to long term success in search.

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Vanessa Fox

Vanessa Fox is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. She built Google Webmaster Central and went on to found software and consulting company Nine By Blue and create Blueprint Search Analytics< which she later sold. Her book, Marketing in the Age of Google, (updated edition, May 2012) provides a foundation for incorporating search strategy into organizations of all levels. Follow her on Twitter at @vanessafox.