Google Algorithm Update
Here's how I actually think about google algorithm update when I'm in the middle of a real project.
Start here
- Clarify the outcome
- Check the live SERP
- Change one thing, then measure
What I'd do first
- Clarify the outcome you need this week
- Check the live SERP for the query
- Change one page, then measure in Search Console
Plain-English take
A Google algorithm update is a change to Google’s ranking systems that can alter how pages are evaluated, ordered, and shown in search results.
What I got wrong
- Treating it as a one-off task
- Copying someone else's playbook without checking intent
- Measuring vanity metrics instead of the job-to-be-done
Next step
Sources
Primary documentation is linked directly. Anything commercial is marked nofollow.
- Google Search Central – Core Updates — Most authoritative source for how Google describes core updates and how site owners should evaluate them.
- Google Search Central – Search ranking systems — Official overview of how Google Search ranking systems work and why results change over time.
- Google Search Central – Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content — Useful for explaining the quality standards Google emphasizes when ranking content.
Notes from Callum Bennett.