Google algorithm updates
Every confirmed Google ranking update since March 2024, with start dates and rollout times from Google's Search Status Dashboard, and what each one means for a small business.
Full update history
2026
Google's longest spam update of 2026, with no details shared on which spam it targeted.
A short, routine spam update. Google shared no details on what it targeted or how many sites it hit.
A two day spam update that Google called normal. No specific targets were named.
The second broad core update of 2026, with noticeable ranking swings reported during the rollout.
The first broad core update of 2026, arriving two days after the March spam update finished.
The first and fastest spam update of 2026, finished in under a day with no details from Google.
A core update for Google Discover, US English users only, favoring local and expert content.
2025
The third and final core update of 2025.
The only spam update of 2025, with an unusually long rollout.
The second broad core update of 2025.
The first broad core update of 2025.
2024
A global spam update, a week after the December core update.
Arrived less than two weeks after the November core update finished.
A broad core update that ran into early December.
Google said it aimed to better surface useful content from small and independent sites.
A global spam update.
Came with new spam policies on scaled content abuse, expired domain abuse and site reputation abuse.
Folded the helpful content system into core ranking. The longest rollout on record.
Source: Google Search Status Dashboard, ranking incident history. Rollout times are as Google reported them.
Get an email when Google confirms an update
One short note when an update starts and when it finishes, with what to check.
Traffic dropped after an update?
- Wait until the rollout is finished before judging the impact.
- Compare Search Console clicks for the week before and the week after.
- Find which pages and queries lost the most, not just the site total.
- Improve those pages for people first. Quick fixes rarely bring rankings back.
Common questions
What is a Google core update?
A broad change to the systems Google uses to rank results. Core updates are not aimed at specific sites. Google usually confirms a few each year.
How is a spam update different?
Spam updates improve how Google detects pages that break its spam policies. If you follow those policies, a spam update usually is not a cause for concern.
How long do updates take to roll out?
Anywhere from under a day to several weeks. Core updates since 2025 have taken about 12 to 18 days.
Do updates affect AI answers too?
Google's AI features draw on the same search index, so pages that lose visibility in search can also show up less in AI answers. That is why we track both.
See how the latest update hit your site
A free audit of where you show up in Google and in AI answers today.