The importance of search engine updates
About 50 times a week, Google, the world’s most used search engine, updates its search engine algorithms to protect the integrity of the Internet and continue to fight spam. The latest of its algorithm updates, Penguin, aims to target what Google considers “over-optimized” websites, in addition to other core factors.
When Google releases an update, the scale is huge. Millions upon millions of websites and domains may be affected. While Google has a very high success rate in targeting criminals, often even highly reputable sites can be negatively affected.
Whenever Google makes a change to its search engine algorithms, the company and its search quality team will discuss what improvements are being made. Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s search quality team, is often cryptic about the new tactics they’re using to combat spam and what specifically has changed regarding algorithms.
For example, targeting over-optimized websites targets websites that have abused the system and rapidly changed their website infrastructure too quickly and too often. The use of successful search engine optimization (SEO) practices takes time to implement over a period of time. Optimizing too fast in a short period of time has proven to be detrimental.
These algorithm updates represent the never-ending battle against spam on websites and the Internet. As technology continues to advance and the Internet continues to evolve, so do the processes that govern this infrastructure.
There are many low quality sites and websites that try to abuse the system to get the most advantageous search engine rankings. Google releases enough updates each month to combat these practices and to crack down more on the practices each time. Google’s official stance as the overwhelming market leader in search engine technology is that they feel a responsibility to protect the integrity of the Internet.
Such proposed legislation has tried to work its way through Congress to continue the battle against low-quality websites and domains. While there is virtually no government intervention in website rankings and online search policies and procedures, many have pushed in Washington for this to change. In fact, when discussing copyright infringement and illegal thought stealing online, such proposals, including the famous SOPA and PIPA, were submitted to Congress in early 2012, but were ultimately unsuccessful.
Therefore, the question remains: who will protect the integrity of the Internet? Obviously, Google plays an important role in this environment and there seems to be a lack of presence from other competing companies.