Google Algorithm Updates: 2023–2026
A source-verified timeline separating Google ranking updates from AI features, policy changes, documentation updates, and material Search incidents.
Last reviewed October 2026 · Sources: Google Search Status Dashboard and Google Search Central
2026
Search changes accelerated across core ranking, spam enforcement, Discover, generative AI guidance, and multimodal reporting.
September 24, 2026
Discover, AI, or search feature
Global rollout
Web multimodal Search reporting in Search Console
- Search Console began reporting searches that start with an image, including Lens, Circle to Search, image uploads, and image-based searches in Chrome.
- The data helps publishers see how visual searches lead people to their websites.
- This changed reporting. It did not change how pages ranked.
September 24, 2026
Spam update
13 days, 16 hours
September 2026 spam update
- Google updated the automated systems it uses to detect search spam worldwide.
- Sites relying on tactics covered by Google's spam policies faced the most direct risk.
- This was a spam update, not a broad reassessment of every page on the web.
August 18, 2026
Spam update
2 days, 16 hours
August 2026 spam update
- Google updated its automated spam-detection systems worldwide.
- The change targeted policy violations rather than making a broad adjustment to core ranking systems.
June 24, 2026
Spam update
2 days, 1 hour
June 2026 spam update
- Google changed the systems it uses to identify spam across languages and regions.
- A useful review starts with site-wide patterns and Google's spam policies, not one keyword that moved.
June 15, 2026
Discover, AI, or search feature
Documentation update
Google clarified that llms.txt is not used by Search
- Google said its Search and generative AI features do not use llms.txt.
- That statement applies only to Google. It does not establish whether other search engines or AI platforms use—or may later adopt—the file.
- Treat llms.txt as an experimental, optional format. It does not replace crawlable HTML, robots.txt, XML sitemaps, structured data, or platform-specific crawler controls.
May 21, 2026
Core update
11 days, 21 hours
May 2026 core update
- Google changed how its main ranking systems evaluate pages.
- Any type of site could gain or lose visibility as Google reassessed relevance and quality.
- A core update is not a penalty aimed at one tactic or industry.
May 15, 2026
Discover, AI, or search feature
New Search Central guide
Generative AI optimization guidance published
- Google published a guide for visibility in generative AI features in Search.
- Its advice centered on useful original content, crawlable pages, and accurate business or product information.
- Google did not introduce special AI-only markup or a separate shortcut for inclusion.
March 27, 2026
Core update
12 days, 4 hours
March 2026 core update
- Google broadly adjusted its core ranking systems over nearly two weeks.
- The update could change visibility across page types, queries, countries, and devices.
- Site owners needed segmented data to see what moved instead of relying on one visibility score.
March 24, 2026
Spam update
19 hours, 30 minutes
March 2026 spam update
- Google updated its spam-detection systems in a rollout that lasted less than one day.
- It was separate from the broad core update that started three days later.
February 5, 2026
Discover, AI, or search feature
21 days, 17 hours
February 2026 Discover core update
- Google changed the systems that select content for Discover, starting with English users in the United States.
- The update favored original, timely, in-depth, and locally relevant material while reducing sensational content.
- Publishers that depend on Discover traffic had the clearest reason to review the rollout.
2025
Four major ranking rollouts ran alongside clearer guidance for AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Search Console measurement.
December 11, 2025
Core update
18 days, 2 hours
December 2025 core update
- Google broadly changed how its core ranking systems assessed pages.
- The rollout continued through the end-of-year shopping and publishing period.
- Seasonal demand and the update overlapped, so traffic changes needed more than one explanation.
August 26, 2025
Spam update
26 days, 15 hours
August 2025 spam update
- Google updated its spam-detection systems worldwide in a rollout that lasted almost four weeks.
- Sites using tactics covered by Google's spam policies faced the most direct exposure.
- Daily ranking swings during the rollout were less useful than comparing stable periods before and after it.
June 30, 2025
Core update
16 days, 18 hours
June 2025 core update
- Google made a broad change to its core ranking systems, its second of 2025.
- The update could shift which pages Google considered most relevant and useful across many types of searches.
- It was not limited to one industry or content format.
June 16, 2025
Discover, AI, or search feature
Reporting change
AI Mode traffic began counting in Search Console totals
- Google began including AI Mode activity in Search Console Performance totals.
- The change affected how clicks and impressions were measured and interpreted.
- It did not create a new ranking requirement or guarantee visibility in AI Mode.
May 21, 2025
Discover, AI, or search feature
Search Central guidance
Guidance for AI Overviews and AI Mode
- Google explained how websites can appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
- The guidance relied on familiar SEO basics: accessible pages, useful content, and a good experience for visitors.
- It did not introduce a separate AI ranking system that site owners could optimize with special markup.
March 13, 2025
Core update
13 days, 21 hours
March 2025 core update
- Google broadly adjusted its core ranking systems for the first time in 2025.
- Pages across any sector could move as Google reassessed which results were most relevant and useful.
- The update completed after nearly two weeks, so early movement was not the final result.
2024
Google combined an unusually long core rollout with new spam policies, site reputation enforcement, and the U.S. launch of AI Overviews.
December 19, 2024
Spam update
7 days, 2 hours
December 2024 spam update
- Google updated its global spam-detection systems immediately after the December core update ended.
- Sites that moved during this period needed to separate spam-policy exposure from the earlier broad ranking change.
December 12, 2024
Core update
6 days, 4 hours
December 2024 core update
- Google made another broad change to its core ranking systems only weeks after the November rollout began.
- The update completed in under one week and could affect websites across industries.
- Its close timing made December performance harder to attribute to a single update.
November 19, 2024
Policy or enforcement
Policy clarification
Site reputation abuse policy clarified
- Google clarified that a publisher cannot automatically protect third-party content simply by reviewing or partly producing it.
- The policy applies when content is placed on a trusted site mainly to exploit that site's ranking signals.
- Publishers receiving a manual action can see it in Search Console.
November 11, 2024
Core update
23 days, 13 hours
November 2024 core update
- Google broadly adjusted its core ranking systems over more than three weeks.
- The rollout overlapped with holiday shopping, when demand and competition were already changing.
- Retailers and publishers needed to separate seasonal behavior from ranking movement.
August 15, 2024
Discover, AI, or search feature
Six-country expansion
AI Overviews expanded beyond the United States
- Google expanded AI Overviews from the United States into six more countries.
- The feature used generated summaries and added more ways to open the web pages supporting an answer.
- This was a Search product expansion, not a separate broad ranking update.
August 15, 2024
Core update
19 days, 4 hours
August 2024 core update
- Google made a broad change to its core ranking systems.
- A separate ranking problem began the same day, which could also have moved search results.
- Analysis needed to distinguish the confirmed technical incident from the intentional algorithm update.
August 15, 2024
Search system incident
4 days, 11 hours
Search ranking issue during the August rollout
- Google confirmed a technical problem that affected a large number of search results.
- The problem was separate from the August core update, even though both started on the same day.
- Ranking changes during the incident were not necessarily evidence of a lasting algorithm decision.
June 20, 2024
Spam update
7 days, 1 hour
June 2024 spam update
- Google updated its automated systems for detecting search spam worldwide.
- Sites using practices covered by Google's spam policies had the clearest reason to investigate changes.
- The rollout completed after one week.
May 14, 2024
Discover, AI, or search feature
Initial U.S. rollout
AI Overviews launched in U.S. Search
- Google began showing AI-generated summaries to U.S. Search users.
- The answers included links to web sources so people could explore the subject in more detail.
- Publishers gained a new visibility surface, but inclusion was not guaranteed.
March 5, 2024
Core update
45 days
March 2024 core update
- Google made a complex set of changes to its core ranking systems over 45 days.
- The separate helpful-content system became part of Google's broader core evaluation instead of operating as a standalone update.
- Sites with large amounts of unoriginal or unsatisfying content had a clear reason to review quality across the site.
March 5, 2024
Spam update
14 days, 21 hours
March 2024 spam update
- Google updated its spam-detection systems while a broad core update was also rolling out.
- New spam policies were announced at the same time.
- Sites that moved needed to distinguish policy violations from broader changes in how Google evaluated quality and relevance.
March 5, 2024
Policy or enforcement
Policy rollout and enforcement
New spam policies targeted scaled and reputation abuse
- Google added policies for expired-domain abuse, scaled-content abuse, and site reputation abuse.
- The deciding issue was manipulative purpose, not whether a person or an automated system produced the content.
- Sites buying old domains, publishing large volumes of low-value pages, or hosting unrelated third-party content faced the most direct scrutiny.
2023
Core, reviews, helpful-content, and spam systems changed repeatedly, including a prolonged ranking incident during the October rollout period.
November 8, 2023
Reviews or helpful content
29 days
November 2023 reviews update
- Google updated the system that evaluates review content.
- This was the last rollout Google planned to announce separately before making review improvements on an ongoing basis.
- Sites publishing reviews could no longer expect every later change to have a public start and finish date.
November 2, 2023
Core update
25 days, 21 hours
November 2023 core update
- Google broadly adjusted its core ranking systems less than a month after the October update began.
- Websites across industries could move as the systems reassessed relevance and quality.
- The close timing made it important to compare changes against both rollout periods.
October 5, 2023
Core update
13 days, 23 hours
October 2023 core update
- Google broadly changed its core ranking systems one day after a spam update began.
- Any site could move as Google reassessed which pages best answered searches.
- Because two updates overlapped, a ranking change did not reveal its cause by itself.
October 5, 2023
Search system incident
26 days
Search ranking issue during the October rollout period
- Google confirmed and later fixed a technical ranking problem.
- The incident overlapped with separate core and spam updates.
- Movement caused by the problem should not be treated as a permanent algorithm change.
October 4, 2023
Spam update
15 days, 12 hours
October 2023 spam update
- Google updated its spam-detection systems across multiple languages and types of spam.
- Sites violating Google's spam policies faced the most direct risk.
- A broad core update began the following day, so the two rollouts overlapped.
September 14, 2023
Reviews or helpful content
13 days, 11 hours
September 2023 helpful content update
- Google changed the system it used to identify content made primarily to help people rather than attract search traffic.
- Sites with large amounts of unsatisfying or search-first content had the clearest reason to review their pages.
- Google later folded this evaluation into its core ranking systems in 2024.
August 22, 2023
Core update
16 days, 3 hours
August 2023 core update
- Google broadly adjusted its core ranking systems for the second time in 2023.
- Pages could gain or lose visibility as Google reevaluated relevance and quality.
- The update was not a penalty aimed at one type of website.
April 12, 2023
Reviews or helpful content
13 days, 2 hours
April 2023 reviews update
- Google expanded its review-quality system beyond product reviews.
- The system could now evaluate reviews of services, destinations, media, and other subjects.
- Publishers needed to show useful analysis and evidence instead of relying on thin summaries.
March 15, 2023
Core update
13 days, 7 hours
March 2023 core update
- Google made its first broad change of 2023 to the systems that rank search results.
- Any type of site could move as Google reassessed which pages were most relevant and useful.
- The update was a system-wide adjustment, not a manual penalty.
February 21, 2023
Reviews or helpful content
14 days
February 2023 product reviews update
- Google changed how it evaluated product-review pages and expanded the system beyond English.
- Sites publishing product reviews in the newly supported languages became part of the same quality evaluation.
- Useful reviews needed original analysis, evidence, and clear reasons behind a recommendation.
How Google Search Changes Differ
Google announces ranking updates, product features, policies, documentation changes, and operational incidents for different reasons. The labels below keep those changes separate.
Broad core updates
Broad core updates improve Google's overall ranking systems. They are not penalties and may change how relevance and quality are assessed across many page types.
Spam updates
Spam updates improve automated systems that identify practices covered by Google's spam policies. Their scope differs from broad core updates.
Reviews and helpful-content systems
These systems have focused on original, useful reviews and content made primarily to help people. Some evaluation is now part of core ranking systems.
Discover and AI search features
Feature launches change how information is presented or measured. They should not be labeled ranking updates unless Google explicitly classifies them that way.
Policies and enforcement
Policy announcements define prohibited practices and enforcement. A policy change can coincide with, but is not the same as, an algorithm rollout.
Search system incidents
Incidents are confirmed operational problems affecting crawling, indexing, ranking, or serving. They must be separated from intentional system changes.
Sources and Methodology
Dates and rollout durations come from Google’s Search Status Dashboard. Feature, policy, and documentation entries come from Google Search Central or official Google product announcements. Google does not publish every ranking-system change, so this timeline records confirmed public events rather than attempting to infer undocumented updates.
Google ranking updates release history ↗ · Google Search documentation updates ↗