Google Algorithm Update June 2017: A Comprehensive Guide to Staying Ahead

Google's algorithm update in June 2017 was a significant change that affected many websites. The update, also known as Fred, was designed to reduce low-quality content and promote more authoritative sources.

The update targeted websites with thin content, excessive ads, and poor user experience. These sites often relied on manipulative tactics to rank high in search engine results.

Websites with high-quality content and a strong user experience were rewarded with better rankings. This update marked a shift towards a more user-centric approach to search engine optimization.

As a result, websites with thin content saw a significant drop in traffic and rankings. On the other hand, websites with high-quality content saw an increase in traffic and engagement.

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Google's algorithm is constantly evolving, and June 2017 was a significant month for updates. Core updates, which involve large changes to the algorithm, were made to improve search results.

These updates are aimed at making search results better, and they focus on E-A-T, which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. They can cause significant shifts in ranking.

Related reading: Ranking Fluctuations on Google Updates

Core updates were also made on June 9th, which further improved the algorithm's ability to provide high-quality search results. This update was part of a larger effort to make search results better.

Doorway pages, which are used to manipulate search engine rankings, were targeted by a webspam update. This update specifically aimed to reduce the impact of doorway pages on search results.

The Google algorithm update in June 2017 also included a feature snippet de-duping update, which ensured that a page is only listed once in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Google's goal with every update is to create a great user experience for its users. This means you should prioritize serving your visitors better.

Maximize user experience by keeping an eye on your pages' user experience factors in Google Analytics, particularly Bounce Rate and Session Duration. These are averages across various industries reported by KissMetrics.

High bounces for some of your pages can be a sign that you need to improve them. Consider A/B testing different versions of these pages to see which changes drive better results.

Check your mobile pages for load speed using PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, or Mobile Friendly Test. If you spot slow page issues, use a Website Auditor check to find the cause.

Improving your site speed and user engagement can help you prepare for future Google algorithm changes.

Google's algorithm update in June 2017 was aimed at targeting sites that engage in spammy linking tactics, such as purchasing links to boost their rankings.

John Mueller, a Google representative, mentioned in Twitter comments that their systems can often distinguish and nullify spammy links, making disavowal unnecessary.

The SpamBrain update was designed to eliminate link credit generated by purchased links, mainly targeting websites involved in link purchasing.

Sites that got hurt by the spam updates can recover by cleaning up their link profiles from spam and focusing on building quality backlinks.

Using an SEO tool like the SEO SpyGlass Backlink Checker can help identify and clean up negative signals, such as keyword stuffing in anchors and excessive outgoing links from the same page or IP.

The Penalty score from the SEO SpyGlass tool signals how likely a link is to be penalized by Google, helping site owners prioritize their cleanup efforts.

If a site can't get rid of spammy links, using the disavow tool to tell Google to ignore them is a viable option.

For your interest: Google Link Building

To optimize your website after the Google algorithm update in June 2017, it's essential to focus on improving your mobile page speed.

This update made it so that some of the slowest websites were not as visible in search results, so speeding up your mobile site can significantly boost your visibility.

Prior to this update, there was some testing to ensure that the changes would have the desired impact, giving you a chance to prepare and make necessary adjustments.

To optimize your link profile, avoid spammy linking tactics. Site owners who got hurt by spam updates should clean up their link profiles from spam and invest in building quality backlinks.

Use the SEO SpyGlass Backlink Checker to see how bad your backlinks are. The tool takes into account negative signals like too many outgoing links from the same page, IP, or C-class block.

The tool shows a Penalty score that signals how likely a link can be penalized by Google. If you find too many links built from buying or selling, use the disavow tool to tell Google to ignore them.

On a similar theme: How to Go on Google Drive

Google now rewrites page titles in the SERP, with each page generally having one title. This change was made to provide more consistent and accurate title representations.

Previously, page titles could change depending on the query, but now they remain the same. This shift aims to give users a clearer understanding of what to expect from a page.

This change is part of a broader effort to improve the overall user experience and provide more relevant search results.

Algorithm changes can be overwhelming, but understanding them is crucial for SEO success. Google made 450 changes to their algorithm in 2007, which is close to 9 changes per week.

The RankBrain Algorithm was launched in October 26, 2015, with a goal to deliver better search results based on relevance and machine learning. It's a machine learning system that helps Google decipher query meaning and serve best-matching search results.

The Doorway Pages Algorithm Update targeted doorway pages specifically, making it a significant change for SEO strategies. I've seen many websites struggle with this update, so it's essential to understand its impact.

RankBrain Algorithm was launched on October 26, 2015, and its primary goal is to deliver better search results based on relevance and machine learning.

This algorithm is a machine learning system that helps Google better decipher the meaning behind queries, and serve best-matching search results in response to those queries. Presumably, RankBrain can summarize what a page is about, evaluate the relevancy of search results, and teach itself to get even better at it with time.

RankBrain relies on traditional SEO factors like links and on-page optimization, but also looks at other query-specific factors. It identifies relevance features on the pages in the index, and arranges the results respectively in SERPs.

The average reading speed is 650 words per minute, so visitors might only spend a short time on your pages. Use this as a guideline to assess your page engagement and consider diversifying your content with more images and videos.

Pages with more content and more interactive elements may be more successful, according to RankBrain.

Tracking algorithm updates can be a daunting task, especially considering that Google made 450 changes to their algorithm in 2007 alone.

In fact, that's close to an average of 9 changes per week. The rapid pace of updates has only increased since then, with most people believing that there are now over 1,000 changes per year.

Trying to stay on top of all these changes can be overwhelming, but it's essential for any SEO professional to keep up with the latest developments in the field.

For another approach, see: How Do You Get Notifications for Google Drive Updates

Google's classifier was improved to work across all languages, helping to promote more original, helpful content written by people, for people.

This update was completed on January 12th, 2023.

Core updates involve large changes to Google's algorithm aimed to make the results better, generally focused on E-A-T or Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

These updates can cause significant shifts in ranking, as seen on September 26th and June 9th.

A major bug shook up Google search results on a certain day, with many SEOs noticing low-quality sites ranking higher.

This bug was fixed on the 11th.

Core updates, like the one completed on May 18th, can cause significant shifts in ranking due to their large changes to Google's algorithm.

The Mobile-Friendly Update was launched on April 21, 2015, to give mobile-friendly pages a ranking boost in mobile search results.

Google's algorithm now prioritizes pages optimized for mobile devices, while down-ranking those that aren't mobile-friendly.

This update applied at a page-level, meaning one page of your site can be mobile-friendly and up-ranked, while the rest might fail the test.

The Mobile-Friendly Update was one of a series of ranking algorithms that worked together.

Some common issues that can prevent a page from being mobile-friendly include a lack of a mobile version of the page, improper viewport configuration, illegible content, and plugin use.

For another approach, see: Google One

The Mobile Page Speed Update aimed to reduce the visibility of slowest websites in search results, with some testing prior to its implementation.

To stay safe with Mobile-First Indexing, use responsive design for newly launched websites instead of a separate mobile version.

If you serve separate site versions, ensure that information is consistent in both desktop and mobile, including content, images, links, meta data, and structured data.

To audit your site, fix errors such as duplicate issues, restricted or blocked content, missing alt texts, low quality images, and page speed issues.

You can check out Google's best practices for mobile-first indexing and audit your site with WebSite Auditor.

A unique perspective: Google Data Structure and Algorithm

Google's algorithm updates are a reminder that quality always trumps quantity. Sites that don't follow webmaster guidelines may be targeted by spam updates.

To avoid getting hurt by spam updates, site owners should avoid spammy linking tactics. Cleaning up link profiles from spam and investing in quality backlinks is key.

The SEO SpyGlass Backlink Checker can help identify negative signals, such as too many outgoing links from the same page or IP. It also shows a Penalty score that signals how likely a link can be penalized by Google.

If a site gets hacked, the hacked spam update can demote it in search results.

Spam can be a major headache for website owners, but there are steps you can take to stay safe. Check your site's link profile with SpyGlass backlink checker to identify low-quality links that can harm your rankings.

If you notice a massive flow of low-quality backlinks, ask the webmasters of the linking domains to remove them. If they don't respond, use the disavow tool to tell Google not to consider these links.

To avoid getting hurt by spam updates, focus on building quality backlinks through white-hat link building practices. Use the SEO SpyGlass Backlink Checker to analyze your links and identify potential issues.

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The tool can help you spot negative signals like keyword stuffing in anchors and too many outgoing links from the same page. If you find problematic links, use the disavow tool to warn Google to ignore them.

Spam updates can target sites that don't follow webmaster guidelines, so it's essential to stay on top of your link building game. If you're unsure about your link profile, try using a tool like SpyGlass to get a better understanding.

Doorway pages and hacked websites are also a focus of spam updates, so make sure to prioritize your website's security and link quality.

The Intrusive Interstitial Penalty was a Google algorithm update that targeted sites with popups that made content less accessible.

This penalty was a response to the growing issue of intrusive popups that were disrupting user experiences.

Sites that were affected by this penalty were forced to rethink their popup strategies to ensure they didn't hinder access to content.

Popups that were intrusive and annoying were the primary focus of this update.

Google started to crawl and index the HTTPS version of pages over the HTTP versions. This change has a significant impact on how websites are indexed and ranked.

HTTPS is now the default protocol for crawling and indexing pages. This means that if you have both HTTP and HTTPS versions of your website, Google will prioritize the HTTPS version.

This change has been implemented to improve website security and user trust. Google wants to ensure that users are directed to secure versions of websites.

The switch to HTTPS indexing doesn't mean that HTTP versions are completely ignored. However, they will be treated as secondary versions of the website.

In practice, this means that you should make sure your website is set up to use HTTPS by default. This will help ensure that your website is crawled and indexed correctly by Google.

Google started to crawl and index the HTTPS version of pages over the HTTP versions. This change had a significant impact on website owners who hadn't made the switch to HTTPS yet.

Google's new algorithm update in June 2017 prioritized mobile-friendly websites, which is a crucial aspect of website development.

In June 2017, Google continued to prioritize user experience with a series of updates.

One major change was the elimination of intrusive interstitials, which were those annoying pop-ups that covered part of the main search content. This update was rolled out in January 2017.

Google also introduced Fred in March 2017, a new algorithm that targeted low-value content sites that prioritized revenue over helping site visitors.

Another significant update was the HTTPS Rewards, which was implemented in April 2017. This update marked a significant shift, with more than half of search results coming from HTTPS sites.

Google also increased the snippet length in November 2017, allowing for 300 character snippets to be displayed in the search results. This change made the search results page a bit longer, but provided more information to users.

Project Owl was a quality update designed to reduce offensive and misleading pages in search results.

This update was referred to as Fred, a nickname given to it by Google Webmaster Trends Analyst Gary Illyes.

Project Owl was a large change to Google's algorithm aimed to make search results better.

It was generally focused on E-A-T, which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

These updates can cause significant shifts in ranking.