Types of Google Updates

One of the main issues of web marketing forums and blogs is search engine update. But what do they really mean with update? Is it algorithm update, data refresh or index update? Are these different things or just the same? Let us get a clearer and distinctive definition of these terms.

The Difference

Algorithm update refers to the changes on the computation elements of measuring the value of web pages. It refers to the change in the criteria by which web pages are ranked on the search results. The algorithm update can change anytime. As the algorithm remains a secret, so are the changes. To survive the algorithm changes, you need to optimise your website’s content and build relevant incoming links.

Date Refresh refers to the process wherein data is refreshed within a current algorithm. It is like a small Google update. It somehow does something on Google data without changing its algorithm. During data restore, there could be small changes on the Google search results. If your website is one of the affected, you will probably notice that a data refresh is going on.

An index update is also called the Google Dance. When Google pushed out new data to the data centers, it is called an index update. It happens on average once a month. The Google Index Update is quite noticeable as there are big changes on the search results. Google shows new backlinks and ranks websites accordingly.

The Google dance may happen from 6 – 8 days. During these days, webmasters are on panic – especially the ones who are quite obsessed with their website’s PageRank. What will happen next after the update? But as Google is said to be updating its index regularly now, webmasters should get used to it.

Index Update Part Of Data Refresh

To put a clear line on these terms, algorithm update refers to algorithm changes; data refresh refers to data update without algorithm change and index update is a type of data refresh. These three terms are often confused as one. But to make sure you don’t get lost in webmaster forums or even on your own understanding of Google, it is crucial that you understand the difference between these terms.

Next time there would be an update, at least you will know whether it’s an algorithm update or an index update. And remember that no matter what kind of update Google decides to use, your website will rank well as long as it is highly optimized and carries relevant content.

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