Thread by @searchliaison

Here’s an update about updates -- updates to our search algorithms. As explained before, each day, Google usually releases one or more changes designed to improve our results. Most have little noticeable change but help us continue to incrementally improve search….

Sometimes, an update may be more noticeable. We aim to confirm those when we feel there is actionable information that content owners might take. For example, when our Speed Update happened, with gave months of advanced notice and advice….
webmasters.googleblog.com/2018/01/using-…

Sometimes, we make broad changes to our core algorithm. We inform about those because the actionable advice is that there is nothing in particular to “fix,” and we don’t want content owners to mistakenly try to change things that aren’t issues….

https://twitter.com/searchliaison/status/1024691872025833472

This year, we shared about two broad core algorithm updates we had: in April and August. We also had a further update we can confirm, one that began the week of Sept. 24. With any broad core update, the full rollout time might be over the course of a week or longer….

We understand those who do less well after a core update change may still feel they need to do something. We suggest focusing on ensuring you’re offering the best content you can. That’s what our algorithms seek to reward….

For advice on great content, a good starting point is to review our search quality rater guidelines. Raters are people who give us feedback on if our algorithms seem to be providing good results, a way to help confirm our changes are working well….
google.com/search/howsear…

Important: search raters have no control over how pages rank. Rater data is not used in our algorithms. Rather, we use them as a restaurant might get feedback cards from diners. The feedback helps us know if our search “recipes” seem to be working….
google.com/search/howsear…

If you understand how raters learn to assess good content, that might help you improve your own content -- and, in turn, perhaps do better in search. You can find the raters guidelines here:
static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.goog…

You’ll also find plenty of advice about good content with the resources we offer from @googlewmc -- from guidelines, to help pages and our forums. Learn more here: google.com/webmasters/