Google is always testing and tweaking the search results we see when we perform a Google search and no two people will see the same search results page. The search results pages are heavily influenced by whether you are logged into Google, where you are and how much Google has personalised your particular search results page based on your previous activity on their services.

Google also releases significant updates to how its algorithm crawls and ranks the pages on the search results you see. Sometimes, these updates are well publicised (well, in the world of online marketing and SEO, they are), and sometimes, Google will neither confirm nor deny that they have made any changes.

May & June 2025 Updates

In May and June 2024, there were several large and small-scale Google algorithm updates:

A Phantom Update – Around the 9th to 15th May 2025

Around these dates, site owners and agencies reported a significant drop in traffic and search rankings. Google did not confirm any updates, but something happened!

Domain Crowding – 21st May 2025 (estimated)

Google confirmed that they released a minor algorithm update which addressed the problem of too many results from the same website appearing in the search results on pages 2 and below. They were seeking to address this by limiting the results from the same domains and diversifying the results.

Penguin 2.0 – 22nd May 2025 – The big one!

This update is specifically designed to eliminate what Google calls web spam. These are websites that Google thinks are violating its quality guidelines in order to rank highly. There have been a number of these Penguin updates since the 24th April 2025 These updates are mainly known for targeting websites which have “unnatural” backlinks (the websites that link back to your website). Basically are these links normal or are they paid for, spam links. If Google thinks they aren’t normal, you could well be hit by a Penguin update!

Payday Loan – 11th June 2025 (onwards)

This was a Google-announced update that sought to address websites within industries, like payday loans, which are well known for trying to manipulate the search results with various nefarious tactics.

Have I Been Hit?

The trouble with these updates, of course, is that many perfectly innocent websites get caught up in them, and their traffic, rankings, and businesses suffer as a result.

It’s fairly easy to see if you have been affected by any of these updates, you would probably have already noticed by now if you had! Just check your web analytics (e.g. Google Analytics) or Google Webmaster Tools and see if you have a drop in visitor numbers or search query impressions on these dates:

For Google Analytics:

Go to Reporting -> Audience -> Overview and change the dates to include the dates above and a period before and after, then see if there is anything unusual.

For Google Webmaster Tools:

Go to Traffic -> Search Queries and change the dates to include the dates above and a period before and after, then see if you have a drop in search impressions.

Help!

It could well be that all of the above means nothing to you, and you would like someone to check for you. If any of these updates have hit you, tell me what you can do about it. If you would like some advice, please feel free to get in touch.

More Information

If you would like to keep up to date with Google’s changes and algorithm updates, Clientel recommends the Google algorithm change history here.

If you are really obsessed (like me), they also have an excellent daily Google rankings weather report here.