Stop Chasing Algorithm Updates

Google announces an update. Within hours, SEO Twitter explodes. Everyone is analyzing volatility data. Comparing ranking changes. Theorizing about what Google changed.

"It looks like they're targeting thin content."

"No, it's clearly about links."

"I think it's user experience signals."

The theories multiply. Blog posts get published. Podcast episodes get recorded. Agencies send clients alarming emails about "what this update means for you."

And almost none of it matters.

The Futility of Update Chasing

Chasing algorithm updates is seductive but pointless. Here's why:

You can't know what actually changed. Google doesn't tell you. The patterns people observe are often noise misinterpreted as signal. With millions of ranking changes happening, you can find evidence for almost any theory if you look hard enough.

Even if you could know, you can't respond fast enough. By the time you've analyzed the update, theorized about changes, and implemented responses, Google has already made more changes. You're always reacting to yesterday's algorithm.

Tactical responses rarely help. Algorithm updates usually aren't about specific tactics. They're about better evaluating quality and relevance. You can't game that with quick fixes.

Your response might make things worse. Panic changes based on incomplete understanding can backfire. You might "fix" things that weren't problems while ignoring things that were.

The Update Circus

The algorithm update cycle has become an industry unto itself.

Tools track "volatility" - how much rankings are changing. High volatility means something is happening. Everyone gets excited. But volatility doesn't tell you what's happening or whether it matters for your specific situation.

Analysts publish "winners and losers" lists. Who gained from the update? Who lost? But these lists are often based on small samples and unreliable data. The "losers" might have lost for reasons unrelated to the update. The "winners" might have just been fixing old problems.

Thought leaders publish takes. "My theory on the Helpful Content Update." But these theories are unfalsifiable. (Remember: Google's messaging is PR, not documentation.) You can't prove them wrong, which means you also can't prove them right. They're educated guesses presented as insights.

All of this activity creates the appearance of understanding without actual understanding. It fills the content calendar. It generates engagement. But it rarely helps anyone rank better.

The Constant Change Reality

Google makes thousands of changes to search every year. Most aren't announced. Many are small. The constant tinkering means any specific update is just one moment in continuous evolution.

The named updates - "Helpful Content Update," "Product Reviews Update," "Core Update" - get attention because they're named. But unnamed changes might be just as significant. You can't track them all. You can't respond to them all.

The algorithm is always changing. Every day is an update day. Optimizing for any single update is like trying to time individual waves while ignoring the tide.

What The Best Sites Do Differently

The sites that consistently perform well don't chase updates. They focus on fundamentals that transcend any particular algorithm change.

They create content that genuinely helps. Not content that hits SEO checkboxes. Content that users actually want, actually read, actually share. This is evergreen because Google's ultimate goal is serving users.

They build real authority. Not link schemes that might get caught in the next update. Actual recognition from legitimate sources. The kind of authority that grows over time and doesn't depend on any specific algorithm.

They maintain technical health. Fast, mobile-friendly, properly structured sites that work well regardless of how Google weights various signals. Technical hygiene is always beneficial.

They stay calm. When an update hits and competitors are panicking, they keep executing their strategy. They don't make reactive changes based on incomplete information. They trust the fundamentals.

The Update Recovery Myth

"Recovering" from an algorithm update is largely a myth. The framing implies you were doing something right and Google broke it. More often, Google just got better at identifying issues that always existed.

If your site lost rankings in an update, the solution usually isn't to figure out what the update specifically targeted. It's to honestly assess whether your site deserves to rank.

Is your content actually the best answer to the queries you're targeting? Do real experts create or review your content? Would users be satisfied if they landed on your page? Is there anything sketchy about your link profile?

These questions don't require understanding the update. They require honesty about your site's quality.

Sites that "recover" from updates usually do so by genuinely improving, not by reverse-engineering what changed. The improvement would have helped regardless of the specific update.

The Attention Economy of Updates

Algorithm updates get attention because they're events. Events create content opportunities. Breaking news gets clicks. Analysis posts get shared.

But the attention given to updates is disproportionate to their actionable value. Most practitioners would be better served by:

One hour improving content instead of one hour reading update analysis.

One hour doing outreach instead of one hour theorizing about link devaluation.

One hour analyzing competitors instead of one hour tracking volatility data.

The time spent on update chasing has an opportunity cost. That time could go toward activities that actually improve performance.

A Better Approach

Here's how to think about updates instead:

Monitor your own data. Did your traffic change significantly? If not, the update doesn't concern you. If it did, investigate your specific situation rather than reading generic takes.

Evaluate against first principles. Google wants to show the best results. Are you the best result for your target queries? If yes, eventual success is likely. If no, fix that regardless of any update.

Make changes based on evidence, not theories. If you're going to change something, have specific evidence that it's a problem. "The update might have targeted X" is not evidence. "Users bounce quickly from this page" is evidence.

Think in quarters, not days. Single days and weeks fluctuate. Individual updates might temporarily hurt or help. But over quarters and years, quality tends to win. Zoom out.

The Unpopular Truth

If you lost rankings in an update, you probably deserved to. Not always, but usually. Google isn't perfect, but their updates generally improve result quality. If they improved quality and you lost, that tells you something.

This is uncomfortable to hear. It's easier to blame the algorithm than to acknowledge issues with your own site. But blaming the algorithm doesn't help you improve. Honest self-assessment does.

The best SEO strategy is one that doesn't need to change with every algorithm update. Build something genuinely valuable and the updates become noise instead of existential threats.

Stop chasing. Start building. That's the only strategy that consistently wins.