{"id":4617,"date":"2021-03-25T07:56:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T07:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/econsultoria.net\/?p=4617"},"modified":"2025-05-13T08:04:40","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T08:04:40","slug":"what-is-an-algorithm-and-what-is-it-for-how-does-googles-algorithm-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/econsultoria.net\/en\/blog\/what-is-an-algorithm-and-what-is-it-for-how-does-googles-algorithm-work\/","title":{"rendered":"What is an algorithm and what is it for? How does Google\u2019s algorithm work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you work in the digital marketing sector, you\u2019ve probably heard the word algorithm<\/em>. That\u2019s why today we want to explore what an algorithm is, what it’s used for, and how understanding it can help improve results. Keep in mind that algorithms are constantly changing, improving, and being updated \u2014 so staying informed is essential to executing a successful strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an algorithm?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In mathematics, logic, computer science, and related fields, an algorithm is a set of defined and unambiguous instructions or rules, organized and finite, used to solve a problem, perform a computation, process data, or carry out other tasks or activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned earlier, this concept also applies to algorithms used in various online marketing processes, such as search engines and social media. These systems use rules to give more or less visibility to content, which in turn affects rankings, reach, and ultimately, conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does a computer algorithm work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Computer algorithms operate through an input-output system. They take the input and apply each step of the algorithm to that information until a solution is found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great example of this is search engines. They function as algorithms that take a search query as input and comb through their database to find relevant results that match the query terms. The system then outputs those results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an algorithm used for?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Algorithms can be visualized as flowcharts, where each shape represents a specific type of instruction. In simple terms, their function is to create a structured plan before coding begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are not tied to any specific programming language, as they can be represented in many different ones. Essentially, algorithms are the foundation of any program. A program is a set of algorithms encoded in a programming language to be executed on a computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Google’s algorithm and how does it work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned earlier, Google\u2019s search algorithm is a complex system that allows Google to search, rank, and deliver the most relevant pages for a given search query.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ranking system consists of multiple algorithms that consider several factors such as quality, relevance, and page usability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does Google\u2019s search algorithm work?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many factors come into play. Let\u2019s focus on the 5 main ones (officially listed by Google<\/a>) that influence the results returned for a specific query:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Understanding the query<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To deliver relevant results, Google must understand exactly what the user is looking for and what their search intent is. This involves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Meaning of the words<\/strong>: What exactly do the words mean in natural language?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Search intent<\/strong>: Is the user looking for a definition, a review, to make a purchase, or to find a specific website?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Content freshness<\/strong>: Is the query time-sensitive and requires up-to-date information?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Sometimes it’s straightforward. A search like \u201cbuy new iPhone\u201d clearly indicates intent, meaning, and freshness. But with broader queries, it\u2019s harder to determine intent. In these cases, Google shows what it believes are the best results and offers additional options to refine the search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Relevance of pages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Next, the search engine needs to find pages that are relevant to the query \u2014 those that best answer the user’s question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It does this by regularly crawling and indexing websites and analyzing their content. Keywords play a key role. If the search terms or related phrases appear on a page, it\u2019s likely that the page is relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Content quality<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Since millions of pages may match a query, Google prioritizes those with high-quality content that demonstrate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Expertise<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Authoritativeness<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Trustworthiness<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      A key element here is the PageRank<\/strong> algorithm, which considers both the quality and quantity of links pointing to a page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Google\u2019s PageRank<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

      PageRank is a numerical value assigned to each page to help prioritize search results. It\u2019s based on the assumption that more important pages are likely to receive more backlinks from authoritative websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Three main factors affect a page\u2019s PageRank<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Number of backlinks<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Quality (PageRank) of the linking page<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Number of links on the linking page<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        In short: the more high-quality backlinks a page receives, the more likely it is to be considered high quality by Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Additionally, Google uses spam-detecting algorithms to filter out low-quality pages using black hat SEO<\/strong> techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        4. Usability of pages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

        Once Google has evaluated relevance and quality, it assesses usability and user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This includes technical factors like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. Mobile responsiveness<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Proper display across browsers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. Page speed<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        4. Site security<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          These may not be the most important factors, but they are considered when other aspects are equal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Note<\/strong>: Google increasingly incorporates Page Experience signals<\/strong> into its ranking systems. For example, Core Web Vitals<\/strong> \u2014 metrics related to speed, responsiveness, and visual stability \u2014 became part of the algorithm in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          5. Context and settings<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

          Last but not least, search results are heavily influenced by the user\u2019s context and preferences, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          1. User location<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. Search history<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          3. Search settings<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            Google\u2019s search quality evaluators<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            In addition to algorithms and machine learning systems, Google gathers feedback from real human evaluators<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Google hires thousands of third-party workers (search quality raters) to assess the quality of search results and ranked pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Here\u2019s how Google explains<\/a> the use of this data:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n

            These ratings do not directly affect a page\u2019s ranking. No one decides that a particular source is \u2018authoritative\u2019 or \u2018trustworthy\u2019… Instead, the ratings are a data point that, when aggregated, help us measure how well our systems are working to deliver great content.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

            So, these ratings don\u2019t directly affect rankings, but the data collected is used to improve the algorithm<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Google algorithm updates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            Google\u2019s algorithm updates fall into two categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            1. Minor updates<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. Core updates<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Google modifies its algorithm very frequently \u2014 several times a day<\/strong>. Most of these changes are small and go unnoticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              In addition to these, Google rolls out a few core algorithm updates<\/strong> each year. These tend to spark discussion in the SEO community and often get nicknames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Major Google core algorithm updates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              Some of the most significant Google updates that have shaped the current algorithm include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n