How Google Updates are Like a Hurricane

When Google updates it's results pages, it can come on like a storm - literally. For those sites that move upward when a major algorithm update occurs, there is major rejoicing. For those sites that move downward in the rankings, there is often wailing and gnashing of teeth. While the updates themselves have been occurring much more frequently, and the results for most keyword categories are shifting subtly each and every day - there was a time when the update process came without warning and often upended entire pages of top ranking sites.

In those earlier days of the Google update (also known as the ''Google dance'') when a major algorithm change was launched, the professional search engine optimization community would instantaneously begin buzzing with search engine optimizers comparing notes. SEO professionals would want to know exactly when the update started, which Google servers were impacted, which keywords or phrases had shifted the most, and whether or not any so-called ''black hat'' tactics were being rewarded or punished in the update.

To facilitate these discussions, it became obvious that everyone had to know which particular update a discussion was referring to. Thus was born the need to name the Google updates.

The man responsible for this hugely important task is Brett Tabke, the Chief Operating Officer of SEO professional discussion site, WebmasterWorld. So how exactly did the process get started? According to Mr. Tabke, ''Well we started in 2001, offhand, and joking around saying, 'well, here comes another Google storm'. We said, 'yeah, we ought to name them like a hurricane if this keeps up'. The next thing you know, we started naming them like hurricanes.''

So the moderators of Webmaster World began keeping track of the updates, and giving them names in a fashion similar to the National Weather Service hurricane naming system. Mr. Tabke explained, ''In the early days we did it specifically like, one month a woman, then a man, ABCD. It finally got to be such a chore for we moderators to decide the name – we just said, 'hey, what's going on right now?'. For example, the last update in August was right at the same time that they demoted Pluto from a planet, so we just said hey let's call it update 'pluto'. The previous update before that, we kind of acknowledged Matt Cutts - talking about Google's internal 'big daddy' update on their 'big daddy' server. We let him have that one. Throw him a little bone.''

And so, the naming of Google updates has progressed. It is driven forward by the Webmaster World community and crystallized by Brett Tabke. One may ask as well, ''But what about Yahoo?''. This other large search engine also has search results that periodically fluctuate. When pressed on the issue of whether or not Yahoo! has asked to be included in the update naming pool, Mr. Tabke commented, ''We started to name the Yahoo! updates about two years ago. It quickly became clear that Yahoo! was going to go into a state of ever-fluxing and updating on the fly. It wasn't possible with Yahoo! in the same way it was with Google.''

Brett Tabke's time is consumed these days with the planning and organizing of PubCon - the webmaster and search engine professional trade show sponsored by Webmaster World. However, if the time comes to name a new Google update, he and his team stand ready to accept the challenge of creating an interesting and compelling name for it.

About the Author
Derek Vaughan is the Chief Marketing Officer at TechPad Agency. He is a freelance writer on topics ranging from search engine optimization to web hosting to Internet marketing. TechPad Agency operates a professional network of hosting related websites.