The Google Boogie

Explaining the Google Boogie

by John Hughes
of http://www.oyster-web.co.uk

Last updated: 17 Sep 2007

There is nothing in the SEO community as likely to turn trousers brown as the beginning of the Google Dance.

Every once in a while, Google introduce an algorithm change, or a major database update to its public search engine results. The consequence of this is a sea change in the search engine results. However, such changes are not instant.

The algorithm Google uses to rank sites in its Index is complex, and based in no small part on re-iterative probability calculations. This means that search engine results are based on values that fluctuate wildly at first, but ‘tend to’ a stable value after each recalculation.

This is the cause of the phenomenon regularly known as the Google Dance, where search engine results seem to be wildly different from one day to the next (sometimes from one search to the next), while these recalculations take effect.

To those with "weak legs" holding up their search positions, perhaps the brown trousers are justifiable. To those with stronger SEO, however, things are always likely to be better after the Google Dance than before.

That’s why we prefer the term Google Boogie – dancing our way to success!