There’s been a lot of chatter about a recent Google update to the search algorithm resulting in a change in rankings. MozCast has reported greater than average turbulence in the Google algorithm for the final week of March.  This along with a variation in search engine results has created buzz debating a Google update across several search engine optimization sites during the beginning of April 2013.

Google Update Discussion

The online Google update discussion has been characterized by the folks at webmasterworld.com forum complaining of unstable Google Rankings. Unfortunately, their data thus far seems to be inconclusive. However, this does not mean they are incorrect regarding a Google update on the way.

The Google Panda update has been refreshed on a nearly monthly basis, with the most recent version 25, believed to be in Mid March. Google is no longer confirming Panda updates because  they are fully integrated into the normal Google indexes and no longer a manual process. At this point, the Panda update is only affecting a small number (less than 1%) of English language quires.

Google Update: Penguin

The other feared Google update animal – Penguin – seems to be due for an appearance soon. After its introduction in Spring 2012, the Penguin update filter has not run since October of last year.

Google’s Matt Cutts announced last month at SMX West that his web spam team was busy working on the next generation of Penguin. He would not say when, but analysts seem to agree the next Google update will be sooner rather than later.  He specifically said there will be a substantial change to the way Penguin works, and it would be big news in SEO industry for  2013.