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Algorithm Updates 2024-2026: The Most Important Changes

Lucas Blochberger··Updated 11 June 2026
Definition

The most important updates 2024-2026: March 2024 (HCS integration, 45 percent less low-quality, 3 new spam policies), May 2024 documentation leak (14,014 attributes, NavBoost confirmed, siteAuthority discovered), December 2025 core update (SEMrush Sensor 8.7/10, affiliates 71%, YMYL 67% affected). EU regulation (AI Act, Accessibility Act, Digital Omnibus) intersects directly with SEO.

Key Takeaways

  • ✓March 2024 Core Update: The Helpful Content System was integrated into core ranking; according to Google, 45 percent less low-quality, unoriginal content appeared afterwards (40 percent was expected).
  • ✓Three new spam policies 2024: Scaled Content Abuse, Site Reputation Abuse (enforcement from May 5, 2024) and Expired Domain Abuse; Scaled Content Abuse applies regardless of creation method.
  • ✓Content Warehouse API Leak (May 2024): 2,596 modules with 14,014 attributes; NavBoost is mentioned 84 times and a stored siteAuthority attribute is documented, contradicting earlier Google statements.
  • ✓NavBoost confirms click signals as ranking foundation: Title tags, heading structure and internal linking should be aligned with click quality and dwell time, not just keywords.
  • ✓AI Overviews shift focus to GEO: Their presence correlates with a 58 percent lower click-through rate for the top page; targeted GEO methods increase visibility in AI answers by up to 40 percent according to Princeton.
  • ✓JSON-LD is Google's preferred schema format and rose from 34 percent (2022) to 41 percent of pages (2024); it is the standard for new on-page implementations.
  • ✓Particularly relevant for Austria: Google dominates with 81.87 percent market share (May 2026), which means every algorithm change hits the market almost unfiltered and recovery must be site-wide.

Die Update-Kadenz zu verstehen ist essentiell für Enterprise-Planung.

2024: Das Transformationsjahr

Vier Core Updates, drei Spam Updates. März 2024: 45 Tage, HCS-Integration, 45 Prozent Reduktion, drei neue Spam-Policies. Glenn Gabe trackte 360+ Sites vom September-2023-HCU: Null Recoveries im März-Update. Mai 2024: Der Leak — Rand Fishkin nannte ihn „the most significant leak in Googles history." 14.014 Attribute. NavBoost, siteAuthority, Chrome-Daten bestätigt.

2025-2026

Dezember 2025: SEMrush Sensor 8.7/10. Affiliates 71 Prozent, YMYL 67 Prozent, E-Commerce 52 Prozent betroffen. Februar 2026: Erstes Discover-spezifisches Update. EU-Regulierung: AI Act (August 2026), Accessibility Act (Juni 2025), Digital Omnibus könnte Cookie-Consent von Opt-in zu Opt-out verschieben.

Data & Statistics

Nach dem March 2024 Core Update erschien 45 Prozent weniger minderwertiger, unoriginaler Content in den Suchergebnissen (erwartet waren 40 Prozent); Rollout abgeschlossen am 19. April 2024.

Google (The Keyword / blog.google) - New ways we're tackling spammy, low-quality content on Search [international] (2024)

Google kündigte mit dem March 2024 Core Update drei neue Spam-Richtlinien an (Expired Domain Abuse, Scaled Content Abuse, Site Reputation Abuse); die Site-Reputation-Abuse-Richtlinie trat ab dem 5. Mai 2024 in Kraft.

Google Search Central Blog - What web creators should know about our March 2024 core update and new spam policies [international] (2024)

Die geleakte Content Warehouse API umfasst 2.596 Module mit 14.014 Attributen; NavBoost wird 84-mal namentlich genannt und ein gespeichertes siteAuthority-Merkmal ist belegt.

iPullRank (Mike King) - Secrets from the Algorithm: Google Search's Internal Engineering Documentation Has Leaked [international] (2024)

Gezielte GEO-Methoden können die Sichtbarkeit in generativen Engine-Antworten um bis zu 40 Prozent steigern.

Princeton University - GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (Aggarwal et al., KDD 2024) [international] (2024)

Die Präsenz eines AI Overview korreliert mit einer um 58 Prozent niedrigeren durchschnittlichen Klickrate der bestplatzierten Seite (Analyse von 300.000 Keywords, Vergleich Dezember 2023 mit Dezember 2025).

Ahrefs Blog - AI Overviews Reduce Clicks (Update) [international] (2026)

AI Overviews wurden im November 2025 für 15,69 Prozent der Anfragen ausgelöst, mit einem Höhepunkt von 24,61 Prozent im Juli 2025 und 6,49 Prozent im Januar 2025 (über 10 Mio. Keywords analysiert).

Semrush Blog - Semrush AI Overviews Study [international] (2025)

JSON-LD stieg von 34 Prozent der Seiten im Jahr 2022 auf 41 Prozent im Jahr 2024 und ist das von Google bevorzugte Format für strukturierte Daten.

HTTP Archive - Web Almanac 2024, Structured Data chapter [international] (2024)

Suchmaschinen-Marktanteil in Österreich (Mai 2026): Google 81,87 Prozent, Bing 9,01 Prozent, DuckDuckGo 2,75 Prozent.

StatCounter Global Stats - Search Engine Market Share Austria [Österreich] (2026)

Bei Anwesenheit einer KI-Zusammenfassung klickten Nutzer nur in 8 Prozent der Fälle auf ein Ergebnis, gegenüber 15 Prozent ohne Zusammenfassung, eine relative Reduktion von 46,7 Prozent (Pew Research Center, 68.000 Suchanfragen).

Pew Research Center (via Search Engine Journal) - The Impact Of AI Overviews: How Publishers Need To Adapt [USA] (2025)

FAQ

What were the most important Google algorithm updates between 2024 and 2026?
Three events stand out. The March 2024 Core Update integrated the Helpful Content System into core ranking and introduced three new spam policies; according to Google, 45 percent less low-quality, unoriginal content appeared afterwards. The Content Warehouse API Leak in May 2024 revealed 14,014 documented attributes and confirmed that engagement signals such as NavBoost and a stored siteAuthority attribute are part of the evaluation. The December 2025 Core Update continued this quality line in the context of increasingly AI-driven search results pages.
What specifically changed with the March 2024 Core Update?
Two things happened simultaneously. First, the previously separate Helpful Content System was integrated into core ranking, making quality a site-wide property where individual strong pages can be held back by a weak overall environment. Second, Google introduced three new spam policies: Scaled Content Abuse, Site Reputation Abuse and Expired Domain Abuse. The Site Reputation Abuse policy took effect from May 5, 2024. As a result, Google saw 45 percent less low-quality content in results, more than the expected 40 percent.
What did the Google API Leak of May 2024 mean for on-page optimization?
The leak of internal documentation comprises 2,596 modules with 14,014 attributes and documents which signals Google captures, not their weighting. Two findings are central for on-page: NavBoost is mentioned 84 times and describes a click-driven system, confirming that click quality feeds into evaluation. And a stored siteAuthority attribute confirms that domain-wide quality contributes to every page. In practice this means: titles, heading structure and internal linking should be aligned with click quality and dwell time, not just keywords.
What is GEO and why is it becoming more important through AI Overviews?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization, meaning optimization to be cited as a source in AI answers like AI Overviews. It becomes more important because the classic click is becoming rarer: the presence of an AI Overview correlates with a 58 percent lower click-through rate for the top page. The Princeton study GEO (KDD 2024) shows that targeted methods such as embedding documented statistics, quotes and clearly named entities can increase visibility in generative answers by up to 40 percent. GEO does not replace classic SEO but extends it.
How does a Core Update differ from a manual action in terms of recovery?
A manual action is triggered by a Google reviewer and reported in Search Console. The recovery path: identify violation, remove or substantially improve content, then file a reconsideration request that can lead to reversal within weeks. An algorithmic devaluation through a Core Update does not appear as a notification and cannot be resolved via reconsideration request. Here the only solution is to raise content quality site-wide and wait for re-evaluation in the next relevant update, which can take several months.
Which on-page measures are the right response to the updates from 2024 to 2026?
First, treat quality as a domain property and prune or consolidate weak thin-content pages via content audit, because HCS integration works site-wide. Second, align title tags and heading hierarchy with search intent and click quality, as the leak confirmed engagement signals. Third, add GEO elements: documented statistics with source, extractable definitions and JSON-LD schema, Google's preferred format. Fourth, strengthen E-E-A-T on-page through named authors, proof of experience and source citations.
Why are these updates particularly relevant for B2B sites in Austria?
Because Google clearly dominates the search market in Austria with 81.87 percent market share (May 2026), ahead of Bing with 9.01 percent and DuckDuckGo with 2.75 percent. Every Google algorithm change therefore hits the Austrian market almost unfiltered, as there is hardly any alternative reach. For B2B this is also an opportunity: subject-matter depth, real references and traceable authorship are already the foundation of trust here and align exactly with the E-E-A-T and Helpful Content requirements of the updates.

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