Google recently revealed another set of adjustments to their search algorithm, referred to as “search quality highlights.” These updates, which Google has been sharing on their Inside Search blog since December 2011, are meant to increase transparency, but lately, they’ve become increasingly complex and difficult to understand. The initial list had 10 “algorithmic and visible feature changes,” while the latest one included a staggering 50 changes. That’s a lot to digest, and I took to Twitter to express my feelings:
It turns out I’m not the only one overwhelmed by these updates:
Google claims to make “roughly 500 improvements in a given year,” and it seems like almost every tweak has a quirky codename. I dug through all [insert big number] of these codenames that Google has used since January and compiled a list. Here are the top 10 Google update codenames – the most amusing, bizarre, or impressive-sounding names, regardless of the update’s actual content.
1. Porky Pig
Pandu Nayak from Google explains the story behind Porky Pig: Their previous question-answering system was called “DAFFIE,” short for “Database of All Fact Fiction Information and Exaggeration.” In 2010, when the team revamped the system and launched a new short answers feature, Amit Singhal, drawing inspiration from Daffy Duck, decided to call it “Porky Pig” because Porky Pig tried to eliminate Daffy Duck. The team laughed, assuming Amit was mistaken (everyone knows Elmer Fudd is the hunter). However, Amit was correct, as he frequently is. In the 1937 original cartoon featuring Daffy Duck, Porky Pig was indeed hunting Daffy.
2. Old Possum
Where I’m from, “Old Possum” refers to a guy with a long beard spending his afternoon at the bar, sipping Cutty Sark. However, in Mountain View, it inexplicably represents faster mobile browsing.
3. IceMan5
Hey, those guys stole my bowling nickname! But in this context, IceMan5 doesn’t refer to my impressive (or not) bowling skills but to enhancements in navigational query results.
4. SweatNovember
Sweet November is a cheesy romantic film that received nominations for Worst Remake or Sequel, Worst Actor, and Worst Actress at the 2001 Golden Raspberry Awards. Sweat November sounds like a) a more exciting, potentially adult version and b) simply a better movie. It’s also the peculiar codename for an update on how Hebrew synonyms are managed.
5. Galactic Center
“Space is awesome!” – probably what some tech enthusiast at Google exclaimed. Why they chose to name an update that “simplifies the codebase for Images Universal and enhances image results using general web ranking improvements” after a supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s center is a mystery. Perhaps none of their updates are that groundbreaking, so they picked a random cool name. Or maybe that tech enthusiast was searching for a Galactic Center image for their desktop background and wasn’t impressed with the results.
6. Psychic Search
I secretly hoped this update would transform Google into a Magic 8 Ball – one of those coveted childhood toys I always wanted but never had – providing instant answers to questions like “What should I have for dinner?” or “Will I get that promotion?” Instead, the Psychic Search update simply disables Google Instant when your internet connection is slow. Not a very impressive psychic – she wouldn’t make it into the Psychic Friends Network.
7. Smoothieking
You might be tempted to decipher an update’s purpose from its codename. Don’t bother. Smoothieking enhanced search result organization in Korea. One can only assume that further improvements will earn Korea an upgrade to Jamba Juice.
8. Final Destination
In the movie Final Destination, a group of teenagers narrowly escape a horrific plane crash, only to be pursued by Death itself. Because you can’t cheat death!
This update makes me think that Google’s master plan for global domination has reached a sinister Phase 2. However, this ominous codename refers to a bug fix that improved News Universal results.
9. Tie: Cosmos Newsy, Saralee-76, Kamehameha, Snippy, and Stitch
I can’t pick just one! These are like old buddies I spent quality time with back in ‘Nam.
10. Panda
The only codename on this list to achieve legendary status and be discussed among SEO experts, the infamous Panda update aimed to remove low-quality, content-farm websites from search results. This update caused anxiety among spammy marketers, who feared these harmless, peaceful creatures – creatures so innocent they can’t even reproduce quickly enough to ensure their survival. The following infographic from Search Engine Land shows Panda’s impact after a year. [
](//searchengineland.com/google-panda-update-112805?utm_source=embed&medium=lg&campaign=panda%E2%80%9D)