From our 2018 archive. This is a historical announcement. Context and links reviewed on 18 September 2026; the information below relates to the original publication period.
Our original 2018 roundup discussed changes to mobile search, snippets, HTTPS and ranking systems. It belongs to that period, rather than being a list of the “past three years” today.
Why the old timeline needs context
Search presentation, browser security warnings and organic ranking updates are different things. A Chrome warning does not itself prove a ranking penalty, and a change to paid advert placement is not the same as an organic algorithm update.
The old discussion of 155- and 300-character meta description “limits” was too rigid. Search snippets vary and may be generated from the page rather than its supplied description. Write an accurate summary instead of treating an old display length as a permanent rule.
Use current references
See Google’s ranking systems guide for the relationship between historic names and current systems. Our mobile website guide covers the practical checks for today.
Investigate your own website
If visits have changed, compare the affected pages and searches, check technical access and review recent edits. Use our organic traffic diagnosis guide before attributing a change to an old update name.
