ICYMI: An Animated Guide to Google's Biggest 2016 Algorithm Updates [Infographic]

Sometimes, it seems like keeping up with a search engine's algorithm is like learning a new language. Only, it's a language that keeps updating over time and changing with things like technological advances, evolving topic interests, and constant improvements to user experience. And often, it seems like those changes are quiet -- like there's no way to find out about them unless you, say, subscribe to a blog that keeps you in the loop.

While many marketers make the time to do that -- which is great -- there are days, weeks, and months when constantly keeping up with Google's algorithm is a task that gets pushed to the wayside. But SEO is more important than ever, and has many implications for inbound marketing, especially as mobile usage continues to rise. It's not just about traffic anymore. SEO and its accompanying algorithm updates are soup-to-nuts measures of user experience.

But what pieces of the user's experience are reflected in these algorithm changes? And is there a way to keep up with them in manageable chunks, as many people like to do when they're learning a new skill? Yes -- starting with the infographic below.

You see, some years, the algorithm undergoes more changes than in others, and 2016 was a big one. Luckily, the folks at E2M compiled the major Google algorithm updates from that year into this visual, animated representation. So relax -- you've got this, with a fun, informative image to help.