The Google Vince search algorithm update was annouced during 2009 and its effects were seen in December of 2009. The update is named after a Google engineer called Vince.
What is the Google Vince Update?
The codename “Vince” describes a comprehensive and permanent change (Update) to Google’s ranking algorithm.
The algorithm change was announced in 2009 and soon after deployed worldwide. The influence on the German search market, for example, started to be visible in December 2009.
The namesake for this algorithm change is a Google engineer named “Vince”.
Why is the Vince Update also referred to as the Brand Update?
The Vince Update gives a bonus to brand websites when it comes to search results for traffic-rich keywords. It is irrefutable that there is a lasting positive effect in favour of established brands due to the “Vince” algorithm update. Due to the fact that brands and brand domains are such a concrete aspect of the Vince Update, it is also called the “Brand Update.”
What makes the Vince update so special?
What makes the Vince Update special is that well-known (Offline) brands suddenly rank much better for keywords with a lot of traffic, for no apparent reason.
Brand domain rankings were strongly boosted. All these sites gaining rankings or showing up out of the blue have in common that they were not optimized by SEO-standards: the title-tag often did not even contain the keyword, as well as other attributes that speak against a “natural” ranking.
How does the Vince Update “affect” pages?
The search result visibility of established (Offline) brands increased and the brand recognition became another ranking factor.
After the algorithm change, brand websites profited on highly competitive search requests, like mobile phones, printers, wifi and so on.
Example: to the left we have the keyword and on the right the brand-domain with the ranking-change (in positions) compared to the previous week:
The Vince Update had a very positive impact on the ranking-development of brand domains. Here we have an example for the keyword [handys] (mobile phones) and the domain sonyericsson.com.
Additionally, a sudden rise in the Visibility Index of these domain is also visible. The domain da-direkt.de shows this very well:
Video answer from Google / Matt Cutts on the algorithm change
According to Matt Cutts, the Vince Update is more of a minor change as well as a “Trust Change” in terms of the ranking algorithm and brand domains.
According to the words of Google CEO Eric Schmidt, brands have a fundamental value for us humans:
Brands are the solution, not the problem. Brands are how you sort out the cesspool.
– Google CEO Eric Schmidt (Source)
Brand affinity is clearly hard wired. “It is so fundamental to human existence that it’s not going away. It must have a genetic component.
– Google CEO Eric Schmidt
