Marie Haynes' Google Algorithm Update List + Dates of AI Mode

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Google's search algorithm changes have become significant enough, and frequent enough, that independent SEO analyst Marie Haynes now maintains a standing public resource tracking every documented update alongside the rollout dates of AI Mode and AI Overviews features. The resource, hosted at mariehaynes.com, functions as a running timeline rather than a one-time report, updated as Google confirms or quietly ships changes to its ranking systems and generative search surfaces.

What Is the Marie Haynes Algorithm Update List?

The Marie Haynes algorithm update list is a continuously maintained public record that documents Google's confirmed and suspected search ranking changes, now expanded to include launch dates for AI Mode and AI Overviews features. It serves as a reference point for site owners and marketers trying to correlate traffic fluctuations with specific Google actions.

Haynes, a longtime SEO consultant who has tracked Google's public communications and algorithmic behavior for years, built the list as a resource page rather than a single news post. The inclusion of AI Mode and AI Overviews timing marks an expansion beyond traditional ranking updates, reflecting how Google's generative search features now sit alongside core algorithm changes as a source of traffic disruption for publishers.

Why Does This List Matter Now?

The list matters now because Google has accelerated the pace of both core algorithm updates and AI-driven search features, making it harder for site owners to isolate the cause of traffic swings. With AI Overviews and AI Mode rolling out in stages across different markets and query types, publishers need a consolidated timeline to distinguish between a core update penalty and a loss of clicks tied to AI-generated summaries displacing organic results.

Google does not always issue formal announcements when it adjusts ranking systems or expands AI features to new regions. That gap in official disclosure is precisely why third-party tracking resources like this one have become a reference point for the SEO industry.

What Evidence Supports the Timeline?

The resource compiles publicly available information, including Google's own statements through its Search Status Dashboard, official blog posts, and statements from Google representatives such as Search Liaison Danny Sullivan. It cross-references these confirmed updates with observed ranking volatility reported by site owners and SEO tools, then layers in specific dates tied to AI Mode and AI Overviews feature expansions.

Below is a structural overview of how the resource organizes its tracked categories, based on the described contents of the page.

Who Benefits and Who Loses From These Shifts?

Publishers and SEO practitioners who actively monitor the resource gain an early framework for diagnosing traffic volatility, giving them a head start on recovery strategy or content audits. Sites that depend heavily on informational queries, the exact query types AI Overviews and AI Mode are designed to answer directly, face the steepest risk of losing click-through traffic even when their rankings remain technically stable.

Smaller publishers without dedicated SEO staff are particularly exposed, since they are less likely to parse Google's sparse official communications in real time. Larger media organizations and SEO agencies with monitoring infrastructure can more quickly adjust content strategy, making resources like this one a competitive advantage rather than a neutral reference tool.

What Are the Limits of This Tracking Approach?

Google rarely confirms the precise mechanics or scope of its algorithm changes, meaning any third-party timeline, however well-sourced, still relies partly on inference from observed volatility rather than full transparency. The same caveat applies to AI Mode and AI Overviews dates, since regional rollouts can be staggered, tested, and rolled back without public notice, making the list a best-available snapshot rather than a definitive technical record.

Site owners should treat correlation between an update date and a traffic change as a starting hypothesis, not confirmed causation, given how many variables affect search visibility simultaneously.

What Comes Next for Google Search Tracking?

Haynes has indicated the resource will continue receiving updates as Google ships further changes, meaning the list will keep expanding alongside Google's ongoing AI feature rollouts. For the broader SEO and publishing industry, the merging of traditional algorithm tracking with AI feature timelines signals that generative search surfaces are now treated as a core variable in search visibility analysis, not a side issue.

The original resource is maintained at mariehaynes.com, where updates are expected to continue as Google's search product evolves.