Definition: Google Top Heavy Update

Google Top Heavy Update was a change to the Google algorithm that was first introduced in January 2012. The update was designed to address a growing concern among users and webmasters about the prevalence of websites that were dominated by large ad blocks and other forms of monetization, such as pop-ups and interstitials. The update penalized websites that were deemed to be “top heavy” with ads, by lowering their search engine rankings. The goal of the update was to provide a better user experience by promoting websites that were less cluttered and easier to navigate. The Google Top Heavy Update continues to be one of several factors that are taken into account when determining the relevance and ranking of a website in Google search results.