--- title: "Dewey update (2008): what was reported and what it means now" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/dewey-update-2008 section: updates language: en published: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z author: Adam Hafez topics: ["Core updates"] --- # Dewey update (2008): what was reported and what it means now ## The short answer The Dewey update was a large shuffle in Google results first reported on 31 March 2008. Google never confirmed an algorithm change. Matt Cutts said colleagues saw few large ranking differences and asked for feedback tagged "dewey," and Search Engine Land's Barry Schwartz proposed naming the update after that keyword. ## Key takeaways - Google never confirmed a ranking change; industry reports are the only record of the shuffle. - Search Engine Roundtable reported major shifts across Google data centers on 31 March 2008. - Matt Cutts said colleagues were not seeing many large ranking differences between data centers. - Cutts asked for feedback containing the word dewey, and Barry Schwartz proposed it as the update name. - Google published no dates, no explanation and no impact figures for the changes. ## What was reported Google never confirmed the Dewey update. What is known comes from industry reporting and one forum post by a Google employee. On 31 March 2008, Search Engine Roundtable [reported](https://www.seroundtable.com/archives/016721.html) that WebmasterWorld members were seeing two Google data centers with very different results, adding that "this update seems to be pretty major." An update to the post said many people were seeing the changes on Google.com. On 2 April 2008, Matt Cutts, then head of Google's webspam team, replied in the WebmasterWorld thread, as [Search Engine Roundtable reported](https://www.seroundtable.com/archives/016754.html). He said colleagues "weren't seeing many large differences in rankings between these datacenters," and asked for examples through Google's spam report form with a keyword to identify them. Google never named it; the industry did. Cutts chose the keyword: "Let's use 'dewey' as the word." Barry Schwartz then suggested in [Search Engine Land](https://searchengineland.com/google-update-dewey-google-confirms-algorithm-change-13679) that the update be called Dewey. That article's headline says Google confirmed an algorithm change, but Cutts's quoted words did not. ## When it rolled out Google stated no dates. Search Engine Roundtable reported the major shifts on 31 March 2008, after a month of smaller changes tracked on WebmasterWorld, so this page uses that date; the exact day is approximate. No completion date was ever stated. ## What is known about its impact Google published nothing about Dewey's impact, and Cutts's only comment suggested Google saw little difference between data centers. Industry reports described a widely noticed shuffle of results, but no pattern was confirmed by Google. This page repeats no traffic figures for that reason. ## What site owners should do Dewey is history. For a broad, unexplained ranking shift today, Google's current core update guidance applies: compare performance before and after the change, and only reassess content for large, sustained drops. Its helpful content guidance says its systems prioritize content "created to benefit people." - Wait for a shift to settle before changing anything. - Compare a full week after with a full week before, not the days of the shuffle. - Improve content for readers rather than chasing short-term ranking movements. ## How to check whether it affected you This is a historical question. Search Console keeps 16 months of data, so the only evidence would be analytics archives from March and April 2008. For anything recent, the [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists every update with its dates, so you can check what rolled out when. ## Related updates - The [PageRank paid links update](/updates/pagerank-paid-links-update-2007) was the previous change widely discussed, in late 2007. - The [Vince update](/updates/vince-update-2009) was the next widely discussed ranking change, in 2009. ## Frequently asked questions ### Did Google confirm the Dewey update? No. Matt Cutts asked for feedback on the reported shuffle, but he said colleagues were not seeing many large ranking differences between data centers. Search Engine Land's headline called it a confirmation; Google's own words did not confirm a change. ### Why is it called the Dewey update? Matt Cutts picked dewey as a random keyword for feedback reports. Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Land and Search Engine Roundtable then proposed naming the update after it. ### When did the Dewey update happen? Search Engine Roundtable reported major shifts on 31 March 2008, after changes seen through March on WebmasterWorld. Google stated no date, so the start day is approximate. ### What did the Dewey update change? Nobody outside Google knows. Google gave no explanation, and industry reports described a broad shuffle of results without a clear pattern that Google ever confirmed. ## Sources 1. [Google Search Index March '08 Update Underway?](https://www.seroundtable.com/archives/016721.html) - Search Engine Roundtable 2. [Google's Cutts Asking for Feedback on March/April '08 Update (The "Dewey" Update)](https://www.seroundtable.com/archives/016754.html) - Search Engine Roundtable 3. [Google Update Dewey - Google Confirms Algorithm Change](https://searchengineland.com/google-update-dewey-google-confirms-algorithm-change-13679) - Search Engine Land 4. [Google Search's core updates and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/core-updates) - Google Search Central (primary) 5. [Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content) - Google Search Central (primary)