--- title: "May 2015 quality update: what changed and what it means now" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/quality-update-2015 section: updates language: en published: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z author: Adam Hafez topics: ["Core updates", "Content strategy"] --- # May 2015 quality update: what changed and what it means now ## The short answer The May 2015 quality update was a change to how Google's core ranking algorithm processes quality signals. Google confirmed it only in a statement to Search Engine Land on 19 May 2015 and gave no launch date. Industry trackers saw movement from about 29 April 2015. Google never named it; Quality update and Phantom 2 are industry names. ## Key takeaways - Google told Search Engine Land it changed how its core ranking algorithm processes quality signals. - Google said the change was not a spam update and did not target any class of sites. - Google gave no start date; industry reports trace ranking movement to about 29 April 2015. - Search Engine Land coined the name Quality update, and analyst Glenn Gabe called it Phantom 2. - Quality assessment is now part of Google's core ranking systems, so today's core update guidance applies. ## What Google changed Google confirmed the change only through a statement to Search Engine Land. Its 19 May 2015 report says Google told it that "while no spam-related update had happened, there were changes to its core ranking algorithm in terms of how it processes quality signals." Google would not say how quality was now assessed, and said the update did not go after any particular class of sites or any particular site. Google never named it. Search Engine Land wrote that "we're dubbing it the Quality Update" once Google confirmed it. Before that, analyst Glenn Gabe had called it Phantom 2, a sequel to a 2013 update he had named Phantom because it "initially flew under the radar." ## When it rolled out Google gave no launch date. Glenn Gabe's analysis traced significant traffic changes to about 29 April 2015, and Search Engine Land said results had changed "since the beginning of this month," meaning May 2015. The start date on this page is therefore approximate, taken from the first industry reports. Google stated no completion date. It landed days after the [mobile-friendly update](/updates/mobile-friendly-update-2015) of 21 April 2015. Gabe concluded the two were separate: many of the sites he saw affected were mobile-friendly, and they moved in both desktop and mobile rankings. ## What is known about its impact Google published no figures for this update. Its only characterization, via Search Engine Land, was that the change was to the overall core ranking algorithm and not aimed at a niche. Traffic percentages quoted for Phantom 2 come from individual consultants' data sets, not from Google, so this page does not repeat them. ## What site owners should do There is no separate quality system to recover from. Quality assessment sits inside Google's core ranking systems, and Google's current guidance applies: - Self-assess content against Google's helpful content questions, including whether it provides original information, reporting, research or analysis. - Make it clear who created the content and how. Google says trust is the most important part of E-E-A-T. - Avoid quick fixes. Google's core update guidance advises against removing page elements just because you heard they were bad for SEO. - Treat deleting content as a last resort, only for content that cannot be salvaged. ## How to check whether it affected you This is a historical question. Search Console keeps 16 months of performance data, so it cannot show 2015. Use archived analytics instead: compare organic Google traffic for the week before 29 April 2015 with the last two weeks of May 2015, and separate it from the mobile-friendly update by checking whether desktop traffic moved as well as mobile. The [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists the updates around it. ## Related updates - The [Panda update](/updates/panda-update-2011) was Google's earlier content quality system. - The [mobile-friendly update](/updates/mobile-friendly-update-2015) rolled out the week before. - The [Fred update](/updates/fred-update-2017) was the next unnamed quality-related change the industry named. ## Frequently asked questions ### Did Google confirm the May 2015 quality update? Yes, but only through a statement to Search Engine Land, published on 19 May 2015. Google said there had been changes to its core ranking algorithm in how it processes quality signals. It published no blog post and gave no start date. ### Why is it called the Quality update or Phantom 2? Google did not name it. Search Engine Land wrote that it was dubbing the change the Quality Update once Google confirmed it. Analyst Glenn Gabe had already called it Phantom 2, after a 2013 update he named Phantom because it flew under the radar. ### Was the May 2015 quality update part of Panda? No. Search Engine Land reported that Google said no Panda or spam-related update had happened, and that the change was to the overall core ranking algorithm rather than one of the separate filters such as Panda or Penguin. ### What should a site do about it today? Nothing specific to this 2015 change. Quality assessment is part of Google's core ranking systems, so Google's current advice applies: create helpful, reliable, people-first content and follow its core update guidance if rankings drop. ## Sources 1. [The Quality Update: Google Confirms Changing How Quality Is Assessed, Resulting In Rankings Shake-Up](https://searchengineland.com/the-quality-update-google-confirms-changing-how-quality-is-assessed-resulting-in-rankings-shake-up-221118) - Search Engine Land (primary) 2. [Phantom 2: Analyzing The Google Update That Started On April 29, 2015](https://www.gsqi.com/marketing-blog/phantom2-google-update-april-may-2015/) - G-Squared Interactive 3. [Google Search's core updates and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/core-updates) - Google Search Central (primary) 4. [Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content) - Google Search Central (primary) 5. [A guide to Google Search ranking systems](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide) - Google Search Central (primary)