Google Florida Update (2003)
First major Google update; wiped out keyword-stuffed and spammy affiliate pages right before the holiday season.
DateNov 2003
PlatformGoogle SEO
TypeAlgorithm
Who it affectsEcommerce & affiliate sites
What happened
In November 2003, just before the holiday shopping season, many retail and affiliate sites that relied on repeating keywords and on-page tricks lost most of their rankings overnight. Florida is widely remembered as the first update that forced the SEO industry to move away from simple keyword manipulation.
Who it affected
Ecommerce & affiliate sites.
What it means for marketers today
The lesson still applies: tactics that exist only to manipulate rankings eventually stop working. Build pages for customers, and avoid making big SEO changes right before your busiest season.