Google regularly updates its algorithms to improve search quality and provide more relevant results to users. These algorithms determine how websites are ranked in search results. Updates like Panda, Penguin, and Mobilegeddon aim to penalize low-quality, duplicate, thin, or non-mobile friendly content while rewarding high-quality content. Websites can stay safe from algorithm updates by avoiding black hat techniques, checking for duplicate and thin content, removing spammy links, and ensuring content is accessible on mobile.