In yet another of its constant efforts to improve the site-ranking search mechanisms currently in place, Google has embarked on an algorithm update that has caught the attention of webmasters everywhere.

The search engine giant is believed to be in the second phase of a three-partoverhaul that is seen by some in the field as a major update. With many webmasters seeing big changes in their rankings, the SEO experts are being inundated with phone calls of alarm from those who have seen drops in their current status. But SEO experts caution that it is necessary to let the new algorithm run its course. Those experts indicate that a sudden change in rankings this week is by no means a new status quo for a site and that search results for the current week will likely change yet again in the weeks ahead. Citing the Florida update of two years ago, experts insisted that it might take upwards of three months for the search results to settle out properly.

In his web blog, Google engineer Matt Cutts appears to categorize the changes as less substantial than those witnessing the updates. Says Cutts, "These days rather than having a large monolithic update, Google tends to have smaller (and more frequent) individual launches."

As with other such updates, Brett Tabke from WebMaster World has given the new Google algorithm a name, in this instance Jagger. Among the rumored changes in the Google update are greater penalization for hidden text spambecausethe overhaulnow also recognizes text that is hidden in invisible CSS layers. In addition, some web blogs have speculated that links from automated exchanges and from text link advertising systems now have a less positive impact in SEO rankings while still others suggest that changes may stem from a series of back-link updates that began in early September.