The month of July was absolutely insane in terms of Google webmaster topics, just a lot covered, while the specific announcements, although some big, were not earth shattering.

Google released their local search algorithm update named Google Pigeon update and then announced HTTPS is a ranking signal. Webmaster Tools added international targeting, carbon copies of your reconsideration requests, a new robots.txt tester tool and News publisher center , all while dropping author stats.

There may have been algorithm updates on June 28th and July 5th and maybe also on July 30th – keep in mind, we are still waiting for a Penguin update 10 months later. The new quality raters guidelines were leaked again as well.

This is all while Matt Cutts is on an extended vacation.

Here are all the main stories you may want to catch up on for the past month:

Google Pigeon:
Google Launches New Local Search Algorithm: SEOs Notice Significant Ranking Changes
Google Pigeon Update: Was It A Major Update?
Google Pigeon Update: Local Results Updated Again
Google Gives No Comment On Pigeon Updates

Google HTTPS:
Going HTTPS/SSL Will Now Give You A Ranking Benefit In Google
Google Change Of Address Tool Does Not Support HTTPS Migration
Google News Publishers Can Switch To HTTPS
SEO Says: I Switched To HTTPS & My Google Rankings Dropped

Google Webmaster Tools:
Google Webmaster Tools International Targeting Now Available
Google Webmaster Tools Messages Shows Your Reconsideration Request Submissions
Google Revamps Webmaster Tools Robots.txt Tester Tool
Google Webmaster Tools Drops Author Stats
Google: Manual Actions Updated Twice Daily But Emails Sent Once Daily
Google News Publisher Center: Webmaster Tools For News Sites
Automatic Google My Business Listing Verification Via Google Webmaster Tools

Google SEO:
Google Update: June 28th & July 5th?
Was There A Google Update Yesterday?
Would Google Release A Penguin Update In The Summer? It’s Been 10 Months!
Google Updates Quality Rating Guidelines – EAT
MetaFilter’s 20 Month Google Algorithmic Penalty Revoked?
eBay Admits Google Penalty Had A “Dramatic Impact” On Earnings
Google: Severe Enough Penalty, Delete All Of These Old Sites
More On Google Sandbox 2.0
Google’s John Mueller: Knowledge Graph Listings Should Not Be Branded
Mainstream SEOs Now Talking About Google Sandbox 2.0
Google’s John Mueller On If There Is A New Sandbox
Google’s SEO Advice On Maintaining A Discussion Forum
Google: Where Are The Search Results?
Google: Moving A Site Has No Long Term Negative Impact
UC Berkeley & Google Not Getting Along: Indexing & Ranking Issues
Google Algorithms Are Not The Same In All Countries
Google: The Effects Of Duplicate Content In Search
Google Toolbar PageRank Hasn’t Been Updated In 8 Months

Google Search:
Google Notice: This Site Uses Flash, May Not Work On Your Device
Google Disables Discussion Search
Google Learn More About Links With Publisher Images
Google 3D Molecules Knowledge Graph
Google Timeline Knowledge Graph
Google Quick Answers For Jewish Food Blessings (Brachas)
Google Search Adds Calendar & Reminder Integration
Google Maps Search Results Let You Now Scroll For More Results
Google Pushed Out New Google Alerts Design
Google: Show Me Zip Codes For & Map Them For Me
Google Search Adds Knowledge Graph Box With Translate Box Instantly

Google Misc:
Matt Cutts, Google’s Lead Spam Fighter, Takes Extended Time Off
With Matt Cutts On Leave; Who Will Be Google’s Punching Bag?
Google Webmaster Blog Redesigned

For the previous month’s recap, click here.

Forum discussion continued at WebmasterWorld.