Google Panda

Google Panda analysis for Google Panda 2011 updates, list of what Panda targets and a how-to list of what webmasters can do to improve search rankings.

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January 5, 2012 - Updated

Google Panda was the major news item for 2011 in the world of search engine optimization (SEO).

Google Panda refers to a series of updates in the Google algorithms that affected webpage ranking on search engine results pages. The first rollout of Panda was on February 24, 2011. It began like an oceanic earthquake that rose to tsunami proportions.

The change in Google's formulas for producing search results has affected over 20% of websites, according to webmasters' estimates. In simple terms, many websites that were ranking within the first 10 search results for specific keywords have been pushed down to number 200 or 300 on the search results hierarchy.

The abrupt changes in traffic to websites sent from Google searches has devastated many website owners, some of whom have watched their incomes drop by as much as 75% since Panda began. Suite101.com, a popular article site, reported traffic from Google was down by 94%, one week after Panda began. Other article sites such as EzineArticles.com and DemandMedia.com also suffered severely from the implementation of Panda.

Search engine optimizers originally called the Google changes 'Farmer', because so-called content farm sites were particularly hard hit.

In its defense, Google software engineer Amit Singhal issued this formal statement on the Google blog in May: "The Panda algorithm change has improved rankings for a large number of high-quality websites."

It's about Shallow Content and Duplicate Ideas

At Google, Navneet Panda is a software engineer who was instrumental in developing the Google algorithm change. The word, Panda, was used in-house at Google as a code name, of sorts, for the algorithm project and then the name was leaked to the industry.

The short-take is that Panda was developed to identify shallow content in a way that had not been possible before.

Everyone has experienced the frustration of landing on webpages after a Google search that are full of non-information – pages that ramble on and on and really say nothing. These pages are the primary target of Panda.

Not long ago the SEO community was scrambling over duplicate content issues. The Google Panda updates may be described as dealing with duplicate idea issues.

1. lack of complete or comprehensive information

2. writing that is devoid of expertise and/or enthusiasm

3. articles too short to be meaningful for the specific search query

4. only one-sided viewpoints

5. webpages full of language and/or factual errors and without editing

6. ordinary information

7. low quality compared to print publications

What can a website owner do to counteract penalties from Google Panda?

1. provide in depth information

2. choose passionate writers who are experts for the topic

3 create longer articles on a single webpage

4. include both sides of a story

5. carefully proofread, double-check facts, and wisely edit

6. produce interesting information showing insight and analysis

7. write content for a webpage as if it were for a magazine

It's also about the Website, not just the Webpage.

Panda 2011, more than at anytime in the past, analyzes an individual webpage for search results based upon the entire website on which the page appears. Don't confuse this with PageRank; PageRank is only about incoming links to a site or page.

The Panda update specifically demotes websites that:

1. have redundant information on several webpages

2. do not appear to be authorities on the topic

3. do not seem to be trusted by users

4. develop content only around keyword presumptions

5. are part of a network of sites

6. are riddled with ads that interfere with the content

Webmasters can improve search rankings relative to Google Panda by:

1. consolidating similar articles into one comprehensive webpage

2. removing low quality pages

3. improving trust and authority status with branding

4. developing content primarily for users, while still using keywords

5. consolidating web properties

6. repositioning and limiting ads on webpages

User feedback is used in the Panda algorithm. Google is factoring the amount of attention a webpage receives from social bookmarking sites, tweets, and especially from the newly launched Google+ site.

Google also uses information from its feature that allows users to block sites from personal search results pages.

In short, webmasters who have avoided social media will need to enter social sites and become social media marketers.

What is up for 2012? The year 2012 may very well bring an increase in pay-per-click advertising as webmasters struggle to bring traffic to their sites. Whether or not searchers are experiencing better quality search results remains to be seen.

For more information, see What Is SEO? - selected by HubPages as a HubNugget winner on December 28, 2011.

Read important information about Content Theft.

See recent Google Duplicate Content penalties.

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