Google Panda update was first introduced in February 2011 as part of Google’s efforts to counter black hat SEO practices and webspam. At the time, user complaints about the growing power of “content farms” were widespread.
Along came the Panda algorithm, which was utilized internally and structured after human quality assessments, and was integrated as a ranking element. By 2021, it will be clear how crucial it was for Google to prioritize quality and the user experience.
What is Google Panda Update?
Google Panda update was released in 2011 and was intended to penalize thin or poor content. The filter included in the update was designed to prevent poor material from ranking highly for specific queries while having little to offer viewers. From 2011 through 2015, Google updated the filter on a regular basis, resulting in new sites getting punished. However, Google revealed in January 2016 that Panda was now a core component of their algorithm. Although Google has verified that the filter will not be updated in real-time, it is utilized to assist determine a site’s quality when deciding its rank.
How Does The Google Panda Update Work?
Google Panda penalties are imposed when websites rank highly while having sparse or poor content that does not help the end user. We’ve seen punishments caused for:
- Content duplication
- Pages with a low content-to-ad ratio
- Pages providing a lot of general information
- Content with limited information
When we examined the Google Panda update 4.1 that occurred in the fall of 2014, we discovered that it impacted a number of well-known sites
When was the first Panda Update released?
The first Panda update for Google search was released on February 23, 2011 in the United States. The update for all English-language search queries began on April 11th, 2011. On August 12th, 2011, the global implementation of the algorithm adjustment took place for all languages except Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. According to the search engine provider’s official claims, the Google Panda upgrade affected 13% of all search searches.
There were enormous consequences for SEOs worldwide in the first week after the Panda update was released. Quality farms and websites with poor content, such as web directories or sites that just collect content, were particularly affected. In 2011, several websites lost more than 80% of their prominence.
Why was Google Panda Needed?
As you progress with your website, you’ll want to make sure that you’re producing content that the Panda filter will appreciate and that will not pose a threat to your site in the future. Here’s how you can create Panda-friendly content:
- Each page should provide a function for the end user rather than simply ranking for a specific keyword. You should have a certain buyer persona and stage of the buyer’s journey in mind to assist you to produce the level of quality that both your audience and Google expect.
- Check for duplicate content on a regular basis.
- Keep an eye on your ad ratio to ensure that excessive ads do not degrade your load time or user experience.
- Use Google Webmaster tools to ensure that your website is running smoothly and giving the greatest user experience possible.
Google Panda update has operated since 2011 to give users with high-quality content while reducing the visibility of websites that do not provide the answers the user wanted. Monitor your traffic on a regular basis for any potential hits from this penalty, and always prioritize quality and the user experience when creating content in the future.
Which main factors are evaluated for the Panda update?
From an SEO perspective, a website’s quality can be made up of a variety of distinct variables. This comprised:
Thin Content
Texts that have been duplicated from other websites, duplicate content, or so-called “thin content” are all examples of content that lacks added value.
Negative user signals
The quality filter may be activated by indications such as high bounce rates or short visit durations.
An unbalanced relationship between advertising and content
If advertising blocks have a negative impact on how a website is used, it can hurt the site’s reputation.
High keyword density
If a keyword occurs too frequently in an entry, it may indicate that the entry’s content is subpar.
Irrelevant metadata
If the title or description does not accurately reflect the content of the website or contains too many keywords, this may give Google a bad quality signal.
Low-quality incoming links
If a website has no backlinks or only has low-quality ones, Google may interpret this as an internal website.
Poor content surrounding affiliate links
Poor content around links going to paid affiliate programs.
Human Restricted Websites
Low-quality websites are those that human users are either banning directly in the search engine results or by utilizing a Chrome browser extension.
How can I find out if I’ve been hit by Google Panda Algorithm?
A rapid decline in your website’s organic traffic or search engine ranks that corresponds with a confirmed date of an algorithm update is one symptom of a potential Panda penalty.
It’s important to keep in mind, though, that a variety of factors might lead to lost traffic and rankings. These include manual penalties, expected seasonal dips in consumer interest, or even an entirely different Google update than the one you suspect.
How do I recover after being penalized by a Google Panda Update?
Panda has frequently been referenced in the SEO industry as an update from which it can be difficult to recover. However, because the Panda update was mostly based on website/content quality, measures for recovery generally revolve around enhancing that quality. Among the corrective activities to be taken are:
- Giving up on content farming techniques
- Reworking website content to improve its quality, usefulness, relevance, trustworthiness, and authority.
- Changing the ad/content or affiliate/content ratio so that advertisements or affiliate links do not dominate pages
- Assuring that the content of a given page corresponds to a user’s inquiry
- Getting rid of or revamping duplicate content
- Where applicable, careful vetting and editing of user-generated content to ensure that it is original, error-free, and beneficial to readers.
- Using the Robots noindex, nofollow command to prevent duplicate or near-duplicate internal website content or other problematic aspects from being indexed.
To summarise, websites that routinely post high-quality, unique content have little to fear from this update; however, if your website has engaged in questionable tactics, it may have been impacted by Panda at some point. Practically, your best chance of avoiding Panda is to construct a brand that is acknowledged as an authority in its sector and a website that becomes a trusted resource due to its excellent content.
More about the Google Panda update
- Panda was initially released independently of the main algorithm but was later integrated into it on an unspecified date in March 2012.
- Panda was named after Navneet Panda, a Google employee.
Read More: