Google Panda – This Time it’s Personal…

Google’s most recent algorithmic update continues to wage war on the Internet with its most recent release.  What has been evident for some time is that this update is not a single update.  It is instead an ongoing development of the algorithm with a staggered release.

Search Engine Land recently announced that Panda 2.3 has officially been pushed live by Google.  There is no mention of whether this is the last update but it’s probably safer to say that we will see  Panda 2.4 soon enough!

What is interesting is that we have seen a continued update to SERPs.  If Panda 1.0 didn’t effect your rankings, maybe 2.3 will.  Likewise, if 1.0 did effect your rankings and if you’ve made some changes subsequently (heeding Google’s advice) then 2.3 may see your rankings rebound and improve!

Some web masters and SEOs may feel exacerbated and wondering what to do (especially if you are still experiencing a negative impact to your rankings).  My advice?  Keep calm and carry on.  (I had to refrain from ending with an !).

Whilst yes, Google is refining its algorithm, many of the content factors to ranking well (listed here) are fundamental and basic.  Panda is focused on returning high quality, relevant, search results to users.  Many content farms were negatively impacted and websites with a high proportion of duplicate or spun content saw a hefty knock down the search results.

Ultimately, my opinion is the more you put into your website, the more you will get out.  Running a website should be seen as an investment and a lifestyle.  Spending time writing good quality content for each page should be fundamental to your business.  Not only will it help your website, but it will also help your business and conversions.

Just think, would you spend money on one of the many spamtastic websites you’ve no doubted visited?  Look at your own website and how does the content compare?  If you spent five minutes writing it and it is laden with grammatical and spelling mistakes then it will hardly instil confidence in your potential customers!

Another thing to say is that the Internet continues to develop on a daily basis.  This effects everything from search engine technology and rankings to website designs and coding languages.  Why your website ranked well in 2002 may well be why you don’t rank now.  You should always be willing to adapt, edit and improve your website (content and design).

Lastly, I would like to say that the pandification (I can’t remember where I saw this but I think it is epic and I am taking this verb!) of websites should not be seen as a negative thing. Why wouldn’t you want your website to have the best content for your users or potential customers?  Why would you be happy with copied or low-quality content?