As the nicknames of Google’s new algorithms, Panda and Penguin have become powerful predators of the Internet, targeting websites for specific infractions. The purpose of these functions is to protect users from lower-quality; keyword-stuffed, ad-jammed, spammy search results.
- Panda targets specific section or an entire site, rather than individual web pages.
- Penguin focuses on the date of a web page as criteria for its quality control.
These updates are rolled out periodically to penalize and even completely remove websites who ‘game’ the search engine results and provide a terrible user experience; but, at the same time improve the search results of sites who follow Google’s guidelines and provide a positive customer experience. In an ongoing effort to improve search engine results, Google has released number of such algorithmic updates to target aggressive web-spam tactics. Google reckons with 200 different ranking factors to calculate the website’s place amongst the existing competitors.
Google Panda- is about making sure that sites publishing low-quality content don’t rank well in Google.
Firstly released in February 2011
Affected ‘low-quality sites’ or having ‘thin content’ sites
Affected 12% of total direct traffic
Last update- Panda 4.2# 28 surfaced on July 17’2015
It lowers the rank of those sites which have a copy or spin content. With the help of this Google can distinguish between high and low-quality sites. Till now total 27 numbers of time Panda is released and now it also affects who are using Affiliate Marketing.
How To Stay Safe?
Publish only well-researched quality content.
Don’t publish ultra-short entries (below 200 words).
Don’t copy anyone.
Google Penguin- is about devaluing sites that have built unnatural links to gain an advantage and inflate their position in Google.
Firstly released in April 2012
Affected those who have used black hat SEO techniques and not followed Google’s webmaster guidelines
Affected 3.1% of total direct traffic
Last update- Penguin Everflux appeared on Dec 10’2014.
This algorithm lowers the rank of those sites which have unnatural link building, keyword stuffing, and excessive keyword density. Till now lots of versions of Google Penguin are released and lots of changes are made to filter out such sites.
Both of these algorithms are not directly related with Crawling and Indexing of pages, these help to detect spam websites from already indexed pages.
How To Stay Safe?
Don’t buy links.
Don’t participate in any link exchanges.
Don’t participate in guest post networks
Stay away from unnatural links in general.
When Panda or Penguin identifies content that it considers keyword-stuffed, auto-generated, or linking to pay-per-click sites that add no value, Google takes action by flagging that site’s account. However, for all the benefits Google’s new algorithms purport to bring to the average user, nearly any content creator – you, for instance – may be caught in their grips. If either Panda or Penguin identifies your site as lower quality, it could jeopardize your ranking in the results.
Play Nice with the Google Zoo
As Google itself puts it, “One of the most important steps in improving your site’s ranking in Google search results is to ensure that it contains plenty of rich information that includes relevant keywords, used appropriately, that indicate the subject matter of your content.” So to keep Panda and Penguin at bay, your “to do” list is at least as long as your “to don’t” list. It includes:
1. Offering transparency.
A user should know immediately what your business is all about. Keep everything accessible, from your About Us to your Terms of Service, to your copyright. By practicing such due diligence, you maintain a credible, authoritative image – one that could help distinguish you from competitors as well as satisfy Panda and Penguin.
2. Building content consistently.
Blogs, e-newsletters, video, blog posts – you have plenty of quality choices when it comes to posting content. When you create a well-themed set of content that uses SEO wisely, you increase your online presence and provide your visitors with a valid reason to proceed to your landing page.
3. Providing meaningful content that’s pertinent to your customer.
Remember that today’s consumers search the Internet for answers, not ads. Clients and prospects are not interested in blogs about your new location, or links to coupons. They’re more likely to respond to industry-specific information that offers real value: a blog on how free shipping affects holiday purchases, for instance; or a report on the risks and advantages of using social media as a test-marketing strategy.
The main focus should always be what is best for the goals of the customer, either through driving revenues or driving responses as a result of your SEO program. All animal and fowl names, algorithms, and non-human intervention aside, customer results are what matters most; the rest can just be debated nearly endlessly!
