In early January, news started to leak out that some changes to the Google Algorithm were going to happen, and many assumed this would be a Penguin update. Then, when many search engine results started to change, it was clear that a Penguin update was NOT the culprit for these new variations.
So who..or what…happened to be the true culprit? Panda!
Introduced in February of 2011, Panda is an algorithm intended to stop sites with less than stellar content from getting very high on search engine results pages by penalizing those sites with poor content (review the Google Search Quality Guidelines for a definition of poor quality content). Panda was integrated into the Google Core Algorithm as opposed to being added after the Google Core Algorithm was completed. Many SEO’s were now wondering if this was a real-time Panda…and the answer now appears to be a big “no”.
So what does this mean for you? It’s simple. Just check and make sure your site is not being affected negatively by the Panda updates. Make sure you have good, solid content, and follow the Panda guidelines to ensure your SEO remains sound. If you need help, remember, we’re always an email, phone call, or tweet away!
