An Update on Panda
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Panda 4.0 came out almost two months ago, and it definitely has been having an impact. Many SEOs were anticipating Panda 4.0 and did well with the changes, just had to go back to the SEO basics, according to A Daily SEO blog post by Vibhu Satpaul. He says some of those basics include trust, keywords, duplicate content and user experience.
“Remember the days when the first Panda and Penguin were rolled out? Most SEOs had no clue what and how their sites disappeared from the search engine ranking pages (SERPs),” Satpaul explains. “This time with Panda version 4.0, there wasn’t that much drama but curiosity levels among search experts remained the same or even higher.”
Unfortunately, there has been a number of serious hits, including some companies seeing a 60 percent drop in Google organic traffic, according to a GSQi blog post by Glenn Gabe. Gabe is an expert on Panda and analyzed over 40 websites hit by Panda 4.0 that dealt with both strong recoveries and severe fresh hits.
“Many of those companies didn’t see Panda coming. They were blindsided on May 20 and have been working hard ever since to determine why they became Panda victims,” Gabe said.
An article by Viral Global News adds that Panda 4.0 “has somehow interfered with the Internet’s status quo. The main reason for this assertion is that the Panda 4.0 rearranged Google rankings for a number of websites and (as a result), some websites went down in ranking while others climbed the ladder.”
Findings After The Announcement
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In May after months of speculation, Google’s Matt Cutts announced Panda 4.0’s release in a non-assuming, short tweet as seen above, not giving much description or information. But as Gabe says in a Search Engine Watch article, we have learned a lot since then. Gabe talks about what he calls “Panda tremors” or increases and decreases in traffic over time since the algorithm update came out. He says in the first few weeks, he saw websites dealing with enhanced recovery or decrease and no ups and downs over time. Weeks later he reported seeing some sites that surged each week and dropped down slightly and some sites that did the opposite, as tremors continued. See his images in the article for more details.
Gabe thought that maybe these tremors meant that Panda 4.0 wasn’t completely rolled out yet. On social media, he contacted both Google’s Cutts and John Mueller to ask what was going on. Cutts said Panda 4.0 rolled out faster than usual and didn’t take the 10 days usually needed. Mueller explained that there wasn’t a set schedule for Panda algorithm updates and that Google will tweak the algorithm to get the best results. So, the tremors were probably just Google tweaking Panda and pushing out smaller updates over time, Gabe concludes. In fact as Viral Global News states, the update really wasn’t about speed, it was more about making search results more relevant in terms of content and giving users the best access to the best search results.
In the past couple months, Gabe has spoken with many companies that have been negatively affected by Panda. A lot of people are just plain confused. The most confusing aspect of Panda for business owners is what exactly causes a Panda hit. Panda targets “low-quality content,” but what exactly does that mean? It could mean duplicate, thin, scraped content and more. It can sometimes be hard for webmasters to step away from their work and have an objective view of any problems. It’s also tough to explain Panda to people that don’t work in SEO. So, Gabe came up with three Panda analogies/real-life scenarios to help. The examples are based on actual Panda case studies and websites hit by Panda 4.0.
Relating Panda to Real-Life
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Here are some analogies that can help you understand how Panda works. First, think about how you would feel if you order a delicious 14-ounce filet mignon from a steakhouse that was recommended to you by a trusted source like Google. But, to your surprise, you get a small, teeny-weeny 2-ounce bite of steak instead. You immediately report this mistake to Google. This info can be used in the future and can shape other recommendations of this restaurant. Let’s think of this is SEO terms. Let’s say you promise a service to customers, but what you deliver is not what you promised. The customer can report their dissatisfaction to Google. Here’s another restaurant example that’s quite fun. In yet another Search Engine Watch article, Gabe talks about the “Panda Recipe of Death.” One part confusion, one part confusion, two parts thin content, 1.5 parts horrible usability, 2.5 parts deception and a bamboo garnish!
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Next pretend you’re sick and need to go to the doctor. She runs a series of tests and calls you into her office to give you the results but will only tell you about your bloodwork before asking you to move to another office. The doctor then explains in another room you have migraines, and then asks you to move to yet another room for the next diagnosis. You sit in seven different offices and talk to various drug reps who stop you in the hall to talk to you before the day is over. In the last office, the doctor finally confesses you are okay. She also says metrics and your behavior has been recorded this whole time. After all this, you’re feeling extremely angry and frustrated and wonder why you got this staggering diagnosis instead of all of the results at one time in one place. This relates to real life and going online, as the drug reps represent “roadblock” ads that stop you in your tracks online. The recording of metrics is similar to (CPM). Patients and users are the same, both dealing with a frustrating process that can deter them from ever visiting a website or doctor’s office again.
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One last example from Gabe. You’re trying to see the latest summer blockbuster at the movies, but once you get in the theater, nothing plays. There is however a button next to the screen that says “Watch Now.” You push it and are transported to another theater with the same watch sign, a computer and an employee that says you can watch the movie but only using a certain mobile app. Confused, you run out of the room trying to find the original theater but end up in the snackbar. Exasperated, you check Facebook and Twitter on your phone to see if anyone else is dealing with this problem, but sensors in the candy aisle go off saying smartphones are being used. You’re then automatically diverted back to the room where you have to download the mobile app. No matter how many times you try to watch on the big screen, you’re forced to download the app. You leave the theater and never return, sharing your bad experience with Google and getting a new venue to try. You also are provided with a link to learn more about theater problems and customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, this confusing circle does happen in real life on the Internet. Remember all the times you tried to click on content on a website, only to be brought to another page where you need to download something. Google does also provide links to help and keeps track of customer reactions.
What We Can Learn From This
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Gabe sums it up well. Whether it’s at a doctor’s office, in a restaurant, on a website, or in a movie theater, it’s all about the customers.
“User engagement is critically important for Panda. If you anger users, provide a horrible user experience, present low-quality content, or deceive them in any way, the mighty Panda may pounce. Google can pick up when users are unhappy, and if that happens enough, you could be heading down a very dangerous path Panda-wise,” Gabe says.
It’s also all about content. Great content and SEO go hand in hand, and that’s why Panda was created in the first place, Gabe says. Content strategy is important, but so is having a plan for SEO in place from the beginning. Get someone you trust that is experienced in SEO to look at your content. Gabe suggests taking an objective approach when analyzing your website. Have unbiased third parties review your content, ads and design.
“In today’s Google environment, it’s way too risky to go down the wrong path, test the Panda waters, only to get smoked by an algorithm update,” says Gabe.
Read Gabe’s comprehensive blog post of how he helped a company beat Panda for more information and his detailed insights into Panda 4.0. Also take a look at Satpul’s list of questions webmasters should ask in the Panda era for assistance.