Google Algorithm Updates - Panda And Penguin
Google develop Panda and Penguin updates after conducting a lot of research.
Several factors were used to determine the quality of any website.
Some of these parameters demonstrate the quality of a website at the design stage.
Other factors such as speed of downloading, content trustworthiness, and the number of backlinks were also used.
The quality of the websites was checked in many ways using algorithms created by Google.
Google employed these algorithms over a long period to determine and evaluate the quality of a website.
The Google Panda Algorithm updates were used to determine the similarities of the content to
identify duplicate content of the websites.
No More Duplicate Content
This Google Panda Algorithm gave less priority to one of the significant features of previous measurements of page rank.
A website with duplicate content is penalized by Google Panda so that the ranking of those websites
will go down among the search engine result pages.
Google Penguin was another algorithm that looked at the quality and quantity of backlinks for a website.
It was designed to reward websites that had high-quality content with more links from other related websites.
Google Penguin - Backlinks Analysing Algorithm
Google Penguin looks closely at the exact content of those backlinks in order to determine
if there are any black hat SEO techniques being used.
If it finds any such techniques, then the website will be penalized
and its ranking lowered in the search engine result pages.
For instance, Google Penguin Algorithm updates are used to identify websites that had links to low-quality sites or spammy pages.
Any website with a high number of low-quality backlinks would be given a lower ranking than those with fewer good backlinks.
This update further reduced the rankings of those websites with foul play in SEO techniques.
At present, Google algorithm updates are released periodically to improve the way
search engines rank websites based on their quality and relevance.
It looks as if Penguin has given priority to keyword surfing. This was something
that web designers and developers did not expect. At the very first stage of the release of Penguin in April 2012,
More than three percent of the English language search queries were immensely affected.
Generally speaking, the recent Panda and Penguin update has affected the ranking
of the complete websites more than individual web pages. Website owners should make sure that their content is original, and link-building strategies
should be optimized with quality links so as not to fall foul of the Panda or Penguin algorithms.
If a website succeeds in these algorithmic requirements, then it will have a better chance
of achieving higher rankings in the search engine results pages. Thus, Google Panda and Penguin are important updates that help improve
the quality of websites and determine the relevancy of content to optimize them for better ranking on SERPs.
Penguin or Panda? How To Determine Which Google Algorithm Updates Impacted Your Website
According to the evidence I investigated, Google Panda and Google Penguin are executing analogous duties.
While one undertakes a more comprehensive outlook, the other takes a more specific approach.
Whenever a Google employee is asked about what needs to be done to recover from Panda,
they give a checklist that you can use on your site to determine if your site really is high quality or not. Here is the list:
- Would you trust the information presented in this article?
- Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature?
- Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?
- Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?
- Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?
- Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?
- Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?
- Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
- How much quality control is done on content?
- Does the article describe both sides of a story?
- Is the site a recognized authority on its topic?
- Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don't get as much attention or care?
- Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
- For a health related query, would you trust information from this site?
- Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?
- Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
- Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
- Is this the sort of page you'd want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
- Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
- Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
- Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?
- Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?
- Would users complain when they see pages from this site?
If a web page has more duplicate content, the page is in the danger zone
of being flagged by the Google Panda algorithm. Panda looks for duplicate content.
Google Panda does not like all the pages on the web to have the same layout
with little or no variation on text.
Google Panda algorithm searches for thin textual content as well.
If a web page has just one or two sentences, then Google Panda will pick that up
and give a penalty on that particular URL.
Too Much Of Advertisement is not Good
Some web designers aim to jam-pack the web pages with advertisements rather
than putting textual content in them. This is not a good practice at all.
On the other hand, having bland text content is also an unacceptable behavior.
Some web designers have this bad practice. They put so much text but nothing much interesting other than just texts.
The texts should be useful and informative, so that readers can benefit from it.
Panda Looks For Broken Backlinks
Finally, Google Panda looks for broken links on web pages.
If too many broken links are present on a particular page, then Google Panda
is likely to flag the page with a penalty. It is important that all your links are working properly and not leading to any broken pages.
A web page should be balanced with images, graphs, tables, and videos.
This will produce quality usage metrics. When Panda goes through your website, it takes a copy of the index.
Panda Checks Grammar
Panda acts like a spell checker or grammar checker too. If Google Panda found too many issues on a web page in terms of grammar or spelling,
Google Panda will immediately flag the page and move to the next page.
By following all these guidelines, you can be sure that your page
is in the safe zone without being penalized by Google Panda algorithm. By providing quality content with useful information and relevant links,
you can make sure that readers will find your site useful and trustworthy.
And this will eventually help you gain more visitors too.
Google Penguin
This is the other main algorithm developed by Google to check the quality of links.
It checks both onsite pages and offsite links.
It checks for any violations like keyword stuffing, artificial link building, etc.
It also looks at the quality of the links and assesses whether they are from trustworthy sources or not.
If Penguin finds spammy links pointing to your website,
then it will give a penalty, which is known as a 'Google Penalty'. On here, you have to understand that Google is not penalizing
you for having a side navigation bar or footer.
Get Quality Backlinks
But, if your purpose of having a side navigation bar or footer is mainly
to fill the keywords, then that is exactly what Google Penguin is looking for. In order to make sure that your website is not penalized,
you should have quality backlinks from well-known websites. You should also steer clear of any practices that can get marked
as black hat SEO techniques by Google.
Always Follow Google's Guideline
By following these guidelines, you can make sure that both the algorithms work
in your favor and help boost the rankings of your site on search engine results pages.
By adhering to these guidelines, you can be sure that your site will
not be penalized by the algorithms of Google. The content should be interesting,
relevant and useful for the readers.
The links should also come from reliable sources so that they can improve
the rankings of your website on search engine result pages without getting a Google Panda or Penguin penalty.
Additionally, you should carefully check the grammar and spelling of your text content
to make sure that it is error-free so that it can be indexed by Google.
All in all, these are the few key things that need to be taken care
of while optimizing your website for search engines.
The Danger of Not Knowing The Panda And Penguin Updates
Selecting the Needs Of Algorithm
Understanding which algorithm has been targeting your website is essential
if you are trying to repair any existing damage from the Penguin or Panda algorithms.
For example, Panda targets low-quality content and duplicate material;
whereas Penguin focuses largely on webspam with unnatural incoming links.
You must be aware of these distinctions to make sure your SEO strategy is effective.
If you misjudge your website's situation and start to create low-quality links or content,
then you will waste your valuable time.
Selecting the Needs Of Algorithm
If you can accurately identify whether your issue is due to a Penguin or Panda,
then the appropriate steps can be taken - such as removing low-quality links or improving content on your website.
Subsequently, you will have corrected any penalties and be able to get back in their good graces.
To make matters even more difficult, both Google's algorithms Panda and Penguin are updated periodically.
This means that you won't be sure if your optimizations had any effect until the next time Pandas or Penguins come to visit again.
Understand The Root Of The Problem
It's not uncommon for people to incorrectly assume their website was taken down
by Penguin when it was Panda or vice versa. Such an incorrect assumption can lead them to start making changes
without understanding the root problem - but don't fall into this trap! Identify which algorithm penalized your site and then take action accordingly;
if you were hit by Panda, pruning links won’t help whereas gutting content
may be necessary after a Penguin attack.
In short – know what caused the issue before taking any steps towards recovery.
You Must Know the Problem to Address It
With Google's recent Penguin and Panda algorithm updates, many webmasters
have been left scratching their heads as to which update affected their website.
The closeness of Penguin 2.0 and the newest Panda updates can cause some confusion;
it's simple to think that you were hit by one when in reality, it could have been either!
Utilize the techniques to evaluate which update has had an impact on your website.
After you have figured out which challenge you are facing, introduce a plan of action accordingly.
Recap: Panda And Penguin Updates
When it comes to optimizing your website for search engines, don't forget that holistic thinking is essential.
This means setting aside the little details which may have been described
as a "quick fix" in the past and instead concentrating on creating quality content.
Unfortunately, there's no such thing as an SEO miracle cure - anyone who implies
otherwise is likely engaging in black hat tactics!
Don't forget that Panda takes into account the entirety of your site's user experience.
As a rule, use Google's questions as a guide to meet its standards for quality.
Meanwhile, Penguin focuses on the backlink profile of your website
and instantly applies updates in real-time. To effectively counter any influence of Penguin, you must heighten your
backlink profile and discard spammy links.
Despite some opinions claiming otherwise, the Google Disavow tool
still serves a purpose in SEO strategies. Utilize it to prevent penalties associated with Penguin as well as manual actions
not specifically related to this algorithm but influential enough for your rankings nonetheless.