Google Updates Its Ranking Algorithm — Again
Neil Fabbo
What tactics do you employ to ensure you’re never negatively impacted by one of Google’s updates?
November 4, 2015
Google Updates Its Ranking Algorithm — Again
By Tina Courtney-Brown in Featured Google SE Optimization Search Engines
It’s a well-known fact that Google is regularly tinkering with its infamous search algorithms. Google is always striving to achieve peak usability and search experience for users. Since July, the search behemoth has been slowly rolling out an update to the Panda 4.2 algorithm which, ultimately, has taken months to complete.
Over the past two weeks, the webmaster and SEO communities have been abuzz as numerous signals show that a potential algorithm update has occurred; much more than the average daily adjustments and tweaks. While the signs of change could possibly be related to the Panda update, or even the Penguin revision, many speculate this is not the case.
For those who are unfamiliar with Penguin, the primary objective of this particular update revolves around black hat tactics. Penguins seeks to ostracize sites that have attempted any manner of cheating. While the primary focus of Penguin is on unnatural links, there are many other factors that Penguin is eyeballing as well. The cardinal rule of staying on Penguin’s good side is simple: Don’t attempt any black hat tactics.
Panda, on the other hand, is a search filter that dates back to 2011 and is designed to identify and demote websites that house low-quality content. Penguin is about following the rules, Panda is about nixing horrible and unreadable content.
Signs of an Update
The first suspicious results surfaced on Oct. 14-15 as various automated tools reflected spikes in organic traffic for some and massive drops for others. This fluctuation is believed to be in relation to Panda, however the peaks and valleys are not isolated to these two days alone.