Google’s Panda Updates: 2.3 Quality Content
Google’s entire series of Panda updates involves a variety of changes to Google’s algorithm with one single focus: to improve the rankings of quality content, while also reducing the rankings of lower-quality content.
After all the dramatic changes caused by Google’s many Panda updates, you could really say that Panda is almost an entirely new platform for ranking content. The word “update” implies a small change here and there, but there’s nothing small about Panda.
This particular update is not a huge one, but the effect of this update and all the other Panda updates together changes many rankings in Google.
On July 23, 2011, Google rolled out its Panda 2.3 update. Officially, Google did not make a huge deal out of Panda 2.3. When asked, a spokesperson simply noted this update represented Google’s continuing commitment to high-quality content and was one of about 500 updates Google implements during each year.
What were the real effects of Panda 2.3?
As is the case with many of Google’s updates, Google didn’t say very much publicly about this update. But, webmasters and SEO experts intently monitor every little change, and they certainly found some additional changes in this case.
User “Mr.Savage”, on this Webmaster World thread, said that he was very angry with the update. By favoring quality, popular, and deep content, he claimed, Google was favoring all the big-time blogs and authority sites. Some of his sites, which were smaller in terms of their online impact, lost significant rankings and traffic.
And, he wasn’t the only one affected. Many other users noted a dramatic drop in traffic to their websites. Some noticed between a 50-70% drop in website traffic.
Other users also noticed similar trends in what appears to be Google again favoring large websites. Smaller niche specialty shops were not able to rank well for specific terms, even though their content and products may have fit those niche terms better than a larger online store.
To some users, it seems as though those gigantic websites with multiple staff members and regular updates benefited more from Panda 2.3 than the “little guys.”
What does Panda 2.3 mean for your Website?
Ultimately, clearly you have to realize you have no control over what Google does when it makes an update. While many users complained the “big boys” weren’t impacted by this update, while many of the “little guys” were, it’s also true not all the little guys were hurt.
The best you can do to maintain high Google rankings is:
- Create quality content
- Make regular updates to your site
- Have many in-bound links to your site
- Keep doing all of these on a regular basis
By following these general principles, you’ll put yourself in the best position to rank highly in Google. If you don’t have the time to do these things, then you may benefit from the help of a professional.
We wish good luck to your site and its rankings, and be sure to let us know if we can help in any way.
It’s Easy to Avoid Being Hurt by Panda
If you’ve been reading our entire series on Google Panda, you’ve probably realized that avoiding Panda’s ranking penalties is pretty easy. All you need to do is:
- Write well on a certain topic
- Use correct grammar and spelling
- Write an original article
If you follow those guidelines, you’ll easily avoid any of Panda’s penalties.