Google’s two new algorithms have left many websites wobbling. Firstly, it was Panda update that penalized many websites badly. After Panda it was Penguin update that acted as a major wake-up call for webmasters regarding certain kind of linking practices. On the whole, these updates are intended at promoting quality and filtering out spam. Let’s first talk about:-
Google Panda: – Google launched Panda update last year on 24th Feb 2011 and made changes 13 times after the launch. Panda was basically aimed at filtering “thin or low quality content”. As panda was launched the results came instantly, the complete ranking structure was stunned with the downfall in Google PageRank of the top websites and many new websites came on top. In total 12% websites have been affected by this Panda update.
Google Penguin:- Penguin update was launched on 24th April 2012. This new algorithm update targets web spam and until now penguin has affected 3% of the websites and blogs.
So now we know that Panda and Penguin targets two different issues and it’s very important to identify the exact update that hit your website. You need to make out whether its panda or penguin that hit your blog or website. You can use Google Webmaster Tool to check what all issues Google found in your website.
Websites that are penalized have seen a demotion in their Google PageRank and their traffic has dropped badly, while sites that have benefited from these updates have seen a rise in their traffic.
With the help of Google Webmaster Tool you can export the data into a spread sheet that helps to better comprehend what is going on. There are also filters that help you find out which black and white creature attacked you. There can be many reasons why you got hit and here are some of the reasons:-
· Over optimization-it is basically practiced by those who lack in quality content.
· Use of excessive keywords is also considered a form of spamming coz you are looking for search engine’s attention.
· Websites that lacks a good user experience might be hit by Google’s algorithm updates.
· Google hates copied content so never ever copy from another site and never use unnecessary content. Keep updating your site or blog with fresh content.
· Having a virus on your website or having too many spam sites might hit you hard so keep reviewing you sites regularly.
· Avoid use of heavy graphics as much as possible so that your website loads faster. Slow loading blogs are always hated by Google and visitors too.
If you follow Google’s guidelines properly it will have no reason to ban your site and will in fact work in your favor if your competitors are using outdated SEO methods. So basically you just need to do everything that makes Google happy!