Updated January 13, 2023
Reading Time: 2 minutesEvolving to Help Small Biz
We routinely tell our clients that SEO is a journey not a destination, mainly due to the numerous changes made to search engine algorithms. Webspam Googler, Matt Cutts, announced at Search Marketing Expo that a “gentler Panda algorithm” is in the works. In the post I’ll recap what Panda refers to and what this announcement means to businesses.
Previous Panda Pandemonium
In 2013 there were multiple changes to Panda, part of Google’s systematic crackdown on poor quality content and link schemes. Last March marked the “final” stand-alone Panda change as Google wraps further refinements into their continuous updates. As a recap, here is what “regular” Panda targeted:
- Paid links or advertorial links
- Unnatural link profile
- Guest blogging schemes
- Duplicate content
- Spammy low-quality content (e.g., keyword stuff drivel)
With the various Panda updates many spammy websites were demoted; Google continues to ferret out Grey Hat SEO tactics and penalize these practitioners. So what’s up with the gentler Panda algorithm announcement?
Gentler Panda Algorithm Explained
According to Matt Cutts, the gentler Panda algorithm should have a direct impact on helping small businesses do better in search. When we visited Google in December, we were happy to hear that the Mountain View giant had plans to assist small business. They recognize that enterprise-level organizations have deep pockets to invest in White Hat SEO and Search Engine Marketing (SEM aka AdWords). This makes it harder for smaller websites with fewer pages to compete.
Search engine visibility has a direct correlation with the amount of content a website produces. The more content, published regularly, naturally produces SEO equity. Great content then attracts others to view and share it, creating inbound links that establish credibility and authority. Smaller businesses have a hard time competing with businesses that have high-octane content marketing machines.
Cutts did not provide specifics on how the gentler Panda algorithm would work. Search Engine Land predicts that it isn’t close to launch… and expect that it won’t be rolled out for another 2-3 months.
What do you hope the gentler Panda algorithm will do?