The Google Panda update is a separate algorithm that runs every few months and searches for what it considers poor quality sites. Sites targeted by Google’s Panda generally have a characteristic footprint that can include any of the following:
- Duplicated content — either duplicated across other sites, or heavy duplication within the same site
- Very little content (text) on pages
- Excessive use of ads or ad-like features
- Sites that Google Chrome users have blocked from their search results in large levels
Sites with a significant number of violations of any of these can see the entire site penalized by the Panda algorithm.
For the most part the sites that have been affected by the Panda algorithm are sites that have deserved to be — they offered very little in the way of useful unique content, and thus didn’t provide much benefit to the user (which is who Google is trying to please).
However, it’s entirely possible to sites that are doing nothing wrong to get accidentally hit by Panda. This can happen when the site has certain design elements that can algorithmically look like things Panda targets (for example, having design elements that look similar to ad blocks, even if they aren’t really ads or external ads). In addition, scraper sites can copy content from a site and trick Google into thinking that the scraper is the original source, thus causing Panda to punish the original site for duplicate content.
If you think your site has been affected by the Panda algorithm, the first thing to do is run down the list of things that Panda looks for and decide if your site is guilty of any of them. If not, contact a SEO company to at least advise you on how your site is tripping the Panda algorithm.
Unfortunately even if you fix everything that’s wrong with your site, you could have to wait months for the next time the Panda algorithm runs before you see any recovery.
Other Panda Related Posts:
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