Last year saw the announcement of the Google EMD update which was geared towards removing low quality exact match domains in the search results. Despite insisting that only 0.6 of English and U.S. queries would be noticeably affected, large numbers of webmasters are adamant they are suffering as a result of both the EMD update and the latest Panda algorithm update.
The EMD update was designed to encourage webmasters to focus more on quality content to rank organically as opposed to simply stuffing domains with keywords. Google has frequently reminded webmasters of the important of using high quality content to ensure users find the best search results to match their query. This latest update has served to remind webmasters that taking shortcuts to manipulate rankings will ultimately result in a site’s inability to adapt to future algorithmic changes. Consequently, sites must utilise a strategy that does not rely on quick fixes but is based on improving user experience through quality content and article writing.
SEO experts have been keen to stress that any site taking advantage of Google ranking signals should remain cautious and understand that they are frequently subject to change. Webmasters must make a conscious effort to stay up to date with the latest algorithm changes in order to stay on top in the search rankings.
Google has also confirmed that the latest Panda update was not a simple data refresh but an algorithm update that affected around 2.4% of English queries. Google’s head of the web spam team, Matt Cutts, informed SEOs that changes will continue to take effect over the next 3 to 4 days. Traditionally, algorithm updates have only been announced post-launch. Panda’s update history is varied, leaving little room for anticipation of the next big hit.
Changes to the algorithm occur over 500 times each year, with some updates causing more havoc than others for webmasters. The aftershocks from the latest wave of updates have left many webmasters fearful over the impending Penguin update.
Many webmasters believe it is becoming increasingly difficult to know which algorithmic update you have been affected by.
