Posts

google-panda_google-penguin

Google Panda And Google Penguin Algorithms

Understanding the Google Panda and Google Penguin Algorithms

Google continually focuses on enhancing internet user experience in as far as searching for information is concerned. They often come up with algorithm changes and Google filters that make search engine results relevant to users while at the same time curbing cheating and web spamming by online content managers or website owners. Even though Google makes hundreds of algorithm changes in a year, estimated to be over six hundred, among these changes often are some big and significant ones. Good examples of such impactful changes include the Panda and Penguin Algorithms.

The Google Panda Algorithm

Panda is a Google algorithm created to prevent low-quality websites from getting an undeserved top page ranking and enable quality, in-depth and frequently updated sites to get the coveted spots. When this Google filter first came into the limelight, many content managers referred to it as the Farmer update because it widely affected content farms or sites that lift content from other platforms to improve their Google ranking.
Contrary to the initial misconception that Panda targeted sites containing artificial backlink structures, it primarily focuses on quality of the website pages. As a result, sites with low-quality, thin and duplicated content or those that have too much advertising and poor navigation, end up on the lower pages of the search results. The launch of the Panda was named after one of its creators Navneet Panda.

The Google Penguin Algorithm

It is a Google algorithm that aims to minimize the amount of trust Google gives to sites that cheat through the creation of unnatural or artificial backlinks to get favorable top rankings on the Google search engine pages. While the focus for Google Panda algorithm is on web pages quality, Penguin primarily focuses on unnatural backlinks, keyword stuffing, cloaking and to some degree anchor texts. The quality of links that direct to a particular site acts as a form of confidence for that website.

Simply put, if a reliable online platform redirects to a website, it endorses that site. Similarly, backlinks from many relatively unknown sites would provide the same effect. This Google filter explains why many content managers try to manipulate the links or even create artificial links. The Penguin algorithm attempts to detect sites that violate Black-hat SEO techniques, and when it identifies such links, it determines the site to be dishonest, consequently reducing the website’s page rankings.

google-panda_google-penguinHow The Panda And Penguin Algorithms Impact Websites

Although the Panda algorithm can affect a section of the site or the website, it rarely targets individual pages. It assesses the overall website content. A site might have quality content, however, if the content is thin or duplicated the Panda filter can cause the penalization of the entire site. Penguin, on the other hand, affects individual parts on the website on a keyword or a page level. However, in the event of web spamming and overuse of keywords, the Google algorithm can determine that the site is untrustworthy and flag the site causing it to rank poorly.

How To Recover From The Panda And Penguin Algorithms Filters

Recovery From The Panda Filter

On average Google refreshes this algorithm at least once each month. In case the Panda algorithm affects your website, you just need to make a few changes to the site. Identify the pages that have thin or no content, plagiarized or duplicated content and make them right. Remove the copied material and elaborate on the wanting contents. Once you do that, the performance of your site should significantly improve after the proceeding Google Panda refresh. At times, however, it might take months before the changes become visible especially if it takes Google an extended period to revisit your website to notice the changes.

Recovery From The Penguin Filter

If the Penguin filter flags your site, you need to look for the artificial or unnatural links that redirect to your site. Furthermore, look for links that originate from the IP address or domain name, as they portray an impression of purchased links. Once you identify these backlinks, remove them or if that is impossible, use the Disavow tool to inform Google to stop counting the links. If you successfully remove all the unnatural links, the website should eventually regain Google’s trust leading to improved site performance after a few algorithm refreshes.

The existence of Google algorithms and Google filters like Panda and Penguin compels website owners and online content managers to take a strict approach to their content. That includes analyzing the links to ensure that the site has a quality link profile and creating original blog content that is relevant to the target niche.