What is Panda 4.0?
The Panda update is an algorithm update which Google started rolling out in 2011. It has gone through several changes. The 4.0 designation for this update which Matt Cutts announced on Twitter tells us that it is more significant than other recent Panda updates. The purpose of the Panda update is to weed out sites with low quality content and reward websites with high quality content. In Google’s own words Google’s goal is to provide users with the most relevant results and a great user experience.
Panda is the perfect name for this algorithm change.
Did you know the giant panda can consume up to 40lbs of bamboo in a single day? They are cute and cuddly animals. They are not really bears and they never hibernate. They are on the lookout for fresh content bamboo daily. It would be silly to be afraid of the panda as they are herbivores that love humans. Website owners that are putting out great, informative content on a regular basis are essentially feeding the panda and should look forward to the panda stopping by to visit.
What Panda 4.0 Means for Your Business
If you didn’t know it, allow me to inform you: a large part of what it takes to rank in search these days is having quality content on your website. If you need to, please read why your website needs content. There are no longer good ways to trick the search engines. Well, there are bad ways, but the affects wear off quickly, and the vast majority of business owners want stable exposure for themselves online. Building a lasting presence on the Internet has everything to do with creating great content- content that informs, educates, and/or is fun to read.
Panda 4.0 definitely shows us the direction that Google is headed- they want your site to have great content. Any business can create content. The baker’s website can discuss their latest birthday cake, provide a cool dough recipe, and talk about cupcakes given away in the local school. The orthodontist can discuss how sweet tea in North Carolina affects teeth, how often you should get your teeth cleaned and discuss a recent dental injury. This list goes on forever, and any business can easily create thousands of pieces of informative content for their niche. Panda 4.0 means you need to be creating content. Of course, if you are in a small town and you’re the only grocery store within 40 miles, sure, maybe you can get by with no website at all. But if you’re in a competitive niche, you need content. If you need an expert to help you accomplish this very important task, contact me here.
Worried about future algorithm changes like Panda 4.0?
I always look forward to algorithm changes. This one is rolling out now and it is too early to tell which sites have been hit (or rewarded). I have already heard from numerous people that were affected by the Pay Loan 2.0 algorithm update (which rolled out at almost the same time Panda 4.0 did) that incorrectly believe they were affected by Panda 4.0. I am genuinely excited to see if my client’s traffic remains the same or benefits from algorithm changes. When you’re doing everything right, getting penalized almost never even crosses my mind. If your SEO company is nervous about algorithm changes, RUN! As a note, algorithm changes do negatively impact good good websites from time to time, but these cases are few and far between. Google usually does a pretty good job.
If you need assistance ranking in search you might want to speak to someone who was ranking online services in the pre-WWW day, has watched every change search engine update since Excite was released and creates content that ranks, contact me here.
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