What is Google Panda?
Google Panda is an update to the Google search engine ranking algorithm that went live in February 2011. The update aimed to penalize websites with poor quality content with a lower rank in the Google search engine. They wanted targeted action against so-called “content farms,” specializing in low-quality articles. This resulted in ranking websites with quality content higher in Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs).
The Panda update is considered one of the most essential algorithm updates Google released recently. Google Panda, therefore still has a strong influence on the creation and maintenance of websites and their content.
What is the purpose of the Google update?
Ultimately, as with almost every change in the Google algorithm, the update’s goal was to improve the user experience. In this case, optimal search results should increase the user experience. The Panda update adjusted the algorithm so that the user initially only receives the most helpful and relevant search results. Therefore, websites with low-quality content are only displayed on the back pages.
Which parameters are essential for evaluating a website?
Of course, the question arose: “What exactly is high-quality content?” Unfortunately, there is only a very vague answer to this. In February 2011, Google published a catalog of features for good websites together with the Panda update. According to this catalog, a good website has the following characteristics:
- Unique Content
- Little or no duplicate content
- A variety of backlinks that fit the topic
- A comparatively high length of stay
- Low bounce rate
- Little or no (irrelevant) advertising
How the Panda update has impacted the websites?
Before the update, only individual website subpages were often ranked worse. Due to the Panda update, the entire webpage ranks poorly when the search engine finds quality defects. The ranking of affected websites has dropped accordingly, so they ultimately receive little or no traffic from Google.
