Google Panda 4.0 update is here and i am loving it. Google Panda 4.0 is second major Algorithm update by Google in History. Basically Google Panda is a filter to lower the rank of websites with “Low Quality” Content or “Thin Sites”. A “Thin Site” is very short piece of content written just for SEO purpose without rendering any meaningful information. Google Panda 4.0 has impacted 7.5% of search queries which is huge impact on search results. The impact is different in different countries. Google Panda 4.0 has positive impact on my website. The traffic on my site increased by 250% within 2 days. I would like to thank & congratulate Google for rewarding the meaningful and quality Content. Google Panda 4.0 update also punished traditional technique of link building for SEO. On my site, daily i receive large no of spam comments with the prime objective of link building. I hate spam and always delete such comments and ping-backs.
During last 3 years of my existence, daily i receive couple of proposals regarding SEO activity from known organizations. These organizations are involved in Low Quality Link Building which is equivalent to spamming . I was tempted so many times to opt for such services to grow traffic. I always resisted as i believed that “CONTENT IS KING”. I was of firm opinion that original and Quality content will definitely be rewarded & it is rewarded.
From 1st week of May, 2014 i was observing lot of activity through Google webmaster on my site. On 4th May & 8th May there was major crawling activity on my site. I searched web but there was no indication anywhere regarding Google Panda 4.0 update. The discussion forums were abuzz that “Major update is coming soon”.
The buzz became reality & roll out of Google Panda 4.0 started from 17th May. I observed very sharp increase in traffic on my site and i think by now the algorithm is updated. The objective behind Google Panda 4.0 update is to provide relevant and useful search results to end users. This update filtered out spammy queries from search results. According to Search Engine Watch, Google has approx 68% Market Share whereas nearest rival Bing has 18.7% market share in US market. Due to very high market share, Traffic through Google Search is very critical for survival of many businesses and websites. Google contribute approx 75%-80% traffic on any website. To remain competitive and relevant, it is critical that a site should appear on 1st page of the Google Search Results for focus keywords. 80% users browse only 1st page of search results & click on relevant result. To increase search market share, It is very critical & imperative for Google to show relevant search results else the user will switch to rivals. To address this concern, Google Panda 4.0 update was released. Many websites are doomed by latest Google Panda 4.0 update. We cannot blame Google for same but it is webmaster’s past sins. The biggest losers of Google Panda 4.0 update are ebay and ask.com
Few simple tips from my end to avoid being punished by Google Panda 4.0 update are
1. Stay away from “Low Quality” Link Building. Natural Link Building is best for the health of your website.
2. Duplicate Content: Duplicate contest is biggest enemy of your website. In the hunger to get more traffic from Google, we tend to index or generate duplicate content. Google hate duplicate content and will punish such activities.
3. High Ad Density: On some sites, its difficult to find content because they are overloaded with ads. I agree ads are required for survival but at the same time they are biggest threat to “survival”. Keep the website template lean and clean with responsive design
4. Keyword Stuffing: It is considered unethical in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Keyword stuffing is done to manipulate Google Search Results. You may succeed initially but finally it will lead to ban of the website from Google Search Results.
5. Guest Blogging: It is another sinful technique for SEO. Though intention was good behind Guest Blogging but over a period of time it has become another spamming technique. I keep receiving proposals for both in bound and out bound Guest blogging but i never pay attention.
6. Keep Writing: Always update your site regularly. Keep adding relevant posts as it is considered positive SEO technique. Don’t write just for the sake of writing. Keep your readers in mind and write something which is useful for readers.
Its time to introspect and adopt Healthy SEO Practices. There is no quick fix solution for best SEO practices. It will pay in long run. Focus on quality rather quantity. There are no shortcuts to success. Don’t fell into trap of short term solutions if you are here for long stint. Google Panda 4.0 is a step in right direction and expect more such updates from Google in near future. Quality will rule the roost
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