A week ago, Google’s Head of Webspam, Matt Cutts, officially announced via Twitter that Google was rolling out its Panda 4.0 update.
Depending on how long you have been around the SEO/online marketing industry, you may remember Hummingbird last year, Penguin in 2012, or even the first Panda in 2011.
While these updates to Google’s search algorithm were very significant and influential to search results, subsequent updates have generally been less impactful. The main purpose of these updates have been to reduce, eliminate, or bury search results from websites which are seen by the algorithm to be spammy, low-quality, or trying to manipulate search results. In turn, this can mean a boost for clean, high-quality, and high-authority sites.
Even though algorithm updates seem to be relatively few and far between, keep in mind that Google says it updates its algorithm more than 500 times a year. Big ones, like Panda 4.0, have a broader impact. Since last week, it’s estimated that this most recent update affects about 7.5 percent of English search queries (not websites), which is a lot considering the billions of searches handled by Google every day.
So what does this mean for your website?
In most cases, you shouldn’t be worried. Remember that Google’s absolute number one priority is quality. If you and your online marketing company are playing by Google’s quality rules (which Clix always has), there is no reason for that site to suffer.
However, the past can always come back to bite you. If you or another online marketer used tools or tactics that Google does not approve of to get links—even if it was years ago—your domain could still be punished. That’s why it’s so important to choose a trustworthy and transparent online marketing partner!
If you have any questions about your website, Google’s search algorithm, or recent updates, don’t hesitate to contact us.
