Google Panda Secrets

[Ghome1971]

Hi

I have found this video and thought it was very good and worth sharing with fellow Actinic site owners http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...v=nE3cr9kZJrg#

Best Wishes

Geraldine

[completerookie]

hmmm
a lot to take in, but a very good link to this video
thanks geraldine

[Ghome1971]

I do feel that the Panda update will make it much harder for small companies to list well. If this video is correct, a big brands simply need to design a nice website with unique content, a little old fashioned SEO (eg Title Tags with keywords), Like buttons, Review options and then just sit back. As they are already established they will get lots of sticky traffic and lots of Likes and reviews. If Google wants the big brand to sit at the top of their listings then the Panda update will work. However, as a user, I don't want this as I shop online to find something different not just see the same names I see when I go to the High Street!

[Mike Hughes]

I think that video is more about the maker trying to raise business for his seo business than anything else. There's too much discussion at the conceptual level and talk about vague metrics to be of any use. To me he's just doing his best to show off and spread a bit of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt). i.e. the basic pitch being, I know all this stuff and now you're worried you'd best come to me for advice.

The bottom line for me is:

1. Does Panda adjust rankings based on 'quality factors' - YES.

No one really knows what the quality factors are as they're apparently based on automatic learning of what makes a good / bad site. i.e. you point the learning system at two sets of selected good & bad sites and tell it to learn the difference. It then goes off and makes it's own rules about what the differences are and can apply those rules to other sites. Some quality factors factors seem obvious: Too many adverts, too many affiliate links, spelling mistakes, lack of unique content, etc, but what else it decides is commonly seen on 'bad' sites is anyone's guess. It could be something other sites use legitimately and it could also be missing important things because low quality sites that use them weren't included in the subset of 'bad' sites it was fed to learn on.

2. Social Media

Search engines are undoubtedly going to use social media more in ranking pages / websites. Just as a link has been seen as a vote of 'worthiness' so too will 'discussions' or 'hits' in social media (things like tweets, 'likes' or '+1s', etc).

This though is separate from Panda and is just part of the normal 'how do we rank websites' process.

In terms of how Panda affects search engine rankings the only evidence I've seen suggests that a 'poor' quality factor score de-ranks the whole site (not just individual web pages). I've not seen anything that shows it can raise a sites position (although by definition if other sites fall in position yours will rise in relation to them). The important things to take away are a) Avoid doing things that are clear indicators of poor quality - don't stuff your pages with ads and affiliate links, use unique content, check your spellings, etc and b) continue to focus on standard seo (with a bit of social media included) as this is what gets your pages their position in the results in the first place before Panda is applied.

Mike

[Ghome1971]

Hi

Thanks for your reply Mike. I will continue with traditional SEO but I think there is something in what is being saying in this video. It certainly answers why the big brands' websites (which have little traditional SEO) are listing so well in my sector (kids clothes).

[Mike Hughes]

Hi Geraldine,

Definitely consider the issues he raises. They are all important. The trouble I have is that I think he's mixing up all kinds of things and putting them all under the Panda umbrella. They aren't. Panda is what I described above.

The branding and social signals updates came before Panda. As did the use of other indicators such as time spent on page, bounce rate, etc.

You'll find a list of just some of google's changes here:

http://www.seomoz.org/google-algorithm-change

Note the Vince update in Feb 2009 which started the emphasis on branding.

I wouldn't suggest for a minute that all it takes is links and on page seo. There are lots of factors that apply and Google is always adjusting the algorithm. Yes, the big brands now have an advantage, but that doesn't mean you can't compete or that they'll have it easy.

The video you linked to is interesting and raises a lot of important issues. The trouble I have with it is that I don't think it gives any useful guidance for site owners and confuses Panda with other stuff. I might well have missed something though.

I think it's important we understand the different things going on with Google's algorithms as it makes it easier to understand the impact of each one and what we need to do to succeed. Otherwise it becomes a case of trying to do a bit of everything and losing the ability to focus on the important bits.

Mike