4 Items Taken Into Account By Google Panda

18 Apr 4 Items Taken Into Account By Google Panda

Since February of 2011, Google has been strategically rolling out a new algorithm called Panda(also called Google Farmer). It has now been instituted globally and many companies are seeing the backlash. Some websites have jumped while many others have dropped dramatically. Here are four aspects that the new Google algorithm evaluates when looking your site over.

URLs with Generic Content

This can be really bad for local directory sites. Many of them contain thousands of urls with generic content. Many have geo-specific categories like ”best L.A nightclubs”. Since many of these directory sites have the same content and a stated goal of Panda is to weed out generic content, many of these sites have dropped to catastrophically low rankings.

Website Not User Friendly

The Panda algorithm takes into account the user’s experience on your site. This could refer to many factors: page speed, ad density, user-interface design, average time on site, etc. If your site has a cluttered design, too many ads, and/or a high bounce rates, you will suffer in the rankings unless all of your competitors have the same issues.

Social Media

A social media strategy was a great boost prior to Panda, now it is a necessity. All major search engines now incorporate social media signals into the ranking systems.

Brand Recognition

For over a year now Google has been making a lot of noise about showing preference through its algorithm. The problem with most local companies and resellers is that they don’t have a brand or one that is not well developed. To Google a brand is recognized as links, mentions on third party authoritative sites, regular queries for your brand name, and social activity around your brand name among other factors. If no one is talking about your brand, it is very unlikely to be highly ranked.

Google’s Panda has shaken things up quite a bit in the page rankings. Some sites have dropped from the first page to utter irrelevance. You may need to hire a company that fully understands the algorithms nuances in order to recoup your ranking.