Google panda update 2.1 and 2.2 – started to hit

We are back once again with one more blog to continue our discussion on Google Panda Update.

Let’s take a quick look at the summary of previous blogs. In the first blog, we have discussed “What is Google Panda? Implications of Google Panda on Web World“. In the second blog, we have focused on Google Panda update 1.0 also called “Farmer update”, which was implemented to target basically three types of websites. There are scraper sites, content farms and link farms which are spoiling the search result quality. In the third blog, we have discussed Panda update 2.0 in which Google gave authority to the user to block a website which he/she found irrelevant or low quality from his/her search result. Google takes it as a vote against that particular website and it can be used as confirmation of low-quality website. We have also checked the ways to block the website by the user.

Now we are going to discuss the Google Panda Updates which were released after Panda Update 2.0

Google Panda Update 2.1

Google has confirmed the Panda update 2.1 on May 10, 2011. It was about 4 weeks later than Panda Update 2.0. Initially, it was known as Panda Update 3.0, but thereafter Google cleared that it is just a minor update and hence it was called Panda Update 2.1. Unfortunately, Google didn’t release a percentage of queries affected. Official release from Google said that it was just got strengthen the algorithm to find and identify the scraper sites. Google has not revealed much more information about this update.

Panda Update 2.2

“Google Panda Update 2.2 will target the biggest complaint that most webmasters have including myself that scraper sites or sites that re-publish our content are outranking the original content creators.”

What does it mean?  The scraper websites or the sites that re-publishing content has thrown out the original content creators.  As these websites may have more backlinks, more domain authority and other criteria that required getting high ranking and has copied but quality content as well.

Google has addressed that issue in Panda 2.2 update and put weight to the original content creator and justify them. Popular and famous websites like eHow, Wikihow are highly affected by this update.

Let’s discuss the other issues focused on this Panda update. Relevancy of keywords and the content are the main parameters of this update 2.2. Unique, fresh and original content, in combine we can say quality content is the first criteria in Panda update. Apart from that, the relevancy factor between keywords and content should be high to rank higher for those keywords. If you are targeting location-based keywords then your content should reflect the same to rank higher in SERPs. The second one is the guess of experts, though these are not the official words from Google. A slight advantage for the domain names which matches with keywords does no longer exist. Which means the inclusion of your keyword in your domain name will not earn any benefit.

What Webmaster should do?

First of all, you need quality content that is a simple clue from the conclusion. You need to improve your subject relevancy with content. It does not mean the inclusion of keywords many times in content (keyword density). Your content must be written with subject concentration. So many websites are there which get high rank for the keywords that are not appearing once in the content.  Keyword density and relevancy have totally different meanings. All those bad techniques like keyword stuffing, hidden text and many more are gone now a day. Write your content in a natural way, stick with your subject and write all that you want to deliver to your user in simple language. These are the stuff that holds the key to rank higher on SERPs. Excellent Webmasters who are SEO specialist can easily handle your website ranking with the updates of Google Panda. Here is the test of your SEO selection and we hope you will get great success in it.

We will be back with the next update and the details of Panda in the next blog.