Google Panda is the new and path-breaking algorithm update from Google and it is only to be expected that many may not be familiar with its nature and purpose. Of course, the fact remains that you can appreciate the true worth

Google Panda Algorithm Effects

Google' Panda has certainly resulted in many well-known article submission websites lose high rankings – particularly directory type sites that publish articles from third parties in exchange for a back link. Most badly hit were the big and notable generic domains when Panda became operational in the US. But Google will argue that back links from many article submission sites had lost significance long before Panda was applied.

But still article submission sites can survive if they adopt stricter quality control measures. Google has urged website owners to look for quality content that will naturally attracts inbound links and to use social media as a means of getting that content before a larger audience. Sites that are taking care to ensure their articles are of a good editorial standard, variety and originality will encounter no threat.

Google Panda has created controversies and destabilized the internet industry in US and the issue now is - how will Google Panda affect your site’s SEO once it is released worldwide. The obvious question every site owner has to ponder over is - how will Google Panda affect my site’s SEO? Google is only attempting to eliminate sites that are not relevant and also sites that are created for the heck of traffic - and that too, because its users have requested it. Despite the improvements Google Panda might have brought about, many sites have suffered – some deservedly and several others unjustly.

There is no denying Google Panda has affected some notable sites like Mahalo, Ezine articles, Wisegeek amongst others. The obvious lesson from Google Panda is - you should be more mindful of the content that you publish in your site and ensure the content is original, unique and beneficial to the readers. Google Panda will come down heavily on sites carrying duplicate content, websites that are ill-structured and badly designed, sites that excessively display ads, sites that attract too much negative feedback and sites that concentrate overly on videos without text.

If the comments from Cutts are any indication, Google will tell you why your site dropped. Most of the changes in rankings will be done algorithmically, but Google may also take manual action in select cases. If your site is a mix of auto-generated content and original high quality stuff, then it is better to isolate auto content from search engines. Google recommends that the auto-generated part is blocked from crawling and indexing, so that search engines can focus on what makes your site unique and valuable.

Overcoming Google Panda Algorithm Effects

Website owners who have been adversely affected by Google Panda need not feel disheartened as all is not lost. The wisest course is to intently study Google Webmaster Guidelines and strictly adhere to its recommendations. The overall quality of the web pages must change for the better with worthier content and less outbound links. Either remove the low quality pages or at least try to safeguard your rankings by shifting those low quality pages to any other new domain.

Solemnly get rid of all duplicates by placing the robots.txt for those pages, so that they are not indexed by search engines and discarded as duplicate content. Using tools like analytics find out the affected pages and rework on those pages to restore acceptability. If there is any duplicate content, rewriting them would be the better option rather than totally removing them. As Google is fastidious about linking, you should check for the quality of the outbound links.

If your site has something similar in other pages, you should redirect these low quality pages as they are not worth being present in the website. Avoid content scraping by all means as some bloggers add a few lines of other’s post along with the source links without writing anything original. Meta tags such as the Meta Keywords are mostly overused that may be construed by Google as keyword spamming. These clever tricks will not only deny rankings, but might also lead to penalizing of the website.

Websites with flash content is not easily read by the Google bots and therefore best avoided. Google prefers static content that is well read and indexed as opposed to flash. There are thousands of websites and blogs which used to rank well by having just photo and video galleries in them. Sites with photos and videos have now lost the rankings unless appropriate content relevant to that picture is found.

The big relief is social media remains unaffected - so if your website is badly hit in search engine rankings, you can save the situation by sharing it with social sites like Facebook, Twitter and book marking sites like Digg and others.

In short, the concrete steps to recover from Google Panda effect is to remove unnecessary pages/posts from Google search, get rid of low quality content, never ever indulge in plagiarism, thoroughly understand and apply SEO techniques, throw out duplicate content, discourage excess ads, and become active in social media sites.

After zealously following these recommendations, submit your website or blog again to the Google Webmaster Central for review and favorable reconsideration. The way to do it is to login to webmaster tool and submit a reconsideration request. Though it takes time, you have no other alternative to regain your lost rankings.

Google Panda Algorithm and SEO

Google has introduced Google Panda in the US and it has caused a lot of heartburn in the internet industry. It is a grim fact that the Google Panda algorithm update has adversely affected numerous websites in US. Many sites feel aggrieved that their high rankings in search engine have been toppled overnight. The issue on hand is - how will this change affect your site’s SEO once Google Panda goes international. But the relieving aspect is the affected sites still have opportunities for recovery, if certain SEO rules are scrupulously followed.

• The contents of the website must be acknowledged by all as reliable and trustworthy. Users must be able to confidently part with their sensitive credit card other personal information.

• The biggest lesson of Google Panda is to judiciously avoid excess ads. Google will ruthlessly deal with sites that exist merely to generate ad revenues.

• Insist on quality content without compromising and engage capable writers and do your own research on the topic.

• The clear message is - you will have to readjust your site if you want your business to stay afloat.

Conclusion

The chief spam fighter of Google Matt Cutts exuded confidence when speaking about Google Panda in a recent interviewer to Mercury. It is understood Google is receiving messages of gratitude from people whose rankings have gone up with the introduction of Google Panda. But the clear winners are the Government sites that will, in any case, be highly informative with a lot of fresh data.

The unfortunate aspect is Government sites are overtaking private sites that have invested enormous time, money and other resources in developing their web presence. Maybe the new Panda algorithm needs revision and some more fine-tuning. But will Google rethink or go ahead and apply the Google Panda in its present form. Whatever be the case, it is time websites do the clean-up and do its bit to retain the rankings in the post-Panda era.

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