Panda 4.2 has recently been released by Google, and is the latest version of its algorithm which rewards and punishes websites based on whether or not those sites have quality content. Although Google has been relatively quiet about the change, it has been confirmed via Twitter that the Panda refresh will take a few months to complete. Panda 4.2 has come as a bit of a shock for marketers and SEO specialists, and many are unsure how the change will impact them. Here’s what we know so far about Panda 4.2:
It started in July.
July 18 was the day Google’s Panda 4.2 was quietly released. Since it’s going to take time for the refresh to be complete, marketers and SEO experts should be on the lookout for changes in their rankings and website traffic over the next couple of weeks.
Regarding the previous Panda.
Panda 4.1 rolled out 11 months ago, on September 25, 2014. This refresh in Google’s algorithm was created to identify low-quality content by looking at more factors and in turn help out smaller sites that weren’t ranking, but had high-quality content. Some sites that were penalized by Panda 4.1 are still waiting to recover.
The percentage of search queries to be impacted.
It’s expected that 2-3% of search queries will be impacted by Panda 4.2. Although this seems like a small number, compared to the 12% that Panda 4.1 impacted, it will still affect some. As reported by ComScore, there were 18.4 billion unique searches from desktops just in April. Based off of this number, that means 2-3% of search queries is over 36 million, which is still a huge amount.
Which update Panda 4.2 is.
Panda 4.2 has been referred to as the 29th Google update, but also as the 30th. How can this be? Some argue that since Panda 4.1 was the 28th update, surely Panda 4.2 is the 29th. However, those who refer to it as the 30th update believe that in the last 11 months, Google might have made small changes in the algorithm that weren’t announced.
The winners and losers.
Since Panda 4.2 is rolling out slowly, it’s unknown the amount of winners and losers from the update. It may take time to see the full affects, although some sites are reporting increases in traffic, while some are reporting losses due to fresh penalties.
Now that the Panda 4.2 refresh has been confirmed, it’s hard for marketers and SEO experts to be patient. What is Google targeting with the update? How will you know if your site will be affected? What content should you be creating to keep your rankings safe?
These questions can’t be fully answered yet, as we wait for Panda 4.2 to be fully in affect. The best way to keep your rankings safe is to constantly create high-quality, original content that’s not just created for SEO purposes. It’s important to use solid resources which will add value to the content that you’re creating for visitors.
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