WEBWISE
side of panda and penguin Panda and penguin. If you’re in any way connected to the world of SEO,
these are two animals you need to know about. As ever, our resident expert, GARETH MORGAN, of Liberty Marketing, is on hand to explain all...
Y
oull probably have heard about these fuzzily-named Google algorithm updates (which change
the way the search engine ranks websites) at some point. Especially since every time another algorithm update hits, online marketers everywhere descend into a frenzy. How new algorithms unfold can impact enormously on any online marketing you have in place. Thats why its important to have at least some understanding of what it all means for the SEO work connected to your business – so get learning!
About Google panda Panda first hit in February 2011 (US) with panda 1.0 (also known as the Farmers Update) targeting content farms and article directories with thousands of low quality, user generated pages. Its estimated that panda 1.0 affected almost 12% of US search terms when it first emerged. Following this initial rollout, panda continued with updates every few months, taking the update global and targeting spammy, low quality, thin content, as well as duplicate and keyword heavy content, in order to improve the experience for web users and to improve the search engine results.
About Google penguin Penguin waddled onto the scene and first caused waves in the SEO world in April 2012; penguin made its entrance by penalising questionable SEO tactics and hitting sites that were violating Googles
Webmaster guidelines by using manipulative or black hat SEO techniques to improve their rankings. Penguin zoned in on low quality links, over-optimised anchor text, keyword stuffing, and cloaking, and delivered a slap to any sites that appeared guilty.
How to stay out of trouble If you want to stay on the right side of the Google panda and penguin updates and keep your site safely at the top of the SERPs, you need to understand what makes them tick and what they absolutely love. Adhere to their preferences and you shouldnt have any problems. Panda hates content thin pages, content farms, duplicate content and high bounce rates and has set out to penalise these in order to increase the relevancy of pages and show users pages that have high quality, unique content. Therefore, you need to focus on producing strong, engaging content that is relevant and that your users will find useful. If you can ensure that your site copy is of a high quality and that you are providing useful information to your audience, then you will have one happy panda! Penguin is effectively a link filter and doesnt like sites that try too hard to cheat the SERPs; it hates low quality links, over-optimised anchor text and keyword stuffing, so what makes penguin happy? Well penguin loves websites that appear to be naturally good without having to overdo it; it likes to see natural links based on quality, panda-friendly content.
To advertise your web services in the Web Directory please contact Claire on 01622 699158
Panda and penguin checklist Follow this quick checklist to ensure youre not in the panda or penguin firing line: n Keep content relevant and engaging; write for users, not for search engines n Make sure your backlink profile is natural and doesnt contain spam or low quality links n Ensure that content is unique and not duplicate n Dont over-optimise your anchor text or get involved in keyword stuffing n Avoid link building from low quality websites that only exist for the purpose of manipulating search engines i.e. general directories, article submission sites etc.
What’s coming next? But dont rest on your laurels. There are whispers of a new updates every few months. The word on the web is that another major penguin update is on the horizon; Googles head of search spam, Matt Cutts, revealed last month that they are working on Penguin 4, cryptically stating that the way penguin works will be changed... So, while we all sit and wait for penguin in anticipation, its worth clearing up that backlink profile, refining your content, and checking that youre not currently stepping over the line!
Further information
For help and advice call Liberty Marketing on 029 2076 6467 or email
info@libertymarketing.co.uk
WEB DIRECTORY How to stay on the right
Elms & Elms Ltd is an official distributor for Gildan Activewear, Fruit of the Loom, Regatta, and JHK. We specialise in giving excellent service and holding deep stock of the brands we offer. Register on our new website to get access
to stock levels and free delivery on any order over £100 (on-line orders only.)
www.elmsandelms.co.uk
| 40 | May 2013
For the very latest industry news, online access to the Printwear & Promotion Suppliers Directory and previous issues of P&P, as well as information on the annual Printwear and Promotion Exhibition. visit our website
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