Late last week, Google confirmed a major update to the infamous Panda algorithm. Quickly discovered by Danny Sullivan, it appeared that Searchmetrics had done a great job outlining who was hurt and who wasn’t. Let’s take a look at that first.
Who did well
Corporate media clearly seemed to benefit from this update, especially News Corporation properties Fox News and The Wall Street Journal. More significantly, perhaps, we can see a clear trend in improved performance by sites that contain a lot of video and audio (tv.com, ign.com, youtube.com), which even includes the previously mentioned mainstream media. Take a look.
Who didn’t do well
Easily user-driven content such as cheap press release marketing and independent media did not appear to do well. Plain article marketing was clearly a loser with this one.
The Road to Recovery
Here are 3 things that we believe that you should take a hard look at if Google Panda 2.5 harmed you.
1.) Content Bounce Rate
Remember, the Panda algorithm continues to focus on analyzing the distinction between high-quality and low-quality content. Greywolf recommends doing regular site quality audits, looking at your bounce rate, and I think he has the right idea. Increasingly, SEO’s cite bounce rate as a likely Google Ranking Factor. As easy this is for Google to measure, and as prominent as this number is in Google Analytics, we believe it would be foolish to ignore.
2.) Rich media
The site examples above favor websites with video and audio. Therefore, consider adding more video to your content strategy. You might also include audio. For example, embed relevant YouTube videos. Another option is to add suitable music from services like GrooveShark.
The digital landscape has significantly evolved since the 1990s. Consequently, simplistic, text-heavy websites are no longer sufficient. These are often websites created with outdated tools like Frontpage 95. They no longer meet current user expectations. Search engine standards have also changed. Indeed, it’s time to fully embrace rich media. This will enhance user engagement and improve content delivery.
3.) Complain a lot
Hey, it seemed to work for Daniweb this time around. While in all seriousness, it may not work for you as well as it did for Dani, the Google Webmaster Forums are always a great place to look for advice when you’ve run out of ideas for your content. With this update’s focus on content quality, this is the key area for consideration.
How was your site impacted? Leave a comment below and let us know how you’re recovering. We’d love to hear it.
