Though there have been cases of sites being wrongly victimized by Panda and Penguin, Google has given the owners of such sites an option to send their sites for review so that it can uplift the ban/penalty if it’s really a genuine case. Then there are manual webspam warnings, too. In short, there are many, many worries today for those who’ve spent their lives avoiding Google’s guidelines. But there’s, as always, a way out.
Your first step after getting attacked by Google Panda or Penguin Update should ideally be to use webmaster tools for getting the exact picture of what Google thinks about your site. If the notice by Google reads ambiguous and unclear, you can always go to Google’s webmaster SEO forum for more advice. It’s important to know what to fix before taking any course of action.
Also Read: Can You Disavow Out Of Penguin?
After Google Panda Update, your content should be compelling enough that its readers get bound to share it on their social networks. Content should now be that king who is much talked about and has a good number of admirers or followers – or else content is the king of less significance to Google.
Moreover, flush out those rank-claiming content sins. Thin content, which includes a heavy template footprint, content farms, duplicate content, empty content pages, and a high ad rate to content, should be completely avoided. And keep in mind that everything you write should have its own value so that the chances of your write-ups getting popular can increase. Therefore, avoid re-written content, which doesn’t give value, as well.
Also Read: Google Panda Update: Does It Offer A Better User Experience?
Yes, in the pre-Panda world, Google didn’t care about your social signals (Matt Cutts even confirmed it in an interview in the mid of 2010). But soon after Panda came into existence, this changed. (In fact, in December 2010 Google started claiming that it uses social signals as a factor in ranking a site, but this became more prominent and robust after Panda.)
Your social strategy should now not be limited to community building. It should also be about getting the best from associating your name with your content, so you get headshots in search results and higher rankings.
By targeting the pages with high bounce rates, you can enhance the quality of your site. Edit the content of such pages, or change/remove it completely in case it comes under the content sins we have already mentioned. Adding a suggestion fly-box – clicking on which would redirect the reader to another post/page from your blog/site – on that page would also be of good help.
Wondering how would this help you? If yes, then you’re missing out on the fact that your website visitors come from mobiles, tablets, and phablets as well. In order to ensure that these visitors have a wonderful experience of your site, you should either make a separate mobile site or a responsive site. Doing this will also increase your direct traffic diversity, another significant post-Panda ranking factor. Google itself recommends all of us to go mobile, too.
“Penguin? We can fix it in as less as $50.” If you really think they can, then only the vultures will fly on your site, only to bid its culmination. Always remember that neither Panda nor Penguin has a quick fix. They can be fixed, but only gradually and with consistent efforts. Attempt to first fix the things Google finds spammy on your site. It might have problems with some of your links, content, optimization techniques, etc.
Because this is what ultimately Google wants – no spam, no manipulations! And we’re not talking about the facade of your site here, because Google’s artificial intelligence is smart enough to detect your manipulative ways – if not today, might be tomorrow! So, instead of building 1000s of spammy links, focus on quality, hard-earned, and, of course, relevant links. Instead of creating unnecessary pages in your site, make sure that the content of your existing pages is wondrous enough to convert visitors into customers. Instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, focus on diversity.
Simply put, don’t waste your life finding the loopholes in Google’s algorithm; just abide by its guidelines and get the most out of your SEO efforts.
The questions, as well as dissenting comments, are welcome. Share with us how you responded to Panda, Penguin, or Google’s manual webspam warning.
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