Matt Cutts Confirms New Panda Algorithm

What is Panda 4.0?

Matt Cutts confirmed Tuesday evening that Google began releasing the Panda 4.0 update. Matt Cutts revealed to Search Engine Land that this algorithm update will impact ~7.5 percent of English queries. This update comes just a few days after Google released an update to their Spam Algorithm over the weekend, which specifically targets very spammy queries such as “payday loans.”

What Does It Mean?

Websites in the most danger of seeing a dip in their site rankings are those with low-quality content. This is the most recent development in the seemingly never-ending battle between Google and site developers who continue to try and “game” the system, taking shortcuts that lead to low quality sites that rank highly in search results. The MozCast began spiking late last week and shot up Monday night. This also coincides with the chatter around the SEO world for the past 10 days about a possible update. 

What are the Next Steps?

These updates mean more than ever that Google rewards those with the highest quality content. As an internet marketing agency, our focus should continue to be on providing users with valuable content that is unique, engaging, and shareable. So far, we haven’t noticed any large changes, but we’ll continue to monitor Analytics in the coming weeks and keep you apprised of any updates.

Have you seen a dip in your site traffic? Join the conversation below!