Google Panda 4.2 – Algorithm Refresh

Tens months have passed since Google’s last Panda update. Now it’s time for a refresh, again. Here comes Google Panda 4.2 — though, as Google points out, it will take several months for the complete roll-out.

Here’s a quick Google Panda recap: The first update was announced by Google in Feb 2011. There have been four in 2015, including Mobilegeddon in April. Google’s apparent purpose is to promote quality content and reduce web spam. Panda 4.2 is the 28^th iteration of Panda updates, and was announced by Google’s John Mueller and Gary Illyes on July 18. According to Search Engine Land, 2-3% of search queries are affected by this refresh, and it may take months to see the results of any changes. Gary Illyes also confirms on Twitter that the rollout will be on a global scale:

What does this mean to websites?

1. Sites that were hit by Panda 4.1 and have since taken remedial measures now have a chance to regain rankings. Since the rollover effect is still to be witnessed in detail, many webmasters are not really feeling the heat.

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2. Quality content will continue, in part, to determine SEO and search ranking. Websites with good quality and original content achieve greater significance in the eyes of the search giant.

Position² PoV

Our thoughts and recommendations haven’t changed from what we said about Google Panda 4.1.  This new iteration is a refresh. We continue to recommend that our clients develop unique and original content on their sites and avoid thin content. Overall content placement should be aimed at users and should provide quality information in a way that is easy for a user to understand.

Let us know your thoughts about this update in the comments section below.