Panda 4.1 – The Biggest Winners and Losers of Google’s Latest Algorithm Update

The Panda 4.1 update that continues to roll out this week has affected sites in different ways since it was released, with some sites witnessing better results than others. Last week Google confirmed Panda 4.1 would utilise the feedback received from users and webmasters alike to further improve the process of identifying low quality content.

What Is It Targeting?

So what is the Panda update looking at specifically? What we know is that these changes to the Panda algorithm will affect between three and five percent of search queries depending on the location of the user.

We’re also aware that Google are focusing on assisting the competitiveness of some of the smaller businesses who are looking to rival bigger, more established companies.

Who’s Been Affected?

Shortly after the update, SearchMetrics released some of the data collected as a result of a survey that focused on the overall effects of Panda 4.1. The earliest reports indicate that news, content and download sites have been the biggest winners, whilst those that have suffered include the lyrics, games and medical realms.

For example, medterms.com has been hit severely by the latest Panda update, with 40% of their SEO visibility being lost. Other sites that have been negatively affected by Panda 4.1 include ehow.com and hallmark.com.

According to SearchEngineLand, office365.com and hubpages.com have also lost out, although both have switched to new URLs and this could also be related to an SEO drop.

It’s also good news for those who have worked hard on their site since Panda 4.0 was released, with Google looking to reward those who were previously affected. Once again, it’s down to those who witness a fall in search ranking after Panda 4.1 to alter their site and discover where it is they are going wrong.

Future Panda Updates

The Panda updates have always been widely reported, mainly because they surprise and appear without an official prior announcement from Google.

However, despite stating in the past that any future Panda update wouldn’t be confirmed, Google have (for the second time this year) decided to tell users about the changes to their algorithm and contradict their previous statement.

Despite there being a reported set of winners and losers as a result of Panda 4.1, it goes without saying that this is not as significant an update as Panda 4.0, which reportedly affected around 7.5% of search queries.

However, Analysts have said that the emerging pattern of updates seems to point towards a quarterly update schedule for Panda, which is a change to the monthly updates we saw back in 2012.

How Could It Affect You?

If you are one of many who were penalised as a result of Panda 4.0, you should be able to find out whether or not your efforts to change your site for the better have been worthwhile in the near future, regardless of the specific topic or realm your online business is associated with.

To learn more about Google algorithms and how the Panda 4.1 update could affect your ranking capabilities, talk to the experts here at Artemis Marketing. We can help your site achieve the best possible rankings through expert online marketing techniques and a vast amount of SEO knowledge.