Panda and Penguin have rocked the SEO world in 2012, leading to the demise of keyword stuffing and artificial link-building. The updates propelled websites with top-notch content and organic backlinks to the top of the search results while punishing those with unoriginal, spammy, or poor content.
Both Panda and Penguin put emphasis on organic SEO techniques and made it clear that inorganic SEO strategies are not reliable in the long run. But powerful as these updates have been, they were in no way definitive. Google has more algorithm updates in store for us.
New Panda and Penguin Updates are Coming
Google’s well-known Matt Cutts recently said during an SMX conference that a new Panda update will be released on March 15. It will be the second Panda update this year. The first came on January 22.
As always, it’s unclear what effects the new update will have, or how many sites will be affected. The Panda update in January affected about 1.2% of search queries. It may be that the new one will have a similar impact.
What we can infer from the information we have so far is that the update will likely promote good SEO and especially organic SEO techniques.
Interestingly, Cutts also mentioned that a massive Penguin update will be soon released. It may turn out to be one of the most talked-about algorithm updates in 2013.
What the Updates Mean to You
Google is keen on improving the search experience for users. It wants to cement its reputation as the world’s most popular and accessible search engine. It also wants to stay accurate. In other words, the updates are good news for users.
Website owners, for their part, should assess the state of their SEO and see what improvements they can make to improve the quality of their content. Site owners who have suffered from previous Penguin or Panda updates will especially want to invest in improving their SEO. Otherwise, they run the risk of seeing their ranking slump again.
This is probably the best time of the year to hire expert SEO services to improve your site before the Panda and Penguin updates kick in. Make organic SEO techniques your priority and whatever new updates Google releases you’ll have nothing to fear.