Panda 4.2 – Where is it Now?

A well known phrase in the world of inbound marketing, Content is King, can backfire in the face of SEO agencies worldwide yet again.

The current algorithm update, Panda 4.2, is going to put our content and strategies to the test once more. Since Panda is rolling out very slowly and through unpredictable ways – SEO Gurus remain silent, hoping for the best. So if you start searching for clarifications on this matter, you might read titles like this one:

Not a major update!

Actually, there are few valid information on what can we expect when this algorithm update rolls out completely, and we have no idea how “big” it actually could be. Yet, we are all well aware of the rules of this game and we know how important it is to be informed on the latest Google algorithm changes.

Now, here is a detailed track of the Panda update thus far. If you believe that your agency has implemented some of the questionable strategies from the list down below, we can possibly control that damage.

1. The Slowest Roll-out Yet

Pandas are surely not famous for their speed, but this particular mammal is really taking its time. After 10 months of announcing this update, the official release was on July 18. Google’s very own Garry Illas announced the update at the SMX Advanced conference, and he is battling with apocalyptic assumptions on a daily basis.

Whoever came up with the idea that having 404s gives a site any sort of penalty, you’re wrong. Utterly wrong.

— Gary Illyes (@methode) August 6, 2015

Until now, Google reported that only 2% – 3 % of the English language websites are affected. However, the fact that this update is taking its sweet time might just mean that you will notice the possible changes later in the following period. Why is it so slow? Because of technical stuff, Google claims mysteriously.

2. High Quality Content remains dominant factor

If you are one of the “lucky” ones in those 2% to 3% that are affected this far, one thing is for sure – your content is everything but good. Of course, the Panda updates are concentrated solely on evaluation of content, meaning that any attempt at keyword stuffing or poorly written content will be heavily penalized.

This is something that we’ve established years ago, so it comes as no surprise. You can find the legendary MOZ list of algorithm updates here to understand what you should receive content-wise from your agency.

3. Is Panda Changing during this Roll-out?

There are a lot of speculations that Panda is actually changing its update in the process of rolling out. SEL news editor Barry Schwartz is constantly on the case and he feels like the update is actually under manual edit, and that that is the actual reason for constant stalling.

One thing that everyone knows for sure is that Google will remain silent on this matter, and we will have to be patient for at least a couple more months to draw the final conclusion.

Now, if you’re sure you’ve been deploying only white hat SEO and content strategies, Panda 4.2 shouldn’t worry you. Of course, there’s always some space for improvements for both Google’s algorithms and your website, so make sure you’re on the right track.