The word is that Google did another update of Panda last week, which would be the 24th refresh since it was first launched in February 2011. This latest update seems to have had an impact on about 1.2% of queries made in English to the search engine. The earlier update, the 23rd, had an effect on about 1.3% of English queries.
Google Panda updates have been happening regularly since February 2011, and each update has a noticeable effect on search engine results. About four weeks passes between every update.
The latest update is significant, but it is not nearly as large as the earlier updates of Google. When Google Panda first came out, about 12% of US queries were affected.
The original idea behind the Panda algorithm updates was to take punitive action against ‘content farms,’ which were used to gain top search engine placement with content that was of low quality.
The Panda updates have continued to get headlines since they came onto the SEO scene two years ago. This is because while most of the changes are subtle and are not easy to see, Google Panda has had a big effect on search engine results. Many companies have lost much ground for their desired keyword phrases.
Most of the updates seem to affect about 1% of search queries in English. If you want to maintain your website’s search engine ranking, the key is to have plenty of original, keyword-dense content.
Google continues to come up with plenty of changes and new things to keep us on our toes, such as Google Glass. Google Now also has seen a major refresh lately that the search giant hopes to use to make Now a more central part of our smart phone lives.