Matt Cutts has, rather unusually, given webmasters a warning about an impending update (refresh) to the Google Panda Algorithm. Speaking at SMX West Conference in San Jose, California, Cutts was grilled for information by keen-eared SEOs and digital marketers on when the next updates will be released and confirmed the next update will be coming soon.
“Cutts confirmed that the leaner, meaner Panda is expected on Friday 15th or Monday 18th of March”
Cutts confirmed that the leaner, meaner Panda is expected to be released into the wild on either Friday 15th or Monday 18th of March 2013 and will be setting its sights on further cleansing the web of thin and poor content.
The last update was announced on the 22nd of January, and affected approximately 1.2% of English queries. We can fully expect this update to have just as significant an impact.
Here at Strategy we will be watching our Analytics statistics for any improvements in traffic as our clients are rewarded for having great content. If, however, you hear the words “Panda Update” and are struck down with fear, then the chances are this refresh will almost certainly affect your site, so make sure to keep both eyes firmly on the watch for any changes.
Return of the Penguin?
Matt Cutts was also quizzed on the next release of the Google over-optimisation penalty, A.K.A ‘Penguin’.
Cutts was rather coy on the release date for this algorithm update; however he was clear on the fact that the next development will be a big one.
The last Penguin update was back in October 2012. However, it was relatively minor. The last major refresh of the Penguin algorithm was way back in May 2012 so Google has had plenty of time to add modifications and upgrades to its killer penguin!
So there you have it. Get out your hard hats and protective vests and prepare for battle as the Google Zoo is making a comeback. You have been warned!