Over the past 12 hours, Google has confirmed the rollout of two web spam updates: Panda 4.0 and Payday Loan 2.0. Panda 4.0 was confirmed by Matt Cutts on Twitter, while Payday Loan 2.0 was initially announced and later tweeted by Matt.
Google is rolling out the Panda 4.0 update starting today, as shared by Matt Cutts on Twitter. This past weekend, a ranking update for very spammy queries started rolling out, also announced by Matt Cutts.
As with all major algorithm updates, there has been significant speculation over the weekend, as SEOs and marketers around the globe started observing changes in the search engine results pages (SERPs) for their and their clients’ sites. There were initial rumors of an update early last week, but Google denied any update on Tuesday, May 13th.
Panda 4.0
Panda 4.0 appears to be the ‘softer update’ that was discussed in March, affecting different languages to varying extents. In English, it impacts approximately 7.5% of queries.
Using Google’s algorithm numbering system, it is likely this is a new update to the algorithm rather than just a data refresh. This is especially the case since Google now refreshes Panda monthly as part of the main algorithm. Early reports indicate that sites previously hit by Panda are seeing significant recoveries, suggesting that the update is indeed softer and more lenient, particularly for sites previously affected.
Payday Loan 2.0
Google initially launched the Payday Loan Algorithm last June, and a second update has been anticipated for some time. This update specifically targets ‘very spammy queries’ often associated with excessive web spam, including payday loans, insurance, accident claims, and similar topics. The goal is to prevent low-quality sites from appearing for these types of queries.
A Google spokesperson commented on the update, stating that it’s the next generation of an algorithm that originally rolled out last summer for very spammy queries. This international rollout affects different languages to varying extents, with English queries being affected at a noticeable rate of 0.2%.
Were You Affected?
Was your site or any of your clients’ sites affected by these updates, either positively or negatively? As with all updates, there are winners and losers. Sharing your experiences with the industry helps everyone better understand the true impact of these changes on various sites.
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