In February 2011, Google released a brand new search engine algorithm called Panda in an attempt to filter out the spammy based sites (sites that contain a lot of advertisements), in addition to websites that were using black-hat SEO (techniques such as hidden keywords) against sites with high quality content. Upon its release, thousands of websites using established search engine optimization techniques that undermined the Google Quality Guidelines immediately plummeted in the rankings. This update left business owners in a state of panic, scrambling to understand the proper search engine optimization techniques to use within the new algorithm, and Google wasn’t making their job any easier. Google continued to release updates to the Panda algorithm making it even more difficult for businesses to gain a foothold on the new search engine optimization techniques.

While many websites did take a major hit after Panda’s release, most business owners have been able to overcome their search engine optimization failures in the new algorithm, and have rebuilt their sites to protect themselves from further penalties. There are still a number of websites out there that constantly being evaluated by Google Panda, and are at risk for falling in ranking if the proper precautions aren’t taken.

As a business owner, it is essential that you stay on top of Google’s latest search engine algorithm updates to avoid a disastrous situation for your website. To prevent any Google Panda penalties from occurring, consider the following search engine optimization techniques:

• Remove Duplicate Content. If duplicate content exists on your website, remove it now to avoid a free fall in the rankings. In the past, duplicate content may have only affected one section of your site, but with Panda, your entire website is at risk. Use online software to determine if duplicate pages exist, and fix them using such methods as meta directives, canonical tags or 301 redirects. If you have a lot of duplicate content, be sure to find the cause of the problem and address it immediately to avoid any issues in the index.
• Remove Content of Low Value. Panda is looking for high quality websites for Google users, meaning those sites with poor content will be pushed into obscurity. To earn high SEO keyword rankings in Phoenix or another city, remove low quality content from your site to achieve the results you are looking for in a campaign for online marketing. Use your analytics to determine which pages have poor metrics, such as low visitor count, low time spent on page and high bounce rates. While you can just simply delete content with poor metrics, you also have the option of consolidating content onto one page that will offer more value.
• Add Value to Thin Content Pages. Some sites have pages with very little original content, but which are necessary for navigation purposes. These pages are typically directory pages with a long list of hyperlinks, such as those you would find on a travel site. While thin content pages are a target for Google Panda, it may not make practical sense for a business to simply delete them. Instead, businesses can improve upon thin content pages by adding a few paragraphs of original content, photos or videos. Another option would be to move thin pages to subdomains.
• Create High Quality Unique Content. To achieve high SEO keyword rankings in Phoenix or any other city throughout the country, it is essential that your content offer the user something of value. All content should be easy to read and understand, and should offer valuable, interesting information. Online marketing companies, such as Fasturtle, have teams of professional copywriters that can write meaningful site content using search engine optimization strategies that will yield good results in Google Panda.

Utilizing the above search engine optimization techniques will allow you to avoid the penalties given by Google Panda, and will help you to gain strong SEO keyword rankings in Phoenix or wherever your business may be located.

If you are interested in gaining a little extra edge in the search engine rankings, trust in the online marketing experts at Fasturtle. Our team of search engine optimization professionals understands Google’s algorithms, and always stays up to date on the latest search engine optimization techniques. To learn more about how we can help your business with a search engine optimization campaign, please call Fasturtle at (888) 468-8785 or contact us online.