But wait… there’s more. Head of Google webspam team Matt Cutts announced on Twitter that Google was rolling out the latest data refresh for Penguin.
Is all this action coincidental or deliberate? Any guess would be speculation at this point, but many prominent webmaster news sources have already voiced their suspicions. On that note, let’s examine each update to discern what exactly went down.
The EMD Update
When Google announced the rollout of the new EMD Update during those last days of September, it came as little surprise to most webmasters. Google alluded to the change repeatedly as far back as 2010. Some niche site builders have ignored the threats entirely, opting instead to continue tempting fate by churning out low-quality websites en masse. These sites often hinged on exact match domains to help secure their position in the SERPs.
The EMD algorithm is actually a filter through which Google sifts every website it has in its index. Now, websites with exact match domain names and low-quality content won’t cruise by Panda undetected any longer. If you are the owner of such a website, prepare yourself. The EMD algorithm will periodically refresh its data just like Panda and Penguin do now, so even if you escape the first go ’round, you may get caught in a follow-up attack down the road.
There are already rumors flying around that every owner of an exact match domain website is doomed. The folks at Search Engine Land vehemently disagree. The thought is that websites with high-quality content and an eye on good user experience will remain untouched by the algo. This remains to be seen, however – we’ll find out for sure when the dust settles after all the changes over the next few weeks. According to a post on Search Engine Land about the EMD update:
“Is that Google just favoring itself? I wouldn’t say so. After all, it didn’t wipe out:
- Cars.com for “cars”
- Usedcars.com for “used cars”
- Cheaptickets.com for “cheap tickets”
- Movies.com for “movies”
- Skylightbooks.com for “books”
Instead, EMD is more likely hitting domains like online-computer-training-
Domains like this are often purchased by someone hoping that just having all the words they want to be found for (“online computer training schools”) will help them rank well. It’s true that there’s a small degree of boost to sites for having search terms in their domains with Google, in general. A very small degree.”
In theory, this amounts to five-page affiliate sites and websites made to host AdSense blocks getting the axe while all the rest of the higher-quality EMDs out there remain un-phased. Again, this is the theory. The real results will take a while to sort out.
One fact is certain, however: Google tends to roll out updates hastily and then tweak and perfect with each refresh. If you have a high-quality site with an EMD and you were hit, don’t despair. You may have a chance to come back in the SERPs as the algorithm refines further over time.
The Panda Update
It’s very interesting that Google rolled out the newest Panda algorithm update the day before the EMD algo, yet neglected to announce Panda until a few days after the announcement of EMD. If you follow Google’s changes, you’ll notice that Matt Cutts almost always announces updates directly before, or as they’re happening. This oversight seems like a deliberate move by G. If it is, the real question is, “Why the confusion?”
Some are speculating that the overlapping updates were an attempt to confuse webmasters and SEOs whose rankings would take a nosedive. It would be hard to decipher whether the hit was because of the EMD filter or due to Panda. When it’s hard to pinpoint the cause, it’s tougher to manipulate the rankings for a second time – forcing webmasters to play by the rules instead.
The Panda update is the twentieth refresh of the algorithm, and it was a big one: the change impacted roughly 2.4% of English-language search queries and it’s still baking into the index at the time of this writing. Remember, Panda deals with on-page issues such as keyword density and the overall quality of your content.
The Penguin Update
Penguin first burst on the SEO scene in late April of this year. It’s a separate algo, different from Panda in that it deals with inbound links to websites. If a website has a large number of low quality inbound links, Penguin will likely demote that site in the SERPs when the filter runs. The Penguin algorithm has only had one update so far, before the summer even began.
The latest makes the third update of Penguin, and it’s a major data refresh that will affect websites spanning many different languages. Think of Penguin as a periodic filter that Google runs to catch websites with sketchy backlink profiles.
The Way Forward
There’s quite a bit to digest here. We have three events rolling out simultaneously but completely independent of one another. Obviously, checking your stats now would be an important move – you’ll want the real-time data to analyze later. However, you can’t make a definitive call about what (if anything) hit your site until a couple of weeks pass.
When the dust settles, you’ll begin to see a little more clearly where your sites have relocated in the search result pages. That’s when it’s time to break out the stats and analyze site details such as your backlink profile, your content, and your domain name.
Do you have an EMD with thin, mediocre content? Then the EMD update probably hit you. Don’t have an exact match domain, do have great backlinks but still felt the sting? Then it was likely Panda. Everything beautiful onsite but backlinks include some shady websites? Blame Penguin.
Once you know what hit your website, you can take corrective actions to fix the errors. The downside? You’ll have to wait until the refresh of the suspected algorithm attack to see if your website will bounce back. The upside? With a little work and the right analysis, your website’s position in the SERPs can be restored.
