Panda 4.0 Roll Out confirmed by Matt Cutts

[EvilSaint]

Just saw a message on twitter from Matt Cutts alerting to an update of their Panda Algo Change...named 4.0.

Matt tweets just 8 minutes ago that there is an update to the "Payday Loans Algorithm" which is targetting "very spammy queries" at this stage.

[twitter.com...]

Wondering if anyone noticed a shuffle in site positioning already?

Algoroo is showing activity spikes over the past 4 days.

[EditorialGuy]

We've seen a nice jump in Google referrals and traffic over the past couple of days, with the biggest increase on Monday (the announced date of the Panda 4.0 rollout).

Our Google referrals on Monday were up by 130 percent. In quick checks of search queries, I'm seeing ranking improvements that remind me of the pre-Panda 1.0 days in some cases (e.g., we're back to no. 1 for a number of our top phrases where we'd been languishing near the bottom of page 1 or on page 2 of the search results).

I don't know if the changes will hold, but they're certainly the most positive sign that I've seen from Google since February, 2011.

[kenroar]

I am pulling out my hair. I've worked hard the past few months to overcome the Panda from March and was hoping to come out of it with the changes I made. Absolutely no change at all in the SERPS. I guess I'll have to start looking for work once again.

[CaptainSalad2]

EditorialGuy if you have seen an improvement since the weekend this will be from the payday loan update that targets "very spammy" queries correct?

[searchengineland.com...]

It cant be from Panda 4 if that's just starting to roll out and wont have settled for a few more days/week, so the question is.......why have so many of us have seen such positive results since the weekend for the "spammy query update", thoughts anyone?

[netmeg]

We don't know when Panda 4 started, and I've seen some recovery analytics that showed definite spikes on Monday and Tuesday from previously Panda'd sites. So yea, I think it's very possible to see new Panda results right now.

[turbocharged]

I'm seeing a mix of results and so far nothing dramatic.

What strikes me as odd is that thin Mapquest pages are now ranking above some business websites for certain terms. Why would Google rank Mapquest above commercial websites that include the same mapping information on their contact pages? I'm thinking in this case it must be because of layered penalties because an EMD or PMD is used on the business sites and Mapquest replicates the business name. Therefore the algo may be determining that the business sites are keyword stuffing when Mapquest is not. Whether or not this is part of Panda, it is a new issue I have not seen before this update. And since Mapquest does not link to the business websites, more traffic will be siphoned off by thin pages. Needless to say I'm not impressed with how small business websites, which have followed Google's many guidelines, must compete against thin pages that have a map, business name, business address, business telephone number and a block of four ads and an apparent large block of display space given to irrelevant hotel booking information.

[CaptainSalad2]

I saw a penguin 1 site move back to 3rd on Monday from years of being on page....damn I don't even know!.

Today im seeing the replacement site I built and have been running ever since (unique in everyway) move from 8th to 4th, so in my eyes the new panda is just rolling but who knows as it makes no sense for the penguin site to have recovered without a P update?

Side note, because of this I now have 2 sites for the same company domination 3rd/4th for a very sought after phrase in that industry, should I be worried? They both use unique info/design and aren't linked!

[edited by: CaptainSalad2 at 11:34 am (utc) on May 21, 2014]

[Broadway]

While I don't know how updates are rolled out, my site that has had panda problems since April 2011first showed evidence of a traffic increase at 5 p.m. (central, US) on Monday (5/19/2014).

[Mentat]

I see different results using different IP's, so Panda in not yet ready.

I believe this is a softer Panda, but in a strange way:

- Top 3-4 positions are now fixed authority
- next 4-5 positions and page 2 are prone to go much lower in rankings => new life for other sites.

The problem is that top positions are creating monsters.

[CaptainSalad2]

Barry says

Google also started rolling out Panda 4.0 yesterday

[seroundtable.com...]

[aok88]

I don't know if the changes will hold, but they're certainly the most positive sign that I've seen from Google since February, 2011.

I have to agree, this is the first time I have seen a couple sites I deal with actually get a nice jump in rankings after a Panda, instead of it always, always, always seemed to go down every Panda iteration. A ton of work has been done on the two sites to address Panda problems and I think it is actually working a bit! FINALLY!

mentat - how are you checking various data centers? I tried that just now and every tool has Google showing the sites down. Even when I try by looking up lists of Google data center ip addresses, every one has a 'server not found' issue.

[kevina]

@CaptainSalad2

I recovered from Panda Monday 20. This, thanks to my study of the Panda Patent (a previous topic has been dedicated to that).

[graeme_p]

Something happened earlier this week. Traffic up since Sunday night (UK time) and two days since have been up 50% or more - today looks set to be atleast as good.

I very much doubt its Panda 4 - none of my major competitors are more than moderately spammy and the timing was too early. That said, my niche is financial (but investment, not personal finance).

So something else has happened.

[kenroar]

Thanks for giving me hope that the new Panda just hasn't reached my website yet. It does indeed take several days or weeks to completely go through the system. I'm crossing my fingers.

[dethfire]

hmmm I haven't seen any change whatsoever. My sites must not have been affected or I didn't do enough. hmmm

[RedBar]

I don't know if the changes will hold, but they're certainly the most positive sign that I've seen from Google since February, 2011.

I'm on a "me too" with that as well, so far...if this does stick then G has certainly developed a new knob to twiddle:-)

[EditorialGuy]

CaptainSalad2, it's likely that Google was testing Panda 4.0 in the wild before the official rollout.

I doubt if the "Payday Loan algorithm" played a role in our Google traffic gains, since our topics don't attract many (any?) "very spammy queries."

In any case, Panda 4.0 has been announced, and our Google traffic has increased even more sharply over the last 36 hours, so I'm putting my money on the animal that eats shoots and leaves.

[Ecopac]

Hi all

I run a payday loan site and have seen pretty dramatic increases since Saturday, the first time I have had a positive update from an algorithm change. Traffic is up over 100% from the week before.

The site is pure white hat, hardly any backlinks (less than 50), its got some good articles in there and reviews etc so hopefully this means they're finally starting to pay more attention to quality content rather than the number of backlinks a site has.

[andrewc]

I saw a big spike in traffic on Monday and yesterday, but today things are a little bit relaxed. Could it be that i finally managed to get the penalty off my website?

What are your thoughts guys?

[7_Driver]

We were badly hit by Panda in April 2011 (First UK rollout).

This feels like the recovery we'd almost given up hope of ever seeing - with some very promising rankings. Fingers crossed it holds.

We've done a huge amount of work to recover - including NoIndexing a lot of pages - so we still have a lot of work ahead of us to recover traffic and revenue.

But at least now that we can rank for something other than our name, we have a platform we can build on.

Feeling very positive.

[andrewc]

@7_Driver, are you seeing the same things i do? I mean high traffic on monday and yesterday, and "relaxed" traffic today?

[RedBar]

What are your thoughts guys?

If your new traffic etc sticks by this weekend, congratulations.

[andrewc]

@RedBar, this is the first time we see a traffic spike in a panda update. Still, it's too early to understand what's happening and if we succeeded. I don't know exactly how things are supposed to evolve during a panda recovery as i had none.

[RedBar]

I don't know exactly how things are supposed to evolve during a panda recovery as i had none.

Me neither however things are looking much better so far.

[Catalyst]

I mainly track LOCAL results. And the top of the 7 pack is controlled by the organic ranking order.

So I would think I'd be seeing more local flux. Was hoping some of the spammy local results would drop, but I'm not seeing much change so far.

And the Local Weather Report isn't showing much of a shift. A little bump yesterday. So we'll have to wait and see what today looks like.

Anyone else seeing much shift in local results?

Linda Buquet

[keyplyr]

My site has regained most of the SERP position losses caused by the initial Panda damage (I did make the assumed changes.)

[MrSavage]

Who's getting drunk tonight? Yes I know it's too early to say. What is shocking to me is that this has been since 2011. That is incredible to me. I just numbed right out.

My main flagship site got pounded by the initial Panda. It was a continued pounding, drubbing and beating with each iteration thereafter. I can say there is an upward spike coinciding with this new Panda rollout. I'm not convinced just yet. I fear the beast far too much to let my guard down this quickly. I will say for me what I said back before this decline that all I needed was this one site and I could happily be a one man band webmaster making enough money to buy a few steak dinners a day. If this site sees light again, I'll be a born again Google fanboy. Period. (I only promise to be a fanboy up until they update with something else that taketh away)

[andrewc]

@ MrSavage @keyplyr the recovery began since Monday? How is your traffic today?


As i don't know how to react. My website had a spike in traffic on Monday and yesterday, but not today. Should I get drunk or back to work? :))

[aok88]

I am still seeing different results when I do a search from my office pc using my local ISP compared to using my phone which uses a major carrier for the Net (logged out of both). The latter is still the old results for every search I do.

So I am hoping this isn't done yet. But regardless, I am happy that I finally too have seen a Panda-whacked-badly site get some substantial rankings boosts, and more traffic, but very low conversions and a higher bounce rate, as if I am getting the wrong searchers compared to a week ago.

(However, isn't there a bit of a different algo for mobile? If that's the case then I could see how the results would differ a lot.)

[EditorialGuy]

isn't there a bit of a different algo for mobile?

Speaking of mobile, Google has never sent much traffic to our 200 or so mobile pages since we published them nearly a year and a half ago, but that's changed with this latest update. Finally our mobile pages are getting some respect!