Panda Ranking Signals SEMNE June 15

The Google Panda Update and Beyond

Who Am I?
Co-author of The Art of SEO
President of Stone Temple Consulting
20+ person SEO and PPC firm
Trainer for Instant E-Training
Founder of Web Site Publishing Companies
Publish web sites, grow them, then sell them
2 significant exits so far
On Twitter: @stonetemple

What was it all about?
Panda targeted at content farms?
Broader than that
Real Question: How good is your content?
User engagement (compared to competition)
Content Quality
@stonetemple

How Ranking Used to Work 24% Trust/Authority of Domain 22% Link Popularity of Page 20% InBound Anchor Text 15% Keyword Usage 7% Traffic / Click-Through Data 6% Social Graph Metrics 5% Registration / Hosting Data Source SEOmoz Ranking Factors Survey (2009) @stonetemple

What it Might Look Like Now 20% Trust / Authority of Domain 18% Trust / Authority of Page 16% Inbound Anchor Text 12% Engagement Signals 11% Keyword Usage 10% Content Quality 9% Social Media 4% Registration / Hosting Source: ME 20% 18% 16% 11% 10% 12% 9% 4% @stonetemple

= @stonetemple

Manual Classification of Test Sites Test Site Set Manual Analysis usa.gov mit.edu ehow.com suite101.com Good! Bad! usa.gov mit.edu ehow.com suite101.com Human raters Chrome Blocklist Ext. Blocked Search Results @stonetemple

Extracting Key Parameters Good Sites Bad Sites 1. Unique Content 2. Low Bounce Rates ... Good Site Characteristics Parameter Extraction Bad Site Characteristics 1. No Unique Content 2. High Bounce Rates ... @stonetemple

Running the Algo All Sites Web Site Classifier usa.gov mit.edu ehow.com suite101.com Good! Bad! @stonetemple

Scoring the Algo Algo Classified Manual Classified Good! Bad! Good! Bad! Doc 1 Doc 3 Doc 5 Doc 7 ... Doc 1 Doc 2 Doc 5 Doc 7 ... Doc 2 Doc 4 Doc 6 Doc 8 ... Doc 3 Doc 4 Doc 6 Doc 8 ... +1 -1 +1 +1 -1 +1 +1 +1 Score: 4 @stonetemple

Tuning the Algo All Sites Algo Score the Algorithm Parameter Adjustments Output Data Manual Data @stonetemple

Myths @stonetemple

No way to get whitelisted http://searchengineland.com/google-weve-made-no-significant-changes-to-the-farmer-update-66591 @stonetemple

There is no blacklist @stonetemple

Tools for Measuring Behavior @stonetemple

66 to 67% market share in the US @stonetemple

@stonetemple

AdSense
CTR on AdSense ads is another signal
Low CTRs is an indicator of a spammy page
Another indicator: Ad Bounce rates
http://www.bayardo.org/ps/kdd2009.pdf
@stonetemple

@stonetemple

Toolbar Sees All!
Everywhere you surf!
Bounce rate
Time on site
Page views per visitor
Repeat visitors
Where users go when they leave your site
@stonetemple

Google Reader (56%) @stonetemple

Walled Garden – No Problem! @stonetemple

Android Source: comScore via Gigaom @stonetemple

The New Kid on the Block! @stonetemple

User Behavior @stonetemple

Search Results Interaction @stonetemple

Bounce Rate
Google Analytics
Did the user view only one page?
Google Toolbar
One page? How long on page?
Search Results Interaction
Time between click through to back to results
@stonetemple

Time on Site
Hard to measure with Analytics
Measures time from 1 st page view to start of last page view
Easier to measure with Google Toolbar
Can see when they go to another site
@stonetemple

Pages Per Visit
Easy to measure in analytics
Easy to measure with the Google Toolbar
@stonetemple

Brand Searches @stonetemple

Print Pages @stonetemple

Scroll Bar Usage @stonetemple

Social Metrics @stonetemple

Searcher Ratings @stonetemple

Chrome Blocklist Extension @stonetemple

A Direct Thumbs Down! @stonetemple

Site Previews @stonetemple

Use of Site Preview
Users sees a snapshot of your site
What if they get a preview but don’t click?
@stonetemple

+1 Usage in Search Results @stonetemple

+1 for Websites Available Too @stonetemple

Content Analysis @stonetemple

Reading Level @stonetemple

Spelling! Zappos Spending Millions to Edit User Generated Comments @stonetemple

Keyword Stuffing @stonetemple

Synonyms @stonetemple

Ad Density @stonetemple

Sameness Do we really Need 2.54 Million Results? @stonetemple

1 st Sample Site on Frogs
Here is some info on Frogs:
Frogs are green
Frogs live in water
Frogs like to jump
Frogs are not toads
Thanks for reading our article on frogs.
@stonetemple

2 nd Sample Site on Frogs
Frogs are interesting creatures partly because they are green. Many people do not realize that they are not toads. Frogs like to jump and live in water.
@stonetemple

3 rd Sample Site on Frogs
While often confused with toads, frogs are not the same as toads. Here are some key facts:
Color: green
Habitat: Water
Locomotion: Jumping
@stonetemple

User Interaction
This user wants to know what frogs eat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN37Fn3Hw8E&feature=related
@stonetemple

Must Find Ways to Add Value Manufacturer Supplied Text? @stonetemple

Panda is a Fundamental Shift @stonetemple

1998 - 2010 SEO Mindset? @stonetemple

@stonetemple

Sites hit by Panda want this … @stonetemple

But this is more likely … @stonetemple

Panda Recoveries To Date @stonetemple

Classic Marketing
Target Audience
What they want
Unique Selling Proposition
Engaging Experience
Effective Promotion
@stonetemple

Some Ideas
Establish Authority
Unique Viewpoint
New Information / Data
User Generated Content
Kill weak pages
Offer unique tools
New media (videos)
@stonetemple

Be Surgical @stonetemple

Be Heartless @stonetemple

Know the Goal @stonetemple

Thank You!
Eric Enge
[email_address]
@stonetemple
(508) 485-7751
www.stonetemple.com
For a One Sheet SEO Checklist, email me, or drop off a business card

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Panda Ranking Signals SEMNE June 15

by Eric Enge on Jun 16, 2011

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Panda Ranking Signals SEMNE June 15 — Presentation Transcript