The document outlines significant updates to Google's algorithms, focusing on Panda and Penguin, which aim to enhance the quality of search results by penalizing low-quality content and spammy practices. It details the development, history, and recovery strategies associated with these updates, along with methods for assessing and improving website quality. Additionally, it discusses other updates like Exact Match Domain and Page Layout, as well as the implications of manual actions taken by Google.

1. Pubcon NOLA 2014
Algo Chaos

2. Algo Chaos - Overview
About Me
• Senior SEO Strategist, Globe Runner
• Brand Ambassador, Majestic SEO
• Personal Blog: www.BillHartzer.com
• Based in Dallas, Texas area

3. Algo Chaos - Overview
Overview
• Recent Major Google Updates
- Panda, Penguin, EMD, Page Layout, EMD, Authorship
• Google Knowledge Graph
• Manual Actions
• Sample Manual Actions - Revoked
• Future Google Algo Updates

4. Algo Chaos – Google Panda
What is Google Panda?
• Ranking factor added to the Google algorithm
• Filter designed to identify ‘low quality pages’.
• Provides better rankings for high-quality sites
• Panda is integrated into algorithm, after two years
• Named after Google engineer Navneet Panda

5. Algo Chaos – Google Panda
How Google Panda Was Developed
• Google Engineer came up with questions, sent questions to
human quality testers
• Testers rated based on quality, design, trustworthiness, speed,
whether they would return to site
• Google came up with definition of “low quality”
• Launched Personal Chrome Site Blocker extension earlier.
• Allowed us to specify sites we want blocked from SERPs
• Compared data from both sources (Raters and Chrome
Blocker), and had 84 percent overlap, indicating on right track
• Came up with Classifier to indicate Low Quality vs. High Quality
Sites, to be used mathematically in Google Panda.

6. Algo Chaos – Google Panda
Google Panda History
• Rolled Out to US sites on February 24, 2011
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/finding-more-high-quality-sites-in.html
• Rolled out Globally to English language users on April 11, 2011
• Also began to roll out data from sites that users block
• Latest update Panda #25 — March 14, 2013
- Panda updates now on rolling update schedule
• Panda Dance, Panda Recovery, June and July 2013

7. Algo Chaos – Google Panda
Google Panda Update History
• Panda/Farmer — February 23, 2011
• Panda 2.0 — April 11, 2011
• Panda 2.1 — May 9, 2011
• Panda 2.2 — June 21, 2011
• Panda 2.3 — July 23, 2011
• Panda Goes Global (2.4) — August 12, 2011
• Panda 2.5 — September 28, 2011
• Panda "Flux" — October 5, 2011
• Panda 3.1 — November 18, 2011
• Panda 3.2 — January 18, 2012
• Panda 3.3 — February 27, 2012
• Panda 3.4 — March 23, 2012
• Panda 3.5 — April 19, 2012
• Panda 3.6 — April 27, 2012
• Panda 3.7 — June 8, 2012
• Panda 3.8 — June 25, 2012
• Panda 3.9 — July 24, 2012
• Panda 3.9.1 — August 20, 2012
• Panda 3.9.2 — September 18, 2012
• Panda #20 — September 27, 2012
• Panda #21 — November 5, 2012
• Panda #22 — November 21, 2012
• Panda #23 — December 21, 2012
• Panda #24 — January 23, 2013
• Panda #24 — March 14, 2013
• Panda Dance — June 11, 2013
• Panda Recovery — July 18, 2013
See the Google Algorithm Change History:
http://moz.com/google-algorithm-change

8. Algo Chaos – Google Panda
Were You Hit by Panda?
• Look at your web analytics
• Sites affected had traffic loss starting in February, 2011.
• Google Analytics for your site (Web Trends, Omniture, etc.)
• SEM Rush for most sites (SEMRush.com)
• How many sites recover?
http://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/google-panda/

9. Algo Chaos– Google Panda
Recovering from Google Panda
• Make sure all content on site is “high quality”
• Review Google’s List:
23 Questions to assess quality
http://bit.ly/1gHZzQb
• Identify and remove least-visited pages
• Take out the trash, so to speak.
• Prevent Pogosticking from SERPs.
• Wait until next Panda update to see recovery (about a month)

10. Algo Chaos – Google Panda vs. Penguin
Panda vs. Penguin
• Panda focuses on sites providing a bad user experience
- Sites with low quality content
• Penguin focuses on spamdexing and link bombing.

11. Algo Chaos – Google Penguin
What is Google Penguin?
Google: “algorithm change targeted at webspam.”
http://insidesearch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/another-step-to-reward-high-quality.html
Goal is to “decrease rankings for sites that violate Google’s
Quality Guidelines”.
http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35769#3
Examples:
• Keyword Stuffing, Over Optimization
• Unusual linking patterns (outgoing links)

12. Algo Chaos – Google Penguin
Google Penguin Update History
• First reported April 24, 2012
• Penguin #2 — May 25, 2012
• Penguin #3 — October 5, 2012 (0.3 percent of queries)
• Penguin 2.0 (#4) — May 22, 2013
• Penguin 2.1 (#5) — October 4, 2013

13. Algo Chaos – Google Penguin
Were You Hit by Google Penguin?
• Look at Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools, review dates
of Google Updates.

14. Algo Chaos – Google Penguin
Recovering from Google Penguin
• Perform a full SEO Audit of web site
- Identify and fix problem areas on site that violate Google
guidelines (keyword stuffing, over optimization, etc.)
• Review Google Webmaster Tools for messages, suggestions
• Perform full link analysis of site
- Download links from Majestic SEO, Moz Open Site Explorer, a
hrefs, etc.
- Review anchor text, clean up links to site
- LinkResearchTools.com for further cleanup
• Disavow Links to Site, Ping, force crawls of disavowed links
• Link Research Tools’ Link Detox Boost claims quick recovery
• Work on Authority, trust of site
• Wait until next Penguin update to see recovery

15. Google Algo Chaos – Exact Match Domain Update
EMD Update
• Exact-Match Domain (EMD) Update — September 27, 2012
Should be called the “Commercial Phrase” Update. But for PR purposes, I realize why
Google calls it the “EMD” update.
• Google targeted “commercial phrases” with this update.
• AdWords CPC Cost + # Searches Per Month = Commercial Phrase
Example:
$5.00 CPC + 20,000 Searches Per Month = Commercial Phrase
• Valuable Domain Names include Keywords (commercial phrases)
• Not all keyword rich domains affected
• Sites without keyword rich domains were affected
• Recover by cleaning up your link profile, especially anchor text
• Link Profiles should have 70 percent or more “brand” anchor text,
company name, URL as anchor text.

16. Algo Chaos – Page Layout Update
Google Page Layout Update
• Page Layout #2 — October 9, 2012
• Targets pages with too many ads “above the fold”
• Algo proof: content above fold, minimal ads above fold.
• Page Layout #3 — February 6, 2014
http://selnd.com/1qNV6DE

17. Algo Chaos – Knowledge Graph Update
Knowledge Graph Update
• Knowledge Graph Expansion — December 4, 2012
• Added KG functionality to non-English queries
• Get your site, business into the Knowledge Graph.
• TIP: get listed in Freebase.com, part of KG.

18. Algo Chaos – Google Manual Actions
Manual Actions in Webmaster Tools
• Partial Match – affects certain pages
• Full Match – affects whole site
• Unnatural links – both require link cleanup, review

19. Algo Chaos – Manual Actions
Manual Actions – Unrelated to
Penguin
• Unnatural link warnings are not related to Google Penguin
• Sites affected by Penguin should clean up links
• Manual actions more severe, require reconsideration request

20. Algo Chaos – Manual Actions
Getting Manual Actions Revoked
Unnatural Links? Clean up links, document everything.
• Identify all links to site
• Combine GWT, Majestic SEO, Ahrefs, OSE links
• Manually review links (Link Research Tools can help)
• Identify links to remove
• Contact site owners, document emails, contact dates, etc.
• 3 attempts to contact site owners
• Disavow links not removed
Request Review: include letter, spreadsheet with data proof

21. Algo Chaos – Manual Actions
Sample Manual Action Revoked
• 52,252 Total Links to Site
• 217 referring root domains
• 693 Healthy Links
• 709 Inorganic Links
• 569 “live” inorganic links to get removed (including nofollow links).
After three attempts over 3 weeks to contact site owners via email:
• 296 site owners responded
• 12 sites refused to remove the links
• 257 links were successfully removed based on our email requests
• 27 links – site owners requested payment to remove the links
• 2 links – we were unable to contact site owners
• 274 links – site owners were completely unresponsive after 3 contacts
• 256 links were removed as a result of our link removal efforts

22. Algo Chaos – Manual Actions
Sample Manual Action Revoked
• Kept track of all URLs, Status of URL, Dates, and emails
• Added all data into spreadsheet
• Uploaded spreadsheet to Google Docs
• Wrote letter explaining process, linked to Google Docs spreadsheet

23. Algo Chaos – Google Authorship Update
Google Authorship Shakeup
• Technically, not a Google algorithm update, but verified by G.
• Authorship Shake-up — December 19, 2013
• Authorship results in search are being intentionally reduced
Authorshippocalypse
http://bit.ly/1fUQ2Jk
Authorship Photos in SERPs Reduced
http://bit.ly/1d8TfGe

24. Algo Chaos – Google Future Updates
Google Future Updates
• Google Panda Update coming – softer on small businesses
• Panda Updates are monthly
• Penguin Updates are 6 months between roll-outs
• Manual Actions - Severity of infraction can affect length of time
a site will be penalized
• Manual Actions – Average site is looking at 6-12 months to
recover from a penalty even after cleaning it up
• If you get hit by Panda or Penguin you HAVE to wait to for data
refresh of that filter

25. Algo Chaos – Thank You
THANK YOU
Contact Me
Bill Hartzer
Senior SEO Strategist
Globe Runner SEO
Email: Bill@GlobeRunnerSEO.com
Mobile: (214) 236-4378
Office: (972) 538-0260 Ext. 7076
Direct: (469) 645-1231
Web: http://www.globerunner.com
Blog: http://www.billhartzer.com
Twitter: @bhartzer