Google Panda
{{short description|Change to Google's search results ranking algorithm}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2014}}
Google Panda is an algorithm used by the Google search engine, first introduced in February 2011. The main goal of this algorithm is to improve the quality of search results by lowering the rankings of websites with "low-quality content".{{cite web|url=https://searchengineland.com/how-google-panda-places-updates-created-a-rollercoaster-ride-for-iyp-traffic-101683|title=How Google Panda & Places Updates Created A Rollercoaster Ride For IYP Traffic|publisher=Search Engine Land|access-date=April 11, 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.oreilly.com/ideas/media-in-the-age-of-algorithms|title=Media in the age of algorithms|last=O'Reilly|first=Tim|date=2016-11-16|newspaper=O'Reilly Media|access-date=2016-11-17}}{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2016/11/29/everything-you-need-to-know-about-panda-4-0/|title=Everything You Need To Know About Panda 4.0|date=29 November 2016|website=Forbes|author-first=John|author-last=Rampton|access-date=8 March 2025}} Panda is part of Google's broader approach to combat low-quality websites that use manipulative methods to gain higher positions in search engine results.
CNET reported a surge in the rankings of news websites and social networking sites, and a drop in rankings for sites containing large amounts of advertising.{{Citation|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20054797-281.html|title=Testing Google's Panda algorithm: CNET analysis|publisher=CNET.com|date=April 18, 2011}} This change reportedly affected the rankings of almost 12 percent of all search results.{{Citation|title=TED 2011: The 'Panda' That Hates Farms: A Q&A With Google’s Top Search Engineers|url=https://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/03/the-panda-that-hates-farms|publisher=Wired.com|date=March 3, 2011}} Soon after the Panda rollout, many websites, including Google's webmaster forum, became filled with complaints of scrapers/copyright infringers getting better rankings than sites with original content. At one point, Google publicly asked for data points to help detect scrapers better.{{cite web|url=http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2105023/Google-Losing-War-With-Scraper-Sites-Asks-For-Help|title=Google Losing War With Scraper Sites, Asks For Help|publisher=Search Engine Watch}} In 2016, Matt Cutts, Google's head of webspam at the time of the Panda update, commented that "with Panda, Google took a big enough revenue hit via some partners that Google actually needed to disclose Panda as a material impact on an earnings call. But I believe it was the right decision to launch Panda, both for the long-term trust of our users and for a better ecosystem for publishers."
Google's Panda received several updates after the original rollout in February 2011, and their effect went global in April 2011. To help affected publishers, Google provided an advisory on its blog,{{cite web|url=http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2012/04/another-step-to-reward-high-quality.html|title=Another step to reward high-quality sites|publisher=Official Google Webmaster Central Blog}} thus giving some direction for self-evaluation of a website's quality. Google has provided a list of 23 bullet points on its blog answering the question of "What counts as a high-quality site?" that is supposed to help webmasters "step into Google's mindset".{{cite web|publisher=Google|url=http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-guidance-on-building-high-quality.html|title=More guidance on building high-quality sites|access-date=April 11, 2018}} Since 2015, Panda has been incorporated into Google's core algorithm.{{Cite web|last=1.3kshares|last2=78kreads|title=A Complete Guide to the Google Panda Update: 2011-21|url=https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-algorithm-history/panda-update/|access-date=2021-12-02|website=Search Engine Journal|language=en}}{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2016/09/30/google-panda-has-become-part-of-googles-core-algorithm/|title=Google Panda Has Become Part Of Google's Core Algorithm|date=30 September 2016|website=Forbes|author-first=John|author-last=Rampton|access-date=8 March 2025}}
The name "Panda" comes from the Google engineer Navneet Panda, who developed the technology that allowed Google to create and implement the algorithm.[http://www.brafton.com/glossary/google-panda Google Panda] at Brafton
Ranking factors
The Google Panda patent (patent 8,682,892), filed on September 28, 2012, and granted on March 25, 2014, states that Panda creates a ratio between a site's inbound links and search queries related to the site's brand. This ratio is then used to create a sitewide modification factor, which is applied to a page based on a search query. If the page does not meet a certain threshold, the modification factor is applied, and the page ranks lower in search engine results.{{cite web|last=Panda|first=Navneet|title=US Patent 1,864|url=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&S1=08682892&OS=PN/08682892&RS=PN/08682892|publisher=USPTO|access-date=March 31, 2014|archive-date=February 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208205806/http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&S1=08682892&OS=PN/08682892&RS=PN/08682892|url-status=dead}}
After the rollout of the Google Panda update, there were significant shifts in search rankings. News and social networking sites saw higher rankings, while heavily-advertised sites dropped, affecting nearly 12% of search results.[https://searchengineland.com/google-panda-4-2-is-rolling-out-slowly-for-technical-reasons-225850] Panda affects the ranking of an entire site or specific sections of it, rather than just individual pages.{{cite web|url=https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2011/11/03/panda-dna-algorithm-tests-on-the-google-panda-update/|title=Panda DNA: Algorithm Tests on the Google Panda Update|last=van der Graaf|first=Peter|date=November 3, 2011|publisher=Search Engine Watch}}
Updates
For the first two years, Google Panda's updates were rolled out about once a month, but Google stated in March 2013 that future updates would be integrated into the algorithm and would therefore be continuous and less noticeable.{{cite web|url=https://searchengineland.com/google-panda-to-be-integrated-into-the-search-algorithm-panda-everflux-151528|title=Google: Panda To Be Integrated Into The Search Algorithm (Panda Everflux)|last=Schwartz|first=Barry|publisher=Search Engine Land|access-date=May 26, 2014}}{{cite web|title=Google Algorithm Change History|url=http://moz.com/google-algorithm-change|publisher=Moz|access-date=March 31, 2014}}
On 20 May 2014, the Panda 4.0 update was released. One of the consequences of this update was the decline in rankings of websites that Google considers "low-quality," including content aggregators, news sites (especially in the areas of rumors and gossip), and price comparison websites.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/denispinsky/2014/06/09/google-panda/|title=Panda 4.0: Google's Still Gunning For Low Quality Web Pages|date=9 June 2014|website=Forbes|author-first=Denis|author-last=Pinsky|access-date=8 March 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://biglab.ae/en/what-is-google-panda-and-how-does-it-affect-search-rankings/|title=Google Panda Algorithm: A Detailed Analytical Review|date=12 January 2025|website=biglab.ae|author-first=Iurii|author-last=Nemtcev|access-date=8 March 2025}}
Google released a "slow rollout" of Panda 4.2 starting on July 18, 2015.{{cite web|title=Google Panda 4.2 Is Here; Slowly Rolling Out After Waiting Almost 10 Months|url=http://searchengineland.com/google-panda-4-2-is-here-slowly-rolling-out-after-waiting-almost-10-months-225850#|publisher=Search Engine Land|access-date=July 22, 2015}}