Getting hit by Panda is a horrible experience. I've helped a number of companies deal with Panda's wrath since F
ebruary 2011, and business owners typically exhibit some combination of fear, frustration, and anger when they contact me. It's easy to understand why.
Most businesses hit by Panda are hemorrhaging revenue, as organic search traffic plummets by a large percentage. Some businesses have seen traffic drop by 60 to 70 percent overnight. That's a tough pill to swallow, especially when Google is a core source of revenue.
Understanding the catastrophic impact to businesses is why I'm extremely aggressive with my approach to Panda recovery. I'd rather have a client recover and build upon a clean foundation rather than sit in the gray area of Panda without knowing how close they are to recovery. And sitting in the gray area can drive a business owner mad.
The Relentless Pounding of Panda
After performing a thorough Panda audit, there are times audit presentations are 40-60 slides in PowerPoint covering the various changes that need to be made. The changes are based on my experience with Panda (knowing the various triggers that could cause a hit). Needless to say, you can sometimes hear a pin drop during those presentations, as webmasters begin to understand the amount of work involved to send Panda packing.
At that point, it's common to hear the following question: "Can we start by fixing one or two items, wait to see if we recover, and then move on from there if we don't?"
Although the thought process is totally understandable here, it's the wrong approach. My recommendations are based on analyzing SEO problems I have seen on many websites hit by Panda and Phantom. Companies shouldn't cherry pick changes.
The problems need to be rectified from both a usability and SEO standpoint, and sooner than later. If a significant amount of changes aren't made, then companies open themselves up to future Panda attacks. And if there's anything more frustrating than getting hit by Panda once, it's getting hit by Panda multiple times.
Remember, Panda targets low-quality content (and poor user engagement as a result). If you only fix one problem out of seven, then you can end up getting stuck in the gray area of Panda, or worse, you open yourself up to the relentless pounding of Panda over time. And the yo-yo effect can break down a business owner's will even more than never recovering.
An Example of Panda Pounding
Unfortunately, several companies have approached me over the past few years for help after having experienced the relentless pounding of Panda. It's always amazing to analyze their Google organic trending when I begin helping them, as you can easily see the yo-yo effect in action.
For example, I've provided the trending below for a client who was hit three separate times during Panda updates, and once by Phantom (which also targeted low quality content). This client also recovered from Panda once, only to get hit again during the Phantom update of May 8.
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