Google’s update of its US algorithm made SEO news not so long ago, and UK site owners spent weeks in anticipation. Now it’s here. Google has finally rolled out its Panda Update for all English-based sites internationally, and the update has already had a massive impact.
When the update was first released in the US, it came as a nasty shock to thousands of site owners. The update, which was also been dubbed the ‘Farmer Update’ due to its focus on content farming sites, caught many pages by surprise, with site owners using purchased content suffering the most. The main complaints throughout have been about content honestly purchased or unknowingly replicated. While it should be easy enough to avoid duplicate content issues with purchased content, it’s far harder to avoid having your content stolen.
Many site owners are still catching up with Google’s stand on content, and this has led to quite a few mistakes. In their rush to provide content for their website optimization, site owners purchase content from any cheap resource. What they don’t consider is how many other sites have bought that particular article, and how this duplicate content will affect their rankings.
The simple answer is to only purchase original content, and to purchase it outright. Commissioning content through a search engine optimisation agency is a great way to ensure this, and you can discuss this with us at SEO Consult.When your content has been stolen, however, things are much harder. The best thing to do is contact the site displaying your content. If you can’t resolve the issue, then getting Google involved may have a better result.
Either way, it has become essential for site owners to address the content issue. Content is more important than ever for your SEO and marketing plans. Create it wisely and protect it to cope with the changes wrought by Panda.