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Thursday, May 19

Search Results hit hard by Google's new pet Panda? Ask yourself these 24 questions from Google

Google has given up little regarding their new releases of Panda.  The named monster bear that has swiped search result rankings (SEO) from many sites.  
Maybe it hasn't hit you yet, your a smaller auto dealer or regional chain of Real Estate offices....
But you have to ask yourself, "do you feel lucky?"  To quote Clint Eastwood.  Fact is everyone is coming under the rueful eye of the big Panda.  
Google has offered little in the way of helping webmaster know what they should be doing but on a recent blog post
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-guidance-on-building-high-quality.html
They asked 24 little questions... does your site pass the test.  Do your SEO methods fall into white hat or black had trickery?


What counts as a high-quality site?

step into Google's mindset, the questions below provide some guidance on how we've been looking at the issue:
  • Would you trust the information presented in this article?
  • Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature?
  • Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?
  • Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?
  • Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?
  • Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?
  • Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?
  • Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
  • How much quality control is done on content?
  • Does the article describe both sides of a story?
  • Is the site a recognized authority on its topic?
  • Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?
  • Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
  • For a health related query, would you trust information from this site?
  • Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?
  • Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
  • Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
  • Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
  • Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
  • Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
  • Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?
  • Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?
  • Would users complain when they see pages from this site?
So, if you haven't been hit, great... but don't wait until you end up losing 50 or 60% of your traffic and have to rely on pay-per-click for traffic

Other articles about the Panda release