The SEO world’s two most infamous animals are creating chatter once again after Google’s Gary Illyes offered up some information regarding the Panda and Penguin updates at the SMX Advanced conference earlier this month.

According to Illyes, a new Panda update, which he referred to as a ‘data refresh,’’ is likely to roll out in mid-to-late June. In regards to Penguin, he confirmed that Google was working towards making the algorithm update continuously, or in real time. Currently there are still a lot of manual actions that take place in the refresh process, so that change is still many months away from becoming a reality.

So what does this mean for you, my fellow SEO friends? Well, on one hand, it’s great to be aware of what’s going on with Google, but on the other hand, if you’re following the best practices outlined in the Webmaster guidelines there really shouldn’t be any cause for alarm.

Updates are good. If you’ve been hit by a penalty in the past, this is your chance to show Google how much you’ve changed for the better. If you’ve always been on the up and up, its possible to see an improvement in rankings if those above you get hit. Basically, you can stop listening to Chicken Little; the sky is not falling.

Panda and Penguin Updates Are Not the Enemy

As you are probably well aware by now, the Panda update is all about content. The general gist is that quality content should rank higher than flimsy and spammy content because one clearly provides more value to the user. To avoid the wrath of our favorite bamboo loving bear, simply make sure your content is created with the user in mind. It should be unique, informative, and engaging. Avoid keyword stuffing, copying and pasting content from other sources, and hidden text.

The other half of our black and white duo sets its sights primarily on links. Like the Panda update, the Penguin update was developed to help quality sites rise to the top and to prevent people from gaming the system via unsavory schemes like link farms. This shouldn’t scare you off from link building though. Backlinks are still an important ranking factor, just don’t take a shortcut to get them – share your content, optimize your business listings, and make connections within relevant communities (online and off).

For more information on Panda and Penguin, read our handy guide to Google’s major algorithm updates. And if white-hat SEO is what you’re looking for, then contact us. Our digital marketing team can help you create a customized strategy ready to weather any Google update.

About the Author

Jamie Paton is a Project Manager at PCG Digital Marketing by day and a TV connoisseur by night. As an SEO strategist she spends a lot of quality time on social media sites and with Google Analytics and Search Console.