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Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird are the names given to describe Google’s algorithm updates. What follows is a simple guide to understanding the differences between the updates.

Google’s algorithm updates are designed to make search engine results better, which in the long term benefits everyone. [endclip]

At the highest level, Panda looks at content quality and Penguin looks at the quality of your links. Hummingbird is about understanding how we use language to provide greater relevancy in search results.

The Panda algorithm

Google launched the Panda algorithm in 2011 to target websites with duplicated content and/or thin content. These websites are then deemed as 'low quality' and appear lower down in search results.

Panda can affect whole websites or sections within the website, for example a blog, depending on how badly the website is suffering from thin or duplicated content. Thin content is when a page only contains very few words. Duplicated content is copies of content from other areas of the website or from other websites.

The Penguin algorithm

Penguin happened in 2012 and concentrates on another aspect of search engine optimisation (SEO) that targets sites who practice keyword stuffing and those participating in link schemes.

Unlike Panda, Penguin is not likely to penalise a whole website but focuses on the offending pages instead.

Penguin and Panda are algorithm updates that can change your site ranking automatically. Google is, in a way, acting as the policeman of the internet and trying to ensure that all websites are decent, honest citizens. The premise is to reward original content and encourage people to link to them naturally, while also subjugating low quality websites by dropping them in search.

So what is Hummingbird?

Google's old algorithm examined each word within a search query and returned results matching those individual words. With the Hummingbird update, Google is now processing a search query as a whole, generating search results that are based on context and user intent. Essentially the algorithm is trying to be better at understanding how we use language and by doing so provide greater relevancy in search results.

Many commentators suggest that Hummingbird is Google keeping ahead of the game in terms of changes in the way that searches are carried out. We’ve all heard about Android the Smartphone operating system which allows for voice searches and Glass, Google’s entrance into wearable technology, also uses voice technology to carry out searches. Voice searches tend to be more conversational in nature so it's logical that as these technologies become more widely used that search engines like Google will adopt technologies that help provide the best voice search experience for their products.

What does Hummingbird mean for marketing my company online?

Google’s previous algorithm releases have been designed to encourage high quality content on websites and blogs. This means that your future SEO activity should be concerned with content marketing. By focusing on the production of high quality content on a regular basis and then positioning it so that others link to it, like it, share it, and discuss it you’ll see positive changes to your search profile so that the pages they are related to will perform better in searches.

Thinking wider than SEO, this also has to be a good thing for your website in general. Good quality content speaks volumes about your business and will inevitably lead to

What is the future of SEO?

We recently posted a blog on the future of SEO but in a nutshell we believe that what Google is doing is for the best of the internet and making it easier to access relevant content online. The constant tweaking Google does to their algorithm means that all site owners need to evolve with these changes and continue to use the most relevant SEO techniques to keep their website performing well in search results.

Over the past 15 years BarkWeb has implemented several successful on-going SEO campaigns for many clients with proven results.

If you are worried that your site has been affected by Penguin, Panda or Hummingbird or interested in finding out more about our SEO campaigns please contact us at enq@barkweb.co.uk . Alternatively you can call on 01323 735 800.