Google finally released its big lists of algorithm changes for the months of June and July, after an unexplained delay. In all, there were 86 changes on the lists to dig through, and we’re still analyzing them.
In this post, we’ll look at all of the entries directly related to quality. There are a bunch. Technically, all 86 changes could be described as being related to quality, but these are the ones where Google specifically mentions “quality” in the listings.
In June, Google had listings called Bamse and Bamse-17L, both under the project codename “Page Quality”. Both launches, Google says are to help you find more high-quality content from trusted sources.
Also under the project Codename “Page Quality,” in June, Google launched: GreenLandII, #82353, #82666, and Hamel. #82666 is also to help you find more high-quality content from trusted sources.
“We’ve incorporated new data into the Panda algorithm to better detect high-quality sites and pages,” says Google of GreenLandII.
#82353, Google says, refreshes data for the “Panda high-quality sites algorithm.”
Hamel updates a model Google uses to help you find high-quality pages with unique content, Google says.
#82367, under the project codename “Other Ranking Components,” Google says, also helps you find more high-quality content from trusted sources.
A change called, “PandaMay,” under the project codename “Search Quality,” is a data refresh for Panda.
Finally, a change referred to as ItsyBitsy, under the “Images” codename is designed to improve the quality of image results. Google says it filters tiny, unhelpful images at the bottom of the image results pages.
That about covers it for June in the “quality” department.
In July, there were fewer changes altogether, and fewer specifically mentioning “quality”. There was the Panda JK launch (under the codename “Page Quality”). This was simply the launch of Panda in Japan and Korea.
There was also JnBamboo (“Page Quality”), which was a data update for Panda.
I think the main takeaways from all of this are:
- Google is still very much focused on making improvements to Panda, which is all about surfacing high quality content.
- Being a “trustworthy” source of content is more important than ever. You must establish yourself as an authority with a good track record of trustworthiness.
- Unique content is important. Find ways to make your content stand out from the crowd.
Image: gigglecam (YouTube)