Google has reportedly confirmed the launch of Panda 3.6 to Search Engine Land, which said the algorithm rolled out on April 27. The move capped off an especially hectic eight-day period for Google after rolling out Panda 3.5 on April 19 and its first Penguin algorithm on April 24.
Google told SEL that the move is just another of the updates it makes regularly to ensure the highest quality results are delivered to its users. Like other Panda updates thus far in 2012, the 3.6 roll out was a fairly minor data refresh and likely affected very few websites.
While Panda and Penguin focus on different elements of site quality, the pair of algorithms have made it made it increasingly clear that SEO campaigns must focus on the user experience. Developing website content that offers relevant information to users was (and is) critical with Panda, and Penguin highlights the need for a natural keyword strategy.
Brafton recently highlighted that the first Penguin update looks to punish sites engaging in black hat SEO tactics – namely keyword spamming and link schemes. Companies using SEO should not abandon their campaigns, but any focus on attracting search crawlers that negatively impacts a quality user experience could hurt sites.
