It's been almost three years since the first Panda update, but we're still seeing a ton of confusion about how Google's updates work and even how to tell them apart. Dr. Pete walks you through the basics of Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, and more - including how to diagnose them, what to do if you think you've been hit, and how to future-proof against the next animal encounter.

1. A GUIDED TOUR OF THE ZOO
PANDAS, PENGUINS & HUMMINGBIRDS
DR. PETE MEYERS • MARKETING SCIENTIST • MOZ

2. HOW THE ZOO MAP LOOKS TO US

3. FISTS OF FURRY
THE PANDA UPDATE

4. SHUTTERSTOCK ©2014
26 KNOWN PANDA UPDATES

5. “What’s the bare
minimum that I can
do that’s not spam?”
LINK: mz.cm/KGzbO7
ASSAULT ON CONTENT FARMS?

6. RISK: LOW-QUALITY CONTENT

7. RISK: USER-GENERATED CONTENT

8. RISK: THIN GEO-TARGETED

9. DOES THIS LOOK FAMILIAR?

10. YOU CAN’T DO WHAT THEY DO

11. LINK: mz.cm/1jA1ycY
RISK: DUPLICATE CONTENT

12. SHUTTERSTOCK ©2014
SOLUTION: PRUNE THIN PAGES

13. SHUTTERSTOCK ©2014
REMOVAL (404)
301 REDIRECT
REL=CANONICAL
META ROBOTS
WEBMASTER TOOLS
ROBOTS.TXT
OPEN THE WHOLE TOOLBOX

14. LINK: mz.cm/1g0GcXY
PROGNOSIS: FAIR, WITH EFFORT

15. ENTER THE PENGUIN
THE PENGUIN UPDATE

16. SHUTTERSTOCK ©2014
5 KNOWN PENGUIN UPDATES

17. LINK: mz.cm/1aJp7NT
PUNISHMENT FOR WEB-SPAM

18. RISK: SPAMMY ANCHOR TEXT

19. LINK: mz.cm/ose
RISK: EXACT-MATCH ANCHORS

20. LINK: mz.cm/1hjHCcU
RISK: LINKS FROM BAD CONTENT

21. LINK: mz.cm/1dsE1Vq
LINK: mz.cm/1hewePp
DIAGNOSIS: HITS FAST & HARD

22. LINK: mz.cm/algo
CHECK KNOWN PENGUIN DATES

23. SHUTTERSTOCK ©2014
SOLUTION: CUT ALL BAD LINKS

24. SOLUTION: DISAVOW (AND WAIT)

25. LINK: mz.cm/KGFyRp
USE DISAVOW LIKE A MACHETE

26. LINK: removeem.com
SHOULD YOU AUTOMATE REMOVAL?

27. LINK: mz.cm/1dsE1Vq
PROGNOSIS: POOR (AT BEST)

28. FIVE DEADLY NECTARS
THE HUMMINGBIRD UPDATE

29. SHUTTERSTOCK ©2014
1 KNOWN CORE REWRITE

30. “When Google switched to
Hummingbird, it’s as if it
dropped the old engine out of
a car and put in a new one.”
LINK: mz.cm/1kYwJ5O
A BRAND NEW “ENGINE”

31. HUMMINGBIRD IS NOT A PENALTY

32. CONVERSATIONAL SEARCH, V2.0

33. 13 668 RANK ASSASSINS
THE REST OF THE ZOO

34. LINK: mz.cm/1cVLDQr
665 “IMPROVEMENTS” IN 2012

35. LINK: mz.cm/1mtgwRs
ACTIVE UPDATES (“TOP HEAVY”)

36. MANUAL ACTIONS/PENALTIES

37. LINK: mz.cm/1eSYQvI
LINK NETWORK DEVALUATIONS

38. CROUCHING TACTICS…
OH, JUST FORGET IT!

39. LINK: mz.cm/1bixMDH
TODAY’S FAD, TOMORROW’S SPAM

40. BRANDS DON’T LOOK LIKE THIS

41. IT’S NOT THE TACTIC, IT’S YOU

42. THANKS FOR WATCHING!
peter@moz.com • @dr_pete