Google Panda Goes Worldwide

A few months ago, Google launched its “Panda” algorithm change, which was aimed at identifying low-quality sites, content farms, and the like. We discussed Google Panda and how it works (and its effect on eHow) on the Ecreative Internet Marketing blog a little while back. So far, the Panda algorithm seems to be very effective.

Initially, Google Panda only impacted searches in the US. In mid-April, Google announced that the Panda algorithm would be applied to all English-language searches, regardless of country of origin. Even if you’re in a non-English-speaking country—Spain, for example—but are searching for English-language Google results, the Panda will be in effect.

International Panda power will likely affect a larger number of searches than the US-only Panda algorithm did (roughly 12% of all searches). And, it seems likely that Google is working on variations of the Panda for use in other languages. Search Engine Land has a great article that goes into more detail about what we can expect from the worldwide Panda.

The Google gang certainly seems dedicated to improving the quality of what searchers will find on the internet. The Panda algorithm is not a perfect fix, of course, and it could potentially be gamed by extremely dedicated ne’er-do-wells, but, so far, it seems like a worthwhile measure for improving the online experience.