What Is Google Panda?
Google Panda is an algorithm update, first launched in 2011, designed to reduce rankings for sites with low-quality, thin, or duplicate content, while rewarding sites offering genuinely valuable, original material.
What It Targets
Panda specifically targets content farms, pages with minimal or duplicated text, content scraped from other sources, and sites offering little genuine value or depth relative to what a searcher is looking for — even if that content is technically keyword-relevant.
How to Keep Your Content Compliant
Since 2016, Panda has operated as part of Google’s core ranking algorithm, continuously evaluating content quality rather than running as a separate periodic update. Staying compliant means consistently prioritizing original, thorough, genuinely useful content over thin or duplicated pages, and regularly auditing and either improving or removing older content that no longer meets that bar.
WRITTEN BY
Annabelle Cochrane
MANAGING DIRECTOR & SEO SPECIALIST
Annabelle holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from QUT and works directly with every ALC Consulting client. She’s based on the Sunshine Coast and works with businesses across Australia.
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