Earlier this month, Google announced that it rolled out a data refresh for the Panda update. It sounds like they’re getting ready to launch another one in about a week (or maybe a bit longer).
Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable was talking about a Panda refresh possibly having occurred over the weekend. That didn’t happen, but Google did reportedly tell him that they’re planning on launching one in seven to ten days, “if all goes on according to plan.”
It’s not very often that we hear about Panda updates or data refreshes before Google actually launches them (maybe they should start pre-announcing them more often). Webmasters can at least brace themselves and/or get prepared for a new one.
Of course, at this point, you’ve had plenty of time to prepare. You know what Panda does, and what its purpose is. If you’re putting out the kind of content that Google has discussed repeatedly (with regards to how it views low quality), and you’ve managed to escape thus far, it’s probably only a matter of time before the Panda update gets you. You should be taking quality seriously if you want to continue to perform well in Google search results.
Frankly, you’ve got enough other battles to deal with in that war, even if you do produce high quality content. If your’e not producing Panda-friendly content to begin with, the odds are not stacked in your favor.
For more on all things Panda, peruse our coverage here.