As reported earlier this week, Google has launched a new version of the Panda update, which the company has officially dubbed version 4.0. It just happened to come around the same time as another big algorithm update aimed at cleaning up spam (a new version of the “Payday Loans” update).
When Google launches new Panda updates, Searchmetrics typically attempts to identify the winners and losers. It’s not always been 100% accurate in the past, and when another update is launched around the same time, things can be a little more complicated, but here’s what they came up with this time:
Losers:
| domain | percent |
| ask.com | > – 50% |
| ebay.com | > – 33% |
| biography.com | > – 33% |
| retailmenot.com | > – 33% |
| starpulse.com | > – 50% |
| history.com | > – 33% |
| isitdownrightnow.com | > – 50% |
| aceshowbiz.com | > – 75% |
| examiner.com | > – 50% |
| yellowpages.com | > – 20% |
| yourtango.com | > – 75% |
| dealcatcher.com | > – 50% |
| livescience.com | > – 50% |
| webopedia.com | > – 50% |
| xmarks.com | > – 50% |
| simplyrecipes.com | > – 33% |
| siteslike.com | > – 50% |
| digitaltrends.com | > – 50% |
| health.com | > – 50% |
| spoonful.com | > – 75% |
| songkick.com | > – 75% |
| realsimple.com | > – 33% |
| appbrain.com | > – 33% |
| thehollywoodgossip.com | > – 50% |
| dealspl.us | > – 33% |
| techtarget.com | > – 33% |
| gossipcop.com | > – 50% |
| rd.com | > – 75% |
| chow.com | > – 33% |
| doxo.com | > – 50% |
| heavy.com | > – 50% |
| csmonitor.com | > – 33% |
| toptenreviews.com | > – 20% |
| parenting.com | > – 50% |
| globalpost.com | > – 75% |
| espnfc.com | > – 50% |
| serviceguidance.com | > – 50% |
| mnn.com | > – 75% |
| mystore411.com | > – 50% |
| urlm.co | > – 33% |
| delish.com | > – 50% |
| healthcentral.com | > – 33% |
| whatscookingamerica.net | > – 50% |
| columbia.edu | > – 20% |
| songlyrics.com | > – 20% |
| internetslang.com | > – 33% |
| ibiblio.org | > – 50% |
| webutation.info | > – 50% |
| cheapflights.com | > – 33% |
| mybanktracker.com | > – 50% |
Winners:
| domain | percent |
| glassdoor.com | > 100% |
| emedicinehealth.com | > 500 % |
| medterms.com | > 500 % |
| yourdictionary.com | > 50% |
| shopstyle.com | > 250% |
| zimbio.com | > 500 % |
| myrecipes.com | > 250% |
| couponcabin.com | > 250% |
| buzzfeed.com | > 25% |
| consumeraffairs.com | > 100% |
| wordpress.com | > 20% |
| thinkexist.com | > 250% |
| onhealth.com | > 250% |
| alternativeto.net | > 100% |
| whosdatedwho.com | > 250% |
| reverso.net | > 50% |
| wikimedia.org | > 100% |
| dogtime.com | > 100% |
| findthebest.com | > 50% |
| eatingwell.com | > 100% |
| quotegarden.com | > 100% |
| goodhousekeeping.com | > 250% |
| everydayhealth.com | > 25% |
| simplyhired.com | > 100% |
| momswhothink.com | > 100% |
| similarsites.com | > 100% |
| southernliving.com | > 50% |
| theknot.com | > 25% |
| allaboutvision.com | > 100% |
| openculture.com | > 50% |
| babyzone.com | > 50% |
| tasteofhome.com | > 33% |
| gotquestions.org | > 100% |
| movie4k.to | > 50% |
| wmagazine.com | > 33% |
| ycharts.com | > 100% |
| historyplace.com | > 50% |
| rcn.com | > 100% |
| salary.com | > 50% |
| skepdic.com | > 100% |
| mediawiki.org | > 100% |
| oodle.com | > 100% |
| abbreviations.com | > 100% |
| homes.com | > 100% |
| spokeo.com | > 50% |
| hlntv.com | > 33% |
| sparkpeople.com | > 33% |
| hayneedle.com | > 50% |
| emedtv.com | > 100% |
BuzzFeed wins again!
The losers list is interesting this time around – particularly the eBay and RetailMeNot entries (this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Ask on the list).
Searchmetrics founder Marcus Tober concludes:
Some sites that should be potentially on the Panda loser list have actually shown a positive development. This could be the “learning from mistakes” (also from others), as some of these candidates have (now) written their own content. The losers on the other hand, tend to show syndicated content or even duplicate content. But this doesn’t mean that this is the end of the update. Google proofed in the past that they are able to perform improvements or rollbacks really fast. So we will see what will happen over the next weeks.
By the way, the Payday-Loan losers can be identified pretty easy -> URL completely removed from the index (it’s more like a link -based loss) or not (rather Panda).
We already knew that eBay took a hit thanks to some digging by Dr. Peter J. Meyers at Moz, who points to specific keywords where eBay pages fell out of the top ten.
RetailMeNot actually released a statement following the release of the Searchmetrics charts, in which it said:
The company believes these reports greatly overstate the impact on RetailMeNot.com. Over RetailMeNot’s history, search engines have periodically implemented algorithm changes that have caused traffic to fluctuate. It is too early to judge any potential impact of the latest Google algorithm change. While RetailMeNot’s traffic with Google continues to grow year-over-year, the company has experienced some shift in rankings and traffic. The company continues to believe its focus on content quality and user experience will continue to help grow the business, enable consumers to save money and drive retailer sales.
With RetailMeNot’s 600,000 digital offers from over 70,000 retailers and brands, the company believes it offers consumers the largest selection of digital offers. Since a substantial portion of those offers are not monetized today, traffic fluctuations do not necessarily correlate to financial performance. At this time, RetailMeNot does not have an update to its financial guidance.
RetailMeNot has made considerable strides to diversify its traffic sources. In the first quarter 2014, approximately 35% of RetailMeNot’s traffic came from sources other than search engines. RetailMeNot has its highest brand awareness metrics in the company’s history, and millions of consumers are coming to RetailMeNot directly through its mobile applications.
RetailMeNot’s strategy remains unchanged. The company will continue to strive to provide consumers with the best user experience and highest quality offers from leading retailers and brands.
You have to wonder if any of the Panda 4.0 losers will face decisions like Meta Filter and others have had to in the past, and lay off employees.
Keep in mind that Searchmetrics’ lists should be taken with a grain of salt.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
