Panda 3.3 Update: Changes Pertaining to Link Evaluation and Its Implications

Google brings about frequent major changes in its algorithm almost every month; this is the thing that has made it possible for Google to remain on top of search engines since such a long time.

The latest update released by Google in the month of February pertaining to web marketing is Google Panda 3.3. The prime concern of this update is link evaluation.

Link Evaluation as Per Panda 3.3:

The official announcement made by Google pertaining to the changes in link evaluation process can be divided into two parts:

• Google is going to change the way it previously evaluated links.
• It is going to turn off a method with the help of which it evaluated links in the past years.

Explanation:

As per the announcement made by Google regarding link evaluation, to explain it to full extent, a person needs to know what characteristics Google can consider in link evaluation. The two characteristics considered by Google are:

• Link method
• Anchor text

A) Link Method:

When it comes to Google turning off a factor in its previous link evaluation process, a webmaster would jump to the conclusion that it’s the link method evaluation that has been changed. Meaning that, Google from now onwards, is going to consider Flash and JavaScript links, in addition to the standard Href links. However, the change statement addresses ‘topic of the linked page’, therefore, it can be said that the link method is not the factor that would change.

B) Anchor Text:

The second factor earlier considered in link evaluation was of Anchor Text, where along with the Title, Description, content, and headings of the page, Google also considered the anchor text that was used to link to the page. This presumable method would be changed.

Reason for Abandoning Anchor Text:

The overreliance of Google on anchor text has given birth to many problems in the past. The two renowned mishaps are:

• The unbelievable and irrelevant traffic that Adobe download link received because of its anchor text
• The hilarious scenario created because of search term President Bush and ‘miserable failure’.

Therefore, as per the February update, Google will neither fully not partially rely on anchor text as a major factor in link evaluation.

Replacement Evaluation Factor:

In a statement few months ago, Google announced that it would show better titles in the SERPs by reducing the effect of anchor text. Therefore, from now onwards, Google will focus its attentions towards the relevancy between the title tag, and the content of the page.

• The title that has its title tag relevant with the content of the page will show in the search results and vice versa.

Implication on SEO:

• Firstly, with the impact of anchor text decreasing, now the SEO professionals will have to focus more on the relevancy between the title tag and content of the page, by making the best use of keywords in them.
• Secondly, anchor text will not impact the link building process, therefore, an SEO professional can continue using it, but must not rely on it.

Conclusion:

In short, the SEO professionals who change with the changes in Google’s algorithm are the ones who become successful and long last. Adapting to Panda 3.3 is another thing, which every SEO must comply to immediately.