Panda 4.2 Did it Affect Your Law Firm Website

Google rolled out their latest algorithm refresh, Panda 4.2, during the end of July – and it has left many SEOs waiting for results. Representatives from Google suggested that it could take months for the rollout to wrap up, and in the end, it will affect between 2 and 3 percent of English-language searches.

In order to understand whether Panda 4.2 will affect your law firm’s website, you need to know what it is, what it does, and why Google created it.

What is Google’s Panda?

Google’s Panda algorithm weeds out low-quality sites, and it made a huge impact on the search engine results pages, or SERPs, when they introduced it in February 2011.

The targets were websites that had copied content directly from others and sites that had what they consider “thin” content.

Remember that Google is in the business of delivering high-quality results – so it’s no wonder that they want website owners to provide great content that gives users plenty of information. (It’s also why you need to have plenty of content on your site, which we’ll get to in a moment.)

Refresh vs. Update: Panda 4.2 is a Refresh

When Google “refreshes” the algorithms, they sometimes add a few new features. However, they also reapply most of the signals the original Panda rollout used; this way, they’ll catch low-quality websites that have slipped through the cracks or are teetering on the razor’s edge.

An update is more like an overhaul. Panda itself – the original Panda, that is – was an update to Google’s algorithm. So was Mobilegeddon, and so was Penguin.

How Does Google’s Panda Affect Law Firms?

Panda 4.2 is another “quality” update. If your website is low quality or doesn’t have enough text to answer users’ questions, you could be affected by the latest refresh.

If Panda 4.2 is going to affect your law firm’s website, keep in mind that Google continually refreshes and updates their algorithms. You can still make your site better, ensure that you’re following the latest best practices and keep updating it with great content.

How Do I Make My Site Better?

Most law firms know that they need an Internet presence, but beyond that, things get a little fuzzy. The first step is to claim your free 20-minute site audit, where we’ll go over your site and point out its strengths and weaknesses. We’ll analyze your competitors, too, and then we’ll provide you with a clear plan of action that you can begin using immediately.