If you weren't aware of it already, Google recently made a major update to their algorithm called the "Panda" update. It has nothing to do with those lovable black and white bears, it was named after a Google engineer who helped make machine learning faster. Machine learning is where a computer is told things like "This is the letter 'a'" and "This is not the letter 'a'" several times. The computer is then shown lots and lots of pictures of letters and will "learn" whether it is an 'a' or not. Google is now using machine learning to help rank web sites according to user satisfaction. 

What does User Satisfaction Mean to Google?

Google used a sample group and asked them to look at a whole bunch of web sites and then answer questions like: Does this web site answer your question? Would you trust this medical advice for your child? Do you think the site is well designed? etc. This created the seed values for machine learning. On the surface the questions are interesting but what it means is that the web site was evaluated as a whole, not a specific part.

How do I change my Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for the Panda update?

So how should you optimize search engine changes? In the past it was fairly easy to pick a strategy. If Google increased the important of social media then you would spend more time on FaceBook and Twitter promoting your site. Because the Panda update evaluates your site as a whole your SEO changes need to shift from specific tactics to overall user happiness.

Give me some practical advice that I can use today!

Here are a few ideas you can use today to improve your search engine rankings with the Google Panda changes:

• Make your pages load faster. Nobody likes to wait. Optimize images, remove external javascript libraries and trackers you don't need and trim page size if possible.
• Rewrite your copy for humans instead of computers. It is important to keep your text keyword rich but narrative text than engages users while still using keywords will rank higher now.
• Remove poorly performing pages from your site. If you have older content that isn't the best experience for users it will slightly impact your overall rankings now. Consider removing it or updating it.
• Don't try and trick users with optimized landing pages. Google knows when a user lands on your page and quickly backs up to another site. If you don't have beneficial content, product or services for the keywords you're using, don't build that landing page. Make each page on your site awesome and good things will come.
• Differentiate to delight. If everyone talks about athletic shoes in terms of "toughness" or "fit" trying writing about how many marathons you've run in the same pair of shoes. Get customers to send in photos of their well worn Nike's and build a community to demonstrate the shoes are tough and fit well. Users will spend more time on your site and reward the extra effort with extra sales