SEO should never take sides

After the Panda update hit the UK on April 11 companies have been monitoring the results to see how they have been affected.  There have been some winners and losers and now there have been some suggestions in the media that Google have targeted their rival Microsoft after one of their sites suffers a severe blow.

Dramatic fall in Web Visibility for some SEO

The BBC has reported that one of the worst hit websites was in fact a Microsoft company, Ciao.co.uk.  This is the company which has been building a case against Google concerning a European Union dispute over competition.   According to a report by Searchmetrics ciao.co.uk has had its visibility on the SERPs reduced by 94%.

A huge drop in the search results rankings could affect companies; the severities of these affects were highlighted by the comments made by SEO specialist Sanjay Shelat.  He informed the press that a drop of this magnitude was unusual after any algorithm update, and 94% reduced visibility was enough to put a company under.

Google Deny Targeting Microsoft

Google’s head of search evaluation Scott Huffman has spoken about the claims suggesting that the update has singled out ciao.co.uk on purpose purely because of the EU case.  He stated that the idea that the results had been rigged was absurd.  He also went on to say that the users of Google search had reacted very positively to Google Panda, which is designed to weed out the content farms.

A Little Bit of History

The EU competition case between Google and ciao.co.uk began back in November last year.  Ciao lead the investigation as Microsoft claim Google uses its dominating position in a way to limit the products of rival companies, such as themselves.   No one from Microsoft has been able to comment about the 94% drop being a deliberate reaction to the legal case.  Only time will tell as the dispute continues as to how Microsoft will react to the Panda update.

Check Your Visibility and Make Changes Where Necessary

Ciao was not the only badly hit website, in fact there have been many sites which have fallen by more than 50%.  Some of the worst hit were review sites, comparison websites and in deed content farm publications.  Any fall percentage is not great news and SEO experts are finding they have to work hard in order to repair the damage.

Demand Media has seen their shares fall after eHow have suffered visibility loses of 53%.  This site was thought to have escaped the wrath of Panda after the first update was rolled out in the US had very little affect.  Since being introduced in the UK however the sites rankings have fallen.  Demand media have not spoken publicly about the update but did announce that on May 5 they will be announcing their financial results for the first quarter.

If you have noticed that your keyword searches have reduced it is time to work on bringing your SEO marketing strategies up to date.  Without making suitable changes to your website after your site audit there is little chance that you will see your rankings improve.  To discuss the latest SEO techniques talk to one of our experts on 0800 84 999 33 or email us on sales@seotrafficlab.com.