The short answer to that question is yes, both updates are still an issue in 2013. For the longer answer, let’s dive into what’s been going on with these algorithms over the course of this year:

Google Panda 2013 Updates

Search Engine Land has published seven Panda stories during this year. Those stories have been:

• Google Panda Update Version #24; 1.2% Of Search Queries Impacted (1/22)
• Google’s Matt Cutts On Upcoming Penguin, Panda & Link Networks Updates (3/11)
• Google: Panda To Be Integrated Into The Search Algorithm (Panda Everflux) (3/13)
• Google: We’re Unlikely To Confirm Current Or Future Panda Updates (3/15)
• Google Panda Update 25 Seems To Have Hit (3/15)
• Google’s Panda Dance: Matt Cutts Confirms Panda Rolls Out Monthly (6/11)
• Google Confirms Panda Update Is Rolling Out: This One Is More “Finely Targeted” (7/18)

Of all seven stories, the one from June may be the most significant. The reason is it included a confirmation directly from Matt Cutts that the Panda algorithm is still being updated almost once a month. Although the updates may tweak existing signals or even add new ones, the main focus of Panda has remained the same since it was first rolled out in February of 2011: weeding sites with low-quality content out of prominent spots in Google’s results.

Google Penguin 2013 Updates

Since Penguin was rolled out over a year after Panda, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Search Engine Land has published slightly more Penguin stories this year. Of the nine they’ve written, the most interesting was probably Penguin 2.0 Losers. The reason that post was especially interesting is because it helped to dispel the myth of websites and brands being “too big to fail” in Google’s SERPs. Instead, it showed the importance of businesses of all sizes being smart about their SEO tactics.

So, since links are the primary focus of Penguin, what should a sustainable SEO strategy look like? While that’s a topic that could easily have an entire book dedicated to it, there are some key points to keep in mind. One of the key components real SEO should center around is identifying the target audience of a business and then finding the best ways to provide value to that audience.

This ties into content marketing, which is another key element of sustainable SEO. Content marketing is all about earning recognition and links by sharing content with real value. One of the ways that can be done is through smart syndication. And in order for syndication to work as well as possible, smart search engine optimization really needs to emphasize branding. A strong brand is exactly what many businesses need in order to unleash their full potential.

Now that you know exactly why Panda and Penguin aren’t going away anytime soon, if your site has been affected, be sure to contact us for a free consultation!