The timeline for Panda updates is at least well known
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 10:48 am
Even with this naming convention in hand, it’s still not entirely clear whether all of Panda’s minor updates are just data refreshes, or whether some of them also include new signals.
Regardless, the timeline for Panda updates is at least well known, and it's as follows:
1.0 : February 23, 2011. The first iteration of the then-unnamed algorithm update rolled out (12% of queries were affected), shocking the SEO industry and many large companies, and effectively telegram dating philippines ending the content farm business model that existed at the time.
2.0 (#2) : April 11, 2011. First update to the core Panda algorithm. This update incorporates additional signals, such as sites that have been blocked by Google users.
2.1 (#3) : May 9, 2011. The industry first referred to this as Panda 3.0, but Google clarified that this was just a data update, as were the upcoming 2.x updates.
2.2 (#4) : June 21, 2011
2.3 (#5) : July 23, 2011
2.4 (#6) International version : August 12, 2011. Panda is launched in all English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries except Japan, China, and South Korea.
2.5 (#7) and Pandas related fluxes : September 28, 2011. Following this update, on October 5, 2011, Cutts announced that some Pandas related fluxes were expected in the coming weeks. Confirmed flux dates were October 3 and October 13.
3.0 (#8): October 19, 2011. Google added some new signals to the Panda algorithm and recalculated the algorithm's impact on websites.
3.1 (#9): November 18, 2011. Google announced a minor update that affected less than 1% of searches.
3.2 (#10) : January 18, 2012. Google confirmed that the data refresh occurred on this date.
3.3 (#11) : February 23, 2012. Data refresh.
3.4 (#12) : March 23, 2012
3.5 (#13) : April 19, 2012
3.6 (#14) : April 27, 2012
3.7 (#15) : June 8, 2012. This is a more significant refresh of the data displayed by the ranking tool than other recent updates.
3.8 (#16) : June 25, 2012
3.9 (#17) : July 24, 2012
3.9.1 (#18) : August 20, 2012. This is a relatively minor update that marks the beginning of a new naming convention mandated by the industry.
3.9.2 (#19) : September 18, 2012
#20 : September 27, 2012. A relatively large Panda update that also marked the beginning of yet another naming convention. The industry recognized the awkwardness of the 9.xx naming convention and realized that updates to what they called Panda 3.0 might last a long time.
#21 : November 5, 2012
#22 : November 21, 2012
#23 : December 21, 2012. A slightly more impactful data refresh.
#24 : January 22, 2013
#25 : March 14, 2013. This update was pre-announced, and the tool indicated that it occurred on approximately this date. Cutts seemed to imply that this would be the last update before Panda was incorporated directly into the Google algorithm. However, this was later found to be not the case.
Dance : June 11, 2013. This is not the update date. However, on that day Cutts clarified that Panda would not be directly incorporated into the algorithm, but would be updated on a monthly basis, which would be much slower, rather than the sudden data refresh as in the past.
Restored : July 18, 2013. This update appears to be an attempt to correct some overly harsh Panda activity.
4.0 (#26) : May 19, 2014. A major Panda update occurred on this date (affecting 7.5% of queries). Most in the industry believe this was an update to the Panda algorithm rather than just a data refresh, especially given Cutts' statement about a slow rollout.
4.1 (#27) : September 23, 2014. Another major update (affecting 3% to 5% of queries) included some changes to the Panda algorithm. Due to the slow rollout, the exact date is unclear, but the announcement was made on September 25.
4.2 (#28) : July 17, 2015. Google announced that it would take several months to roll out the Panda update. Due to the slow rollout, it is unclear how big the impact will be or when it will occur. This is the last confirmed Panda update.
Core Algorithm Integration : January 11, 2016. Google confirmed that Panda had been integrated into the core Google algorithm, apparently as part of a slow rollout on July 17, 2015. In other words, Panda is no longer a filter that the Google algorithm applies after it has done its job, but has been integrated as another of its core ranking signals. However, it has been clarified that this does not mean that the Panda classifier works in real time.
Panda Algorithm Today: 2024
Panda is now firmly embedded in Google's machine learning algorithms, so updates related to Panda will not be considered independent.
As Panda became part of Google's core algorithm, we no longer see separate Panda updates. Core algorithm updates (especially those focused on quality and content) are theoretically related to Panda.
Regardless, the timeline for Panda updates is at least well known, and it's as follows:
1.0 : February 23, 2011. The first iteration of the then-unnamed algorithm update rolled out (12% of queries were affected), shocking the SEO industry and many large companies, and effectively telegram dating philippines ending the content farm business model that existed at the time.
2.0 (#2) : April 11, 2011. First update to the core Panda algorithm. This update incorporates additional signals, such as sites that have been blocked by Google users.
2.1 (#3) : May 9, 2011. The industry first referred to this as Panda 3.0, but Google clarified that this was just a data update, as were the upcoming 2.x updates.
2.2 (#4) : June 21, 2011
2.3 (#5) : July 23, 2011
2.4 (#6) International version : August 12, 2011. Panda is launched in all English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries except Japan, China, and South Korea.
2.5 (#7) and Pandas related fluxes : September 28, 2011. Following this update, on October 5, 2011, Cutts announced that some Pandas related fluxes were expected in the coming weeks. Confirmed flux dates were October 3 and October 13.
3.0 (#8): October 19, 2011. Google added some new signals to the Panda algorithm and recalculated the algorithm's impact on websites.
3.1 (#9): November 18, 2011. Google announced a minor update that affected less than 1% of searches.
3.2 (#10) : January 18, 2012. Google confirmed that the data refresh occurred on this date.
3.3 (#11) : February 23, 2012. Data refresh.
3.4 (#12) : March 23, 2012
3.5 (#13) : April 19, 2012
3.6 (#14) : April 27, 2012
3.7 (#15) : June 8, 2012. This is a more significant refresh of the data displayed by the ranking tool than other recent updates.
3.8 (#16) : June 25, 2012
3.9 (#17) : July 24, 2012
3.9.1 (#18) : August 20, 2012. This is a relatively minor update that marks the beginning of a new naming convention mandated by the industry.
3.9.2 (#19) : September 18, 2012
#20 : September 27, 2012. A relatively large Panda update that also marked the beginning of yet another naming convention. The industry recognized the awkwardness of the 9.xx naming convention and realized that updates to what they called Panda 3.0 might last a long time.
#21 : November 5, 2012
#22 : November 21, 2012
#23 : December 21, 2012. A slightly more impactful data refresh.
#24 : January 22, 2013
#25 : March 14, 2013. This update was pre-announced, and the tool indicated that it occurred on approximately this date. Cutts seemed to imply that this would be the last update before Panda was incorporated directly into the Google algorithm. However, this was later found to be not the case.
Dance : June 11, 2013. This is not the update date. However, on that day Cutts clarified that Panda would not be directly incorporated into the algorithm, but would be updated on a monthly basis, which would be much slower, rather than the sudden data refresh as in the past.
Restored : July 18, 2013. This update appears to be an attempt to correct some overly harsh Panda activity.
4.0 (#26) : May 19, 2014. A major Panda update occurred on this date (affecting 7.5% of queries). Most in the industry believe this was an update to the Panda algorithm rather than just a data refresh, especially given Cutts' statement about a slow rollout.
4.1 (#27) : September 23, 2014. Another major update (affecting 3% to 5% of queries) included some changes to the Panda algorithm. Due to the slow rollout, the exact date is unclear, but the announcement was made on September 25.
4.2 (#28) : July 17, 2015. Google announced that it would take several months to roll out the Panda update. Due to the slow rollout, it is unclear how big the impact will be or when it will occur. This is the last confirmed Panda update.
Core Algorithm Integration : January 11, 2016. Google confirmed that Panda had been integrated into the core Google algorithm, apparently as part of a slow rollout on July 17, 2015. In other words, Panda is no longer a filter that the Google algorithm applies after it has done its job, but has been integrated as another of its core ranking signals. However, it has been clarified that this does not mean that the Panda classifier works in real time.
Panda Algorithm Today: 2024
Panda is now firmly embedded in Google's machine learning algorithms, so updates related to Panda will not be considered independent.
As Panda became part of Google's core algorithm, we no longer see separate Panda updates. Core algorithm updates (especially those focused on quality and content) are theoretically related to Panda.