Well 2011 is almost gone, but it was a year where Google made some big changes on the seo scene. That really had a large impact om many good sites, something that I don’t think was the purpose with the updates.
So what did 2011 bring us.?
In the start of the year we saw the first panda update, where a lot of link directories and article databases got hammered and got sandboxed.
Google did this for several reasons, where I believe that the main reason was to remove some of all the double content there were on many of these sites. But unfortunately some the good sites was affected by this update, they are back again due to their value and of course the fact that they didn’t have any double content.
And again in June Google released the second Panda Update, this time it was affiliate sites that felt the full force of the Panda. This gave all new sites a fighting chance to get a position on the search results, but it also forced the webmasters on the affiliate sites to think in new lines.
If they would continue with their websites, and in my opinion that gave us a some really good sites that actually was worth something to the users.
In October Google change the search algorithm, which again changed the search results. This change took websites that had been in the top 2 on their keywords, and send them down to 7th., 8th. 9th. 10th. position or even on page 2.
I felt this one and are still battling to recover from it.! 
My danish currency rates site was number one, and had about 3000 hits a day. It ended up at the 8 th. position which resulted in the daily hits now was only 500, but haven’t stopped working on it. 
Which also has a positive effect, so much that my site now is in the top 3 and the daily hits is again over a 1000 hits.
2011 was also the year where we saw several major pagerank updates, with the total of 5 updates. This also gave webmaster more chances for revenue on selling links, which can be seen on Ebay, Amazon and webmasterforums where they are trying to sell their links.
But more inportant, what effect did 2011 have on you and your website(s).?
About Jimmy Sigenstrøm
Twitter: manuelmarino
says:
I’ve got many websites and they’ve been hit by the famous panda update. Lately, after working on them, they are rising again. But anyway, I think this update is helping new websites with few pages, and disadvantage old sites with thousands of pages.
This is what I’m seeing reading blogs here and there, but are just my two cents.
Manuel Marino recently posted..Gay Cowboys – And Other Hollywood Philosophies
Twitter: bestplugins_wp
says:
I think you’re right there, I’ve seen a lot of smaller sites rise in the ranks lately mostly very recent sites and they’re doing quite well against the older sites with more content, although there is also the possibility that it’s just down to the link building strategies these sites are using, with the smaller sites being more niche sites, if they’re gaining a lot of back links from much more closely related sites then this may help them compete with the bigger sites.
Adam James recently posted..14 Of The Best Premium WordPress Plugins To Buy For Your WordPress Blog
Twitter: GenuineSEOnet
says:
There has been a panda update on the first of dec 2011, Please check your currency site stats for improvements. Have you been working on improving the site for Google.
Eddie Gear recently posted..How To Generate Traffic Using StumbleUpon
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
Now that’s new to me, but on the 8th. December my site had 2500 hits again. And then back to under 700 hits, and since up to about 1000 hits a day again.
I was wondering what the he.. that was, but now I have the answer.! Thx.
Yes I have been working on it to get a better position on Google.
I’ve made changes onsite in the text and naming the pic’s to something more relevant, offsite I have written more articles, made more backlinks, got it shared on Twitter, Facebook.
I’m hoping that the changes will have some effect, when the holidays are over.
But any ideas and tips are welcome.!
Twitter: nayanbanik
says:
Yeah, 2011 was a nightmare to my old blog as i over stuffed it with numerous affiliate link and paid reviews.
The worst has gone, now i am looking for 2012.
Lets see what will happen!
Twitter: com_howtoguide
says:
I started my blog on Blogger in March-2011 and it was until Aug-2011 my blog got a PR2. And later in Nov-2011 I switched my blog from Blogger to self-hosting WordPress which I think was a smart move for the long run. Nothing of the Panda had affected me I guess due to that my blog is stil new. Will continue to improve my blog and hope it’ll be good in 2012 and years to come
Peter Lee recently posted..Top Gadgets in 2011 : My Favorite 5
Twitter: TechieSaves
says:
It’s getting harder and harder for us web guys ith this Panda algorithm. Ranking for keywords is pretty hard now, but I guess it’s all for a better web.
Marty recently posted..Samsung Galaxy Note – The Smartphone / Tablet Hybrid
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
I’m all for a better web, but why hit mine,
rolf 
I just see one major problem with the way they do it, if web guys like us are finding it hard then what about the new webmasters.?
Jimmy Sigenstrøm recently posted..http://www.valutakurserne.dk/Default.aspx?sid=Links – PR.4
Recently there is a new change in Google algorithm. Now the search engine will stress more on the fresh content. This will definetly benefits blogs.
Worli recently posted..Niche Marketing
Twitter: manuelmarino
says:
if you check webmaster tools and then Your site on the web – search queries, you can have a graph and stats that explain how Google see your site.
from November 28 to December 28 the number of impressions has doubled. and of course bringing a lot of new clicks. Means I’m doing well, redesigning my blog.
Manuel Marino recently posted..Use Shaman Drums For Unique Western Decorating
Hi Jimmy,
2011 was a rollercoaster to me as a blogger,
apart of Google panda, it was overall a good year.
Not different than 2011, I wish everyone all the best for 2012.
Hope you had a great New Year Eve;-)
Kimi
Kimi recently posted..Srt Windows Media Player – Subtitles Doesn’t Work
I would usually be considered a sceptic, agreeing with most on the sceptic side of this graphic. It could have gone even further and stated more information on the Mayan calendar and how it doesn’t actually end in 2012.
Twitter: #!/JesicaCriss
says:
All the worst things has gone, now i am looking for 2012.
Jesica recently posted..Stunning Web Design Services from Professional Web Design Company India
I wish to be better changes in SEO in 2012. From 2002 it was only worse year after year. Great tips Jimmy.
Twitter: proteamcarpet
says:
2011 was a roller coaster year for my websites. I had one of my top ranking websites drop to about page 7 after the July Panda update. It has since regained it’s ranking but it took alot of long hours. I hear theres a new update coming in January so we’ll see what happens with that.
Twitter: ForteProperties
says:
I’ve been fortunate that through all the updates, my site retained rankings for target keywords and Google actually gave me sitelinks for a lot of the search terms. So i must be doing something right! I hope 2012 doesn’t bring any sneaky tricks!
Austin Owner Finance recently posted..Banks Said No? Try Owner Financed Homes Austin
Panda is still not complete, so there are going to be a lot more refining of that in 2012. Seems like Google has been making a lot of changes, and with each one, existing black hat methods grow weaker. The rabble will be weeded out or attracted to the next “anti-panda loophole” product, while the solid marketers maintain their rankings and their income. Those are my predictions for 2012.
Rubin recently posted..Panasonic Kx-tg6545b Sale
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
The problem with all the updates is that sites that don’t use any form of black hat seo also gets hammered.
Can only hope they will fix the all the sites that was effected by they update that shouldn’t have been.
I wouldn’t hold your breath. Google has billions of site in the index. They play from the mindset of the greater good to the searcher. If you’re doing the right things but appear like someone they think should get google slapped based on their criteria, they could care less about you.
It’s sad for us, but if you have a similar mindset while building your sites you’re far more likely to get the google thumbs up.
Sometimes it’s as simple as not building links up at a consistent rate that gets the google slap though. They are very fickle. If you have enough quality content and quality links, you’ll bounce back up sooner or later though. At least that’s what I’ve noticed. Hope it applies to you.
Rubin recently posted..Panasonic Kx-tg6545b Sale
Twitter: blogager
says:
Hey there this is a wonderful post and your blog has got a good collection of resourceful articles….
Elvis Shrestha recently posted..Facebook Messenger For Windows 7 Becomes Official
Betting Big on 2012 as a potential game changer for me in this business
Hanusteffy recently posted..What are the best cheap CR123 batteries available to buy online
well, 2011 seems to be a year with so many changes to you, and i glad that you still have some good news to share. For me, i have some websites that had good ranks at the beginning of the year, but then its rank dropped drastically at the end of the year, and i dont know what i did wrong, this really disappoited me alot. But i cannot give up, and now i’m still working for it, hopefully everything will be better this year.
Alex recently posted..Up – Spot the Difference
I had one site which ranked on the 2nd page of Google for about 3 years, then along came Panda and now it doesn’t rank at all!. Add to that the fact that December saw then lowest adsense revenue all year, I hope that 2012 starts better than 2011 ended Grrrrr!
Chris recently posted..Electric Heating
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
Like you December was the worst month all year I only made 309$, that’s about 40% of what I used to earn on a normal month.
So I hope that 2012 makes it better once again, but hey it brings the excitement of reaching that goal back again. It also made me start a new site, where the users can calculate their BMI, body fat and ideal weight, the site also has a blog.
And I strongly believe that sites with blogs and blog are getting ahead, just like Worli wrote. So I’m making blogs within some of my sites, just to see if it’s the right way to go.
I started my website 6 month ago and now with PR 0 and alexa rank more than 4,400,000 , i am in page 1 for one of my main keywords. my site language is ‘Farsi’.
I did not noticed about recently google SEO changes, but i got many experience in SEO.
I am still seeing some of my competitors , which are using fake ways for growing up their rank in google, and unfortunately the google and panda, still have not understood their trick. one of my competitor is in rank number one for many main keywords, with this trick. I prefer do not say about the trick.
Twitter: webisodestudio1
says:
I can’t say i like all the changes google keeps making but i guess its necessary to separate the website with good practices from tyhe one’s that do black hat. Having to deal with all these changes keeps me on my toes and i guess its a good thing.
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
Absolutely Google should and have to work on getting the sites that doesn’t play fair of the index.
It just that with everything else there is collateral damage, and I would love for Google to make a bigger effort to minimize is because good sites are suffering under it.
And I’m not just saying that because one of my sites is suffering under it, there are large really good sites that for no reason has gone from top 3 top to page 3.
Twitter: manuelmarino
says:
There’s a lot of work to do for the panda update to be perfect. It still needs to correctly find what’s good and what’s bad on the net.
I’ve seen useless sites growing fast, just because they were new. The update seems to hit older sites first, so new sites are advantaged. But this could let to tons of new sites every month, making the net even a more messy place.
Manuel Marino recently posted..Learn How to Sing
Twitter: sanjanbikram
says:
i have my website having PR 3 and back to PR 2 but traffic increased.
Sanjan Bikram recently posted..How to Enable Facebook Timeline Right Now with One Click
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
I would trade PR for more traffic any day of the week, because traffic gives you more traffic and in the end more earnings.
Twitter: khajamoin1
says:
2011 for me
Article site deindexed
Got PR3, PR4 other sites.
And I started a new blog.
khaja moin recently posted..5 Steps To Increase Traffic With StumbleUpon – A Complete Guide
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
Sorry about the article site getting sandboxed.
But it sounds you are doing something right, to get PR 3 and 4.
Twitter: JayDohX
says:
Although some of us have had a few troubles, in general I welcome Google’s efforts. If they manage to get rid of all the auto generated and spun rubbish out there that gives us all a bad name that can only be a good thing.
Thanks – Jay
Twitter: bdonlinecash
says:
hey sir . in 2012 our expectation is all webmaster should be happy . google should assist us more . good luck . nice day
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
Damn I have never before been called sir, I LIKE IT.!
But you are right, we as webmasters should be happy about the traffic we get.
Twitter: itrush07
says:
It’s going to be unpredictable, the only sure point to consider right now is to accept that the big ‘G’ want’s us to work on our user’s and not on spiders..
IT Rush recently posted..The Burn Machine – Your advanced way of working and building out muscle’s vigor and cardio power
Twitter: insitedesignlab
says:
Great post. I’m excited to see what 2012 brings for SEO. I know a lot of people suffered because of the panda update but I just get excited about new changes.
Jon recently posted..How I Use RSS
Great and thought provoking blog post! During the year 2011, the visits of three of my blogs badly got affected. Two of them had a very low page rank. It took eight months for them to bring them up. Let us see what 2012 will give me!
John T. recently posted..Propiedades del alpiste.
Twitter: frugalskills
says:
Google’s 2011 search engine updates reaffirmed my belief that quality content is king. I will continue to focus more on content than SEO in 2012.
Karla recently posted..Stop Procrastinating: 7 Tools that Limit Your Internet Use
Twitter: ebscribblings
says:
Hi Jimmy,
2011 was a mixed bag for me. I got hit by Panda but have managed to start climbing back.
Ironically, a lot of my sites and blogs that got penalised subsequently got awarded higher PR. What’s that all about?
Anyway, I am looking forward to 2012 – and I wish success to you and your readers this coming year.
Hamish recently posted..Free Nook Simple Touch From Barnes And Noble
Twitter: resumewebsites1
says:
I think 2012 will be a toughest year in the field of SEO. As they have to struggle a lot against the panda update. Also, have to implement new strategies for the successful business man in the online market.
Resume Website recently posted..Video Resume Website
Twitter: webisodestudio1
says:
I can’t say i like all the changes Google has made in the past year but i have to admit that they do provide certain benefits and, in a way, level the playing field. It keeps SEO professionals on their toes and doesn’t allow for any complacency.
Twitter: ForteProperties
says:
Couldn’t agree more. If the SEO game never changed… a lot of small frys that are just starting out would be way behind the pack. Constant changes keeps everyone on the same page and gives newcomers opportunity to get ahead.
Homes For Sale Austin recently posted..Why Choose Austin Owner Finance
hi Jimmy
how to build backlinks is right in 2012??
hadi wibowo recently posted..Ultrabook Notebook Tipis Harga Murah Terbaik
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
Well even with the changes I still believe that a combination of guest posts, article databases and link directories, backlinks and of course commenting on blogs are the way to go. Although guest posts on other blogs will be the most valuable in terms of seo.
And with article databases and link directories, you have to be more aware of double content. In other words you need to check the site out, before you add a link or article.
See how many pages are indexed on Google, and how often the get revisited by Google.
Check for double content up against Google and for example Copyscape, an example of pore quality could be these “Double content”
But also be sure that the article databases and directories don’t use “NoFollow” on your links, not saying that you don’t need them also because you do. But a lot of blogs good and bad only use “NoFollow” on links to users.
Another thing that I belive would be a good thing, is if you have a service site that the one thing that can give you an advantage over the other sites would be a blog within the site.
As Worli is also mentions, Google seems to favor sites with a lot of new content.
It took time until I accepted the changes then decided to work twice the effort to put my site back on the level it was before. So far it is making progress but I still have along way to go. I hope you can visit me at derivative sometimes.
The changes did hurt a lot of sites but amazingly persistent and dedicated owners manage to recover and adjust to the changes. There will always be change, and it is important that we are always ready for it.
Ronald recently posted..homes for sale in Malaysia
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
Your right fighting the changes will bring nothing good, that’s also the reason that I’m not as active on this blog as I would like.!
But are hoping that the changes I’ve made to the sites, will show some effect the next couple of months.
Twitter: wsiabelpardo
says:
In October Panda hit me with all its strength. It sent me page 500 or further even I did anything. After a hard, hard work for revising links and much more I was told I was not penalised.
Result? To wait, and after a week, a new minor Panda changement returned my pages to its older position.
Someone told me Panda hits 2% of websites that are “innocent” when it changes. This can ruin some business.
Abel Pardo recently posted..Felicitación de Navidad de Abel Pardo en TV León
Twitter: iamblogdog
says:
Hey, interesting post pal, I was just wondering, if this SOPA bill gets passed in the next few weeks, what effect could it have on website rankings if any? Thank you
Blogdog recently posted..A Bloggers Guide to Twitter
I feel Google plus will be a key thing in 2012 , wherein the shared pages will crawl in and show early in search results
We are all affected with panda update last year..
Hope for a great year this year that panda update is for the benefit of everyone.
Becca recently posted..Gourmet Catering
Twitter: gogetfunding
says:
Thankfully, our web properties we’re releativley unaffected. It seems like deep content and a diversified network of genuine links helped get us through. It’s becoming easier for Google so spot unnatural link building and that’s something webmasters really need to be aware of
Twitter: LindaCampb80
says:
I’m looking forward to make 2012 my best year yet. I do think that no matter how much SEO might change – the bases on creating content that is useful to your readers will remain the core of everything… or so I hope
Linda Campbell recently posted..Facts about Bacterial Vaginosis Symptoms
Twitter: yungkashsk
says:
I am lucky. I just started my self-made music blog about a week ago. The weekend has just past and I have around 180 hits which isnt too bad considering my blog has only been up about a week. The only reason I do not enjoy blogging is the repetition of marketing and backlinks. But then every site I create a profile or submit a comment to is different. I am just lucky I have missed the Panda update and do not have to worry about it. I’m just focusing on increasing my page rank and trying to get my name out there as much as possible.
Yung Kash SK recently posted..Thank you. Everyone for coming to my page.
There are so many things happen last 2011 year and probably it is a great year for me. I was start working online last year and yet I am very muvh happy with it.
Emelia Fallick recently posted..Timber Doors & Timber Windows, Bifold Doors, Allkind Joinery & Glass Cabinet Maker Brisbane
Twitter: deucegroup
says:
My blogs all went up in PR but my niche sites went down or remained the same so it was good and bad.
Jamie Northrup recently posted..Which Landing Page Template Should I Use?
It’s getting harder and harder for us web guys ith this Panda algorithm. Ranking for keywords is pretty hard now, but I guess it’s all for a better web.
Pooja recently posted..Prediction – Top 10 Trends of 2012
Hey, I am new in the field of SEO. Could you tell me a link where I get some depper infos around “Panda” and the things I have to do now for my website, thanks!
Personally, I think GOOGLE has a heck of a nerve doing so many updates. The European and US economies are in shambles and they are making it very difficult for small businesses to survive, if they are having trouble being found.
Twitter: c1985raig
says:
By the time I had noticed they had even changed the algoritm it was too ate and now I have tonnes of work to do to get back to where I was. How is the easiest way to find out WHEN they are going to change the algorithm again?
Craig Burr recently posted..Looking For Magic Guest Posters
Twitter: ForteProperties
says:
I got lucky with the last update and none of my rankings were affected. I’m hoping it stays that way through the next update!!
Homes For Sale Austin recently posted..Forte Properties: Austin Real Estate & Owner Finance Experts
Twitter: wishesfromhome
says:
I think what people need to realize is that Google isn’t here to make you money. The whole purpose of it’s search engine is to allow the normal people to find quality links as quickly as possible. So while we are all here discussing SEO techniques and how to boost our ranking, Google wants only the best quality sites to show up at the top. So yes, while techniques will boost your ranking, having high quality and valuable content on your site will always be the best way to get top rankings and Google is trying to make sure it stays that way.
Isn’t here to make money??
Why are they pricing their products so high?
Here is a curious question I have.
When you say you are still working on your currency site would that be on site content or off site link building?
Krissy recently posted..Free dating sites
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
I’ve made some change to the content i.e. optimizing keywords , the text, but also off site link building by commenting on blogs, writing guest posts, articles.
And it’s slowly helping after the update my daily hits went down by 43% :s
But it’s getting higher every day, but the “funny” part of it all is that my CTR has doubled in the same time…
And I’m thinking about moving the top ad down below the converter, due to Google’s disliking to much advertising in the top of a page instead of content.
Jimmy, don’t you think it is ironic that the google changes of late have forced us to think about minimizing ad content and to push our ads down below the fold, yet google adsense still recommends that we position our above the fold, particularly top center and top middle…
I love google but they certainly send mixed messages sometimes… you mentioned optimizing keywords, do you have anything to share regarding keyword density? Did you have to adjust density up or down…
Jennifer recently posted..Rare аnd Hard tо Find Оld Movies – Great Ways tо Find Them
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
Hey
I find it disturbing that they do one thing, and say another thing. And I really can’t see what it’s good for, because all web users knows where the ads are as it is now. But if you move them it would properly result in an increase in accidentally clicks on the ads, thus giving their customers a poorer product because they don’t get anything out of the clicks.
But my it’s the money Google are after, how knows.
Every year it becomes more difficult do to the varied platforms that now come into play… What is Pinterest going to bring to the table. We’ve seen where social media platforms should or do change the scope of SEO and this year I would say how much weight is going to be put into G+ and how much more growth/explosion comes on Pinterest..
mike recently posted..Developing Transparency in a Digital Age
Twitter: namaserajesh
says:
Google updating Panda regularly, now you’ll see better search results.
Rajesh Namase recently posted..How to Undo a Sent Email in Gmail
Panda has been so much on my mind lately that all I’ve been doing is testing different methods on various sites see how it affects them. What I found was simple really good content and high quality links that’s all you need to get decent rankings and traffic to your site. Sure some social media can help but it’s not the most important factor of your sites. This might shift more and more depending on how Google handles Google+.
Even with the recent shifts of self personalized results most people are not ready to move to another social network just yet.
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
Google has lately lowering websites raking if it has ads above the fold, you might wanna test that also.
And good content and quality links are the best way to go, but you also need social media to really get the high number of traffic.
Twitter: terrywoodhouse
says:
I remember those times last year during the panda updates. It is always worrying when stories go round about site falling down the rankings. Thankfully the few sites I am assciated with seemed to do ok.
Let’s see what 2012 brings
terry recently posted..Wedding Invitations
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
We can only hope for the best, then it’s just wait and see what happens.
But as long as the sites has good content and good backlinks, it can’t go all bad.
Twitter: mohsinswl
says:
Google algorithms always been a mystery for SEO experts and learners. But I am worried about Bing. What is happening with bing, the search results are getting worse on bing.
Mohsin recently posted..Nicki Minaj Super Bass mp3
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
I have to be honest I don’t use a lot of time on bing, for several reasons.
1: It reacts to slowly on changes, I’ve send in a new feed from one of my other sites at 24 January because due to and coding error they haven’t read it yet.!
2: Bing only has about 4% of the overall web user, that and number one does that I really wont spend to much time on pleasing Microsoft in order to get indexed in their search engine.
They tried to get more user by buying Yahoo, but all that did was giving Google more users.
Stats: http://gs.statcounter.com/#search_engine-ww-monthly-201101-201201
Twitter: smuggecko
says:
I think this year will see google putting on pressure for sites giving out dofollow links to change that to nofollow. Youtube has just started this change and some other heavy hitters did this at the start of the year. zdnet.com for example. This will of course knock onto smaller sites and I think ultimately there will be a big drop in the number of high PR sites.
Twitter: Imprinsic
says:
Ouch, I’d be really depressed if our ranking dropped that quickly. But you have to admit, trying to beat Google is half the fun!
-Matt
New Jersey Marketing Company
Matt Steffen recently posted..The Top Free Marketing Websites
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
Absolutely if a lot of fun, and I have to admit that even though the page made some good money it wasn’t much fun anymore.
But the last couple of months it has been fun yet again, and the site has about 2000 hits a day again.
So it isn’t all bad, and I’ve got a new page out of it also.
Google really is unpredictable, many were affected by the sudden change on the search engine algorithm, the Google slap. We really need to prepare ourselves for posibble changes they will do this year so our internet marketing won’t be at risk.
Twitter: dmcihomesonline
says:
Truly the past year is disappointing for others who suffered severe downfall where lots of people are involved. But then its part of the crucial online life, the flow is like in a wild river sometimes calm and sometimes harsh! These changes occur leaves one a challenge on how to keep on track even drastic downfall occurs. Interesting post indeed.