Since Google Penguin 1.0 was released on April 24th, I've been intensively analyzing websites that were affected by the update (I've now analyzed nearly 75 websites affected by Penguin). I've made several posts about my findings based on my analysis. In my most recent essay, An Update from the Over Optimization Front Lines, I discussed how critical it is for webmasters to understand what has hit them before taking action. I know it sounds obvious, but I've had multiple companies approach me thinking they were impacted by Penguin when they were actually hit by Panda.

How To Determine Which Google Algorithm Update Impacted Your Website?

Google also claimed that a Panda update was rolled out a few days before Penguin (on 4/19) when Penguin 1.0 was launched. To make issues even more complicated, Google released a Panda upgrade on 4/27. To summarize, Panda was released on 4/19, Penguin on 4/24, and a Panda update on 4/27. That is, in essence, an algo sandwich special with a side of crazy. As you may expect, webmasters who are unfamiliar with SEO could easily believe they have been affected by Penguin (since that was the primary topic during the time period).

1) Check Your Dates When Using Google Analytics

The first step is to start Google Analytics and go down into Google Organic reports. Set the date range to April 1st to May 15th. In a moment, I'll explain why May is significant. This will provide you with an accurate picture of traffic by day during the numerous algorithm adjustments. Remember that Panda was released on 4/19, Penguin on 4/24, and a Panda refresh on 4/27.

2) Panda Meeting on a Weekend - Dimension by Keyword and Comparison to Past

Now that you know which algorithm update affected you, you may begin to identify the keywords that were dropped. Penguin was released on a Tuesday, while Panda was released on a Thursday and then refreshed on a Friday! Because many sites experience a natural drop in traffic late in the week and on weekends, it's critical to begin analyzing normal visitor trends and which keywords may have been hit.

To begin, in Google Organic, change the primary dimension to 'Keyword.' This will display all of the terms that led to your site from Google Organic throughout the specified timeframe.