Kenneth C. Wisnefski, founder and CEO of WebiMax, the #1 rated SEO firm in the United States and Australia, has been astounded by the impact of the Google Panda update “our phones have literally been ringing off the hook with businesses seeking assistance with the effects of this algorithm change”.

On February 24, 2011, search engine titan Google, Inc., announced a major change to their search algorithm that would penalize websites that lacked original, quality content. The “Panda Update” (as it was called), originally affected U.S. based domains, and last month, the international update was released, targeting U.K. domains.

Now, almost 3 months since its original release, it raises the question “Does Google ultimately control the fate of your business”?

“What we’ve seen during the past 90 days is a far reaching impact designed to improve the quality of Google’s search”, discusses Wisnefski. “Users of Google were tired of getting search results with fluff filled content about certain topics they wanted to research, the focus on unique and timely content dramatically improves the user experience”, concludes Wisnefski.

Effective “search engine optimization” consists of many techniques, including, link building, on-site optimization and much more. These methods can also be abused, however, falsely satisfying search algorithm to divert traffic to websites including linkfarms. Fortune 500 company’s including J.C. Penney’s, and Overstock.com were affected by the update, because of questionable tactics put in place to circumvent more time consuming methods to achieve higher natural search results. They were ultimately penalized by Google and their search results dropped from prominent Page 1 results to results appearing on Page 10 and beyond.

Recently, Demand Media, Inc. was also affected by the update. With the recent algorithm update, popular sites in their portfolio such as eHow.com saw significant drops in traffic. CEO Richard Rosenblatt defended his company, stating “we really need these kinds of signals to shake things up”.

“We’ve seen the continued evolution of the search industry and the value Google really represents amongst small, and large business alike”, states Wisnefski. “I think people are really starting to see how dramatically search engines can ultimately make or break your bottom line”, concludes Wisnefski.

About WebiMax:

Since its inception in 2008, WebiMax has established themselves as a global leader in search engine optimization, social media, web design, pay-per-click management, reputation management, and e-commerce solutions. The company announced a major geographic expansion last month, and 2011 revenue projections ($15 million). They have over 150 employees and 12 offices including 8 U.S. based, and 4 International. WebiMax works with their clients more as a strategic partner than an outsourced vendor. Visit (http://www.webimax.com/) for more information.