Last week, Google released the latest version of Panda, 3.4. The update changed the algorithm Google uses to rank organic search results. Given the chaos that generally results from a new Panda update, we prepared for a flurry of activity.
But unlike with the original Panda change, Nolo’s affiliated sites actually gained traffic this time around. This makes sense, given that Google’s goal is to rank quality pages at the top, and we’ve spent a lot of time making sure our sites are of the highest quality.
One of the sites that benefited the most from the update was Drivinglaws.org, which was something of a relief for editor Rich Stim and analyst Kyle Vanderneut, as both have been working hard to make the site the best it can be.
Drivinglaws.org covers a lot of topics, from DUI/DWI and distracted driving, to speeding tickets and teen driving laws. Since every state has its own set of laws regarding these subjects, you can probably see that we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. And let’s not forget that driving laws are always changing! There’s also the matter that certain laws generate more interest depending upon what’s going on in the world.
For example, traffic to our DUI/DWI pages tends to spike just after the holidays.
Lately, though, we’ve seen increases in people searching for what are generally referred to as “distracted driving” laws. These focus on cell phone use while driving, or specifically about texting while driving. This has been a hot button topic as more and more states move to making any cell phone usage while operating a vehicle illegal. We’ve made expanding and improving this section of Drivinglaws.org a priority, and it appears the hard work has paid off.
“Distracted driving” laws are still relatively new, and we doubt that they will ever become a topic as huge as DUI/DWI laws. But our goal is to cover every topic as accurately and thoroughly as possible, for every state in the nation (and the District of Columbia!). And, as always, we present it in language that is easy to understand, even if you’re not a lawyer.
Quality is key, and it’s nice to see that, with this recent Panda release, that quality is paying off.
