--- title: "Panda 2.0 (2011): global English rollout and blocked-site data" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/panda-2-update-2011 section: updates language: en published: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z author: Adam Hafez topics: ["Content strategy", "Core updates"] --- # Panda 2.0 (2011): global English rollout and blocked-site data ## The short answer On 11 April 2011 Google rolled its Panda quality algorithm out to all English-language users worldwide and, in some high-confidence situations, began using data about sites that users blocked. Google said the new signals affected about 2% of U.S. queries. Panda 2.0 is the industry's name; Google called it the high-quality sites algorithm. ## Key takeaways - Google rolled Panda out to all English-language users on 11 April 2011. - Google began using data about sites users blocked, in some high-confidence situations. - Google said the new signals affected about 2% of U.S. queries, against almost 12% for the original. - The change went deeper into the long tail of low-quality sites than the first launch. - Google called it the high-quality sites algorithm; Panda 2.0 is the industry's numbering. ## What Google changed On 11 April 2011, Google announced on its [Webmaster Central blog](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2011/04/high-quality-sites-algorithm-goes) that it had "rolled out this improvement globally to all English-language Google users." The improvement was the algorithm Google had launched in the U.S. in February 2011 to help people find more high-quality sites. Two things were new. First, "in some high-confidence situations, we are beginning to incorporate data about the sites that users block into our algorithms." Second, the change "goes deeper into the 'long tail' of low-quality websites," reaching sites the algorithm could not assess before. The name Panda 2.0 did not come from Google. Google's post called it the high-quality sites algorithm. [Search Engine Land](https://searchengineland.com/google-rolls-out-its-panda-update-internationally-and-begins-incorporating-searcher-blocking-data-72497) headlined its same-day report Panda 2.0, and the industry numbering stuck. ## When it rolled out Google's post, dated 11 April 2011 and written by Amit Singhal, said the change was rolled out "today." Search Engine Land reported that it was live for all English queries worldwide, including English searches in non-English countries. Google stated no completion date and said it would keep testing before expanding to other languages. ## What is known about its impact Google's figure: "about 2% of U.S. queries are affected by a reasonable amount, compared with almost 12% of U.S. queries for the original change." Google gave no figure for English queries outside the U.S. It said testing showed the algorithm "is very accurate at detecting site quality," and that it was not making manual exceptions. ## What site owners should do Panda no longer exists as a separate system. Google's [ranking systems guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide) lists it under retired systems and says it "evolved and became part of our core ranking systems in 2015." Google's current helpful content guidance covers the same questions: - Check whether your pages provide original information, reporting, research or analysis. - Improve or consolidate thin pages, since Panda assessed quality across the whole site. - Give users no reason to block your site: content that answers the query well is the defence. ## How to check whether it affected you This is historical. Search Console keeps 16 months of data, so April 2011 can only be checked in archived analytics, by comparing Google organic traffic from English-language markets outside the U.S. before and after 11 April 2011. The [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists every update with its dates. ## Related updates - The [Panda update](/updates/panda-update-2011) of February 2011 was the original U.S. launch. - [Panda 4.0](/updates/panda-4-update-2014) in May 2014 was the next Panda update Google itself numbered. ## Frequently asked questions ### What was different about Panda 2.0? It took Panda from U.S. English to all English-language Google users, added data about sites users had blocked in some high-confidence situations, and went deeper into the long tail of low-quality sites. ### Did Google call it Panda 2.0? No. Google's post called it the high-quality sites algorithm. Search Engine Land headlined its report Panda 2.0, and the industry numbering stuck. ### How many queries did Panda 2.0 affect? Google said about 2% of U.S. queries were affected by a reasonable amount, compared with almost 12% of U.S. queries for the original February 2011 change. ## Sources 1. [High-quality sites algorithm goes global, incorporates user feedback](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2011/04/high-quality-sites-algorithm-goes) - Google Search Central Blog (primary) 2. [Panda 2.0: Google Rolls Out Panda Update Internationally & Incorporates Searcher Blocking Data](https://searchengineland.com/google-rolls-out-its-panda-update-internationally-and-begins-incorporating-searcher-blocking-data-72497) - Search Engine Land 3. [A guide to Google Search ranking systems](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide) - Google Search Central (primary) 4. [Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content) - Google Search Central (primary)