From Panda to GEO: What Google’s algorithms mean for contract manufacturing SEO

Is your contract manufacturing website visible when it matters most? In today’s data-driven B2B world, up to 70% of procurement decisions are made before a buyer even contacts sales. If Google’s algorithm updates aren’t on your radar, you risk fading into the digital background—literally invisible to early-stage specifiers and engineers.

This guide cuts through the jargon and walks you, step by step, through the most impactful updates—Panda to GEO—and exactly what they mean for your SEO, pipeline, and bottom line.

For contract manufacturers, whether in electronics, life sciences, toll processing or contract packing, staying on top of algorithm changes is vital. With lengthy B2B sales cycles and up to 70% of buying decisions made before a prospect speaks to sales, your digital presence needs to work hard. That’s where understanding Google’s algorithm updates comes in.

This guide breaks down the key algorithm updates of the past decade, explaining what they’ve meant for marketing and SEO teams in the contract manufacturing space and what you can do to stay ahead of future updates.

Panda (2011): Prioritise helpful, human-led content

Launched in 2011 and baked into Google’s core algorithm in 2016, Panda targeted low-quality content like thin webpages, duplicate content, and keyword stuffing. It rewarded original, informative, and well-structured pages.

While the update itself is old, its principles laid the foundation for Google’s Helpful Content System and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Post-Panda, Google continues to prioritise useful content written for people, not just search engines.

Key considerations for CMs:

• Review your website for duplicated service or product pages, which is all too common in CM businesses with similar processes
• Invest in detailed, human-written content – think buyer’s guides, expert-led thought leadership, and FAQs that address your clients’ real procurement and compliance concerns.

Penguin (2012): Build quality, editorial backlinks

First introduced in 2012 and integrated into Google’s core algorithm in 2016, Penguin penalised websites with spammy or manipulative link-building practices and sites stuffed with keyword-rich anchor text.

Thanks to Penguin, link quality is still a major ranking factor. Today, it’s about earning natural, editorial backlinks from relevant, trustworthy sources.

Key considerations for CMs:

• Focus on building partnerships with industry associations to gain relevant, meaningful backlinks useful to audiences.
• Create linkable content, such as whitepapers, benchmark reports, or how-to resources, relevant to manufacturing buyers and technical procurement teams.
• Avoid outdated tactics like link exchanges, directory spamming, or paid guest posting on irrelevant sites.

Hummingbird (2013): Optimise for intent and long-tail queries

Launched in 2013, Hummingbird enabled Google to interpret natural language and search intent rather than just matching exact keywords. It helped match pages with the meaning behind a query, especially with conversational searches.

This is relevant to contract manufacturers because many B2B buyers today ask highly specific, long-tail questions like “What’s the lead time for PCB prototyping in the UK?” or “Do I need GMP-certified toll manufacturers for cosmetics?”

To rank for these kinds of complex searches, your content must reflect how your buyers speak and think, not just what you want to rank for. Build your blogs and pillar content around topical clusters and answer-driven formats, especially those that align with technical buyers or specifiers doing early-stage research.

RankBrain (2015): Capture attention—reduce bounce, boost dwell time

First introduced in 2015, RankBrain uses machine learning to determine the most relevant content based on users' interactions with search results—dwell time, bounce rate, and click behaviour all influence rankings.

How this affects websites in practice is, for example, if users land on your blog and immediately bounce, your rankings may drop. But if they stay, scroll, and click deeper into your site, that signals value to Google.

Key considerations for CMs:

• Structure blogs with clear headings, summaries, and embedded CTAs.
• Offer downloadable spec sheets, calculators, or use case documents to increase engagement.
• Test CRO (conversion rate optimisation) strategies such as sticky menus, in-text CTAs, or product comparison tables.

BERT (2018 release): Speak clearly and contextually

Launched in 2019, BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) helped Google understand the context and nuance of words in a sentence, representing a major leap forward in natural language processing.

With BERT, content clarity and readability became more important than ever and over-optimising and keyword stuffing proved to reduce content visibility. 

Key considerations for CMs:

BERT emphasises explaining complex processes simply. Whether it’s batch manufacturing, traceability compliance, or ISO certification, content should read as if you're explaining it to an informed but busy buyer, not a search engine.

MUM (2021): Leverage visuals and multilingual content

With the introduction of MUM in 2021, Google took things a step further. By understanding content across multiple formats (text, image, video) and languages, it started delivering richer, more comprehensive search results to users.

This meant that visual content became just as important as text, signalling the rise of infographics, process diagrams, and certification visuals to support textual content. Businesses also started to translate high-performing content into other key markets’ languages to serve international clients.

To capitalise on MUM, CMs should use multimedia in blog posts and service pages; embedded product walkthroughs, clean process schematics, and team videos can all contribute to stronger content signals and a higher ranking on Google.

Helpful Content & E-E-A-T (2022): Signal trust and expertise

2022 marked a major change to Google’s algorithm. As a result of the Helpful Content Update and the introduction of E-E-A-T principles, Google now looks at site-wide signals to determine whether a website consistently provides helpful content. It prioritises pages that demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trust.

This update proved especially relevant for regulated or technical industries like life sciences, aerospace or electronics where buyers are risk-averse and credibility matters. 

E-E-A-T in B2B manufacturing content

Best practices for CMs:

• Include author bios and subject matter expert contributions to blog posts.
• Showcase certifications, accreditations, and third-party validation.
• Include testimonials and client logos (with permission).
• Keep content up to date – regular updates signal active, reliable information.

GEO & SGE (2024+): Be the AI-powered answer source

Like most things, the future of search is conversational and AI-assisted. Driven by Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and AI-powered search previews, GEO is a new layer of SEO strategy that focuses on optimising content for AI-generated search experiences. If your content isn't optimised for how AI engines consume and summarise information, you risk being invisible—even if you're technically ranking.

With Google's SGE and AI Overviews beginning to summarise information directly in the search results, traditional organic listings now appear below AI-generated answers. What this means for businesses is that audiences will now receive answers directly in search before clicking any result.

That means your content must rank well and be recognised as source material for these AI-driven summaries. Clarity, structure, trust signals, and topic depth will ensure your brand is featured in AI-generated results.

Best practices for CMs:

• Structure content clearly with headings, lists, and concise definitions.
• Use schema markup to help AI models interpret your content.
• Prioritise topical authority through comprehensive coverage of your manufacturing specialism (e.g. cleanroom standards, GMP, IPC compliance).
• Answer common buyer questions succinctly – these are prime candidates for AI answers.

Practical steps for impactful SEO in contract manufacturing

Here are some practical steps you can take to safeguard your contract manufacturing SEO strategy from Google’s algorithm:

1. Audit your content for quality, remove duplication, and focus on helpfulness.
2. Restructure blogs and service pages to align with user intent.
3. Create multimedia content to satisfy MUM’s multimodal focus.
4. Pursue editorial backlinks by publishing on relevant manufacturing and industry channels.
5. Track engagement metrics like time on page, bounce rate, and conversions to evaluate website performance post-RankBrain.

SEO FAQs

What is a Google algorithm?

A Google algorithm is a complex set of rules Google uses to determine which web pages from the search index should appear in search results, instantly delivering the best possible results for a search query. Google frequently updates its algorithms to improve search quality.

How often does Google update its algorithm?

Google makes thousands of updates each year, but major ones (core updates) typically occur a few times annually.

What is E-E-A-T in SEO?

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google uses this metric to assess the quality of content, especially in industries where trust and credibility are key, such as manufacturing and life sciences.

Why should contract manufacturers care about algorithm updates?

Your digital visibility, including how procurement or technical decision-makers find you, depends on Google ranking your content highly. Algorithm updates affect that visibility.

How do I ensure my content performs well after updates?

Focus on content that demonstrates expertise, create valuable resources for your audience, avoid manipulative SEO practices, and invest in website UX and performance.

Conclusion

SEO is more than a technical to-do list item for contract manufacturers; it’s a strategic lever for growth in a competitive B2B landscape. Google’s algorithm updates reflect the search engine's ongoing mission to surface the most useful, trustworthy and engaging content to its users. Stay in tune with these changes, and your digital presence will remain a valuable asset that attracts the right leads at the right time.

Whether you're just jumpstarting your SEO strategy or looking to refine your website for the future, Equinet can help you navigate the complexities of Google and get the most out of your SEO efforts. Get in touch with us to learn more.

Editor's note: This blog was first written in 2018 and updated in August 2025 for relevance and accuracy.