In February 2011, Google launched the first of what would become 14 updates under the Google Panda name. This wasn't the first update to the Google algorithm change that had a widespread effect on online publishers, but it is one that caused quite a stir because a lot of guilty and innocent publishers felt the backlash with decreased search traffic.The lesson online publishers should have learned from Google Panda was simple -- don't try to game the system. Online publishers who published original, useful content and heed Google's advice for creating that content didn't feel the same negative effects that online publishers who published duplicate or poor quality content or who didn't bother to learn Google's publishing tips (or simply ignored them) suddenly wished they had paid attention and followed a publishing strategy that focused on long-term growth rather than short-term search traffic spikes.SEO.com put together an infographic, shown below, that offers the basic tips that online publishers should follow post-Panda. These aren't new tips, but if you haven't paid attention to them before, make sure you do in the future.

Last year, SEO.com created a different infographic that likened some of the biggest SEO spam tactics to villains from well-known horror movies. It's a creative way to see just how deadly intentional (i.e., blackhat SEO) or accidental spam can be as far as Google's algorithm is concerned. In other words, these are spam tactics that Google punishes sites for, so beware of these traffic killers. Pleading ignorance won't save you.