Google has recently released Panda and Penguin. Both are algorithm updates, and both have angered many blog owners and small businesses. This is because sites are no longer ranked on Google’s top search pages, sites that used to be on top. Some were even kicked back several hundred pages. However, many people do not see that these ranks are only based on algorithms; there is nothing personal. So, spare yourself the time and headache of revamping your site and submitting it again to Google. If this were a personal issue, it would be much more severe and you would know it was a penalty. What these new algorithms are doing is lowering the value of sites that are over-optimized, a blackhat technique that often includes some spamming.
In fact, many sites saw a benefit when these updates were released because they moved up in rank. For example, a blogger may have a small site, one that sees only about thirty visitors a month, and next thing you know, there are thousands coming in each day. This is how Google works, and also shows the power that it holds. This is also why many sites went down in rank: the power of Google. However, this can work in your favor if you do things right and have a proper strategy. The right strategy will have you seeing traffic coming in from many different places. Although search traffic is great, there are many other strategies that will help you find the right customers, and help them find you.
What is Penguin and Panda?
Google created both of these updates in order to target those websites that were low quality and violating the policies of Google. Specifically, read on to see what Google was trying to filter out of their search results.
- Low-quality content sites– These include sites with articles that are poorly spun, sites with duplicate content, sites with no original information, articles on similar topics, and short articles that offer no value.
- “SPAM” sites– These include those websites that are full of links, stuffing of keywords, cloaking, and any other evidence that the site is not content-based.
- Over-optimization– Often we see this in sites that are filled with the same keywords or phrases everywhere. Often, there is little to no relevant information, and typically the only other things on the page are links, advertising, and other ways to make money.
A Few Helpful Tips
If you are one of the many who was affected by these changes, or you simply do not want to become one, read on for some tips that may help you.
- Never over-optimize– Stay away from stuffing keywords on a page or articles, hoping for a high rank. This will not work because Google created algorithms to find this. A good goal is not more than two or three keywords or phrases in an article of about 700 words.
- Backlink often and everywhere– Your backlinks should be placed in a number of places, and natural ones are best. However, many owners try to compete and put their links everywhere. This is not good business. Try to keep your links to places such as relevant blogs, guest posts, directories, bookmarks, and social networks.
- Do use quality content– This is a simple one. Google always will reward for content that is useful, and you will also see rewards in the number of visitors that come. The best way to create good, natural backlink is to create content that people want to link to and share.
Although there is some work and strategy involved in being highly ranked, it also does not take a genius to figure it out. Cutting corners is no longer an option, and Google is buckling down and striving to bring higher quality content to its users. There have been many companies and blogs that were shut down for using the tactics described above. Moving forward, one simply must work with the system, and create natural and valuable content. Lastly, make sure that you are looking for traffic in multiple places on the Web, not just one. So go out there, create some quality and valuable content, and let Google help you boost your business in no time.