Back in February of 2011, Google started on a series of updates which were based on user opinions instead of on numerical data such as: number of back links, number of pages with content, keyword density and meta data. As you’ll soon discover, the above mentioned things still have a strong impact on SEO…but if you use them wrong you could end up tossed into the Google black hole. However, the Panda update isn’t based on any specific numerical data. Instead, it was created based on a collection of survey data which was gathered from a group of human users who evaluated real websites. What types of questions were included in this survey?
While there have been some theories, no one knows for sure except Google and the people who did the evaluating. The data from these evaluations has now been translated into a machine language algorithm which is being used right now to evaluate your website and determine its fate in the search results. Since we have no idea what questions were asked of the people who did the evaluating, we only have two options for discovering the “new rules” of Google search ranking evaluation:
1. Keep doing what used to work hoping it will still work.
2. Read as much as we can about SEO, apply some of it and see what works
3. Partner with Google and stop chasing after SEO “tricks”
By “partner with Google,” I mean that instead of trying to trick them and slip in under the radar with all the other spammers, discover what’s important to Google and how you can start applying that knowledge to get and to keep good search engine rankings. I’m not talking about “cracking the Google code” here, you’re better off trying to break into the White House. Google is interested in creating and interactive experience for their users. That’s why people log onto the internet, search for information, land on websites, stay on websites and buy products and services from websites.
They don’t want to be fooled, baited and switched, swept into sales funnels, redirected, interrupted by pop-up ads, stuck reading a 10 minute sales presentation or assaulted with dozens of super-duper make money from home email offers. People want to find relevant information, quickly and to discover something which helps them solve a problem or get something they really want. They want to connect with other webusers, bloggers, companies and websites which they can trust to deliver them relevant and valuable content on a consistent basis.
If you deliver this experience, people will love your site, they’ll stay on it, they’ll return to it. They’ll tell their friends about it and when they’re looking for the types of products and services you’re selling, your website will be the first place they think of. If you don’t do this, you might be able to squeak by and “fool” the search engines into giving you higher rankings, you might be able to redirect a few people to some affiliate offers, but a time will come when another Google update will knock your site down from its high ranking spot and leave you scrambling for the next SEO “secret.”
This is exactly what happened to dozens of marketers in the wake of the Panda update…and it WILL happen again, and again and again until Google finally buries all the spammers. Only the high value sites which create a great user experience will be left in the Google search results. There’s nothing you can do to change this, Google is a multi-billion dollar company and they’re on a mission to exterminate how value sites. If you want to build a secure and solid future as an internet marketer, you need to partner with Google asap and now is a great time to do it.
*Thanks Koen Berkenbosch
No comments:
Post a Comment