Taming the Google Zoo
After many years of relative calm on the SEO front, Google embarked on a swooping algo update frenzy that started in 2011. Many SEO’s got caught up in the newly, tightly woven web that suddenly shunned sloppy back link building strategies and heavy handed key word distribution.
A good many SEO’s saw their bridges drop to the floor, their ranking fell 3,4,5 pages or more. (Oops, I got hammered as well on two sites. Still dealing with that.) You can talk this matter to death and find too may different and confusing opinions as to what did and didn’t change.
Having listened to Matt Cutts, head of Google’s Webspam team and bringer of good or bad news, it becomes clear that the more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s all about user experience. If your Website doesn’t bring anything to the table; it ain’t happening.
Matt Cutts puts it in the nutshell, it’s content and nothing but content. It used to be and now, more than ever, is so. As the French say, Le roi est mort – vive le roi.
If your site doesn’t stand out or offer anything different from your competitors, you are stuck in the status quo. Seize the moment. Now is your time to shine and dazzle the user with fresh and pertinent content. Take a hard look at all text in the site and revamp and embellish the content. If you don’t have the talent to do so find some one that does. You may have to fork over $30.00 to $45.00 per 400 words. But if the text is quality, it’s worth it. The landscape of content development has changed or did it really? Good content was always ranking well and will continue to do so. All you need to do is look at your Google Analytics number and see what your bounce rate is. That will tell the story!
So what can an SEO do to create an awesome and focused presence on the web that will top your competitors by ranking exceptionally well in your niche? Rid yourself of the strategies of old, no more cheap back link farming, hidden text and keywords swamping a page. Refocus to what the users want and make your site the best possible experience for them out there. Relevant content, well worded and grammatically sound text will win hands down always, all the time. Don’t go spending your hard earned dollars on some service from India where they speak Hindu instead of English. Also, I haven’t found anyone that can totally write great content on Fivver, but for kicks I use their service at times to get the ball rolling. You’ll find more so than not, that you have to rewrite the content to really fit your niche.
Google’s Algorithm is programmed to ferret out the crap, and it does so by not ranking inferior info. Google is looking for quality results so the users have the best possible, targeted info there is. Remember, users are looking for something specific. They want their (problem) query solved. Does your site deliver the solution for the search in more ways than one? Site speed and user friendliness are crucial. Is your site easy to navigate? Do you have 404’s and sooo much more? If not roll up your sleeves and get to work.
Start branding yourself as a marketer of outstanding, quality content, that is looked upon by the user and Google alike with satisfaction. Having said that, I don’t think that you’d have to worry about links furthermore. They are attracted to quality content like insects to a lightbulb.
Quality is and always will trump (in the long run) the “smart guys.”
By and by, there will be SEO’s out there that figure it out in time, the smoke signals that Google is looking for. Yep there is another algo update. Dang, let’s start all over. Or just stick to the tried and trusted techniques that have proven to keep water under your keel and you’ll be sailing along.
Cheers
Ralph D. Klonz
San Antonio Tx