If you don’t read much on SEO you may not have heard about the Penguin changes over at Google recently. Google is updating their algorithm to give readers better quality content as they search for information or simply Google it. They want to get rid of web spam and that’s a great thing. Who wants to land on a website just full of links with no information? Not me.
Google has been making changes like this for years, usually updating quarterly, and more recently, monthly and possibly now, even daily. Many of the changes in the past were called Panda after an employee there with that nickname.
What does that mean for SEO?
It means fewer black hat tactics and more, simple white hat practices. Black hat practices include keyword stuffing (using many keywords on a page) along with buying links and other shady tactics. You would be better off buying blogs these days instead of links. The term white hat SEO refers to what you already know: Content rules. Plain and simple.
What should you be doing?
Creating sparkly content that shines above the rest!
Does this mean SEO jobs may no longer have any relevance in the marketplace? Probably not, because you still need to have someone analyze the websites and blogs for the right type and amount of SEO. You also need to make sure to keep your sitemaps up to date and fix any broken links. An SEO professional can help with that.
But these changes may create a need for more quality copywriters as great content will emerge as the number one goal, like the holy grail, if you hope help your site head to the top of the Google search results. Every page will need to have sparkly content, not just the homepage of your website. You’ll need a variety of anchor links, rather than keeping them all the same, and a great copywriter could create quite the variety that would make sense for your blog or website. Google will no longer tolerate multiple duplicate anchor links like those used in black hat SEO practices.
If you sell products on a website this would include every product page and it will take more time to develop and write them. You can also include videos and info-graphics to make products and pages stand out. Images are becoming more important for website ranking as well, and they do make for great pinning over on Pinterest.
When all the content is complete, you’ll need to share it. Google+ will help your site’s ranking, as will sharing on multiple social networks
Caring is sharing!
So, I believe copywriters and photographers will win big with the new Google Penguin changes.
Is your website ready to take it the next level and rise to the top of the search results when someone searches for information on topics that you have spent time creating and curating?
About Lisa Buben
So true. I just read about Google Penguin. It’s amazing how they update their algorithms without most people knowing about it. I do my best to stay on the latest and greatest from Google and then pass that information onto clients. For example, I’m working with a client who puts a lot of emphasis on SEO, but I do my best to reiterate that quality content, giveaways, and engagement should be the focus.
I think many people suffer from what I refer to as the ‘Kevin Costner Syndrome,’ “If you build it, they will come.” Meaning: if they build their website and social media sites, customers/readers will follow them. This isn’t true.
In general, I think it’s important to provide quality content and get to know customers/readers along with networking if you want to grow your web presence.
Amandah recently posted..Comment on How to Write Your Writer’s Personal Statement in 3 Easy Steps by Amandah Blackwell
LOL! I just had to horn in on your conversation with Lisa to tell you that I loved your “Kevin Costner Syndrome”. It gave me a sparkly chuckle this Saturday morning. XO
Samantha, thank you so much for letting my write for your site today – it was an honor to do a piece here at your terrific site full of sparkle!
It’s my honor to feature your great topics and writing style on my site, Lisa. I’m blessed to know you.
Amandah – You make a great point with networking. That too can also generate more traffic which in turns helps the SEO and rank factor driving more traffic to the website or blog. I love your quote on the “Kevin Costner Syndrome”. Content is truly king.
Hi Lisa,
Thank you! I’ve made great strides with my travel client. Their Twitter followers, Facebook fan page ‘likes,’ and web traffic have increased. The bounce rate continues to decrease which is good news. They have two people that build links. But I’ll comment on blogs for them as a way to build links as well. I’ve met some great people.
I love “Field of Dreams,” it’s one of my favorite movies. The quote is perfect for SEO and social media. You may build it, but it takes more than that to get traffic. I think small business owners struggle with this. They still believe SEO alone will get them traffic. It may have worked five years ago, but it’s a different ‘internet’ game today.
Amandah recently posted..Comment on How to Write Your Writer’s Personal Statement in 3 Easy Steps by Amandah Blackwell
I think commenting is the best way now. You don’t see many websites exchanging links anymore – those days are pretty much over.
That was an awesome movie too and another great quote. Thanks for coming by and commenting today Amandah.
You’re welcome! My niece is coming home from college in a few hours. Luckily, she’s packed and ready to go. All we have to do is load up the car and go.
I agree, commenting is the best way. It’s good to join the conversation and see what others think. You never what you’ll learn.
Amandah recently posted..Comment on How to Write Your Writer’s Personal Statement in 3 Easy Steps by Amandah Blackwell
But SEO is his queen, Lisa.
Yes, SEO is queen! I wonder … Who are the prince and princess? Social media and marketing? Marketing and networking? Hmm…
Amandah recently posted..Comment on How to Write Your Writer’s Personal Statement in 3 Easy Steps by Amandah Blackwell
The men and women who create the sparkly #BOSS content are the princes and princesses! The black hat types are the family members that we try not to engage with too much.
Good one! It gave me an idea for a personal development blog post.
Amandah recently posted..Comment on How to Write Your Writer’s Personal Statement in 3 Easy Steps by Amandah Blackwell
Can’t wait to read it! This is what it’s all about — people inspiring creativity and excellence in each other.
Absolutely! I wrote my idea down and will allow it to simmer for a bit before I start outlining. I want to relaunch MisticCafe.com, my personal development website. I need to refresh and refocus it. A ‘tweak’ here and there.
Amandah recently posted..Comment on How to Write Your Writer’s Personal Statement in 3 Easy Steps by Amandah Blackwell
Hey Lisa, Thank you for this insight about the recent Google updates, frankly I think that bloggers shouldn’t worry that much about the Google updates. Blogger should what he should do write great content like your post, share on social media and comment on other blogs.
The reason why I am saying this, is that Google is becoming very wired with their recent updates, they seem or announce something but their attention is little bit different. While Google is trying to fight spammers they get in their way some successful bloggers and businesses.
Thanks for sharing these tips and advice that would help us to refrain from being spammer at least in Google eyes.
ICCIEV recently posted..How MyBlogGuest Makes Guest Blogging Easier (Infographic)
Thanks for stopping by and sharing! You’re right about Google’s efforts to fight spam sometimes getting in the way of quality bloggers and eBusinesses through their algorithm changes. So this new update is really great news for writers who hope to build readership and site rank. That said, I think those who totally ignore Google announcements and updates do them at their peril — no matter how great their content is.
SEO still holds a very powerful place of importance for all of those who hope to draw visitors to their sites — it’s just that Google has recognized what we’ve been saying all along – great content holds the highest importance.
Thanks ICCIEV – Yes, I really believe content is #1 but we cannot totally ignore Google updates either as Samantha mentions. Google likes to keep us on our toes. We just don’t have to stress as much over the SEO and focus on content.
Lisa recently posted..You Can Win That Blog Contest Too – But You Have To Enter!
Definitely true. Google continues to make changes and will continue. But the bottom line is that they’re always after one thing: unique quality content. So hopefully you’re right and copywriters will soon become mega rock stars.
Andrew Kardon recently posted..Learning, Assemble! What the Avengers Can Teach Us About Our Writing
I like that Andrew, “mega rock stars.” Thanks for commenting.
Sparkly ROCK Stars!
SEO baffles me (among other things) so thank you for this post Lisa!
You are welcome Magda, it’s like doing jigsaw puzzle at times.
Great tips! It is quite simple to see if your site was hit by the Penguin update, just check if your traffic went down on 24th of April.I think it is great that Google makes these algorithm updates because it makes life a lot easier for us “white hat” bloggers.We can now concentrate on producing high quality content instead of chasing links.
Tom recently posted..7 Tips To Make Your Blog More Personal
Hi Tom,
Lisa did a great job with this post and it’s something that (as writers) we’ve known all along and have been repeating ad nauseum – Content IS King. But, like I mentioned in an earlier comment thread, if content is king, then SEO is his queen. It doesn’t mean that we can ignore our white hat practices, but that the sleazy black hat guys will either have to change their ways, hire an experienced seasoned writers (not all writers are created equal
), or get off the grid.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I’m looking forward to checking out your site.
XO
Samantha
The design of a blog will solely depend on its niche and purpose.If you want to reel in investors to your company using a blog, then you should make sure that your blog is professional. Otherwise if you want people to like and hang around your blog, you should put not only eye catching designs but also a lot of content that they can divulge into. Thanks for the post!
Very true John, thanks for commenting on this. Content and design are very important.