Bridal Marketing Group

Have you seen your website or blog rankings drop in the past few weeks?  That could primarily be from the launch of Google’s newest tactic to enforce their SEO guidelines, which states that web pages (including blog posts) should primarily be made for users and not for search engines.

This new algorithm essentially deals with websites or blogs that indulge in excessive link building, keyword stuffing which typically means publishing a whole lot of meaningless garbage just for the sake of traffic.

If your traffic fell because of Google’s Penguin update, you can repair the damage. Here’s what to do (and what not to do) to get your rankings back on track.

• Content is King - Content makes a big difference in search rankings.  The more natural sounding the text, the better.  So always create content that’s useful to online users.  Avoid keyword stuffing and write for people, not search engines.

• Quality over Quantity - In the past, having thousands of links back to your website (or blog) was key.  Although it’s still important, if the links aren’t from valuable and respected sources then it will damage you more than do you good.  Concentrate on content that will remain useful for a long period of time and you’ll stay ranked.

• CHANGE NOW! - This is not a phase that will pass.  The internet is getting smarter and smarter.  It will only continue to do so.  If you aren’t flexible to this change then you probably shouldn’t be in business. (a great book for those who can’t adapt is “Who Moved my Cheese.”  Go read it if change is hard for you!)

• Social Media is a MUST - Social media marketing may not get as many direct links as a guest blog post will, but it allows you to build a following.

The overall point to take from Google’s new Penguin is to post information that’s relevant and written in a way that actual people can understand..not just search engines!

What’s your take on the new changes?  Please comment below.