How To Keep Up With Google…

• Tweet
• Sharebar

• Tweet

Early 2011 Google made an adjustment in their algorithms in an attempt to better detect and reduce the amount of SPAM in their search results and to lower the rankings of those sites that had little original content.

Google’s main target was those sites that just copied content from other original sites, and those with little useful information (an affiliate site offering products from Target, just pasting original Target content onto their sites).This was a pretty specific effort to identify ‘weak sites’ and eliminate them or significantly reduce their ranking.

The intended result was to insure that searchers got to see the sites with original information posted by the original writers, not just original content posted as content on other sites.

Shortly thereafter, the Great Google announced that they had added a new extension to their Chrome browser that would now allow searchers to block any sites that they didn’t want included in their specific search…any site…for whatever reason!

Oh… and each of these ‘blocked’ requests were logged by Google.

Now of course, they assured us that these ‘blocked sites’, having been blocked for any reason, by any searcher, would have nothing to do with the future Google rankings of those sites.

Then came the Panda update which targeted ‘low quality’ sites.

A simple explanation of a typically very lonnng explanation is that the Great Google tweaked their definition of what was an ‘acceptable’ amount of AdSense style advertising on any one site. Maybe there were too many advertisements, maybe excessive links, possibly unrelated links, or just a lesser percentage of content verses advertisements…who knows?

What’s the formula for just the right mix?

Here’s a Q&A discussion from ‘Wired’ that may help.

The point I’m trying illustrate here is that these somewhat simple adjustments to algorithms, i.e. site ranking procedures, by the Supreme Commander have a major impact on our businesses.

You need to be prepared. Your sales will be affected.

Don’t panic. I’ll help you out

Remember the discussions we’ve had about no such thing as a ’hands-free’ income producing webpage.

The world in which we live and work is changing technologically, literally by the day.

Now I’m not suggesting that we change our businesses that often, but I am suggesting that it is extremely important to keep your site attractive to your customers as well as maintaining your competitive ranking if you intend to stay in business.

Where do you start?

Key words

Just think for a moment of all the words in our vocabulary that no longer have the same meaning, and often times not even the same spelling as they once did; phat, cool, tweet, high.

How about new words we didn’t even have a short time ago; iPhone, app, digital buzz.

Words and word phrases are the identifiers of our niches, how we sell our products and services, the backbone or our marketing. We must use the same words our customers use to identify our niche.

To remain in its position as the Great Google, it must constantly re-evaluate and re-rank words and groups of words to insure that searchers are receiving the most comprehensive and contemporary information every search. That’s what they do. Provide information.

And don’t forget that this is the World Wide Web, so words and phrases from across several continents and cultures all come into play.

You probably haven’t touched the original keywords or Meta tags since you set up your web site or blog, right?

OK, it’s time to go back and refresh.

Find that list of keywords that were ‘hot’ at the time. Run them through the Google Adwords KeywordTool and see if you still feel that they’re the best representation of your product or site. If not, then find new ones.

If nothing else you’ll appreciate the time spent familiarizing yourself with all the new features and analytics that Google has added to the Adwords Tool.

Now:

- Make the necessary updates to your site’s Meta tags.

- Insert these new keywords into your site’s ‘content,’ titles, subtitles.

Not done yet:

- Update the articles in eZine Articles, Digg, press releases, newsletters, original content information, etc.

- Re-label any pictures, charts, etc. you may have on your sites that contain the original keywords.

- YouTube vids: change keywords, titles, etc.

- Facebook and any social networking you’re using: change keywords.

- Be sure to use these new keywords in future marketing efforts.

- Prioritize the new list of keywords. If you have more than one product or service set up new lists for each.

Almost done:

- Go to your Adwords account (PPC campaigns) and update the keyword selections for each campaign.

Remember, these original keywords aren’t BAD…they just may not be as good as they could be; i.e. you’re not receiving as many views as you should. You may find that you only need to replace a couple low ranking keywords with new ones. If you’re lucky, none at all.

Keeping your web and blog sites ‘evergreen’ is one of those business chores equal to a new coat of paint on a brick and mortar business. A successful internet business is completely dependent upon your ability to keep your business in front of potential customers.

If the world changes, then we change with it…that’s what we do as online marketers.

I’ll admit that this is not one of the most exciting things about an internet business. But I will tell you that every, yes EVERY time that I have completed this exercise with one of my sites I have found misspelled keywords, keywords used out of priority sequence, errors in links, and completely wrong keywords used for the wrong site…just to admit to a few!

Be thankful that we do business in this fast paced online industry. There are niches and sub niches just waiting for us that we don’t even realize yet.

Many of them will become vividly apparent while completing this process.

Talk soon,
-Jonathan Right

P.S. – Did this post help you out? Please leave a comment below.