So what does Google Updates mean for small business?
While it's always been shouted from the virtual rooftops that “Content is King“, a lot of us never really took Google Updates seriously. Until now that is. Since recent search engine algorithm updates in the last couple of years including Panda (and its subsequent offspring) Penguin as well as others, it's become ever more clear that Google has finally reached the point where it's able to enforce what it said, and this is nowhere more evident than in the latest incarnation of the Google Webmaster Guidelines.
To put it briefly, this means we are to prize quality over quantity, and endeavor to ensure that our content isn't there simply to collect a link back to our pages, but to add worthwhile and substantive grist for the conversation. This flight to quality means we should abandon excessive, low-quality SEO for a more organic, long-tern qualitative strategy to SEO and link building. However, it doesn't mean that we avoid working to promote our pages with link building. It's the link schemes, link farms and manipulative machinations that Google is seeking to get rid of.
How to Benefit from Google Updates
- Create awesome content – Craft content that people are eager to both read and share. Lend your unique voice to the conversation and don't be scared to ruffle feathers!
- Make it shareable – Since Google is now making social signals an element of the search algorithm it's very crucial to make certain folks have the option and desire to share your content. It can make a difference in your rankings.
- Don't use content automation – Google is getting better and better at discovering and exiling automated content. Since the majority of the time this kind of spun or rehashed text is instantly recognizable as such, just determine to stay away from it entirely.
- Make your links diverse – Don't use the very same keyword text in all of your links. It's not natural and won't help you rank for that keyword. Use your keywords, naked URLs, some “click here's” as well as other common terms.
- Don't employ linking schemes – In the past you could get away with this, also there are many who will tell that this is still so, even so the cost of being identified is high. Do you actually want to build your business on that?
