|
|
Being dumped by Google? Learn how to avoid becoming a victim next time around!
After Google latest update nicknamed "Florida", many webmasters discovered that their traffic plummeted.
What happened?
More importantly what can you do about it?
And what will Google do next?
What happened was that Google made an algorithm change on how they rate web pages.
Every time you make a search, Google tries to show the most relevant web pages that match your search term. By being able to give the most relevant results for queries, they have become the most used search engine in the world.
In order to keep out competitors they have to constantly adjust and improve how they judge web pages.
Because this judgment is done automatically using software, many webmaster have been modifying their sites in order to improve their position in the search results. To do this they have exploited different shortcuts and loopholes made possible by shortcomings in the software algorithm.
Periodically Google make changes in order to stop some webmasters to get unfair advantages by plugging one or two of the loopholes.
This is what happened during the Florida update.
With this update Google introduced new algorithms which intended to stop overuse of some search engine optimization techniques.
More specifically they seem to have targeted search terms found in text links also called anchor text. Web pages with good positions in the search result, which had had a disproportional number of in-bound links to them from other web pages with the exact same search term in the anchor text that the page was optimized for suddenly, disappeared from the listings.
The pages did not disappear altogether. Just for the search term that the page were optimized for.
For Google, the high proportions of anchor texts with the same text indicate that the texts were put there for one purpose only, to boost ranking.
One suggestion for you is to spread out the anchor text with a mix of different texts to keep your page in the search results. We don't know if your pages will come back after some time if you do this, but it is likely.
Apparently the search result generated after the latest update have been of a lower quality than before.
What seems to have happen is that a large percentage of web sites have traded links with one another. This link trade has been done with the same search term in the anchor text that they have optimized their pages for.
The victims more often than not have been commercial web sites that relied to heavily on search engine optimization technique.
The search results have been taken over by web sites composed of low quality directory and link farms.
Now, what will Google do next?
I don't know, but TRY TO THINK like Google! This is what I would do if I was responsible at Google for this.
First I think that they will modify and adjust the new algorithm they have introduced during the latest update. Changing the threshold or don't let the "over optimized pages" drop out of the search result so easy, but rather penalize them and put them under the threshold point.
I think, Google have a problem! You see, many "over optimized" sites are of higher quality that those that are not. To simply drop them out and say that there are enough pages for the same search term is not always true.
There is a thin line between optimization and spamming and where this boundary should be.
After this, what will Google do next? It is clear to me that the many low quality directory sites found in Google search results is a nuance to Google and to the average web user.
It is in this area that, I think, they will make the next modifications.
Google rate web pages according to relevance. The level of relevance is judge based on the web page content and/or how popular the web page is in the view of Google.
To get a page popular you need to have links from other pages. This can come from pages on your own site or from other sites.
Ideally these links should be many, come from pages dealing with similar or identical subject or come from pages that themselves are popular. The best is to have many links from pages dealing with the same subject that themselves are popular.
This had led to an intense link exchange active among webmasters. And the primary reason has been to achieve better ratings. The primary purpose has not been to increase the visitors experience value.
This goes against Google's principles.
To quote Google webmaster guidelines:
- Make pages for users, not for search engines.
- Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings.
- Don't participate in link schemes designed to increase your site's ranking or Page Rank.
To counter this I think Google will target several popularity increasing schemes like:
- Low value directory sites which have been created automatically by robots. These sites contain extracts taken from search engines and directories.
Google can easily spot these sites.
- The building of link directories attached to web sites. They are built with link partner extracting software and services. With them you can upload directory structures directly into your site. This way you can build up a massive number of link partners and also identify link partners with high Page Rank values.
Of course, one can say that by doing this you can add to your visitors experience as the directories make it easy for them to find similar web sites.
However this is an argument that Google most likely would disagree with.
Web sites using tactics like this are easy identifiable by Google. The directory pages are composed of outgoing links which either have the Title, Meta descriptor or other content directly taken from the web pages they are linked to.
Google just have to look at the texts from the directories and the text on the web pages for matching.
Using product or services for this purpose is risking you get banned or at least being penalized by Google.
Will this happen? I think so!
When?
I don't know! Anytime soon, next month,..next year! Nobody knows, only Google can tell!
I think Google also will look into reciprocal linking as a whole.
Maybe they will start to identify pages with outgoing links on them that link to other web sites and identify which links are coming back from those domains.
What they like to see is spontaneous linking to your site from web owners that regard you as a valuable resource to link to, without you linking back. I believe that they will limit the impact of reciprocal linking, somewhat!
What can you do to improve your web traffic from Google without violating its guidelines?
Build web sites that give value to your visitors. Make it into a popular site, so that others want to link to your site. Build niche information rich sites. Either as mini sites or as larger information sites. Larger sites within a niche are given higher popularity rating than smaller sites by Google.
If you do this your web site will not be affected next time Google make a change. Unless of course your competitor drops out of Google, then your traffic will get a boost.
About The Author
Per Strandberg is a web marketer and software developer!
Currently he operates a web site for backup products and data security information!
At http://www.data-backup-and-storage.com
Commonly SEO terms and Jargon used by Search Engine Gurus
What does all this SEO jargon mean.
How Ive Maintained 7 Top Ten Google Rankings For Nine Months
Back in November 2004 I discovered a way to get a top 10 ranking in Google. I tested the technique for 3 months before I shared my findings with the world.
Google Page Rank Is Dead - Or Is It? - Part I
For a long time now, marketing gurus all over the world have been talking about google page ranking. Page ranking is simply Google's way of measuring your pages accordingly.
SEO Expert Guide - Black Hat SEO - Activities to avoid (part 8/10)
In parts 1 - 7, you learnt how to develop your proposition, identify your key words and optimize and promote (for free) your site and pages on the world's search engines. You were also introduced to our mythical Doug (who sells antique doors, door handles, knockers, door bells or pulls and fitting services) in Windsor in the UK.
A Naive Mistake Cost Me My Google Rankings
Little do you know but you too could be making mistakes with your website that are costing you your search engine rankings.
Gaining Link Popularity Techniques
Link popularity is very important these days for all websites since most major search engines look at link popularity has a tool for ranking your site in there search results as well as the quality of your websites content keyword wise. Link popularity is a great way to gaining targeted visitors to your website. This article is going to show you easy and free and effective ways to increase your websites link popularity.
The Search Engine Secret That Is No Secret At All
It's common knowledge - we all know that it is important to rank well in search engines. Doing so can bring qualified, interested visitors to the web site you create. And, those visitors come to you believing that you know what you are talking about, since you showed up in the search engine results.
How to REALLY Profit from SEO
I want to give you a few more things to think about as you excel and grow in the craft of search engine marketing. If you are anything like me, you were hooked the first time you really made a difference to someone else's success. I soon realized that being able to help business owners to get results from these optimization methods and strategies could also be amazingly profitable. I found out that customers are your greatest resources and many of them are quite generous when you make an impact on their business. So the topic here is for those who want to profit from their skills (if you are not already doing very well and having an awesome time already).
Have You Heard Of Website Optimization
Have you heard of website optimization ? If you are building a website or have a new one and you have never heard of it, then you had better take note, because if you want to climb the ladder on the search engines it is something you need to learn about. Website optimization means optimising your website so the search engine spiders will love it.
Internet Marketing and SEO
Have you ever seen any email offers of getting you to the top of search engines guaranteeing top rankings. Like anything in life there is no quick result without hard work. When it comes to designing a website it is the proper foundation principle. Like any great structure you need the foundation built for search engines.
Keywords Finalization Methodology
To arrive at the set of keywords that:
What is Search Engine Optimization?
It is no secret that search engines are the number one traffic generating method for driving visitors to the different web sites. Search engines are very useful in helping people find the relevant information they seek on the Internet. The major search engines develop and maintain their own gigantic database of web sites that can be searched by a user typing in a keyword or keyword phrase in the search box.
How to Choose Keywords to Theme Your Pages and Boost Your Traffic
One of the most frequent questions I get asked is in the choice of keywords for a new site, specifically secondary keywords.. These are the words or phrases that you use when writing your content to help theme the page so that the search engines know what your page is about. These secondary keywords also help to bring in more traffic, because they add more depth to your page, meaning that your page is found for a lot more phrases than just the primary phrase you page is built around.
Link Popularity Explained and How To Build Links
Link popularity is the single most influential factor for determining how well a web site will perform in search engine rankings. A web site's link popularity is computed from the number and more importantly, the quality of links pointing to a web site.
Search Engine Metrics: Organic Search vs. Paid Placement
Let me preface this report by citing advertisers in 2004 have spent 4 Billion dollars on search engine marketing according to the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO).
What You Can Expect From Search Engine
Search engines will be a way for you to generate from as little as 20% to as much as 60% of your business online (depending on what other marketing techniques you use).
Complete Web-Site Optimization For Search Engines (Part 2)
Source code optimization.
SEO: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
I seem to have created quite a stir, on a particular SEO forum recently. In fact, rumor has it, at one point, my article, "Google's Trap, DMOZ's Nap, And Yahoo!'s Crap" was the hottest topic discussed on this particular forum.
Google Ranking WITHOUT Ever Submitting To Google!
A while back, I read an article that explained how to get a good google rating without ever submitting your site to their submission forms. Like you, I was kind of shocked by this statement so I decided to give it a try.
Webmaster-Friendly Google Operators
There are a lot of operators (commands you can enter in the Google search box to return specific results) you can plug into Google in order to find what you want. For webmasters and website owners, however, a few particular operators can be especially useful. Operators can be used to locate potential link partners, evaluate current inbound links, and determine what pages of your website still need to be added to the index. Here are the operators we think you should know: