Saturday, January 26, 2013

SEO Gurus Chasing Google Algorithm Changes



SEO gurus have a system by which they chase search engine algorithm changes (recipes or formulas for determining the value of a website to human users). They stay up late at night, trying to adapt a website's tags and text to accommodate the constant fluctuations. 

SEO Moz lists the Google algorithm changes in a timeline.

Sure, you can hire specialists and buy analytics tools to chase the elusive search engine algorithms. But the algorithm changes are largely due to SEO gurus attempting to game the system. They seek to trick search engine spiders into valuing a website higher than its real value to human users.

SEO gurus invent a new gimmick, then other SEO practitioners imitate it, then Google catches onto the ploy, and changes the algorithm. Then the SEO gurus and webmasters panic, hurrying to adjust the tags and text, etc. so that Google won't penalize or blacklist a website for being spammy or black hat.

Algorithm updates have names, similar to hurricanes:

Panda, Penguin, Venice, Knowledge Graph Expansion, Page Layout, 7-Result SERPs, Query Encryption, Pagination Elements, Schema.org, Google +, Panda/Farmer, Attribution, Overstock.com Penalty, Social Signals, Negative Reviews, Instant Previews, Brand Update, Caffeine, Rel-canonical Tag, Vince, Google Suggest, Dewey, Buffy, Universal Search, Big Daddy, Jagger, Gilligan, Bourbon, Allegra, Brandy, Austin, Florida, Fritz, Esmerelda, Dominic, Cassandra, Boston.

If you write a website so that it is speaking naturally, in human language to human visitors, you'll have great SEO. By using synonyms, multimedia, and frequent content updates (news, blog, products, etc.), you'll have a website that Google will favor.

Ignore those emails from SEO companies that want to charge you big money to perform their SEO magic tricks on your website. 

You'd be a lot better off hiring a web content developer to provide you with well-written website text, with naturally occurring keywords, and web pages that are productive, not stagnant.

Even the SEO gurus agree: high quality content is becoming far more important than link building and esoteric SEO gimmicks.

The Law of SEO is this: Google wants to show search engine users the best web pages for the key words and phrases they use to find the information they need.

Thus, you need to have superior content. You need a good writer who can present your products, the problems your products solve, and your corporate expertise in a way that is complete, compelling and original.

Curating content, copying and pasting content, scraping content from other websites, plagiarizing and slightly modifying content of others -- all these techniques are despised by Google.

Google will eventually penalize your website, demote it SERPs (search engine results pages), or de-index your website for such foolish acts.

Your website needs fresh, frequently updated, professionally written content.

Websites must be designed and written to provide a satisfying user experience. Speak to your audience, fans, and customers like a normal, caring, sincere human being.

Use relevant key words and phrases. Not in the manner of an SEO sharpie, but like you would ordinarily talk in a seminar or a book you authored.

Keep your website aimed at real users and typical customers, and the search engines will love it, boosting your website higher and higher in search engine results pages.


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