Google is changing their SEO ranking algorithm

Google is foreclosing on content farms with shallow content.  HOORAY!

For far too long Google has rewarded quantity of content over quality of content.  These sites that do nothing but scrape content from other sites and then link - are baloney.   I for one will be glad to see them go.  However, there are many SEO teams in Gainesville that will need to change their strategies.

Read more about google’s change in SEO.

Official Press Release from Google about their change in Search Engine Results.

Google is telling us “Many of the changes we make are so subtle that very few people notice them. But in the last day or so we launched a pretty big algorithmic improvement to our ranking—a change that noticeably impacts 11.8% of our queries”

The New York Times ran a fantastic article on the downside of some companies’  SEO practices, the companies that use them, and the ramifications of using companies that use black-hat tactics.

New York Times - Feb 11, 2011 Search Optimization:  The dirty little secrets. The story of JC Penny, cheating at SEO, link farms, and the penalties for cheating.

I can not tell you how many clients have asked us to get them to “number 1 in google” - and then become frustrated that it takes longer than 48 hours.

I can’t tell you how frustrated I am - when Ozean does it the right way - and people get away with cheating.  If there is any justice, it is that eventually Google will catches up.  If you are thinking about going the SEO black hat route, ask yourself, what happens when you get banned?

SEO or Search Engine Marketing is difficult, time consuming, and requires a consistent and constant diligence.  Heck, just when you have a handle on it - Google, Bing, or Yahoo will go and change the rules.

If you are interested in search engine optimization or search engine marketing , give someone a call that is NOT going to get you banned from Google or the other search engines.

Top ten easiest SEO Techniques

The World Wide Web is constantly growing and changing. With thousands of new websites launched daily, search engine optimization is a necessity in the process of differentiating your site from competitors. The following is a list of the top ten most effective SEO techniques:

• Provide Good Content
  Be sure the content that you are implementing is relevant and useful. Not only are search engines more likely to rank your page higher for relevant searches, but informative, valuable content also encourages other sites to link to your site.
• Provide Unique Content
  Filling your website with content that other competitors do not offer will increase visitor and crawler traffic to your site, ultimately increasing your search engine rank.
• Use Keyword-Rich Text
  Make sure to use relevant keywords, search terms and queries in your content. Try to use words and phrases that your target audience would likely type into a search engine, but are not overly used by competitors. These keywords should be placed prominently on the web page, preferably above the fold.
• Frequently Update Your Website
  Frequently updating your site can prove to be extremely beneficial in terms of search engine optimization. The more frequently you update your site, the more frequently search engines will visit, increasing traffic and crawler activity, ultimately giving you the opportunity to achieve higher rankings. It is also better to update little bits of content regularly versus updating big chunks of content every so often.
• Ensure your website structure is conducive to Search Engines
  Structure your site so that it is favorable to SEO. Make sure your site map is current and your robot.txt file is correct. Always use title and meta-descriptions, as well as keywords and clean code. And most importantly, make sure visitors and search engine crawlers are able to easily access all pages of your website.
• Establish a Link Building Program
  Establish connections and alliances with other websites. While it is extremely beneficial for other websites to provide a link to your website, embedding links to other websites within your own webpage proves to be an insufficient SEO strategy. Your site will rank higher if you are linked to a few well-respected sites versus many unknown, insignificant sites.
• Include Meta-Tags
  By including meta-tags within your webpage, you have the ability to control how your website is described by search engines. Often, meta-tags are used to communicate information that human visitors are not concerned with. This information helps search engines categorize your website so that your page is easily found when your specific product or service is searched.
• Track your Performance
  First, you must establish a benchmark ranking for your website. Continue to track your improvements using programs such as Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools and Yahoo! Site Explorer. Look specifically at your SERP (Search Engine Ranking Position), your traffic statistics, and the amount of crawler activity. If you notice an increase in crawler activity, search engines are taking notice in your site and the quality of your content.
• Avoid Black Hat Techniques
  Be sure to use ethical search engine optimization strategies. Techniques such as keyword stuffing and cloaking, or presenting different pages to human visitors and search engines, will eventually get you penalized by search engines. Search engines will not only drop your rankings, but they can also ban your website from the index list.
• Stay up-to-date on the latest SEO strategies
  EO strategies are constantly changing. Be sure to know what techniques are effective or ineffective and you are sure to steadily optimize your site!

If SEO is to be done correctly and effectively, it must be continuous, deliberate effort. It can be quite a time-consuming process. If you don’t have the time, give us a call!