Understanding Google or at least
Trying to
Google’s newest update that is expected within one to eight days could be earth shattering for many. I’ve learned a lot since my last post where I speculated as to why Google has kicked my blog down a notch when it comes to the PR of it and its pages and why many of the links have vanished. I have never done any artificial link building but that doesn’t seem to matter so much. It’s just that links lost their value in general.
There was an indication of what was coming up with Google in my post about Google going social. But what is really happening and what is going to happen with Google and Google+ is much more revolutionary than I could have ever imagined then.
Google+ is much more than just an attempt to compete with Facebook. It is something almost entirely different. It serves for the preparation of the next generation of search services. Google+ is getting context, the preferences and likes of people. It lets Google aggregate all the information from across of their platforms. Google Now analyzes and anticipates what people will want and what they’ll look for even before they know it themselves. It’s contextually based search anticipating people’s needs.
This is why links in the old sense don’t work and won’t work anymore. Google may even punish you for the links that you have if they were built artificially. If they are legitimate they will just lose any value they may have had.
Based on history, it would seem that Google has come up with huge changes on or close to the last Friday of August. This is why it’s very likely that the big coming Google update may start within one to 8 days from today. It could be as soon as Friday, August 31, 2012.
No matter when it will happen, the date is not that important. The trend has been set and the fact that the coming update will be big has been indicated by Matt Cutts. One of his tweets from yesterday seems to be a warning to sites with Word Press on them. They’ll be scrutinized even more because they are often used by spammers. If you are a legitimate and well behaving WP user, then you should be OK.
The whole internet and online landscape seems to be undergoing a big change and Google is changing with it. They are changing in order to survive and to prosper. The Apple iPhone, its Siri and other smart phones and mobile devices like tablets have shaken Google up. They do have to act and they are acting right now. People use the internet differently than they used to. Roughly 50% of all searches are now done from mobile devices. People want instant and relevant results.
Unless you are a spammer you shouldn’t be afraid of what Google is doing and what it will do in the future. Always work according to their rules and do what they like and you should be fine. The rules will always be changing so the need to adopt them will always be there. But working within the current rules will make any future changes easier.
What’s your take on the changes with Google and the online space? How much internet browsing do you do using a mobile device like a smart phone or a tablet?
Leave your comments and please do Google+ this post and then tweet it, like it on Facebook and bookmark it.
P.S. I have just purchased a course showing how to take advantage of mobile phone, meaning smart phone marketing. Click on the highlighted text: smart phone marketing to watch a video about it.
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Authored by Vance Sova
Filed under: Understanding Google
I think social media will probably be the best way to give your site juice in the coming years.
If you think about it most people log on to facebook or “insert other social media website here” to direct there internet surfing.
Cheers,
Eyern´s last blog post ..No Car Chase Beer Commercial
Vance Reply:
August 30th, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Hi Eyern,
I think you may be at least partially right. Interaction with others has always been something Google liked to see but it’s getting to be even more important.
Thanks for the comment. Did you remember to google+ the post?
Cheers,
Vance
Google likes more interaction and in my own opinion, I think it’s getting even better, you’re right Vance
Vance Reply:
August 31st, 2012 at 9:39 am
Thanks for the input. It would be nice to be able to call you by your own name instead of Tech Talk Africa. It’s surely not Hifi eh?
We are just not in control when it comes to relying on Google so my advice is to get the traffic you can from them while you can and send it to a page where you collect the names and emails of the visitors in order to build an email list so you will in effect have your own traffic source.
So far, no earth-shattering update from Google but there’s a few days to go yet. I’m not too concerned. Because my website depends on good content, it pretty much weathered the previous updates unscathed. But thanks for the headsup though. I’ll keep checking for it.
Leo@Accountant Salary´s last blog post ..Additional Accountant Jobs
Vance Reply:
September 5th, 2012 at 11:08 am
Hi Leo,
So far it’s not happened yet it seems. But it will sooner rather than later. Also, it will take a while before every site is gone through and evaluated. Thanks for the comment.
You are so right about not being afraid of Google’s updates, providing you are following their guidelines regarding the use of organic content without duplicate content etc. I find it a little worrying that I can’t readily find out what they want us to do until they punish us!
Thanks for the article Vance.
Vance Reply:
September 10th, 2012 at 10:50 am
Hi Zoe,
Thank you for the comment. They have little or no no concern about the effect website owners may suffer. Their guidelines help but are never clear enough. What they do and how they do it, the part they never reveal and that influences much, is constantly changing. This is likely to never change and the guessing game will go on.
Vance.
I think social media will probably be the best way to give your site juice in the coming years.
We don’t how google’s algorithm works. What google wants everybody to do is to “play nice” – don’t submit to link farms, no comment spam or any other black hat SEO techniques. So as long we follow natural link building strategies, provide quality content, use page speed tool, use social media your website should be ok. When I say social media I am talking about google+ primarily. Whether you like it or not google+ will carry more weight when it comes to search rankings. Just as an example, if you want your picture to appear next to your blog post in google SERP (and thus stand out even if you are not #1) you need to have a google+ profile linked.
I guess what I am getting at is, we don’t know how the google algorithm works, however, we do have some idea of their intentions and future direction which we can use to our advantage.
Vance Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 8:09 pm
Hi Lashan,
I doubt very much that Google wants us to use anything we know about them to our advantage. This is exactly where all the black hat tactics and artificial links and who knows what else stems from. If there is something that Google likes then people want to exploit it to the largest degree possible. It sooner or later hurts everybody in the end. The only thing that Google wants for sure is quality unique content. That will never change. Everything else can come and bite you sooner or later.
Thanks for your input.
Vance.
I admit it, ready or not, google plays monopoly, we can play with or escape but our content can only be found through that search engine. The social media platform is the most efficient way for natural traffic generation and link building, and there are some other Google-compatible efficient tools for get a higher pr but the most important is still the content, I think.
I have learned so much by reading your blog. It always amazes me how much there is to learn. It is also mind boggling how fast things change. For a newbie like me having a resource like your post.
Vance Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Hi Becca,
Thank you very much for the comment. Keep on reading and commenting. Good luck with your online work. Soon you won’t be a newbie anymore.
Vance
it almost feels like Google is dominating the Internet, how it works and what has to change. Very frightening.
There was a Simpsons episode a while ago, where Lisa said “Google you maybe enslaved half the world, but you are still a damn fine search engine.”. That Episode played in the future, but who knows we might be there soon.
Vance Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
Hi Sylvia,
Interesting comment, thanks. We are probably there already. But if Google is not careful they may start losing their grip on people. Google may be just about the only game in town right now but things are changing and their dominance won’t last forever if they remain as heavy handed as they are. Inflexibility and arrogance is usually the beginning of the end of all huge empires.
Vance
That’s a big move. It makes sense though. But as long as you have great content on your site you can’t go wrong. Link farms and such will go down the drain. It will be interesting to see how it pans out.
Vance Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Hi Vinny,
Content is all that matters consistently. Everything else comes and goes. Thanks for the comment.
I’ve experienced this just last week. I think it’s called Google dance. Noticed my sites rankings going up and down everyday. I just hope they’ll move me on a better ranking.
Vance Reply:
September 28th, 2012 at 11:02 pm
Hi Jason,
Thanks for the comment. The Google dance is nothing new. It’s been around for a long time. What I wrote about is altogether different which makes me wonder if you’ve even read my post.
I’m not so sure links are completely going away to be honest. I mean I’ve read reports that 40% of facebook users are spam so whats to stop them from gaming the system just as much as any traditional link source?
Vance Reply:
September 28th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
Hi Jordan,
Unfortunately, people will always try to game the system. And Google will always be catching up to them. You can bet that Facebook will do something about it as well. What do you mean by traditional link source is also important. Genuine and valuable comments will always be a plus but spam comments a big minus. And Google can definitely tell which one is which too. But artificial link building through link farms etc. will only add negatives to anyone’s site. Thanks for your thoughts.
Cheers,
Vance
Hi Vance,
I think you are bang on about G+ – and what’s more I don’t think most people have woken up to how massively important it’s actually going to be.
People think it’s a Facebook clone – but in reality, as you point out, it’s something quite different.
I for one am stepping up my previously anaemic G+ efforts.
Robert Tyson´s last blog post ..Commun.it: The ‘Missing Link’ That Turns Twitter Activity Into Sales For Small Businesses?
Vance Reply:
October 7th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Hi Robert,
Thank you for the nice comment. You got it. Google+ is vastly different from Facebook and is or will soon become much more significant than Facebook even if they never have as many users. As for being a clone I think that Facebook has adopted some things from Google+.
Cheers,
Vance
Can I simply say what a relief to uncover somebody who genuinely understands what they’re discussing on the net. You certainly realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people have to read this and understand this side of your story. I can’t believe you are not more popular since you surely have
the gift.
Vance Reply:
October 7th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Hi Adeline,
I think that your comment is probably a cleverly written spam comment. If I’m wrong about this then respond to this and make the comment relevant to my post subject. Failing that I will remove this comment by the end of this month.
There is another update that came out from Google a few days ago and it targeted the sites with EMD’s. As to the lost value of links, maybe the sites who linked back to you lost their value, making the links not so much valuable any more
EMD Came, and it is what it is, I say keep calm and carry on (and put a white hat on ;))
Ben´s last blog post ..No Ambition – What Can You Do?
Vance Reply:
October 7th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
Hi Ben,
Not much else can be done to make things better and not worse.That’s a very reasonable comment. Thanks.
I like your positive thoughts about not being afraid of Google’s updates, as long as we do as asked and stay on the path all should be well, but being a newbie I can’t speak from experience but people I have spoken to have no idea why they were hit so badly by the Panda and Penguin updates.
Vance Reply:
October 7th, 2012 at 2:41 pm
Hi Fern,
It seems that not only the bad guys get affected by the updates. They affect everybody to at least some degree. But regardless of that I think it’s pointless to try to cheat the system.
The game is totally governed by Google. The best thing about their updates is that they deflate the people who are totally scamming for page hits. At the same time, now improving page rank is getting that much harder.
Robert Koenig´s last blog post ..Another Bad Driving Young Starlet?
Vance Reply:
October 7th, 2012 at 2:36 pm
Hi Robert,
It would be good if they could separate the scammers without punishing honest sites. But that doesn’t seem to be what they focus on. The good get punished with the bad quite often and apparently Google is not concerned with that at all.
I didn’t get hit nearly as hard as I thought I would with the update. As always, I think a full-spectrum approach to marketing as a total solution is key. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. In other words, use Social Media, but don’t completely focus on it. SEO and link building still drives a lot of traffic. Write good content and have a wide-range traffic plan so if one falls you don’t fall with it.
I think in general you just need to be publishing new quality content each week/month and interacting with others through social media and then your rankings will take care of themselves. Although you need to be patient!
Marie@catered ski chalet meribel´s last blog post ..ski chalet meribel
Vance Reply:
October 12th, 2012 at 11:56 am
Hi Marie,
You are right in saying what is the right course of action. As for the rankings taking care of themselves that is a very optimistic view. It certainly should be that way but that is not what necessarily happens. Hopefully it will work out that way eventually.
Vance
Hi Vance,
I have about 100 minisite, and the latest update google EMD has kicked them one by one, my blog has drastically decreased visitors.
Well, nobody knows what exactly inside Google Algorithm, we don’t knows what will happen next. I think it’s time we use social media like facebook, twitter, etc.
Remember, don’t put all your eggs(income) in one basket(Google), but put all your eggs in many baskets(social media, youtube, mailing list, etc)
Hendry
Vance Reply:
October 12th, 2012 at 11:52 am
Hi Hendry,
Thanks for the comment. Minisites are pretty much out of favor now. Unfortunately Google seems to punish everybody through their algoritm that fits certain criteria. And those keep on changing. One thing that will always be cool is providing value. Google won’t ever frown on that even if they may not always give you credit for it.
Vance
Unfortunately in SEO, ‘trying to understand’ is the best most of us can do. Google developers can unvalidate all of our knowledge by changing a few lines of code on their servers.
Vance Reply:
October 12th, 2012 at 11:43 am
Hi Hanamiti,
They are certainly changing things all the time. But it’s good to try to understand what they want even though it’s a never ending process. Thank you for commenting.
Vance
Dear Admin,
I landed upon your article”Google updates”from google, Actually i am doing a research work on”Google updates/Panda/Penguine”,found your article useful for my research work. Actuall i was looking for more related articles on your blog but unfortunately didnt find anymore of it.Hope read more related articles in coming days…I will keep following your blog till then
Regards
Mia
The significant changes were: Panda, Penguin and EMD. But links are and will always be the core of SEO – the internet is based on links! As long most of the people are using Google, you have to try to adapt to their “rules” if you want your business to survive. Of course it makes sense to find other traffic sources and visitors.
Vance Reply:
October 19th, 2012 at 11:48 am
Hi Alexander,
Thanks for the comment. I’d like to know how you can be so sure about links always having value. You are projecting the past into the future. The algorithm criteria before Panda, Penguin and EMD are now gone. When people focus on anything too much it causes Google to change it, neutralize it or even to punish sites for it. Just because something has worked for years doesn’t mean that it will continue to work forever.
Completely agree. After i started my blog, i found that some post started to rank while i did not get a single back link to them. It seem like when one writes long informative posts, he should not never worry about ranking.
Ali@relationship advice blog´s last blog post ..How To Get Your Ex-Girlfriend Back – The Ultimate Guide To Get Her Back
Vance Reply:
November 2nd, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Hi Ali,
You’ve got it. Only genuine and natural links now have a positive value. Any artificial link building is now doing more harm than good. It’s all about good, original content and interaction.
Vance.
I would love to have those free template as I am starting my Facebook push now, but too late :(. It will be interesting to see what challenges await me. There will be a lot of work, that much I know but with the potential audience it will certainly be worth it!
Vance Reply:
November 3rd, 2012 at 9:59 am
Hi Curious,
I just checked and the free templates are still available. I updated the post about that. So you can still get them right now.
I think that social media is going to provide you the link juice in the coming years.Because the web getting based on social media and that is why it will provide me benefit while link building and link juice to the readers.
Himadri´s last blog post ..Key Elements Of A Digital Asset Management System
Vance Reply:
November 2nd, 2012 at 12:39 pm
Hi Himadri,
Thanks for the comment. You may be right that social media links are replacing other links but perhaps links of any kind are now looked at very differently than before and have much lower value if any once they go through the screening or filtering process done by Google. Google is interested only in natural links and not any artificially created links through link schemes. Links through comments that add value are of course natural.
Vance.
I must agree – social media seems to be taking charge of things now!
Vance Reply:
November 20th, 2012 at 12:07 am
Hi Joe,
No, you don’t have to agree. I much prefer to see your own opinion and preferably in more than just a few words. This is a warning to you. If your comments don’t add any value, they’ll be trashed. This applies to everybody.
Good job I say… SEO is mind numbingly boring. Much more fun to produce quality content and engage with people through social media instead of submitting to a bunch of crummy article directories and guest posting
Yeh i agree with Mark Bird, Seo is indeed boring. Kinda kills the beautiful mind.