It is well known now that Google changed its search algorithm significantly last month.
The way Google searches and indexes your website is pretty important as the number one search site – if you’re not ‘found’ on Google your business loses out.
The change mainly affects sites who copy / reproduce content from other sites (commonly called farming) and do not add value to browsing readers.
What can you do?
- Produce unique content. Write or re-write your material. If you resell for others, add depth to descriptions with your own review / opinion to differentiate your site.
- Continue to write good copy in titles, metatags, HTML layout
- Make it easy for human readers rather than trying to second-guess bot readers
- Don’t waste your time working with ‘farmer’ website owners. One of our clients set up relationships with sites who were sending traffic using automated link farming – their importance will probably drop after this roll-out
- Do check your site analytics and see whether you have been affected.
- Review your SEO and steer tactics away from those not favoured by Google.
SEO experts take a look at the SEOMOZ view.
A custom report for Google Analytics from Andy Beard.
If you have e-commerce clients they should read the analysis on Practical ECommerce.
Web masters read the technical issues on SearchEngineLand.
Related articles
- Google’s Farmer Update and Its Effect on Independent Publishers (xfep.com)
- Google Analytics Version 5 (seroundtable.com)
