Google is moving SEO to the next stage with Panda 4.0 – are you?

You will by now have heard of the latest algorithm changes which google has rolled out via its Panda and Penguin updates….maybe it’s still boring to be writing about these but let’s face it, google search is not insignificant in the context of our daily lives; quite the opposite in fact, it is a hugely powerful force in determining how we purchase goods and services, which ones we purchase, and from which sites we purchase them.

The good news with the latest changes, which the famous Matt Cutts announced casually over twitter back in May of this year, is that they really help to simplify SEO and drill down into what exactly a good website is. For a long time, SEO seemed to be the focus of all marketers’ efforts, above even content and user navigation. Essentially, for quite a while, obtaining an excellent google search engine ranking was almost scientific and came down to the skill of the site managers, as much as it did to the actual content that the site provided.

Suffice to say, google has now shifted its policy in relation to SEO to some degree through this latest Panda update. Now, content is even more important than before, and google now favours original, fast changing content, excellent website interface and userability, and relevant content that is useful for the person conducting the search. Yes, SEO is still a very important part of improving ones overall site ranking, but it one part of a larger puzzle as opposed to an end in itself.

To help highlight the benefits of the latest Panda update, here are a few little points to take on board – if you have been living under a rock or have decided that you have had enough of Pandas and Penguins….

1. Make your site content original and interesting
Google now wants to reward sites that are genuinely interesting and informative, and not just those that simply adhere to SEO rules in order to make it popular with google.

2. Continue to perform your SEO as before
Although content and originality is a big part of google’s latest update, no one is for one minute suggesting that you stop doing what you are doing and no one is saying that SEO is no longer important. It is and you still need to tend to the SEO housekeeping, to ensure that your site is still well structured and readable. What I am saying really is that SEO should no longer be the sole obsession for your site’s maintenance and should be just one part of your overall strategy.

3. Engage your audience
Google now wants your site to show a human side in appealing to people seeking a good online experience in whatever it is they are searching for. Human to human, H2H, is the latest buzz word in marketing but when you break it down it makes simple sense. All this means is that your site must be interesting for humans who visit it – ie you now simply have to write content that is well crafted, interesting, unique, and written in a readable style as opposed to for the purpose of ticking the box for SEO requirements.

4. Continue to develop inbound links (though not obsessively)
Again, what google is stressing here is that while it is still ok to focus on developing one’s inbound site traffic, it should be done as part of a holistic site development strategy. By all means continue to drive traffic to your site through social media, video sharing, blog posting etc, but whatever you do, make your content interesting and relevant and always provide unique and informative content….as opposed to doing it just because google says it’s a good thing to do!

5. Focus on providing good content and Panda 4.0 can become your friend!
It is easy to get caught up in thinking that Panda and google are out to get you; they’re really not and
in actual fact, google is now trying to ensure that good content over goof SEO is what generates higher rankings. So, while you now must invest time and resources into your website, in order to keep it fresh and interesting, google is really only making you do what you should be doing yourself anyway!

Contact @thedigitalzoo on twitter for thoughts and comments!

Google Panda and Penguin….No, not a Zoo!

You may or may not have heard about algorithm changes, made by google, which are referred to as Panda and Penguin. Now, we have all heard of Pandas and penguins and most of us find these to be very pleasant cuddly creatures….but just to clarify (just in case!) google are not referring to animals but rather to new algorithms, introduced in 2012.

Although google is constantly looking at ways to improve its search engine service (after all, it is not introducing new algorithms for the fun of it), very often these changes seem to cause consternation amongst website owners. Perhaps such terror is borne from the fact that in general, ebusiness / ecommerce owners have no idea what exactly these new google algorithm changes mean in real terms, in the context of the functioning of one’s site. Truth be told, such fears are often unfounded or greatly exaggerated because, in essence, google is simply trying to improve the quality of websites which appear via its search engine, and at the same time remove those which have a dearth of content, or which are blatantly flouting the common sense rules of good practice SEO.

Essentially, Panda targets low quality site content, repetition and duplication (all of which includes key word stuffing), whereas Penguin targets webspam, including unnatural volumes of inbound links which have been clearly acquired through unnatural means.

All of this seems perfectly sensible and logical if we think about it in common sense terms….away from the world of panda, penguin and algorithms; no matter what product, information or service we seek online, our aim is to find it using as few search terms as possible, searching through as few websites as possible. Thus, google is actually our friend in this matter so let’s not be scared!!

So, if you have an existing website or are developing a new one, there are some basic rules to follow which will help your site to stay relevant – keep within these boundaries and no panda or penguin will bother you!

1. Develop interesting, exiting content that will attract users, keep existing users and encourage people to keep coming back for more

2. Adhere to basic SEO rules with regards to key words – basically, use the key words which best reflect your website and make sure that these are used in your title, meta-tags, alt tags (image text) etc.

3. Do not stuff your site full of repetitive key words because this is exactly what google does not want…and will punish your site for.

4. Do not pay companies to generate you hundreds or even thousands of inbound links (links from other websites), for the purpose of boosting your ranking because actually, you know what, the opposite will actually occur!

5. Produce excellent, original copy and remember that above all else, content is king!

6. Do not use frames, (search engines cannot index pages that use frames) and do not use flash (search engines cannot read flash files)

7. Link, link and link again – you guessed it, google is BIG on linking to other good quality sites which are relevant to yours; note that I advise caution in the use of italics!!

8. Obtain inbound links from other sites to yours – google regards this as an endorsement of tyour site by another completely independent, website.

9. Always use ALT Tags on all images that appear on your website – SEO is all about text and graphic files cannot be read by search engines – therefore, always use an ALT tag to provide a text description of each image on your website

10. Follow, or at least keep in mind, google webmaster guidelines – these will tell you what is / is not acceptable to google and this in turn will help you to avoid any pitfalls and improve your search engine ranking.

That’s it – easy as pie! Your SEO guide in a nutshell!