How to survive the Google algorithm
If you regularly keep watch over your Google rankings or subscribe to various internet marketing newsletters, you will be aware of the panic that has left many website owners stressed out and confused.
You can’t fool Google, sooner or later they will weed out the spam and penalize you.
Why have websites dropped in rank?
The simple answer is Google algorithms. Without getting technical, Google regularly crawls sites and decides what keywords sites should rank on search engines for. Google uses various deciding factors when determining which keywords to award you high ranking with and periodically those ranking factors change. Why? Because website owners and SEO companies find ways of pushing sites up the rankings rather than allowing a natural climb.
Google is dedicated to providing searchers with quality results and therefore has a big task of weeding out spam sites and only showing the quality ones. Google does this by releasing new algorithms and that’s why websites see a sudden drop in rankings.
How to avoid ranking drops
Patience
The first thing you need to do is get rid of any impatience that makes you want to be at the top of Google now! If you want to get to the top of Google quickly then you must use pay per click, getting high search engine rankings naturally takes time, SEO takes time!
Fresh content
Google has hinted that it will look more at sites that provide regular updated content. If you haven’t got a blog on your website get one now. Write quality posts that are unique and informative.
Don’t overdo the links
Saying a site does not need links is just daft. Your backlinks are a big deciding factor when it comes to getting your site ranked but quality over quantity is essential!
Mix up your keywords
Keyword research is essential for a successfull internet marketing campaign. It is crucial that your site targets keywords with high search volumes. Aswell as short competitive keywords, you should also target broad keywords which can still bring good traffic. People use Google search to ask it a question so don’t dismiss the potential of long tail keywords.
Check duplicate content
You may not be aware that other sites or directories are using your content, this can impact your ranking. Use tools like copyscape to check for duplicate content. If you find some, send the website owner a polite email to ask them to remove it.
If you are doing SEO yourself then take a step back and review your search engine optimisation techniques.
If you think you are doing something that might get you penalised in the future, it is best not to do it.
If you are using the services of an SEO consultant then give them a call or drop them an email to ask what kind of techniques they are using. A good SEO specialist will be only too happy to have a quick chat about their work.