A few months after the massively publicised Google Panda update, it’s time to assess where the internet is at now that the dust is settling. Many sites lost rankings they’d held for years which left many puzzled heads.
If seo was considered a tactical came, it’s got even more so now. Much of seo is testing strategies and new tactics to see if they work or gain you an edge over the competition. With the Panda update Google slammed sites using duplicate content. If you were using automated blog posts that repurposed content that already existed on the internet it’s time to stop.
The new Google algorithm is honing in on sites using dupe content. That is content that already exists in the same form on another website. This was a tactic widely used by spammers who build sites with thousands of pages using automated software. They scrape (steal) content from other sites and pass it off as their own.
Why would spammers build such large sites? Large sites tend to rank better. They can target more keywords and they generally are thought of as being more authoritative. Now Google has slammed sites like these so they never gain good rankings.
So if your site is made up with a lot of filler articles you could easily be delisted and put in the same category by the Google robots as spammers.
Fresh Content
One thing Google always loved is fresh content. A lot of the reasons sites fell off the first page that held these spots for years is that they got lazy. They didn’t add content regularly so they didn’t stay relevant to the market. If you haven’t added a blog to your site it’s time to start.
But don’t fill it with spammy content. Fill it with original posts and articles that address the issues your industry is facing. This keeps your site updated, gets the Google bots flowing back to your site and even allows you to target new keywords.
For a great resource on the effects of the Panda update go here:
Get Involved With Social Media
Now Google is forging ahead with their latest social media incarnation the +1 button we can clearly see the way they are advancing. The thing is in the future gaining more likes, tweets and social bookmarks may actually be beneficial for improving your rank. But for now getting involved in social media channels broadens your audience. It allows you to widen your reach. You don’t need to go mad at the start and start setting up Face Book business pages, professional Twitter pages, Linken In profiles, and joining every shiny new social media platform that comes onto the market. Start with Face Book or Twitter, and take it from there. Go slow to you get up and running. Face Book and Twitter doesn’t work for everyone. Dip your toes in the water and see if it works for you. If it’s taking too much time vs little reward for your organisation move onto something else.
