Google Penguin has left a Godzilla like trail in its aftermath, leading many SEO experts and website owners to wonder what happened, and how their Internet will be forever changed. What has Google Penguin, the latest algorithm update, taught us about search engine traffic? Consider four key points.
1. Search Engines are cracking down hard on content mills.
Search Engines have long been taken advantage of by websites that know how to bend or break the rules. For the longest time, content mills (sites that recycled content, rather than wrote original or thought-provoking content) dominated search engine results. The latest algorithm updates, with Panda and Penguin, have made it a point to penalize sites that use illegal SEO techniques, and that recycle content from a better site.
2. Search Engines are tired of lousy writing.
The newest Panda algorithm went one step further, warning the world that Google was now penalizing “over-optimized” sites—specifically mentioning these content sites apart from content mills and other black hat SEO sites. This strongly indicates that no website or individual website is safe from penalty. The question is, what does an over-optimized site look like? From the looks of the latest falling traffic trends, it strongly indicates the article directory type sites are losing favor and magazine or blog style articles are considered preferred content.
3. Diversify the Online Web Experience
Perhaps the Penguin fiasco is a good thing, as it will teach us how to avoid being stuck in a Google rut, and instead diversify our web marketing plans by looking into options with Bing, Yahoo, MSN and other search companies.
4. Focus on Building Authority, Not Mindless Links
The links wars of 2010 and 2011 are over. It’s no longer a question of who has the most links. What matters now is the quality of the links you are establishing. Make sure that every link is a high quality link and that you focus on making sure your site is easy to navigate, uncluttered and very user-friendly.
All in all, Google Panda and Penguin have been great wake up calls to the SEO and the Internet world and have challenged us to move forward.
