Every SEO expert and search engine marketer has been talking about Google Panda lately. But just what is it, and how does it effect you as a business owner? To understand that, you first have to know a bit of history.
Old SEO
Before Google began rolling out new search engine algorithms, websites were able to game the system by publishing low quality content that was littered with keywords. Old Google wasn’t able to take what was actually written into account. Instead they relied on the number of times a keyword was used on a website to determine if it was relevant. The result was websites that added absolutely no value to the internet, and were of no use to the searcher.
Post-Panda
The Panda algorithms are Google’s answer to this. Instead of relying on how many times a keyword is written, it focuses on how relevant people find the content. It takes into account social engagement through shares on social networks, comments, and even how long people spend on your page looking at information.
What does this mean for business owners?
If you are a business owner who has a website, then you need to realise the impact of using “black hat SEO” strategies. If Google finds out that you are doing something suspicious, you could risk having your website removed from the Google index. In the past, retail giant JC Penney was de-indexed from Google entirely; it didn’t even turn up if you searched for JC Penney!
In the past, if you have bought links, keyword stuffed, hired off-shore content writers, or did anything to unnaturally drive traffic and inflate your ranking, then you should do some damage control immediately. Just because you haven’t been de-indexed yet, doesn’t mean that it won’t happen with some algorithm change in the future.
Find out how we can help you with your SEO and checking your website does not violate Google quality guidelines, call us on 0800 612 6614, or message us via our contact page.
