Brick is Better Than Straw
0Recent updates to Google’s algorithm have caused enormous panic among business owners and search marketers alike. The most recent “Panda” update in many ways redefined SEO. The update hit many information based sites that generate revenue through online ads, as well as smaller businesses that do not have the natural brand equity many larger companies have. I could spend the entire blog post talking about this update, but instead I’m going to tackle the bigger issue…how can we keep from being killed by these updates? How can we keep the big, bad wolf (Google) from blowing down the house we spent so long building (our online presence).
The trick is to think like Google so you can be proactive rather than reactive.
Look at it from Google’s point of view: their goal is to provide the best search results possible for individual searchers. While the market share does not reflect this, Google is currently way behind Bing in providing relevant results to search queries. Google needs to close that gap as they are seeing their market share slowly (very, very slowly) slipping away.
And while it may not seem this way after the “Panda” update, Google isn’t trying to ruin small businesses, they are simply not thinking of them at all. Their entire focus is on creating a better user experience through their search results. Too often businesses try to trick algorithm updates, as each update brings its own loop-holes (sounds kind of like politics, huh?) and its own opportunity to take advantage of those loop-holes. But like all major loop-holes, one day they close. And when they close the business who was exploiting those holes feels like a pig who just had his house blown down.
If you think like Google, and adhere to what they say are legitimate ways to increase your SEO value, you will never have to panic when they update their algorithms. If you listen to what Google says, you can stay on top of the SEO game, and prepare yourself for these types of changes. You don’t have to be reactive because you know what you’ve built is not going to be attacked. You have used the foundation Google set and built a house made of brick. We all know how the story goes…the big bad wolf can blow down the houses made of straw and wood, but he can’t blow down the house of bricks. Don’t try to exploit loop-holes. Try to build a solid online presence using methods you know will be accepted for a long time to come.
Think like Google and I promise, your house will not get blown over.
