Last week, we tweeted an article from the Wall Street Journal (online.wsj.com Sarah E. Needleman, Emily Maltby, As Google Tweaks Searches, Some Get Lost in the Web, May 16, 2012) on the recent tweaking of Google’s search engine ranking of websites, which is aimed to minimize sites that artificially boost their rankings. The article cited companies that were either benefiting from or losing business due to the Google algorithm known as Penguin. We had responses to the tweet and thought we could expand on the subject in our blog.
Penguin was designed to reduce web spam, where companies get higher search ranking by deceiving or manipulating search engines. If you have a business, you may have been approached by companies that offer services to boost your SEO ranking. Often, companies have paid for inbound links, but the new Google algorithm should discourage that practice, as it could significantly affect a company’s Google ranking if it chooses to continue such a practice.
The changes made by Google can be confusing to a small business owner, who may not be focusing on keeping up with changes in Google or technology on a consistent basis. So what is a small or medium sized business to do?
Here are some tips to keep in mind and get your started:
- The number one point of advice is Content is King! Original information that is relevant to your customers is very important to Google and enhances the user experience on your website.
- Keep up with changes to Google’s algorithms.
- Monitor the traffic to your site.
- Use social media to post links to the content on your site.
- Consider the advice of an SEO professional or a company that offers holistic IT support for businesses.
Remember, Content on your Site generates traffic. Stay tuned to more blog postings on improving SEO performance for your company.
Also, we would love to answer any of your questions about how your specific company can work to maximize its SEO.
