Everyone is looking for the competitive edge in Search Engine Optimization. They are looking for the next big thing, loophole, or tidbit of wisdom. But with the frequent Google search changes, the big key is to invest resources into things that never change … building a quality website.
Why Things Change In SEO
One of the recent changes has been that Google devalued inbound links from low authority websites and even penalized sites that had too many of them. The reason for this is that most sites have all of those low authority inbound links because of spam and low grade link building campaigns. Google does not change the rules just to shake things up, they are constantly working to refine things so that best websites get found. And while there is some technical expertise to SEO, the biggest part is making sure your website really is the best thing people can find when they search your keywords.
The Black Hat Half-Life
Though it travels under many names, any spam campaign or mass linking campaign is an unscrupulous attempt to try to raise ranking in Google. All black hat strategies should be completely avoided.
The Right Way Just Makes Sense
About a year ago I read material that encouraged me to use all sorts of link building and keyword schemes. These techniques were designed to make Google think my site is better than it is. Instead, I decided to work on making our clients sites the best sites possible, using SEO measures so that ensured the user could find what they were looking for. Within months, Google rolled out a series of updates that penalized everyone using the advice that I had read about. But, our clients continued on without penalty.
Do You Cheer For Google Updates?
If your site really is the best one to find, then you do not need to worry about Google changing things. They are changing them to help people find you more easily. I have actually gotten to the point where I get excited about a new Google update. I am hopeful that through the changes the weaker sites, the spam sites, and black hat sites that our clients are competing with are going to lose some ground. And it is happening! This blog alone has been seeing substantially more organic traffic following the last few Google algorithm adjustments. Why? Because Google is giving us the SEO juice that some of the black hat sites used to have.
What is the one sure thing in SEO? If you become a site that people want to find, Google will help them find you.
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