Did Google’s Penguin Algorithm Change Affect You?
It should come as no surprise that Google has recently rolled out yet another algorithm update, called Penguin.
It concentrated on several triggers, but one in particular is Anchor Text Diversity (or lack thereof). Just make sure there was no overuse of the same keyword as the anchor text all over. You have to mix it up and diversify your anchor text if you don’t want links to your site pages to seem unnatural.
Anchor text is the word or phrase used to label a link.
Some tips on anchor text diversity are:
- Branded Anchor Text
- Misspelling
- Natural Unoptimized Terms
- Long Tail Anchor Text
- URL as Anchor Text
- Synonyms
For details on these, here is the full article on the art of diversifying anchor text.
Keeping it Real Keeps you Out of Hot Water
The best strategy is to continue to provide interesting and valuable content that people enjoy and want to share. Be smart, and don’t try to get to the top of Google using those “miracle shortcuts†you read about. You don’t have to get fancy or chase the next best thing to get to the holy grail of Google positions. Follow good, sound, and solid strategies that have worked for years and you can’t go wrong. While it won’t happen overnight, or even in a few months, publishing smart content over the long term will reward you for many years to come.
I am happy to report that none of my sites, nor the sites of clients I have been supporting have seen any noticeable drops in traffic. Yay! No surprise, though. I always advocate a strong content marketing strategy using diverse distribution. That, and knowing what your most powerful keywords are.
It’s also important to note that with both the Panda and Penguin updates, Google has added more value to natural social media marketing. Pretty much all the content sharing and distribution site (even those online Press Release sites) provide a way for readers/viewers to share your content.
Compelling Content. Natural. Sharing. Those are the words of the day.
Diversify Your Marketing Efforts
It doesn’t all have to be about the search engines, you know? Don’t forget about building your list and communicating with your community through email marketing. Give them great information and value, and they will be happy. Happy clients give you more work. Happy clients tell their friends and colleagues about you. Take care of those who have already shown their trust in you. Nurture those relationships.
A “Spring Cleaning†Evaluation of your Website to Help Address Issues
Because online marketing and SEO are not a “set it and forget it†endeavor, I highly recommend performing an evaluation a few times a year.
Common things to do are:
1) Search yourself on the search engines
2) Go through your own processes for buying, registering, and signing up.
3) Check for broken links on your website. Find and fix them.
4) Re-evaluate your keywords. This is important because your business services and products evolve, your target client searching habits evolve, and Google algorithms change.
Read more about these at Search Engine Watch.
If you would like more help with keyword research, on-page SEO, and content marketing and re-purposing, check out my services for them: Keyword Research and SEO Support, Content Marketing Services.