Hey Google, The Web Just Called And It Wants Its Traffic Back
One search engine marketer's take on all the recent Google Panda changes and how it is affecting web traffic...
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Hey Google, The Web Just Called And It Wants Its Traffic Back
(How Google's Ongoing Algorithm Changes Are Re-Defining The Web)
Copyright © 2011 Titus Hoskins
Recently, when I logged into my Buzzle account, I was horrified
to discover that all my articles had been deleted, even the unique
ones. Buzzle is a popular, highly ranked online site and article
directory, a place from where I had always received good traffic
in the past.
I later learned that I wasn't alone, Buzzle had deleted all its articles.
This was an over reaction or overkill in response to the Panda Updates
which Google has been steadily implementing throughout 2011. These
algorithm changes were meant for so called low quality "content farm"
sites. However, many high ranking article directories were hit hard
by these changes, along with many good quality sites who were unfairly
penalized, but to be fair, Google has returned much of the traffic to
many of these sites.
Many webmasters had seen or experienced an overnight drop in search
traffic from Google in devastating numbers, many losing up to half or
more of their valuable targeted traffic. If you have ever experienced
one of these instant Google traffic wedgies; Buzzle's reaction is
somewhat understandable, except for the deleting of unique content.
Haven't these guys ever heard of the "nofollow" attribute?
Revenge Of The Panda
Google's recent changes are having a domino effect across the whole
web, excellent good quality content is being deleted and countless
valuable quality sites are being "de-linked" and "de-ranked". Mainly
because Google's Panda has stricken such fear into webmasters and
small business owners, they have retreated into their castles and
drawn up the hatches. Self preservation rules the day or rather
the web.
Many webmasters have become so fearful of Google's wrath, they're
removing any and all non-unique content from their sites, regardless
of its merit or quality. These webmasters are also becoming so paranoid
of linking out to "bad neighborhoods", they're deleting or nofollowing
links en masse, regardless of the quality of these links. The true name
for this Panda Update should have been the "Nofollow Mass Hysteria"
Update.
All these knee-jerk reactions are having a ripple effect throughout the
web, as site after site, rearrange and examine their content. Any articles
from third party sources are seen as duplicate content and are being
removed, regardless of merit or quality - even articles which are
ranking high and bringing in traffic from the search engines, as in
the Buzzle example above.
This trickle down mass hysteria is causing some former authority sites to
lose visibility on the web, especially those who have relied heavily upon
article marketing as their main way of building one-way links from quality
sites. We see the same for Press Releases, which also have been downgraded
by Google in importance, further diminishing the linking juice provided to
companies and websites who rely upon these releases for building an online
presence.
Google Encrypting Some Search Results
Even more unsettling is Google's announcement that they will be encrypting
search data for logged in users of Google search. This will deny webmasters
valuable keyword information which is extremely helpful in fine-tuning your
webpages and knowing exactly what your visitors are looking for in their
inquiries. This encryption will not be applied to paid search, where marketers
can still receive this vital keyword data. Right now this keyword deadlocking is
only being applied to a small percentage of Google's searches, but this move
may have disastrous implications for the web of the future which is looking
bleaker by the minute.
One could even speculate that paid links have actually grown in stature
and importance since webmasters have a monetary reason to keep these links,
and can easily delete the rest. And since these sites don't depend directly
upon the search engines to survive, we may see many more of them in a
Post-Panda web. This is not exactly what Google had in mind, when they
unleashed this Panda... which was meant to increase the quality of its
listings and websites in general, not fill it with commercial sites who
have bought their way into the top ranking spots.
Google as The Accidental Bully?
One even has to put forth the notion, that Google with its sudden
instant removal of sites from its first page listings, is acting the role
of the bully, many times in an indirect way. Once other webmasters
see Google has lowered the rankings of a particular site or sites,
they will avoid these sites like the plague - much the same way that
children in the schoolyard will stay away from a bullied kid, just
in case the bully starts picking on them.
The same can be applied to webmasters, if your livelihood is depended
upon maintaining your Google rankings, you will do everything in your
power to keep them and to stay on the best side of Google. In the case
of the Panda Updates, Google upped the ante to the power of 10, by now
ranking your site as a whole, rather than just ranking a single webpage
on its own merits and content.
This move has changed the whole ballgame.
You can't just have a show room in your house anymore, now your attic and
basement and every little room must be spotless and presentable. For many
small webmasters and business owners, Panda means a costly over-haul and
design of your site and content, if the mightly Google finds its lacking
in quality.
Now webmasters have to be worried or concerned about their WHOLE site,
and not just for the pages they want ranked. However, it is not only your
content which comes into play here, but a wide list of site metrics, which
can lower your rankings. Things like site layout and design, readability,
bounce rates, load times, time spent on site, site navigation, social bookmark
prominence... all come into play in the new Panda Improved Web.
And of course, fresh unique original content will play an even bigger role
in the judging of the quality of your site. If you keep it unique, content
can still be king. Which leads us back to Buzzle and its move to delete
countless articles from its site. Now writers can still submit unique
content, but you're not allowed a link out, not even in your profile.
Welcome to the brand new non-web, this Panda will have its revenge and
then some.
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