Google webspam update a.k.a Penguin update
Although known for affecting only 3.1% of the queries, the Google webspam algorithm update called the ‘Penguin update’, has been unleashed to fight spam. The estimated overall effect on the search queries might be lower than Panda, and Panda is not all gone, but the Penguin update seems to have in place strategies to wipe out spam altogether with no manual intervention. This also means that if you were to be hit by the Penguin and you sent a reconsideration request to Google Webmaster, there are low chances of getting it actually reconsidered since there is no human behind the penalties. It is an actual algorithm change that takes place automatically.
The only way out (sort of a long shot) is to post in the webmaster forum about this and expect a reply. This again could be something that must be handled the right way, as in, you might want to explain to Google as to what your end user is missing instead of what you have lost due to the Penguin penalty on the site.
Huge and popular sites like Digg.com have been hit already with a combination of the Panda and the Penguin, but soon the lists of sites hit hard by this algorithm change is going to astonish many others.
The only way out is to check all the missed out notifcations of spam from Google in the past and rectify it and check for all your links and on-page keyword densities to make sure there is nothing abnormal about it. If in any case you have been indicated as a site that has been over-optimized, please pull up your socks as soon as possible as the Penguin has left the North pole to fight webspam.
For more tips, or more aptly called, “specific instructions” directly from Google have a look at the 8 + 4 guidelines to escape the embrace of the Penguin by Webpronews.com.
Panda update vs Webspam update
Searchmetrics.com has come up with an interesting list of sites that have improved as well as lost search visibility this week, a week when the Google webspam update was also announced. It would’ve seemed to savvy SEO analysts that this list of sites that were placed on the losing side of search visibility was actually the result of the webspam algorithm update, but Matt Cutts clarifies it at the Search Engine Land’s Danny Sullivan’s blog.
Matt’s comment at the bottom of Danny’s article is as follows:
“Hey Danny, there’s a pretty big flaw with this “winner/loser” data. Searchmetrics says that they’re comparing by looking at rankings from a week ago. We rolled out a Panda data refresh several days ago. Because of the one week window, the Searchmetrics data include not only drops because of the webspam algorithm update but also Panda-related drops. In fact, when our engineers looked at Searchmetrics’ list of 50 sites that dropped, we only saw 2-3 sites that were affected in any way by the webspam algorithm update. I wouldn’t take the Searchmetrics list as indicative of the sites that were affected by the webspam algorithm update.”
So, it is apparent that there was a Panda update after the 3.4v but no hoopla created around it. While the webspam update is still at its infant stage, Panda seems to have shown the foul card to high profile sites like Digg.com. Although, Searchmetrics comments that this list of winners and losers is just a preview of the sites hit and this data is prone to undergo updates in the near future, the data still remains to stun some of the website owners featured on the ‘loser’ list.
Google is quickly rolling out its search algorithm updates one after the other and it would be scary as well as interesting to see the resulting outcome. The webspam update (that is estimated to hit 3.1% queries) concurrent with its Panda counterpart (that hit above 12% of queries) are sure to stir in a concoction of search engine penalty-hit sites.
Hi, Let us see some of the famous SEO quotes made by Industry leaders. First to start with Matt Cutts who says
“The objective is not to “make your links appear natural”; the objective is that your links are natural”
A picture is worth 1000 words, so I have put the man and quote together
SEO Quote by Matt Cutts
User-Oriented Keyword Research Pays!
Keyword research has never been a piece of cake, especially with the most common keywords being used by high ranking websites, you are in for a bumpy ride towards obtaining perfect conversions-oriented keywords for your site.
Whether it is the content of the site, content linked to the site or the backend coding, keywords need to be present to drive search bots to a conclusion of your relevance to that particular keyword. However, as a business owner online you are much concerned with conversions than just site visits. The conversions could be in the form of signups, purchase, subscriptions and so on. What does really drive this conversions? Smart Keyword research is your answer. Here is a comprehensive report on effective keyword research practices for SEO 2012.
Just like we used to do it in the olden times, intensive and quality keyword research can obtain you your conversion goals. There is so much to learn from inside resources like Google analytics and other tracking software, and our own customers to narrow down our perspective on the apt keywords to be optimized on the site. Do not stick to just a keyword tool, like the free Google adwords keyword tool which is popularly used. This tool was used to create PPC ads. Hence, not all aspects of such tool would match with your keyword research for best organic results.
In conclusion, keyword research can never be underestimated and is the first step to the perfect end result – conversions.
As a webmaster or site owner, you must have come across several flashy SEO reports with bar charts, pie charts, graphs, Ye/NO etc. Well it looks great to see the reports but
Analysis of Automated OnPage Report
Do they have any substance?
Are they reporting the exact facts?
Do they tell you what is wrong and what is right?
How accurate is the report?
Why is the SEO analysis report given free in most cases?
Should I follow the recommendations of the report?
To answer these questions, I have made a thorough analysis of an automated OnPage SEO report here. Every aspect of the report is analyzed and cross checked with Google webmaster tools to find the exact facts. The findings are shocking, the automated report is not only misleading but also have provided vague and wrong statistics. A good number of SEO companies use such cheap strategies to lure the clients which is a real bad tactics.
We get several inquiries for custom SEO package suggestions every day and our dedicated team of SEO analysts would prepare packages based on the requirement. Today, we got an interesting question from one of our clients
“How do we plan a SEO package? Is it based on the budget or the target audience or what else do you take into consideration?”
Budget is not the only deciding factor definitely. No matter the budget, our main focus is on several other factors including the target audience. An SEO package planning starts from the choice of the right target keywords. Alright, when you ask for a custom package, here is what we do:
- Identify the niche and target audience of your website by analyzing your website
- Once the target is identified, we make an extensive keyword research by considering many factors including number of searches, Global or local competition, trends and filters to find the best target keywords if the website is that of a local business
- Once we have the keywords in place, the actual strategy planning would be started. Promotion spots would be chosen based on the audience available for the chosen keywords. For example, if your website is a medical information site, we would make use of spots such as social journals, document sharing sites etc
- Strategies included within the SEO package is based on 3 key factors – The budget, duration of the promotion campaign and the available resources within your website itself.
When planning an SEO package, we would be making maximum use of resources already available within the website. For example if you have a video in your website, we would implement video promotion so that you can take SEO advantage from the available resource. This keeps the costs low and helps us put up SEO packages with the best ROI. This is reflected in all readymade SEO package we have presented here as well.
If you are doing independent SEO planning, this pattern and consideration of factors would help a lot in putting up cost effective SEO campaigns.
