A major Google algorithm change may have bigger economic impact than rising oil prices!

New Google Algorithm Shakes Up The Web

They even tell you up front, "Hey! We're constantly changing!"

Written by Resources for Entrepreneurs Staff
Published: 2/24/2011
Reposted by Grace Rizza
Website Marketing Chicago
Forget rising oil prices. A new Google algorithm may have a bigger impact on the economic fortunes of many companies.
Google announced today that it has rolled out what it calls a pretty big algorithmic improvement, designed to improve its search results.

The company blog notes that the "update is designed to reduce rankings for low-quality sites -- sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful. At the same time, it will provide better rankings for high-quality sites -- sites with original content and information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on."
Given the number of companies that depend on Google for organic search traffic, a major algorithm change like this arguably impacts the global economy as much as other large economic trends, such as the rising cost of oil due to tensions in the Middle East. Winners can quickly become losers, and losers can quickly become winners.
According to the official blogpost, 11.8% of search queries have been "noticeably" updated. Google-powered traffic at our own site, gaebler.com, dropped 40% after the latest algorithm change, suggesting that we add less value to the world than we had hoped, at least in the eyes of Google.
The new Google algorithm update follows weeks of industry news about Google's dislike for so-called "content farms" -- arguably defined as sites that copy content from other sites and/or sites with low levels of original content. In response to a Google user uprising against content farms, Google provided protesters with Personal Blocklist, a new extension for its Chrome browser that allows users to block certain domains from appearing in their Google search results.
In its announcement today, Google noted that this update does not utilize the new data they are getting from Personal Blocklist. They did, however, indicate that they are "very pleased" to report that 84% of the top domains requested to be blocked by Personal Blocklist are also impacted by the algorithm change.
For small business owners who regularly visit our site and rely on us for small business news, we recommend that you closely watch your search traffic in the days to come to see if you have been negatively impacted by the new Google search engine algorithm.
If your rankings are lowered, you are either a "false positive" casualty of the new algorithm – a site that is undeservedly adversely affected by Google algorithm changes – or you may need to take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself whether your site consists largely of shallow content that is not truly original and valuable to your site visitors.
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SEO Caution: Avoid The Blacklist!

http://www.searchenginemarketingfirmchicago.com

Blacklisting is Google's way of penalizing websites that abuse SEO tactics.  If you are subscribing to SEO and your site one day drops out of the rankings, it may have been blacklisted.  Choosing and internet marketing company that is familiar with ethical SEO and knows how to avoid blacklisting is very important.  The following SEO practices can knock your site out of the race for ranking first on Google.

1.  Cloaking: Cloaking is the process of hiding content on a webpage.  Having relevant keywords on your site can contribute to your SEO, but hiding content to increase your keyword count can get you on the blacklist!

2.  Keyword Stuffing:  Listing the same keyword multiple times on your page isn't going to help it.  Firstly, it'll be confusing for your potential clients.  Secondly, if Google crawlers detect more than 10% of your content are your keywords, your site may be penalized and added to the blacklist! Strategically choosing and placing a keyword only a couple times can be more effective than keyword stuffing anyways.

3. Links:  Links to your website or backlinks can increase your ranking on google search results.  However, multiple links from one site or page can lead to blacklisting.  Attaining irrelevant links can also hurt more than help.  They key is variety and timing.  Attaining a variety of types of links, as well as quality links over a period of time is better than getting hundreds at once from the same source.

If you suspect your SEO company may not be practicing to the highest standards, please feel free to contact us for a free evaluation of your online presence.  We'll be able to tell you where your SEO dollars are going and discuss a way to make your campaign more efficient.

Grace Rizza
SEO Specialist
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The Different Kinds of Internet Marketing

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
This term is inclusive of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and PPC (Pay Per Click) Marketing.  It involves the results when your clients/potential clients search for your business or services online.

The search results above are the result of effective SEO.  The search results to the right are PPC results.

  












PPC (Pay Per Click) 
Pay-per-click internet marketing is a form of search engine marketing. These ads show up on the top and right side of the search results and are usually captioned with the words, "sponsored links".  When setting up a PPC campaign, your marketing professional should determine keywords based on research, and set relevant geographic bounds.  PPC ads are also more effective if they include and offer and have an element that will stand out from competing sponsored links.  Like SEO, the cost of PPC varies depending on your level of competition. It's important to discuss a budget and come up with a plan for your PPC campaign, and unless you understand the research involved, I'd recommend hiring an internet marketing company for guidance.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO is the marketing efforts involved in getting a website to rank highly for a given search term.  Effecitve SEO campaigns include research, a budget, and a time line. Unlike pay per click advertising, search engine optimization is the process to get your website to show up in the natural search results section, not the sponsored links section.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Methods
Video Marketing
Social Networking
Social Bookmarking
Article Marketing
Press Release Marketing
Link Building/Link Sharing
Maps Optimization
Review Posting
Directory posts
Photo Tagging
Internal SEO (website tags and headlines)
Traffic

Since search engines like Google change their SEO algorithms daily, the most effective SEO methods are constantly changing.  This means when looking for and SEO firm to optimize your account, make sure to choose an internet marketing company that is very considerate of online marketing and industry trends!