How to Set up Review Profiles
It’s not easy to work in the search engine optimization industry. Whenever you think you have a grasp on exactly what Google is looking for with regard to social activity, link building, onsite content and other search ranking factors, the kings of online search decide to throw a curve ball at you and the clients you represent. The aftermath of each update can ultimately lead to drastic drops in website traffic and lower keyword rankings, which in turn can lead to layoffs and account cancellations for those employed in the field of seo.
The process to recover from a Google algorithm update (depending on the nature of the update) can be tedious, time-consuming and ultimately fruitless. But somehow seo professionals find the strength to fight the good fight because they care about helping clients improve their online visibility and website traffic, even if it means losing sleep for three straight months (or a year if Google maintains their current update schedule).
The Highly Anticipated Google Penguin 3.0 Update
On the morning of Sunday, October 19, sources from Google confirmed that the latest Penguin update (3.0) had in fact been released this past weekend. As of right now there is not much information available about the details of the update, i.e.: what percentage of sites were affected, what type of tactics the update specifically targets, and if refreshes will come more frequently in the future. But we do know a wide range of sites have seen an improvement in their keyword rankings, while others have dropped out of the picture completely.
Many seo experts have wondered for some time if their hard work over the past year would finally relieve their personal and client websites of the penalties enforced by Google as a result of the last Penguin update. It seems that quite a few of those sites have seen improvement, but without all the details from Google it’s difficult to make a case for anything at this point. We do know that Google is becoming more sophisticated at handling spammy link building practices, duplicate content, and manipulation of the search engine, so it’s safe to bet that any type of activity connected with link farms, paid links, or other controlled links will eventually lead to severe penalties from Google.
What can Your Business do to Recover From Google Penguin 3.0?
Google has hinted at the fact that Penguin refreshes may come more frequently in the future, which will cause the majority of seo professionals to breathe a sigh of relief. In the past companies had to work like mad to disavow bad links, clean up their onsite content and wait for the next Penguin update to see their site recover. Hopefully Google has worked out a way to quicken the process so sites don’t see a dramatic decline in revenue in-between updates.
If you’re looking for ways to recover from the Google Penguin 3.0 update you need to do a few things:
Review Your Link Profile-Take a close look at your inbound links and disavow any that are irrelevant to your brand, any that connect to a site with low page rank, and any that are connected to adult or spam-heavy sites. We’d recommend doing this as soon as possible so you have a chance to see recovery when Google releases its next refresh. Even if it’s too late for the next refresh, eventually Google will reward your efforts.
Stop Trying to Control Anchor Text-A host of seo experts, including the Moz Team and Search Engine Land team have long talked about the problem with controlling anchor text for links that appear on guest posts, articles and press releases. The Head Honchos at Google, including Matt Cutts, have also talked about avoiding controlled anchor text. Instead of controlling the anchor text for your links, try to obtain natural links to your site by creating great content on a regular basis. Let the site linking to you decide on the anchor text and you won’t have a problem.
Create Great Content as Often as Possible-Lastly, and perhaps most important, is to create shareable content on a consistent basis. If you’ve ignored this advice in the past it’s time to finally embrace it. Plain and simple: Google ranks sites according to the quality of their content, how often it’s linked to, and how often it’s shared. Google is all about providing the end-user with the best information available, so you have to make yourself the best option by creating great content.
Conclusion
There is no need to fear the Google Penguin 3.0 update if you’re prepared. If you follow our suggestions you’ll be in the clear the next time Google decides to roll out a massive update. In most cases, Google only penalizes sites involved in black-hat practices. If you avoid those practices at all costs you’ll likely avoid being penalized.
If your business needs help recovering from the Google Penguin 3.0 update, all you need to do is call Local 360 Media. Our seo team can help you benefit from the Google Penguin 3.0 update, instead of suffer from it. Call us at 877-286-5346 today for more information!
