Mastering the Matrix: Content, SEO, Penguin & Possum

The Web as you know it —– is alive! It’s growing, evolving, and changing daily.

While websites have yet to develop consciousness like you and I, they still live and grow based on their interaction with website visitors and powerful search engines. According to InternetLiveStatistics.com, there are over 1 billion websites and Google processes 3.5 billion searches per day.

How does Google rank website results for all of those searches? Google has constructed an elaborate computer algorithm to “look for clues” to identify which websites best provide the information for which the user is searching. There are over 200 factors that are taken into consideration and the algorithm is updated regularly. The most recent updates include Possum, which went into effect on September 1st, and the latest Penguin update which is rolling out today.

From what we can see, Possum primarily impacted local search results. Map listings appear to have a different filter and results depend more upon where you, as the searcher, are physically located.

Penguin originally launched in 2012 and was a wake up call for many SEO companies who thought they could trick the system. There’s no fooling Google! This latest update has two major changes. The first is that Penguin is real-time. This means data is refreshed in real time so changes will be visible faster after sites are crawled and indexed. The second change is Penguin is more “granular”. Spam will be devalued by the algorithm bed on spam signals so the ranking of the entire site will not be effected as has happened in the past.

So, what does this mean for your website? Google has once again shown us that they put user experience first. They continue to find ways to better meet the needs of the user. That must be our mission as well.

Just like a real, living thing, websites require analysis, care and attention to continually grow to meet user needs. If you fail to regularly feed your website fresh content, improved usability, and intuitive navigation, then you’ll likely be viewed by web crawlers as dead.

DO YOU WANT MORE SEARCH TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE?

It’s not a matter of keeping up with the latest changes in Google algorithms, it’s anticipating them. This is how the expertise of a digital marketing agency like Cobalt Digital Marketing can help you get in front of the right search traffic, stay in front of the search traffic and convert the search traffic into customers.

Keeping a healthy, vibrant website requires a meaningful SEO strategy with quality content. It is important to recognize though that quality content means quality content. Fluff and keyword stuffing will not work. Failing to provide any substance will leave your site emptier than a pool in the winter.

Stay on top of the latest Google algorithm change and anticipate future changes by keeping an eye on user experience with these website management tips.

New Content Means More Frequent Indexing

Now this doesn’t necessarily mean higher indexing, but rather that the more often you update your website with new articles, pages, or downloads, the more frequently web crawlers will stop by your living site. Web crawlers, simply put, are programs that scan the Web for websites and “index” a site based on a number of factors determined by a search engine’s algorithm.

So, the more often these little web crawlers are on your site, the better your opportunity to achieve a higher ranking. All because of fresh, quality content.

But again, it’s all about quality over quantity. Flooding your website with shabby quality content is only going to hurt you in the long run and can actually cause you to get penalized.

More Content + More Authority = Informed Audience

New content should include keywords that will help attract visitors to your site. Search engine web crawlers help to locate these keywords in your blogs or postings, which optimizes your ranking, and gets those viewers to your content.

Something important to remember with Google algorithm updates is that they help filter quality content rather than keyword-stuffed drivel. By writing content that answers questions, provides valuable information, or informs readers how to do something, your authoritative potential rises. This understanding that content is king will make you a meaningful player in your specific industry.

The more relevant and meaningful content you saturate your website with, the more of an authority you become on the internet and the more people will begin to trust what you’re saying. By keeping an informed audience constantly engaged with your site, you’ll develop loyalty, which converts to returning traffic and, ultimately, into customers.

Every time you get search traffic to your site you are handed the perfect opportunity to provide users with information about your business and your services. Remember, these visitors were searching for information, product or service and chose your site from thousands of others. Take advantage of the situation and capture their attention with the right message and content to get them to understand why they need your services more than anyone else’s.

Google Wants to Love Your Website

The truth is that Google is the reigning champ right now in the competitive world of search engines. They are so powerful that they actually influence the manner in which websites are constructed, as well as the methodology of Search Experience Optimization (SEO) techniques. It’s exceedingly important to understand their motivation and let that drive your digital marketing effort and the evolution of your website. They love when websites meet the needs of search queries. They want to see low bounce rates. They will reward you for doing everything you can to create positive user experiences.

We don’t always know when Google algorithm updates are coming. In fact, often they slip by with little notice or comment. While there has not been any official word from Google’s PR team about the latest update, the webmaster and SEO community are confident that we will continue to see search result changes as a result of the algorithm change to Google’s local map filter and organic search results.

SEO Expert Mauricio Piña was noted as saying, “Only time will tell if these algorithm updates will leave any major lasting effects, but the fact of the matter is, the only way to be successful in the SEO and content world is by keeping up-to-date with all the changes that occur in the digital universe.”

Cobalt Digital Marketing Wants YOU to Love YOUR Website Too

Let the phenomenal Cobalt Digital Marketing team help you take control of your digital presence. Our Marketing Catalysts can strategically manage all aspects of your online presence including website design, user experience, SEO, content, and social media, to ensure that you are best positioned to take advantage of future Google algorithm updates.

Anticipate site visitor needs and keep your website growing, evolving and changing. Whether an image, download, or blog, adding fresh material will get you traffic and ultimately sales. So get to writing.
Or let Cobalt Digital Marketing do it for you.