Late last week Google announced that it was once again changing their search algorithm, this time to exclude what it deems as lower ranking sites that are primarily used to generate link. This change has been referred to as the Farmer update, since Google hope to weed out content or link farms. These farms are websites that promote the creation of content using very inexpensive labor.
At Groove we discussed this change and came away with two different perspectives to view this news; 1) The SEO (Kevin Doory, Groove’s SEO Specialist) and 2) The Cynic (P.J. Gill, Groove’s COO and resident curmudgeon) and we will provide our thoughts from each…
The SEO:
What this update essentially means is that off page link building has gotten more difficult. To provide the most basic education: one of the factors in Google’s algorithm looks at how many pages link back to your site and the quality of those pages and uses this to gauge the value of that link, i.e. “link juice”. One way to attract more links to your site is to publish articles written on specific subjects and then distribute those articles to various “publishing networks.” Article marketing, as it is commonly referred to, is one of the services that Groove Commerce provides and in the early days of Groove Commerce we submitted articles to some of the services that are now in Google’s cross hairs. In 2010 we started moving away from this aspect of our link building strategy because of the diminishing returns these links provided but this is not to say that I regret or question the strategy that was in place at the time. The promotion of content using these sites was in bounds of traditional article marketing and considered “white hat” SEO services. Our clients were aware of this practice and reviewed the articles prior to being posted. With all of that said, this is yet another example that if you want to sell and market online you need to have dedicated resources, either internal or through an agency, that is up to date on the latest trends and rules and ready to react and adjust. Even though Groove has gotten away from promoting articles on these sites we are still working through what the impact of these new changes to Google’s algorithm will mean for our clients. We are adjusting our strategy to ensure that whatever “link juice” may be lost is efficiently recouped through other aspects of Groove’s link building strategy.
The Cynic:
Over the last 90+ days David Segal at The New York Times has taken Google behind the woodshed not once but twice. In his first piece he showed how a website that was really no more than a street vendor selling designer knock-offs gamed Google’s search rankings and customer feedback to increase page rank which in turn increased his revenue. While Google was not the only party that was left with egg on their face it was far from a glowing analysis of the power of Google (and we won’t even talk about how Google Maps was used to stalk customers that complained). In the second article from last month Mr. Segal once again showed how JC Penny, then venerable retailer, manipulated search rankings during what is the busiest online shopping time of the year. The tactics JC Penny used are very similar to what Google is now cracking down on, link building from low ranking sites. In both instances Google was caught flat footed and had to react and respond rather than have an immediate answer and solution. And for a company that prides itself on being the smartest and hiring the smartest this had to hurt. So, as I look at the most recent news and how it shows Google making positive steps I can’t help but say “Thank You” to the Old Gray Lady. Good old fashioned journalism and research has changed the search game and ensured that the work we are doing at Groove remains relevant and necessary.
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