Do The Right SEO Thing... Or Not?
If you constantly “chase the algorithm,” you might find that you adapted to the wrong version of the algorithm update and then – once Google “corrects itself” – you’re once again left behind. Even now we’re hearing now about recent launch of Google Panda version 2.1.
In my last column, I mentioned that I’m not one to worry too much about algorithm changes. All too often, the search engines will have a major algorithm change and then, over the course of time, work on tweaks and modifications to the initial roll-out.
All of these changes with Google are to address things in Google’s results which Google felt could be “less than desirable.” All of these things to focus on rewarding websites that “do the right thing” with content, link building, etc.
White hat SEO practitioners like myself will continue to preach the right way to do things, with proper site structure, content, and above board link building practices. We want to help our clients build a high quality web presence that any proper algorithm should “naturally” reward.
Case Study 1
Google’s Amit Singhal recently shared 23 questions to offer guidance on “building a high quality website.” Alongside Mr. Singhal’s questions in bold, I’ll share the story of a former client’s website. Just the facts.
This is in no way a “retaliation” piece. I’m not going to use this client’s name. I’m not at all hurt by the fact that they are no longer a client (there were circumstances that led to the relationship ending which in no way led to a feeling of resentment).
I give you my word…my comments above are accurate. I wish that I could share the domain, as that would make this a very interesting read. But, I simply can’t find a good way to do that.
Check out their organic search traffic, according to SEM Rush:
I can tell you that that, too, is an accurate portrayal of what’s happened…their traffic has tripled since Panda. Their traffic is 17 times higher than pre-Panda (at least). If you’re more of a Compete.com person, check out this graphic:
Like the smiley face?
Case Study 2
Now, on the flip side, I can share a story of another client that we had taken on back in late December. This client had previously participated in paid links (before working with my firm). Their paid links looked an awful lot like JCPenney’s.
What’s the right thing to do? Remove them, you say? After all, we don’t want to be the next agency roasted for “condoning/supporting paid links, especially on link farms.”
Anyone who has been in SEO long enough knows, though, that paid links often do work. It’s just that, once (if) they are discovered, you can take a significant hit.
This client was significantly exposed to paid links. Over the course of our engagement with them, we have worked on efforts of building up their link profile so that it is more “natural” (normal).
We have been able to get the client involved in press release optimization, obtaining links from their partners/associations that they are involved in, ensuring that they have a presence in good/reputable directories, building out their social profiles and aiding them in bringing social channels into the fray (on-site and off-site).
Then, once we had built up their link profile up to a more natural appearing state, we decided that it was time to begin the process of trying to remove some of the exposure.
We began by removing one link. One. It was a sitewide link on a website that was totally unrelated to their business. It was on a website which anyone would say is “scary looking” for how obvious the association with a link network and the prominence of the link.
Results? Within days, the website’s positioning has dropped across a number of keywords. Not only for the keywords which were – blatantly – used within the anchor text of the link, but across the board, the website was affected.
Summary
You are hearing a lot of stories lately about people “doing the right thing” but being adversely affected/impacted by Google’s recent updates. I’m certain that – for the most part – results are better.
But, when you’re in the business of helping companies to increase their presence in the search engines, many SEOs will find themselves in a difficult position at times: Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.
Again, though, what makes life a little less stressful for me is that I only focus on what I would do if I were Google. If I do that, more often than not, the algorithms will follow suit. And, if they don’t, who knows, Bing might start to earn a much bigger market share and we’ll have less to discuss.