The word «penalty» gets thrown around often as a way to describe a sudden loss of search engine rank, but there is an important distinction between manual penalties specifically created to target a domain and the automatic search rank drops that come about as a result
of an algorithm update.
Google is getting better at identifying quality content and its succession
of algorithm updates will continue to downgrade the appearance of poor and spammy pages in its results.
With the recent unfortunate Analytics change (not provided to 100 %) and the rain
of algorithm updates in the past 18 months, Google seems to make everybody's life harder.
Google is making hundreds
of algorithm updates each year and they continue to alter the layout of the search engine results pages (SERP).
While the Panda update was primarily targeted at thin and low - quality content, Google Penguin is a set
of algorithm updates that puts more focus on incoming links.
For the most part, this aligns with advice I've been giving long before any news
of algorithm updates started floating around.
If your website experiences a loss in visibility in organic search results, the first step is diagnosing whether it's a penalty or a result
of an algorithm update.
Not exact matches
With each
algorithm update it announces, the search engine giant shows how much
of a preference it gives responsive design.
Through all
of the
updates and
algorithm changes over the years one thing remains the same: inbound links are the most influential signal
of trust and authority.
Because the technology is constantly evolving, any book you read is already outdated; in order to stay on the cutting edge
of search engine progress, ensure you continuously
update your knowledge by reading articles (such as this one), staying up to date on new
algorithms, analyzing your competitors» successes and failures, and consult expert opinions and insights.
With Google's all - important search
algorithm in a state
of permanent improvement — Quipp says it is
updated 550 times a year — the SEP team needs to stay on top
of all the technical developments and rapidly adjust the company's advice to clients to reflect those changes in the search world.
There will no doubt be many further
algorithm updates throughout 2017, but the success
of your SEO campaigns will largely be governed by how focused your SEO strategy is on links and content.
Google's launch
of its Penguin and Panda
algorithm updates sent a clear message to webmasters and marketing professionals: Google will not tolerate manipulative tactics or low - quality content in its search results.
By taking all
of the aforementioned proactive steps, by the time your site recovers from one
of Google's core
algorithm updates, your business will have strengthened.
If you notice a lot
of low quality links on spammy websites, this is a clear cut sign that you could be suffering from a link - based
algorithm update.
It's worth noting that future
updates to the RankBrain
algorithm could have a more significant impact, so keep a close eye on the new AI changes that Google is rolling out, as they could drastically alter the future
of search.
It's unclear how long it will take Google to complete the
updated algorithm since such changes typically weeks or months to refine, and what sites will be favored as a result
of the new emphasis on «more high quality, credible content.»
«Conveniently, when CHX's preferred market participants engage in the activity
of updating prices
of SPY due to changes in the price
of S&P 500 futures using sophisticated pricing
algorithms, it is generally beneficial, whereas when another market participant does the same thing, it «diminishes displayed liquidity and impairs price discovery.»»
Successive Google
algorithm updates (culminating in the recent Panda 4.1) aim to refine results so that they match the intent
of the search query and deliver the most comprehensive, accessible and well - written answer.
It's not exactly clear what caused the shift, but it's worth noting that in the end
of June this year, Facebook
updated its News Feed
algorithm to prioritize the
updates your friends share over posts from other sources.
As a victim
of the Penguin 3.0
update, it's far more likely that you've suffered a loss as an indirect, automatic result
of the
algorithm change.
If you want to keep thriving in search rankings, you need to be aware
of all the latest Google
algorithm updates and SEO best practices.
We stay ahead
of all the
algorithm updates, the platform changes, etc., so you can focus on producing great content.
There are monthly Google
algorithm updates which could theoretically wipe out 70 - 80 %
of this site's entire traffic.
Since Google's Penguin
algorithm update back in April
of 2012, these tactics can actually hurt your site's organic search rankings if they look spammy or manipulative.
There have been a number
of updates and refreshes to the Penguin
algorithm since it was launched in 2012, and possibly a number
of other tweaks that have gone down in history as unknown
algorithm updates.
I quickly noticed a bunch
of SEO «tactics» that may have worked years ago, but no longer have any positive value in the new, Post-Penguin and Post-Panda (Google
algorithm updates) era
of SEO.
The webspam
algorithm later became known (officially) as the Penguin
algorithm update via a tweet from Matt Cutts, who was then head
of the Google webspam team.
Editor's note: This post is part
of an ongoing series looking back at the history
of Google
algorithm updates.
Only Google engineers themselves fully understand how the real Page Rank
algorithm really works (not the out
of date tool bar one that is currently being
updated a lot less frequently).
Thorough knowledge
of current search ranking and optimization factors, and key
algorithm updates.
In the summer
of 2015, we saw two major developments in mobile marketing: First, Google announced a major
algorithm update that rewards mobile - friendly websites, and penalizes those that aren't fully optimized for mobile in mobile search results.
Google confirmed via Twitter they have indeed applied a «broad core
algorithm update» which impacted the appearance and rankings
of some websites in search results.
Generally speaking, when Google makes an
algorithm update, it does so because its engineers think there is a better way to present lists
of information to Google users.
It is surely good news to hear that spammy guest blogging (to which many reverted after some
of the latest google search
algorithm update) is finally put on the spot.
After Google's much anticipated mobile
algorithm, marketers everywhere were nervously peering at screens
of all sizes on April 22, trying to size up the damage
of this seemingly significant
algorithm update.
The implications
of this mobile
algorithm update were slightly more subdued than expected.
Have you been one
of the select companies affected by Google's most recent
algorithm update?
While SEO has changed considerably over the last few years with Google
algorithm updates and consequent tactical shifts from SEOs, you still find a variety
of prices and services out there.
One
of the elements that the Facebook News Feed
algorithm considers is the type
of update that a page uses.
The News Feed
algorithm update improved users experience by providing a balance
of content between Friends and Pages.
If you want to check if you've been penalized by one
of the major
algorithm updates, check out FE International's Website Penalty Indicator tool.
The latest
algorithm update from Facebook may cause a bit
of controversy for some, but others it may be a positive change.
This includes keeping you abreast
of the latest enterprise SEO techniques and challenges as well as the constant search engine
algorithm updates known to cause results page fluctuations.
It should be noted that the large increase in apps ranking for the «Trump» keyword between November and December may be related to the rollout
of an
updated App Store
algorithm during that period.
Quicksprout recently published an awesome new infographic on the state
of SEO that illustrates how the field has evolved over the past few years in response to Google's game - changing
algorithm updates and the steady rise
of content as king.
On top
of that, you'll be rewarded in search engines with Google's freshness
algorithm update.
Every year, certain methods are embraced by the SEO community as «must - have tactics,» while others get pushed to the brink
of history thanks to Google's
algorithm updates.
Before you can fully understand the impact
of each individual search
algorithm update, you need to have a working knowledge
of what a search engine
algorithm is all about.
In the last couple
of years, we've seen the positive impacts
of the Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, Pigeon, and Fred
algorithm updates on SEO.