One of the joys of working in search engine optimisation (SEO) is being kept on your toes by those clever cats over at Google. Boy, do we love getting our heads around the latest changes to their many algorithms?
So it was a treat to learn that the search behemoth had rolled out another new version of its Penguin algorithm, to further iron out spam and create better search results for users. As Google engineer Matt Cutts announced, Penguin 2.0 is supposed to be a gift for site owners who create good, original content aimed at a human audience.
Since we use Google as part of our everyday lives, as well as part of our job, that’s a double-win. We want to be able to find the best material on the web easily; and since we’re producing great content ourselves, we like the fact that it will be easier to find.
But we’re not totally naïve, or in thrall to Google.
Changes to Google’s algorithms necessarily create collateral damage – decent sites losing their rankings along with the lesser ones. So as well as giving us an extra incentive to create great content, Google updated also acts as a wake-up call for SEOs to diversify our web profiles. This means looking further afield than Google – opening up other channels, from alternative browsers to mobile web and social networks.
One thing we’ve learned over the years is that if search rankings can be lost due to an arbitrary piece of Google code, it’s wise not to throw all your eggs in that very large, influential basket.
