January 21 2014
Big Ideas
Author: Michael McCaffrey
What is Google’s Penguin Update?
To put it simply: Panda is your high school English teacher. Only instead of failing you for bad grammar, she will drop your website’s search engine results page (SERP) ranking.
Staying ahead of this update is simple.
Here are 5 tips to avoid “Panda Jail”:
1. No spinning!
Spinning articles basically refers to trying to avoid duplicating content by slightly changing an article – adding words, removing words, rewriting sections, even slightly changing the perspective. The problem is that they don’t usually read well.
2. Write original content, focussing on the reader.
Try to write content that is enjoyable and easy to read. Not only will this increase the chances that the reader will share / link to the article (which is ultimately the goal), but it also will help ensure that you’re not going to get hauled off to Panda jail.
3. Don’t spam keywords
There was a lot of talk in search engine optimization (SEO)-land about keyword density in the past. If you could get the number of keywords on your site just right, Google would list your page higher when that keyword was typed in the search engine. Keyword density leads to forced wording, which leads to poor wording, and …. You guessed it… Panda jail!
4. Don’t force keyword phrases
This might sound similar to #3, but this point refers more to mashing together words that sound awkward in order to get a keyword phrase in the website’s body content. For example, “For best blue hats in Canada, we offer the best prices on best blue hats in Canada”. Read it over. Does it sound natural? If not… Panda jail.
5. Don’t be evil
Google’s #1 law. If you try to find an easy way around it, you will lose in the long run. Even if you get away with it now, Google is bigger, richer and smarter and they will find a way to punish you the only way they know how. Content marketing is the way of the future, and a great way to improve SEO, but it takes time. Don’t try to cheat the system. Write original (and more or less grammatically-correct) content.
Remember these tips and you should be safe from Google's Panda Police!