I just had this thought that whenever I’m seeing updates rolled out by Google, even if it’s not something that you’re supposed to worry about, and you’re sure that all of your methods are following the guidelines, a lot of people react like it’s going to hurt them a lot. I’ve been seeing updates rolled out that affected approximately one percent of the search results, or maybe even less than that. I know that there are a ton of websites out there, and considering that there ARE indeed tons of websites out there, there’s a chance that you might hit. Okay, stop. Let’s stop right there, shall we?
I know that the chances that the updates are going to affect your sites aren’t negligible, even if they’re that small in the eyes of many. But if you’re sure that you’re following the guidelines, wouldn’t it be a huge waste of time to worry about how the updates are going to affect instead of doing the optimization that you’ve always done? I just had to say something because I’ve been seeing some comments over at different blogs saying that “if you don’t do what Google says, you’ll get penalized” or “there’s a new update, you’ll get penalized” and things like those. It’s like they’re scared of Google or something.
Anyway, that’s about it. When you guys here about updates from Google, how do you react, or do you even react at all?
Great sentiments, GeraldNitram. It’s painful to read all the alarm posts every time Google makes an update. As you say, if you are posting quality content and attending to other good web design practices, the updates should be irrelevant. I take no notice of them, personally—but I’m not obsessed with SEO.
[font=verdana]I think there are two factors at play – ignorant panic, and rational fear.
The ‘rational fear’ starts with those people who know (or strongly suspect) that they have employed techniques that Google disapproves of. They know that there’s a good chance that any new update will see their sites take a major hit, because they’ve been building their houses on sand and out of sand, and so it won’t take much to tear them down. These people are generally the same ones who peddle SEO myths and services, or at least who are gullible or greedy enough to buy them. They’re scared, and with good reason.
The ‘ignorant panic’ usually comes from people who don’t know enough about SEO to know whether their site is at risk or not. Fuelled by the hysteria coming from the ‘rational fear’ group, people start to worry that if “hundreds and hundreds” of sites are being hit, will theirs be one of them? That’s when you start to see people saying patently stupid things like “70% of sites are going to lose rankings” … ignoring the fact that Google rankings is a zero-sum game, if one site goes down then another one goes up. Most people in this group have nothing to worry about (unless they’ve outsourced their SEO), but that doesn’t stop them!
Me? I don’t worry at all about Google updates. I have never consciously pushed SEO for my sites, beyond basic on-page optimisation and getting a handful of links from relevant sites that are likely to send some direct traffic, so I figure my sites have got to the good positions they’re in on merit. Every update that moves spammers and scammers down the page is likely to be good news![/font]
Stevie, I get the rational fear part. In fact I think I’ve fallen in that group before. If I remember correctly, that was before the article directories took a hit. Good thing that didn’t do much of a toll on my site. After that, I just focused on building relationships and participating in forums like this. I think it’s better that way; it’s slow, but I know that it’s a lot more effective than forcing my ranks to go up by buying links and stuff like that.
What I’m seeing a lot is that ignorant panic you were talking about. There was this one time in another forum, days after the Penguin update was rolled out, when a guy was asking something about the nofollow attribute and if they’re that important. I told them that it’s something that Google created to go against spammers, but that doesn’t mean that it’s useless for those who are building links. I told them that a “balance” between dofollow and nofollow links is a good thing, but someone stood up to me and said that I don’t know a thing about the updates, and that my suggestion would kill my site’s rankings. I thought that this guy might have been fueled by some sort of fear caused by the updates that didn’t even involve the nofollow attribute.
I always think that when Google updates itself, it is brilliant. It is important not to panic and think that it is difficult to deal with, instead learn how it works so you could keep up.
Well, i believe that those posts which seem to be overly exaggrated from the Fear are a way of drawing the attention to show important aspects of the Updates! Honestly, I think some of the folks who in reality are not that much worried but,still they try to show their worried nature in their writing! It’s a strategy to generate the attentions and nothing else, if you really think about the updates, just think about your last SEO tactics and its legitimacy and Google’s Updates info in the official Blog of Google!
These are legitimate to some extent because google’s updates affect many top websites and usually its them who get panicked. The ones with websites having higher rank wouldn’t even bother if their rank gets pushed a little more higher. However it does matter if the website is on top and it gets kicked to bottom.
I think that people’s reactions (or lack of them) to updates is largely dependent on whether they have been hit by one previously. All through the Panda updates my site prospered, but then took a thump from Penguin. So up until April 24 I wasn’t bothered about updates, I read about them out of interest but not concern.
Now my feelings are rather different. I thought I was following the guidelines (well, not straying too far from them) but obviously something was wrong, I have listened to advice and I have made changes. My site is no longer dead in the water but it isn’t anywhere near where it was. What I am looking for now when there are updates or refreshes isn’t signs of further punishment, but of recovery.
Given the sheer size of the web, along with the constant algorithm updates and the fact that every web page everywhere is changing all the time how can you be sure that Google have caused your website to suffer a drop?
If you’re worried that your site is going to fall then perhaps you’re not as confident about the legitimacy of your SEO work as you thought?
(I’m not sure if your reply was to me, but am answering as though it were). Because it had never happened before, and did so the day after Penguin. Also my positions on other SE’s were not affected.
I am not looking for a fall, which is why I said “What I am looking for now when there are updates or refreshes isn’t signs of further punishment, but of recovery.”
(My bold)
Really? From what I’ve seen, genuinely “top” websites have no need or desire to use the underhand techniques that Google penalises. No mainstream reputable company out there is going to be flooding forums or building link farms. It’s only the scammers and spammers, who are not “top” sites, who have any cause to be worried.
Can you confirm that it happened for other users? Are those that grew in rank better? Are their backlinks of a higher quality?
I’m of the opinion that these updates are only slightly larger than the incremental updates and are largely to indicate that the spread has reached everyone. The fact that they are labelled each and every time (i.e. panda, penguin, etc) leads me to believe that SEO authorities are only pushing fear by promoting these updates, when in reality they’re happening all the time anyway.
But updates and refreshes happen all the time. Competition does not stay still, and Google updates its algorithm daily.
It is hardly a secret that many site owners woke up on April 25 to find that their keywords were nowhere any more. The day before I had 19 on page one, then I had just one and the other 18 were not even on the first few pages.
Yes updates and refreshes are happening all the time, but they are not all of the same significance (in terms of numbers of sites hit and the effect on those sites).
One competitor who has gained at my expense has pages of reciprocal links, and the majority of their other links appear to come from other sites owned by them.
No previous update or refresh or daily change had such an effect on my site. I appreciate that there is movement all the time, but not to this degree. Some competition does indeed stay still, I have competitors who have not updated noticeably for a very long time, it is not the same in every situation.
The best way to respond to updates is not to react right away but rather reflect. Reflect on your efforts and campaign; and reflect on what you can do to take advantage of the update.
I think it’s just but natural for you to worry about Google’s update once it’s there. Even if you’re sure that you’re complying with their guidelines, you will still get conscious if you were really doing it right. The most effective way to battle whatever Google update is going to come is to just make your site as natural as it should be. Like what Google said, they carry the great responsibility of giving the best and quality answers to the people’s searches and if Google thinks that your site isn’t helping well, then they have to do what needs to be done.
Google has finding the own way to create quality answers for the searchers.it means not to take away from anyone with a quality site who has been harmed by latest update. f Google’s screwing up on listing relevant sites, we want to know, and we sure want that corrected.each and every update we tried to find out new solution it better to follow the guidelines which is given by google from the beginning it self.
