Stop Whining About Google !
Blame Game Nearly anyone and everyone involved with search
engine optimization and Internet marketing is aware of the
famous "Florida" update by Google that caused many commercial
sites to lose their Google ranking and position.
Industry experts speculated as to why Google made such radical
changes to their algorithm. Those sites that no longer ranked
well for popular search terms had to take drastic steps in order
to salvage the holiday purchasing season. Many noted the timing
and thought perhaps Google was attempting to capitalize on the
Google Adwords Pay-Per-Click advertising program. Others simply
whined that though their site contained commercial material, it
also contains valuable content and was unfairly penalized.
What many failed to acknowledge is that Google has every right
to make algorithm changes and if they choose to drop sites that
lack relevance, it is their business. Listings in Google's main
search directory are free. Many have profited from Google's
ability to send traffic for years. Google doesn't owe anyone,
anything, least of all an explanation of their algorithm
changes. Businesses that rely on Google's free listings as their
sole source of web traffic lack good sense. Google, being an
independent company, reserves the right to run their business as
their management sees fit. If you are unhappy with Google stop
using them for searches.
If the results that Google serve lack relevant listings, then
find another engine to use! It has happened before and it will
happen again. It is the law of supply and demand. If Google is
unable to provide relevant content that searchers demand, Google
will become irrelevant. Look at the how the search engine
landscape has changed over the past few years: AltaVista is no
longer the leader, Infoseek no longer exists and others are
barely resemble what they once were.
As for the commercial sites who have been battered by the
Florida update here are some suggestions:
- make your site relevant! - submit to other search engines
(MSN, Inktomi, Lycos etc..) - pay for traffic (pay-per-click and
pay-for-inclusion) - develop traffic from alternative sites -
rely on traditional methods of advertising - promote your
website in your signature line in newsgroups - promote your
website on your business cards or on mailings - participate in
industry specific directories - participate in vertical market
pay-per-click the return on investment tends to be *much* higher
though the traffic is significantly less
The bottom line is become proactive rather than reactive, stop
whining about Google and find alternate sources of web traffic.
About the author:
About the author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage,
Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in
alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software
solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at
http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com , and
http://www.small-business-software.net
