Google Takes up Farming and Leaves the Internet. Not Exactly.

When I hear the words "farmer" and "Google" in the same sentence, I think of a lot of strange things. But one thing that doesn't come to mind is a search engine and rankings on that search engine. No, Google hasn't given up on the internet and taken up growing soybeans. Instead, it's revamped its algorithm. Algorithm is simply a procedure or formula for solving a problem. Just check out the Rubik's Cube for more about algorithms.

Basically, without boring you into retirement, this means that if your website is of low-quality and low-value, your ranking within Google will suffer. And I quote the Official Google Blog: "This update is designed to reduce rankings for low-quality sites—sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful."

Notice the language being used. Specifically, "...reduce rankings for low-quality sites..." That means it's not only individual posts or pieces of content will be penalized for being deemed "low-quality" but entire websites. The announcement also mentions "low-value add for users" and sites that "copy content from other websites." The target? Content farms, to start. Hence the term "Farmer Update". These sites exist and profit based on volume. The more content produced (often for a pittance) the better they do – or did.

The update will also impact Bing and every other search engine. Simply put, if Google's results get better in the eyes of users, Bing and the others cannot afford to be viewed as having inferior results.

Without question, the focus is now on producing original, quality content. So-called scraper sites are doomed. But even bloggers need to be careful about posting content that could be considered "low-quality" or that which could be viewed as being a simple re-publishing of existing content. In other words, if you don't have anything original to say about an existing story ... be careful. Now more than ever, the focus seems to be shifting toward quality, not necessarily quantity.

In all, this update should be a good thing for the Web – both for users and those who work tirelessly to produce quality content.

What can you do?

Keep an eye on your website analytics. Analytics track how users interact with a website. Are your numbers slipping for keywords of which your site previously ranked highly? Are overall numbers dropping? Hopefully not. But there are some things that can be done to ensure your traffic does not suffer.

• Build a strong following on social networks and work hard to increase sign-ups and newsletter subscribers (if you have them).

• You will be judged by who you link to. If your site is linked to a site that is of poor quality as it relates to content, your site may suffer in the rankings.

• Variety is the spice of life. Mix your content up utilizing blogs, video, social media, YouTube, iTunes, Flickr, etc.

• Quality is important. So, if you have the resources, hire a good writer. Today's skilled writer should know how to create SEO-friendly content. If you can't afford one, take a writing course and pay close attention to the writings of successful blogs and/or publications.
  

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Elemental Maze Blog

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