The Google Panda Update will affect your Google Search Results Page Ranking.
As many of you have heard by now Google has dramatically changed how it ranks pages in its search results in an update they have dubbed Panda. The primary goal of the Panda update was to give user the best, most relevant possible results. The side effect is that many sites that were in a coveted top position for their keywords, are now finding themselves scrambling to reclaim their place at the top of the mountain.The Panda update places an emphasis on "quality content". Google takes into account factors such as the amount of time people spend on the site and how many pages within the website they visit. It also favors sites that have a presence in social media and maintain frequently updated content (such as blog). While it’s arguable that this is all for the best, as it will "undoubtedly" mean better more relevant results, its overlooking some very basic facts:
* Small Business owners don't have the time to constantly update their content.
* Some websites are designed specifically so that people don't have to spend a lot of time on them to find what they need and have that need serviced.
* Businesses that developed a large website before content management systems became the norm and that contain a lot of static content do not have the time or money to invest in adjusting or redeveloping their design or content. Yet these sites are still relevant to the audience they address.
* Small businesses with a 5 page site that is optimized for SEO and relevant will not be able to compete with a less relevant competitor that has a blog and may not have the time or money to invest in blogging but instead invest in quality products and services.
It is difficult for the small business owner to adapt to these changes, since some of them represent a financial barrier or require them to rethink the entire design and development behind a site that has been working well for them up to this point.
The following are a few ways that small business owners can try to overcome the difficulties presented by the Panda Update based on their situation:
* Prioritize your most important 5 pages and redevelop the content of those pages first. QWebDesign.com can offer assistance with this task.
* Start PPC Advertising in Google. If you've lost ground organically you can try to make up for it in paid search. Also this may increase your traffic which will also help you organically. Use the Site links Extension in Ad words to get more out of your budget and direct people to other relevant pages of your site.
QWEBDESIGN.COM has a team of experts that can advise you on how to setup a PPC campaign or modify an existing one.
* Eliminate duplicate content and/or "boilerplate" content from your web pages
* Redirect your weakest pages to stronger more relevant pages.
* Redevelop your entire website design based on a comprehensive Inbound Marketing
Strategy and once its complete redirect all of your old pages to the new site and content. Use content management systems such as Joomla and Wordpress to make it easier to manage, edit, update, and market. QWEBDESIGN.COM's staff can help you not only setup these content management systems but we can also give you tips on how to best use them.
For some businesses, implementing a blog or social media presences will require time and effort in terms of developing an appropriate strategy (assuming their policy or stance allows for it at all). However taking the leap and starting a Social Media Strategy will help improve your overall SEO efforts since Social Media will aid the following components of a good SEO strategy:
* External Link Building
* Increased Traffic
* Relevant Anchor Text on External Links
* Real-time Content
* Frequency of Updated Content
Using the methods mentioned above are sure to help you reclaim some of your lost search engine ranking and in time likely return you to your previous position or better. For new sites, focusing on these criteria will help ensure your success. Again, if you're uncomfortable implementing these kinds of changes on your own, or this type of web design overhaul is simply a time consuming of a task, feel free to contact QWebDesign.com and ask for our web design team to help tackle it for you.
