SEO Industry experts are always on the look out for the recent updates from Google and it’s constant changes in search algorithm

1. Google Panda and Penguin Updates - What Works Best Now is What has Always
Worked
SEO Industry experts are always on the look out for the recent updates from Google and it’s
constant changes in search algorithm. The Panda updates which have been hitting search results
for months have been followed by the newly conceptualized algorithm known as Penguin. The
main concern always is about their effects and implications and what we can do right now.
There’s so much information and confusion among the SEO community especially among the small
business owners. As much as we want to know, one thing is certain and that we should always
adjust our tactics every now and again if we don’t want our sites to be negatively hit by these
updates.
We have come across these tips from various industry leaders from Search Engine Land, SEOMoz,
and Google’s Webspam expert Matt Cutts himself. First off, let’s look at these specific Google
updates.
Larger Google Index
The biggest news is that Google has increased the size of its base index (the collection of web
pages and documents it can show as search results) by 15 percent.
Rank Scoring
(launch codename “Bi02sw41″) Improvements to how search terms are scored in ranking. One of
the most fundamental signals used in search is whether and how search terms appear on the
pages you’re searching. This change improves the way those terms are scored.
Authority and Diversity of Results
More authoritative results and more domain diversity. (launch codename “Horde”, project
codename “Domain Crowding”) Sometimes search returns too many results from the same
domain. This change helps surface content from a more diverse set of domains.
Keyword Stuffing
(project codename “Spam”) This is a keyword stuffing classifier improvement. They have
classifiers designed to detect when a website is keyword stuffing. This change made the keyword
stuffing classifier better.
Digital Organics: Web Design Sunshine Coast - 1/102 Howard Street, Nambour, QLD 4560 T 617 5476 3800, SEO Sunshine Coast

2. Expanded Site Links
More and better site links appear in the top search results. If your site is an authority for a search
term, your domain site will display expanded site links within your website.
Local Changes
Google seems to be suggesting that it has able to identify the correct local result for specific
navigational searches, even when site is poorly optimized.
(launch codename “onebar-l”) This is for searches that include location terms, e.g. “web design
sunshine coast”. Google will more likely rank the local navigational homepages in top position even
in cases where the navigational page does not mention the location.
Penguin Penalty Box
The term “over optimization” was coined. This means “every single site we looked at which got
negatively hit by the Penguin Update had a “money keyword” as its anchor text for over 60% of its
incoming links.”
If you have 50% less of your anchor text keywords optimized for your “money term”, you would
be apparently immune to Penguin Penalties.
Google Penguin Takeaway
Google is trying to replace or devalue “anchor text” used with niche/content relevancy of linking
sites as a primary link relevancy (or quality) signal.
Links from similar niche, relevant content, or coming from thought leader mentioned on an article
are now much more important than ever.
What works best?
Firstly let me say that at the time of writing the Penguin update is only 2.5 weeks old. There is not
enough data to make anything other than and educated guess. The tactics below have always
been a solid base for any SEO campaign.
Digital Organics: Web Design Sunshine Coast - 1/102 Howard Street, Nambour, QLD 4560 T 617 5476 3800, SEO Sunshine Coast

3. Create targeted micro sites
Google wants the Internet to be filled with sites that provides users what they are looking for, and
give authority to sites that are relevant to what are relevant to what are the user is looking for.
By creating smaller sites of “higher quality”, you get to expand your presence in your niche, and
use that expanded visibility and send relevant and authoritative positive ranking signals towards
your main site.
Diversify anchor text
Mix up anchor texts and don’t strive for 100% on-page optimization. Consider 50% as a goal and
avoid keyword stuffing. Choose secondary and tertiary phrases to optimize rest of links for
White hat back linking
Invest on unique content and use social media to get lots of links to your customer site. There are
marketers that believe high quality blog networks still work.
Every SEO tactic is different and constantly changing. You have to play with Google’s rules with all
these pain-the-neck updates.
The golden rule nowadays, focus on quality content and social media linking. Remember to do a
couple of test in your domains as the changes always go on.
Digital Organics: Web Design Sunshine Coast - 1/102 Howard Street, Nambour, QLD 4560 T 617 5476 3800, SEO Sunshine Coast