Search engine marketing firm advises on repercussions of Google algorithm update

Content Communications, a Bristol-based PR and marketing specialist, calls for greater emphasis on high-quality content to improve online visibility, in light of a change to the way Google ranks pages.

The latest spam-fighting algorithm from Google, Penguin 2.1, went live on Friday (October 4). The web giant says the update is intended to “reward high-quality sites”. However, it is likely to negatively affect companies that use link-building SEO tactics as part of their marketing campaigns.

Indeed, the Penguin algorithm aims to punish sites deemed to be spamming Google’s search results – especially those sites that may have purchased paid links. Google says Penguin will decrease rankings for sites that they believe are violating their existing quality guidelines. Since the update, online forums have been awash with people claiming their websites have seen a significant drop in page rank and traffic.

Matthew Hyde, Online Content Specialist at Content Coms, comments: “Keep an eye on your web stats: a dip in traffic and Google rankings may indicate that your site has been knocked by this latest algorithm update.”

google“This represents another big move by Google to crack down on ‘black hat’ SEO,” he adds. “It suggests that using traditional link-building SEO is an increasingly risky way to improve your search engine rankings. We believe organisations using these methods need a rethink.”

“More than ever, the focus of search engine marketing needs to be on creating web pages with quality content that offer real user value – so-called ‘white hat’ SEO. In simple terms, this means adding to your website SEO-focused news stories, blog posts and articles,” says Matthew.

This advice is echoed by Matt Cutts, Head of Google’s web spam team. In a blog post at Google Webmaster Central, he says: “Our advice for webmasters is to focus on creating high-quality sites that create a good user experience and employ white hat SEO methods, instead of engaging in aggressive webspam tactics.”

Flickr.com image by SEO


Content Coms’ supersonic SEO is helping T-Word (a lighting industry news website) score highly on Google with White Hat techniques. Contact us for a chat.

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