Hey All
First of all, sry about the slow approval of comments but I’ve been swamped with comments on my other sites also.! I should sell one or two, but can’t get myself to do it.
You have properly all read about the penguin and pagerank updates we have seen already this month, and what strikes me the most is the panic that’s going on around the web and of course the as****** that exploits it.!!
Some of you properly know that I have 3 link directories, and the last couple of days I’ve 50 mails from website owners that are asking me to remove their link because they have been hit. And in the panic they are trying anything to recover from it, which I can understand.
I’ve also gotten mails from websites that hasn’t been hit, but they are also doing things that they hope can ensure that they don’t get hit also. And in the end I think that these panics will end up costing them even more.
And that leads me to the question is Google actually damaging the web, with all these updates.?
I mean they are of course trying to remove blackhat sites, spam sites thus making it search results more relevant.
By making these massive updates that is suppose to hit only bad websites, but unfortunately also hits good clean sites, isn’t they just making it worse.?
What do you think.?
Should Google stop these updates, or should they keep doing it.?
Did your website get his, if yes what no no did you use.?
I’ll try to approve the comments asap.!
About Jimmy Sigenstrøm
I definitely feel that the amount of updates Google has been releasing is damaging to the good sites, and a better approach would be to build up a mass amount of them and do a release that would be all at once, so any impending detriments to sites could be sorted out as a one-time deal instead of worrying about every little update potentially dropping a site.
Twitter: MicahChipchase
says:
Honestly? I could care less. I am going to build my business with or without them. People are getting screwed because they put all their eggs in one basket. That’s nothing more than foolish.
All Google is doing is thinning the herd, leaving less competition for you and me.
Micah recently posted..“Study: Penguin Onslaught Slowed By Viral Outbreak. Bloggers Relieved.”
If this was Facebook I would “like” this comment! Everyone seems to only see the downsides of these updates rather than rolling with the punches and overcoming these things to better the web. We can’t put all of our eggs in one basket, which is what everyone that’s getting hit has been doing…
Twitter: TechieSaves
says:
The “eggs in one basket” approach is a bad idea indeed, but sometimes you don’t have a choice but to go one way and put all your efforts into making it work. It’s harder and harder to make it online.
Marty recently posted..3 Tips to Use Google Search More Effectively
Twitter: AgcToPenicillin
says:
That’s true Marty, you may not like the fact that Google has the power to shutdown your website by denying all traffic to it, but then again what can you do about it? Google pretty much owns the web, well at least the search part of the web, so until some other giant search engine emerges, you gotta be Google’s best friend…lol..just how it goes.
Jacky Moore recently posted..Allergic To Penicillin
Twitter: trishalarken
says:
It’s a learning process. You can write to Google if you have been hit even though you are a legitimate white hat method. Many of my clients also panicked and I have been telling them that we are on the good side Google friendly.
trishalarken recently posted..Forex Demokonto
Hi Jimmy,
Thanks for the post, made for an interesting read. I am relatively new to finding out about this “penguin” update but since I have found out about it all I have heard is bad things! In my opinion I do think Google should continue with its updates as eventually hopefully only the cleanest and most relevant results will be available to you via Google search.
I agree with Micah in saying that you shouldn’t have all your eggs in one basket. Companies and brands need to be able to drive traffic to their website by other means not just organically through Google. This said I do believe you need Google on your side to succeed to some extent, but if you have the brand and the business ultimately it is you that will generate the sales not Google.
Thanks again Jimmy!
Alan recently posted..Web Design Leamington
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
I also agree that they should make the updates but wouldn’t it be a better approach, it they went from the one they have now were it’s better to punish good clean site to one where it’s better to let one bad slip though.
Just like any Justice system do.?
But when that’s said then no putting all you eggs in one basket is asking for it.! ;)
I agree that the recent Panda, penguin updates is hampering the good sites which is a major concern. The spammers have to be dealt in more streamlined approach I think. If killing a single bad site results in damaging the genuine ones is what the process ends up in then the Google must try an alternative and not generalize things.
mobile application development
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
Couldn’t agree more.!
Twitter: itechcode
says:
Frankly Speaking i am very upset with Google Zoo(Panda, Penguin etc) Update.
They should stop this Update. Because i saw some sites without any article they are on top on SERP. So i think no need to unnecessary update.
Amit Shaw recently posted..The Upsides and Downsides of the Twitter Habit
I agree with you the panics are not helpful. Of course, if people did silly stuff that they thought they could use to fool Google and now are worried Google will catch them, I guess they might have some reason to worry. It is better to not try to fool Google in the first place.
I have occasionally, over the years, had sites get big drops in google traffic. Most of the time it just recovers without me doing anything special (sometimes even within days). I have 1 site this time that lost nearly all the Google traffic for a week, but in the last week it has recovered 50% of the way, I didn’t do anything.
The only sites I can remember not recovering fairly quickly (within months) are sites that really didn’t deserve the high ranking and so I was getting lucky for some reason and then Google figured out how to improve their results and my site went down for good reason.
I pay a bit of attention to SEO stuff with a few blogs. But essentially I don’t do much different today than 5 years ago. I suppose that means I don’t figure out some games to trick Google for awhile. But it also means I don’t have to worry anytime Google changes things.
John recently posted..Gardens by the Bay
Penguin really seems to have done some damage. I know a few people whose websites have been de-indexed for seemingly no valid or genuine reason. All those sites were doing pretty well, pre-penguin mind you. I’d say the Penguin’s certainly (and sadly) done more damage than good.
Leo recently posted..Apps for Online Marketers
Twitter: marqattacks
says:
SEO is always changing. Everyone went into an uproar when Google changed their algorithms to prioritize results from Google+. Change needs to happen to make searches relevant. The alternative would be unchanging results for certain keywords; the top 10 sites will stay the top 10 indefinitely.
Edward recently posted..iOS 5.1 Untethered Jailbreak Status – Weeks Away
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
It’s that I want Google to stop making the updates, god knows we need them I’m just saying that they way they are doing it now i hurting to many good sites.
Twitter: 3MwindowfilmTO
says:
I’m all for eliminating black hat tactics and spam but these updates make the job of SEO professionals alot more difficult. By the time you craft and start executing your SEO strategy a new update comes in that necessitates you to change your approach. Non of my websites have suffered as a result of these updates but I’m afraid its only a matter of time before I’ll be affected too, even though i try to do everything by the book and don’t resort to any black hat short cuts. In summation I am against all these updates or at least the frequency the new one’s come in. I can handle one update every few years but having one come out every year is ridiculous.
Twitter: twitterDerHochzeitsDJ
says:
I like Google from the beginning. But sometimes we forget, there is still Yahoo, Bing and other search engines. Very sad to read sometimes the pressure that is put on all small website owners.
the knee jerk panic is usually something undertaken by a certain kind of webmaster:
1) Someone with little understanding
2) Someone who knows they have been doing wrong
the ones I feel really sorry for are the ones who are in group 1 above but really any intelligent person who reads around a little can work out whats going on and the best actions to take.
Many “SEO sites” just seem to want to cozy up to google and so in every post they just massively overstate the google guidelines – this annoys me a little but Ive learned to stay away from such sites.
I think this will happen with every google update we see – te only real solution to the problem will come when google runs out of black and white animals…..
sash recently posted..Heartburn
Twitter: bukquotes
says:
Sure we all want to rely on more than just Google, but relying on Google in part seems almost inevitable to some degree. We’re all subject to Google’s whims, but at the same time if we do the right things from the beginning – namely creating good content, getting back links without paying for them, and not using black hat methods, then we should do well whenever Google updates to remove spam. There may be a few times when you get hit unexpectedly and without fault, but if you have enough quality sites you should overall come out on top.
Twitter: silenciobarnes
says:
All of this talk of Penguin makes me wonder. Is it so important to rely so heavily on Google page results? I know that it is the most popular search engine in existence, and I know that the organic search hits are very important. However, what of other search engines and other methods of getting traffic? If you can rank well in Bing and anywhere else, and you are getting steady traffic and backlinks, will that in turn force Google to take you out of the sandbox? I’m very ignorant as to how it all works. But am I making sense to you? I guess the question is, if you are popular enough, would that force Google to acknowledge you even when it doesn’t want to?
As for the updates: people seem to forget that Google has a vested interest in doing what it will to its own product to make it better and more efficient. It’s just like when Twitter makes updates, all of the makers of those third party apps that ride on its back get upset. However, Twitter has only its own product to look after, it shouldn’t have to worry about the hangers-on. I think the same can be said about Google. Does that make sense? We rely on Google’s search product and algorithm, but it is Google’s product to tweak as they will. Google didn’t create SEO, it created one of the products that SEO depends on. Isn’t it up to SEO guru’s to figure out how to work with the changes Google makes? Just like when we as a people have to learn to live with new laws, even if we disagree with them.
SB recently posted..Free Novel and Fiction Writing Software
Twitter: w3blogdk
says:
I like the idea, but I don’t think that any number of backlinks and traffic from other websites will force Google to take a website out of the sandbox if they want it there. At least not as long as Google are as big as they are now, but in time I hope that the users can unite and force Google to make some changes that are for the greater good.
It’s a bit hard for google nowadays because of it being very busy. How do you still manage the pagerank of your site? Anyway, thank you very much for sharing this information to everyone. I really appreciate your help.
Bethany Watson recently posted..seduction
Twitter: reubentech
says:
Hi,
I think that to some extent Google might be punishing the people who are not really spammers, anyways, they have a form where you can request to review your site as one last ditch effort, though I think it’s not of much use!!! WOW, this is something…
Twitter: techattitude
says:
Google is always updating their page rank and search algorithms which is really great. What makes me feel good is that this will considerably reduce the number of spam sites and will discourage creation of such sites in the future.
Bidhan Adhikary recently posted..Demand for the Kindle Touch increases in the UK and Europe
Twitter: AVSorted
says:
What I find with all Google’s updates is that me, as a novice blogger and with limited SEO experience, can’t keep up with what is acceptable and what’s not. It’s sad that we all have to bend over backwards to get our pages recognized by Google just so that we may hopefully have an audience for our blogs. Whilst I understand that Google are trying to deter certain people from abusing the system, Its the honest guy (and gul) who may find themselves removed from Google’s radar. I agree with Jimmy (Thanks for raising this point in your article by the way) when he states “but in time I hope that the users can unite and force Google to make some changes that are for the greater good.”
Ernie recently posted..Norman Security Suite Pro
With all the black and white animals I didnt even notice we had a pagerank update!
sash recently posted..Ringing sounds in the ear
Also let me add about importance of going slow with link building, getting links from different sources and creating your social presence (links on facebook, twitter, youtube etc) This way no update will be scary.
Cindy recently posted..Nutritionist Degree Online
I don’t understand why folks get so angry about the updates. Black hats know that even though what they do works, it’s risky. Sure, Google’s been talking more about cleaning up the SERPs than actually doing for quite a few years, but still, they’ve been saying it. It’s bound to happen sooner or later. Some legitimate sites take hits, and that’s unfortunate. To them, I say, keep doing what your doing. Don’t put all your eggs in the SEO basket and adapt. Eventually, they’ll recover. I think the updates are a good thing. In time, I think they’re best for everyone (except black hats of course).
Twitter: supsampust
says:
If Google’s donned a cape and cowl to make search results better for users, more power to them, but if they’re penalizing good, honest webmasters in some kind of crusade to stamp out evil, then they need to hang up the cape and go to rehab. I haven’t noticed any penalties since the updates, but it really bothers me that some good bloggers out there might have been hit by Google. Not cool.
Samuel recently posted..How To Write A Good Article!
Twitter: thehamptonsdj
says:
My rank is skyrocketing so i guess i can’t complain. Not sure if it’s all the seo i’m doing or it’s the google updates. but i’m happy
Paul CassellaF recently posted..Long Island Dj visits Pumperknickels in Hicksville to perform at a communion party 5/6/12
Twitter: xiontechinfo
says:
Google has been always trying to make its search engine better and easier for users by releasing penguin and panda updates as well as pagerank. This sounds nice to visitors but not to the blog owners
Rishiraj Sisodia recently posted..Samsung Omnia W (Focus Flash) Review with Pros and Cons
Twitter: websitepromocod
says:
Some of my sites got hit too, but I am working on a new way to fix it. Also we shouldn’t relay more on Google, there are thousands of ways to gain traffic except Google.
shadir recently posted..A2 Hosting Coupon Code and Save 5% on Hosting
Twitter: trungpc81
says:
Google has updated Page Rank on last May 3rd, my blog PR went down and it made me felt a little bit sad, I wondered what did I do wrong? And I’ll be happy if they stop update the PR.
Trung Nguyen recently posted..How to Start a Blog: 7 Steps to Start a Blog Yourself
Hi Jimmy, I can understand it, that Google wants to filter the over-optimized sites, and that’s a good thing. Honestly, there are a lot of content just because of SEO reasons without any relevant information. But I think that the new Penguin algorithm of Google does it in a wrong way. I’ve heard a lot of amazing stories in the past few weeks. A friend of mine used to have his site in the 2nd renking in the search results, and in 1 day (!) the site went to the 600th position. That’s incredible, but instead of panic I think we all have to think about the solution. There’s a big fog yet, nobody knows exactly what to do or what not. I think all the SEO techniques must be applied with care, all the optimization methods must be updated to the updated search engines. What had worked before, could be already a big mistake. We have to collect as much information as can, I think that the Google blog is a great place for that. Thanks fot his inspiring article, I think I’ll return because of the interesting and useful tips I’ve found on your blog.
Linda recently posted..Dental implants guide
Twitter: MiamiLuxHomes
says:
My sites got hit big time after having top rankings for 5+ years. We always put hard work and did not try any black-hat SEO or any short cut. I was so confident that I was not even bothering to follow up the Google updates and thinking those updates will eventually help hard working people to eliminate cheaters. This last update throw my sites from top 3 to 20th page while keeping some cheaters still on the first page. I clearly see sites cheating rank in top positions. I got an email from Google saying my sites were not manually penalized. I have been brain storming since I lost my rankings. I came up with some unusual possibilities that Google may check domain “whois” data to see if a site owner owns more similar sites, give priority to sites using some big registrars, etc. Google adword users seems to get better organic rankings. Sure I have been using Google webmaster tools and keep eliminating all possibilities damaged my rankings.
Selda recently posted..SEO Company
Twitter: bestplugins_wp
says:
I think the idea of what Google is “TRYING” to do, is great … but so many updates is crazy, 2 panda refreshes, penguin and other updates within the same short space of time is a bit over the top.
The problem is that they’re not really hurting the spammers, they’re hurting more legitimate businesses and damaging peoples lively hoods (but yes, a good saying fits well here .. “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket”)
I’ve seen reports that show some businesses losing 2/3rds of their sales over night …
And I wouldn’t mind it as much but for very highly competitive terms I’m seeing more and more blank pages.. or maybe pages with a few words on ranking at the top .. while large authority sites that add value to the “user experience” >> which is what Google is supposed to “support” .. have dropped to 100th position, or been sandboxed.
And now more than ever people can have their website destroyed through negative SEO more easily than before … You can’t control who links to you.
I get people taking my articles, spinning them into some tosh that a 5 year old could have done a better job with and then linking back to me …. This can’t be controlled .. it’s damaging the fabric of the internet because now everyone is going to freak out and start threatening people to take down links etc.
Makes me wonder if they’re trying to make SEO so unpredictable that it forces people into Adwords…
Adam James recently posted..Sharing Just Got Sexier With Sharexy
Twitter: DanielleMcGaw
says:
I think that the updates that Google have been doing are absolutely necessary. But the panic is causing a lot of chaos! Just stop worrying and know that if you continue to put quality content out there and easy back on the attempts to make Google think your site is something other than what it is you will be fine in the long run. Yes, I understand some people are losing money. But that is the gamble you take in this business. If no one told you that you should set aside some money for times like this – well, you must have missed that conversation because I’ve heard it a lot! LOL
Danielle McGaw recently posted..Make Facebook Fans’ Posts Show on the Timeline
Google updates had affected many internet marketers with their business, especially the update of Google Panda. This is the worst update Google have made.
Born27 recently posted..Small Business Phone Services
Twitter: ibucketbot
says:
My blog this time stayed as it was before, no change. I wonder what the new update will bring in the times to come !
Mushfique recently posted..The Future of War
Twitter: trungpc81
says:
You can see the change in the next time update, hope it will be good news to you
Trung Nguyen recently posted..How to Make a Blog: 5 Steps to Make a Blog Yourself
Twitter: techguyinfo
says:
THe updates can be both good and bad. On one hand Google is cleaning up many of the spam site listings making a cleaner more helpful search, but in the process, they have severely damaged some quality websites. My site was hit but I still get ok traffic but I have clients that seem to have disappeared off of Google totally.
Could this be an attempt to force users to use adwords?
Brad Traversy recently posted..Website Hosting
Twitter: AgcToPenicillin
says:
Nice article Jimmy,
I think Google should come up with better ways to differentiate between good and bad websites, there has to be a way to identify the difference between the two so that good sites do not suffer, even if they have to hire a huge team and do part of this manually….they do make a lot of money after all.
Thanks.
We cannot question the intent of the updates that Google comes out with, surely they aim to improve their product and provide more meaningful results to audiences. But yes its sad that some honest folks with good websites are hit on the wrong side by such frequent updates for one or the other reason, negative SEO and over optimization being few of them.
I guess its best to strictly adopt good white hat techniques for SEO and keep away from spammy stuff. Though this cannot guarantee that you would not be impacted adversely by Google updates, but it makes the game far more safer.
Samaira Jonathon recently posted..Bluehost 3.95
Twitter: tsproviders
says:
Actually the Google is changing its algorithm every month to get search better and spam free. If I were you, just give google what they want.
They want fresh and unique content with media rich on its body. You must also own those media files (avoid copy and paste).
I don’t hit by penguin since I am doing all of my SEO in white hat method only.
To all webmaster; Good Luck.
Nimitz recently posted..Keyword Research
Twitter: yeremiakpan
says:
The updates are getting a little too frequent don’t you all think?
Yeremi Akpan recently posted..5 Google Friendly Shortcuts to Get High PR Backlinks
Twitter: sharemarket3
says:
Yes definitely they should keep on updating, but many times we have seen that even the genuine website and blogs are being affected.
Worli recently posted..ravi became a registered member
Twitter: complearnhow
says:
It was a strange update as I was reading how everyone was suffering from it on forums and message boards but for me it was great. I am only a very small site but I noticed my traffic from google organic increase 20 fold after the update. Where I was getting 10-20 organic visits a day I went to 100+ and thats is steadily increasing day by day.
Aparrently they releases another one last firday too that they had been testing designed to bring some of the hit sites back from what I read.
craig recently posted..Macbook Pro or Windows Laptop?
Twitter: MiamiLuxHomes
says:
Here is what happened after the Penguin update.
One of my competitor is covering 4 spots on the first page with a very competitive term. Those 4 spots belongs to the same domain name. 2 Organic results 2 Google place (one is a fake location)
Their practices
1- They buy links.
2- They use footer link from a free blog templates (almost invisible links)
3- They do 301 forwarding from their other site
4- They build links from unrelated sites.
Is this the improvement of the search results, locating one website on 4 spots which partially do black-hat SEO ?
- Another company just buys links is also on the first page. The website even do not belong to a company in that industry, it belongs to someone generate leads only. It is very clear where they buy, and how much they pay