68 replies to this topic

[BrianR]

IMO, Will, doing constant changes in search of higher rankings is the road to insanity - especially with Google at the present time.

My focus is this: Will what I want to do materially increase the site's usefulness to the targeted reader? If the answer is yes, I do it, and if I get higher rankings because of it, that's a bonus.

Google's SERPS have been a right porridge since mid November now, and there's no sign of it ending any time soon. So in the meantime, just keep adding value to the site, because, longer term, that delivers results.

BrianR

[Ledfish]

I would agree with Brian, you can't be making constant changes hope to wake up the next morning and see the improvement, it will take time and requires some patience.

Personally I think Google is sort of broke right now and so it's like trying to chase a ghost. So unless you have a major problem like spamming or something like duplicate title on all the pages or even duplicate description tags. Those are the only kind of major changes I would make.

SEO tweak may or may not have much of an impact right now. Doesn't mean an idea wasn't dead on, you just might not see the benefit in the short terms. So I think Brian advice is to save yourself from the insanity and concentrate on making your site better for your users while we all wait for Google to fix itself.

[Wyoming]

Grumpus,

Excellent thread! Very interesting and informative. May I ask you and the others to take a stab at analyzing a situation?

Website A ranks well in the new Yahoo and MSN, and the old Google pre-Florida. After Florida and the subsequent updates - it drops on Google but maintains its top positioning on the other guys.

I understand the algorithms are different - but would changing to meet Google's new ones hurt the existing placement on the other guys? Should you even try to adapt, or just let Google go and rely on the top placements from Yahoo/MSN? How would you handle it?

[Randy]

Just my opinion Wyoming...

Don't change a thing where your On-Page factors are concerned, because doing so most definitely have an effect on Yahoo! and MSN.

Instead, work on finding some good, relevant sites to link to you. Once you beef up that side of the equation (yeah, I know it takes months) your Google rankings will return, and this approach will also benefit your position on everything else.

[Phil]

Exacty... My site rates #1 on some minor sites, but seems non exisitant in Google and INK results. I do not want to change anything until the broken search engines are fixed.

[raj_freind]

Good show Grumpus (G) and folks

Google still active in Hare and the turtle race.

[OldWelshGuy]

Once you have seen the page cached, and the on page factors have been updated, is it safe to start making more changes or should I wait until the next update of off page factors?

If you make changes then Will you can end up chasing your tail to oblivion. I will try to explain.

You have on page factors such as titles tags, content etc, and off page factors links etc.

The problem you have is that they work separately and together. so if you alter the onpage stuff, the value of the offpage stuff is based on what the onpage stuff was during the last update. This results in your not really seeing the true position.

e.g. you alter the onpage stuff altering word count density etc. But the offpage boost is doing what it does, while working under the false assumption that things are the same (it may have anchor text that is now no longer equal in relevance). When the offpage and onpage 'marry up' during an update you will know the EXACT effect on overall package. Then you can start again with onpage tweaks.

Hope I have explained this clearly, I am sure some others will put what I mean a lot more clearly than I.

[Wyoming]

You make an excellent point. I guess the thing that confuses me is Yahoo and MSN and Google pre-Florida all agree (generally) in ranking a website highly... and now after all of the Google updates Google pushes a site down, what should we do? Yes, the rules of the game are changing. Is it better to adapt to the direction that Google is moving, or abandon Google and rely on the other two?

This is kind of like trying to stand on quicksand. We don't know which way to jump to avoid getting sucked down.

[OldWelshGuy]

If your pages are ranked anywhere in the Serps on Google, and they are appearing high on the other two, then leave on page factors alone, and get working on backlinks to the site, as these 'should' push you up the rankings.

Yahoo is 'currently' delivering about half of the traffic to the bulk of my customers sites, with google the other half. when MSN comes to the fray, it will be interesting to see who's basket it pilfers, G or Y?

The simple answer is to concentrate on the sources that bring in the best converting traffic.