Google Penguin And Panda Updates
A Look At Google's Penguin Update and How it Effects Search Engine Rankings
Background on Why Google Changes Their Search Algorithm
Google announced a couple months back that it was going to update its search engine algorithm. Now this is nothing new as Google has been known to update its search algorithm whenever they please. The purpose of this is to make sure that the listing never get stale. Google knows that people employ inappropriate methods to get top search engine page ranks. So to prevent this they will occasionally update their search algorithm and go through all of their indexed sites and do a check for certain criteria they deem inappropriate or spam.
The Deletion of Websites Who Broke the Rules
Not only is the search algorithm updated, but Google also goes through each site that is indexed in their server. The purpose of this is to run a check with their internet agents to make sure the listings are not their using methods that Google does not approve. Now this is good news for us who do use white hat methods or legal methods to get search engine rankings. If you employ proper Search engine optimization techniques then you have nothing to worry about.
Control Your Link Juice
Another feature Google added was the ability to control what links point to your site. What this means is that Google now has a tool in their Webmasters app which allows you to delete links that are pointing to your site. Each link that points to your site from an external site gives your web pages search engine optimization links what we call in SEO; Link Juice. Link juice is basically how much authority that link has in the search engines from the external site. So if the site is real popular then you will receive higher link juice. Now if you have some links on pages that are considered spam or inappropriate then this will decrease your link juice. We do not want that. So now Google allows you to go through and block all bad links that point to your website. SEO professionals have been asking for this for years. Because we know if you play by the rules then good things will happen. Sometimes our links end up on pages without our consent. This is another reason it is good to be able to control what links point to your site.
Website Bans/Smacks
Two things will and can happen if you are using bad search engine practices. The first is Google will ban you site. This means that they will take it completely off of their servers and make sure their bots never index it again. it is a sort of black list if you will. Once the site is on this black list it can not be indexed anymore by Google's bots. You have really dig yourself out of a hole here.
The second is Google will punish your site. What I mean by this is that Google will re-index your site and decrease your rankings and link juice. The only way to increase rankings is to stop using inappropriate methods and make sure you fine tune and control your links. This is the reason Google added the Link builder tool in the Webmasters interface.
Future Updates?
As stated before Google is constantly changing their policy as well as their algorithms. This is a good thing for people who play by the rules. We welcome updates as we know it will only help us reach top rankings. If you are employing inappropriate search engine optimization methods then you should really reconsider. These type of methods are only good for the short term. This is why at iLocal Business we do things by the book. We want to make sure our listings stay in the top ranked spots and never get smacked or banned by Google.
It is always good to stay on top of Google and their updates. If you are using Search engine optimization tactics then you want to make sure you have a firm understanding of how each search engine works. Having a good grasp on the rules and regulations can go a long way. Each search engines uses different criteria in order to rank your sites. While they share some common methods, you want to make sure you are only using methods allowed by each search engine. By doing this across the board withe each engine, you are playing is safe.