If you have a business website you may have wondered what all the talk about the Google Penguin update means for your site. One of the most important things to know about this update is the fact that webmasters don’t have to worry about being penalized for links anymore.
Devalue vs. Demote: The Difference
The previous way that Google dealt with spam links on websites was by demoting, a practice that affected the rank of the entire site. One of the main problems with this approach was the fact that some quality sites ended up getting demoted as a result of bad links.
By taking an approach where the main idea is to devalue bad links, which help protect the site’s ranking, webmasters can feel reassured that their site will keep its ranking. Manual disavow tools still work under this update, giving webmasters all the tools they need to protect their site.
The Top Recommendations
SEO professionals feel that those who use sound practices are less likely to have problems with updates in the long run. These practices include a few key elements that are easy for webmasters to put into use:
- Good techniques for on-page SEO
- Diversified anchors and links
- Quality link-building
If your site uses these practices already, or if you begin to include them, there’s a great chance that the Penguin and Possum updates will allow you to keep enjoying good traffic.
Using Good SEO Methods
Sites that have high rankings use some time-tested techniques that help draw the necessary traffic that is needed. These techniques include:
- Starting your title tag with a keyword and wrapping it with an <H1> tag
- Adding modifiers such as “review” or “guide” for better rankings
- Keeping the URL for the page short, with keyword usage
- Using videos, images, or infographics
- Utilizing <H2> subheadings, with one using the keyword
- Putting the keyword in the first 100 words of the page’s text
- Going for a page length of 1,000 to 1,500 words
Links and Sharing
Outbound links play more of a role than many people realize in good optimization. A site that uses outbound links often gets better rankings because it’s easier for Google’s robots to determine the subject of your site. Internal links will also help ensure that your site is easier to find. For example, in a blog post, try to add 2 or 3 links back to other pages on your site.
Lastly, you should make sure that social sharing links are included on your site. This has the potential to increase your site traffic and many of those who share your site are likely to link back to your site. If you follow the techniques mentioned here, your site will have excellent chances of high rankings for the foreseeable future.
We hope you found the above promoted content as entertaining and helpful as we did.
