The last two years have seen some major changes in the world of internet marketing. Google's Penguin and Panda updates have altered the SEO landscape considerably. Here are a few tips to help you succeed at post-Panda online marketing.
Prior to the Penguin and Panda updates, it was possible to rank a website using spun content, directory submissions and automated link-building techniques. Those days are long gone and now you need to have high-quality content and a natural link profile if you want your site to do well in the SERPs.
Prior to the Penguin and Panda updates, it was possible to rank a website using spun content, directory submissions and automated link-building techniques. Those days are long gone and now you need to have high-quality content and a natural link profile if you want your site to do well in the SERPs.
Marketing Through Quality Content
Content marketing is not a new concept, but it is enjoying a surge in popularity at the moment. Before Penguin and Panda, many webmasters avoided content marketing because it seemed like a lot of work and they knew that they could see good results just by hiring an SEO company to do some automated directory submissions and submit a few spun articles to the popular article farms for them. It didn't make sense to pay more for good content and high-quality links if you could get the same results by focusing on quantity instead.
Now that Google has improved its ranking algorithm, those low-quality links are useless and every good SEO Company knows this. If you want your site to rank well today, you need to build a site full of useful and interesting content. Google appreciates unique content that is relevant to the topic of your website and will love your website even more if it is frequently updated. Not only will unique, fresh and interesting content get bonus points from Google, it will also be appreciated by your users. More important, good content will be linked to via social media sites and readers' blogs.
Now that Google has improved its ranking algorithm, those low-quality links are useless and every good SEO Company knows this. If you want your site to rank well today, you need to build a site full of useful and interesting content. Google appreciates unique content that is relevant to the topic of your website and will love your website even more if it is frequently updated. Not only will unique, fresh and interesting content get bonus points from Google, it will also be appreciated by your users. More important, good content will be linked to via social media sites and readers' blogs.
Organic Traffic and Links
Before Google changed its algorithm, link-building strategies focused on acquiring links for the purpose of increasing the target site's Page Rank and improving the site's ranking for specific keywords. Google now picks up on sites that have unnatural-looking link profiles with a lot of links that have similar anchor texts.
Instead of focusing on links for the purpose of page rank, it is better to focus on creating content that people want to link to because they think it is worth sharing. The traffic that your website receives from such links will land on specific pages rather than the home page. In addition, some of those links will be from sites with a loyal readership. Those readers will click on your link and hopefully enjoy the content on your site and choose to come back regularly.
There are no short cuts when it comes to successful internet marketing. Yes, it is possible to buy traffic and see impressive numbers in your statistics, but that traffic will probably consist of bots, or visitors who are not actually interested in your site. If you want to get quality traffic and have people read your posts and buy the products you are selling, you need to work hard. Today, quality content and regular site updates are the secret to success.
Instead of focusing on links for the purpose of page rank, it is better to focus on creating content that people want to link to because they think it is worth sharing. The traffic that your website receives from such links will land on specific pages rather than the home page. In addition, some of those links will be from sites with a loyal readership. Those readers will click on your link and hopefully enjoy the content on your site and choose to come back regularly.
There are no short cuts when it comes to successful internet marketing. Yes, it is possible to buy traffic and see impressive numbers in your statistics, but that traffic will probably consist of bots, or visitors who are not actually interested in your site. If you want to get quality traffic and have people read your posts and buy the products you are selling, you need to work hard. Today, quality content and regular site updates are the secret to success.
About Guest Blogger
Mary is an online marketing expert and technology enthusiast. She has been using the internet since the days of Usenet and the AOL walled gardens and she founded her own SEO Company in the late 1990s. Away from the computer, she enjoys horse riding and fly fishing.