Penguin 2.0, Panda Rollouts - A Guide to Surviving Google Updates

June was a crazy month for organic search. Google rolled out Penguin 2.0 at the end of May and announced 10 days of Panda updates in early June. These were just the big updates; there were also a bunch of smaller ones. In fact, Google used to post information about Search Quality changes like this one, but they don't do this anymore. I suspect that now there are simply too many to list.

The Penguin & Panda updates resulted in a record algorithm flux and huge fluctuations within Google search results. Some industries were hit harder than others - Home & Garden and Computers & Consumer Electrics are at the top of the list of the most affected. We noticed some very minor fluctuations with our clients, but fortunately, they were corrected by the end of the month.

So, what can companies do to make sure they aren't negatively affected by Google updates?

Build your brand.

Google has suggested that building a strong brand will not only improve your overall visibility, but also positively impact your SEO. Now more than ever, it's crucial to build your brand and domain authority because Google values authenticity and trust.

How?

Your website is the most important presence you have online. After all, it's the place where you'd like your audience from various channels (social media, email marketing and links on other authority sites) to go for more information about what you do. Make sure your it reflects your company. Does your website clearly represent you and what you do? Does it make a good impression? Would you trust the content? Would you buy something off the site?

If you haven't done so already, get on the Google+ bandwagon. There are now more than 359 million active users on Google+, and it's expected to grow. Google+ is also a major influencer in how you rank within Google's search results. Credible authorities on Google+ tend to rank higher in the search results.

Use social media authentically. Social media is ubiquitous. It doesn't matter what type of business you're in. Your customers, prospects, vendors and competition are there. Make sure you are there too. For help creating a social media strategy, check out our strategy guide.

Co-marketing & link earning. Build your brand by utilizing other authoritative websites like Business.com, Quora.com and Slideshare.com. Associating your brand with other trusted brands is not only good for visibility, but journalists and popular bloggers are more likely to use and reference these types of sites because they are more unbiased and neutral in tone. Getting mentioned by a credible blogger will drive traffic and earn quality links.

Blog regularly and frequently. If your website doesn't currently have a blog, get one. Blogs are a great way of consistently adding fresh content in a meaningful way. After you have your blog running for a few months, you'll be able to determine what type of content is driving quality traffic and shape your content strategy accordingly. For content brainstorming ideas, read Bono and Pickles: How to Generate Stellar Content Ideas.

Optimize your site. Make sure your site is optimized but not over-optimized. It's a fine line. Create unique, relevant title tags and descriptions. Compelling titles and descriptions will improve click-thru rates. Make use of authorship and schema. Make sure that you're reaping all of the rewards of having a blog by utilizing authorship and schema. Do this by completing the "contributor to" area of your Google+ profile. Using authorship to get your face in the SERPS (search engine results pages) can improve your click-thru rates up to 30%! Learn how to implement authorship structured data.

Don't be afraid of paid search. AdWords and paid search can be a effective way to drive traffic when you need it. While other channels take time to develop, you can get paid search up and running within a day. Also, once you get it set up, it can be turned on and off. For information Learn about taking the plunge into Google Adwords.

Stay in front of your audience with email marketing. Email marketing still is one of the best ways to connect with your prospects and clients. Send content that you think your audience will find valuable. If you're already regularly utilizing email marketing, make sure the email "voice" is similar to the your brand's voice. Use analytics to track your efforts.

Effectively using multiple channels helps drive traffic, increase audience engagement and improves conversions. Every business is unique, and certain marketing channels that work for one business won't necessarily work for another. That's why it's important to take a multi-pronged approach.

ArcStone designs marketing campaigns that are based on honesty and authenticity. We don't presume to try to trick Google. We know better, but you wouldn't believe the number of marketers out there that are still trying to game the system. In fact, if you look in your inbox right now, you'll probably see an email promising #1 rankings. It's no longer about rankings. It's about visibility on multiple platforms and devices. More on this topic later.

If you're interested in learning more about how an ArcStone marketing campaign, can positively impact your bottom line, contact us today.