Everyone who has a website wants it to be visible. Isn't that why we have websites? In most cases, being visible on the World Wide Web means ranking high in Google searches. Just to define this problem, a recent Google search for the key word phrase “cellular phone” produced nearly instantaneous results – of 788,000,000 items! That's right. Searching for that single keyword phrase delivered Seven Hundred Eighty Eight Million hits! What are the odds that a potential buyer is going to click on a link to the one that ranked (for example) 245,999,991? We must be realistic: Landing on the first page of a Google search is a major victory – and appearing on page 100, or on page 597, or on page 788,000 are all equally worthless results.

If these statements are true – and they are – then the question immediately arises: How can I achieve a high Google ranking? There was a time when simply repeating the same keyword or phrase several times in every paragraph would result in high ranking. Of course, it meant that your article was ludicrous and virtually unintelligible – but at least you were seen, because of your ranking. Thanks to Google, we have advanced far beyond those primitive conditions! The new Google algorithms are designed to recognize excessive use of keywords, and to evaluate articles for truly useful content. Obvious attempts to “game” the system are guaranteed to get your site downgraded. This means that a poorly conceived, poorly executed or poorly maintained site will just disappear “into the heap”.

Have you been attacked by the Panda?

Google's new algorithms (known as “Panda”) have achieved an incredible level of automated analysis. We must never forget that Google is successful precisely because Google searches result in quick discovery of relevant information. To maintain that success Google must lead searchers to the “good stuff”, while ignoring the useless and the spam. Not only does the system recognize quality writing and penalize excessive use of keywords / phrases – the Panda also evaluates the number of visitor “hits”, the time actually spent on a given site by visitors, and the volume of data consumed by them. Meaningful cross – links result in improved ranking, while contrived and “bogus” links are strongly penalized.

Another high priority is that the site must be kept current. A blog with regular subscribers who visit every few days is a definite plus. Unfortunately, some well established businesses have found themselves blindsided by the Panda! From the Panda's perspective, a site which has not changed in several weeks looks abandoned – yes, a surprising number of businesses “die”, leaving websites which may sometimes linger for years – and it should be obvious that nobody wants to waste time on the site of a company which is no longer in business. The Panda works diligently to prevent such fruitless search results. This means that you must be certain that the Panda knows you have not disappeared from the business world. To do this, you must keep your site updated, and it's important that you find ways of attracting a steady stream of visitors who will actually browse your site and click links.

In spite of the fact that the Panda may seem to have bitten you, don't get the idea that Google is “the enemy”. Actually, Google – and even Panda – is your ally. The entire point of the Google algorithms is to assist searchers in finding useful content / products, while enabling legitimate marketers to find eager customers. Site owners who understand and cooperate with Google may actually find that the Panda can be a good friend!

Is SEO Obsolete?

SEO is still a viable marketing process – in fact, with the development of more effective inbound marketing techniques, it's probably more viable than ever before – but that's only true when one understands the system and “plays by the rules”. It's no longer enough to just hire a prolific SEO writer and post several of his / her articles. Even adapting techniques of social media marketing is not enough. In the Panda's marketplace, there is no substitute for quality content and constant attention to current events. Stay Alert, Stay Relevant, Stay Current – or your site will Stay Invisible!