What has worked for SEO in the past now may actually lower your Google rankings for your website.

Why ? Since 2011 Google now has regular Algorithm updates. You may have heard of the following SEO terms:

  • Hummingbird
  • Panda
  • Penguin

They are Google Algorithm updates which target content, backlinks, design quality and more. On a positive note these updates are making it harder for companies using “bad” SEO strategies to climb the Google ranks.

In the past a website could have a high number of poor quality, unrelated backlinks and this would boost their SEO ranking. The Penguin Google algorithm updates now rank sites according to the quality not the quantity of their backlinks. This means websites who still have a large number of poor quality backlinks could now see their Google rankings drop significantly.

Similarly, the Panda update targets quality website content. Google now looks at how well written the content is in terms of uniqueness, spelling and grammar. So good quality, keyword rich content is essential. The latest Panda 4.0 update was in May 2014 and saw many websites Google rankings drop significantly.

Websites using “spammy” techniques like duplicate content or keyword stuffing in the past will now find their Google rankings negatively effected. Google says it only takes a few pages of poor quality or duplicated content to hold down traffic on an otherwise solid site, and recommends such pages be removed, blocked from being indexed by the search engine, or rewritten.

If you would like us to evaluate your website please give us a call or email us at info@audigital.com.au.