If you’ve heard ugly rumors about the SEO landscape changing yet again, I can confirm that they are indeed true.
You might be tempted to throw your hands up in the air dramatically, lamenting what the point is of getting started with SEO if every time you learn something it just changes again. That darn SEO – it’s like a slippery fish you just can’t get a firm grasp on.
I’m here to tell you not to fall victim to the hype.
The recent Penguin Update has many in the SEO community in an uproar. Basically, the update brought on by our friend Google targets websites perceived as having spammy backlink profiles and for having crappy content. And while some legit websites might’ve taken a hit, plenty of bad ones did too, which was rightfully deserved.
Read this sentence carefully: “Off-Page SEO has been changing dramatically for a while now.” The main part of this I want you to pay close attention to is this: Off-page SEO. If you haven’t even done on-page SEO (let alone your keyword research), then you shouldn’t be worrying about off-page SEO. That’s putting the cart way before the horse.
You should not care about the Penguin update if:
- You don’t know what anchor text is
- You don’t understand what link building is
- You are a legit business owner who will put in the work to do things right
- You haven’t bought any links
- You haven’t hired a sketchy SEO agency or consultant anytime over the past few years – at least, not that you can remember
Google’s updates should not turn you off from getting started with SEO. In fact, it should do the opposite. These updates should have you scrambling to put together an SEO strategy, because the playing field has been leveled. You actually have a real chance of ranking against other legitimate sites. Not fighting spammy websites and webmasters who have unjustly kept the top spots from going to more deserving websites.
Does this make you feel better about the SEO changes and evolving SEO landscape? What still intimidates you?
If SEO changes concern you, then sign up to get my SEO updates I email out every now and then. I’ll keep it real and let you know what you really should and shouldn’t worry yourself about.
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Image By Lars K. Jensen
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Jenny Munn
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2 Comments
Well said! Penguin caused my clients no ill effects, and some even saw a nice bump in traffic (presumably from spammy sites above them that got hit). It goes to show that solid white-hat SEO, such as techniques that you discuss on here, can really make a difference.
Mickey, thanks for the comment! I’m so glad to hear that your clients have seen an increase in traffic – no doubt due to your ethical, competent SEO services. Go Penguin update!