Google updates have been feared by websites, and has decimated online identities that thought that they could game the system. Google panda aimed at websites that were deemed as low-quality. Niche websites that only contain a couple of pages of information, plagiarized content, and poor formatting fall under this umbrella. Google Penguin focused on web properties that may have broken the rules mandated by Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Worst of all, a Google penalty can often mean weeks or months of trying to unravel a shoddy linkbuilding strategy. The online marketing industry is constantly shifting, so it is important to protect your web properties from any future algorithm changes.
Quit guest posting
Okay, “quit” might be too strong of a word. But if guest posting is the only link strategy that is implemented on your business blogs, then it may be shot in the crossfire’s in the midst a new Google algorithm changes. The benefits of creating inbound and outbound links is that it will boost your website in the search engine results page, potentially bring new clients, as well as improving conversions. The downside is that many people abuse this strategy. Links should be natural and coming from different websites. Pinging your website to social media is a practical way of creating organic links. To make sure that we are in the same page, Flagstone Search Marketing reiterates that guest blogging is a viable way of building links. However, make sure that this is not your sole link building strategy.
Never plagiarize or duplicate content
This is one of the worse things than you can possibly do to your web properties. All content posted on your website should be unique, informative, and offer value. It might be tempting to buy private label rights articles and post them in your blogs. But stay away from this practice. Many webmasters know that content is king. However, webmasters and that are in the know understand that informative content is supreme. When creating content, make sure that it is free of grammar, that it teaches something to the reader, and that it is not plagiarized. To enhance the user experience, you can also incorporate media. Videos or pictures that expand on the article will create a more compelling experience for the reader.
Reduce bounce rates
Bounce rates refer to the percentage of people who enter your website, and then quickly hit “Back” to go back to the search engine results page. This tells Google is that your website is of little value – because no one wants to stay on it. If you have a low bounce rate, then your content is relevant and informative to the reader. A high bounce rate tends to be 80% or higher. By incorporating different media elements that are easily digestible, like infographics or video, then you will find that your bounce rate will lower. To make your blog properties “sticky”, enable comments. Commenting on blog posts will engage the reader, and may encourage interaction between other visitors as well. When you incorporate outbound links on your posts, make sure that they open in a new window. If a person clicks on a link that is featured in one of your posts, then the URL will change altogether and they’ll just wander off onto a new website. Allow the link to open in a new web page, allowing your website to stay open. You want to reel, engage, and teach the reader for as long as you can.
Think Of your web property As a brand
Google wants authority sites. They want websites to look and behave like a big brand. There was a time when ultra-niche sites dominated the affiliate marketing industry. Affiliate marketers can create many websites that focused on long tail keywords. These keywords would bring a relatively small number of traffic. However, this would be scaled, with many people creating a large number of these ultra-niche website. The problem with this approach is that it is almost impossible to manage an extremely large number of niche websites. These websites would, in turn, be full of shallow content. If you want to create a web property that focuses on a niche, then that is okay. However, treat it as an authority website. It should have custom logos, a palatable design, and killer content. Google also uses social media signals from Twitter and Google+ to determine the trustworthiness of your website. If you want to look like a brand to Google, then it is in your best interests to invest time in harnessing a social media presence.
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