SEOs – prepare for a big summer this year, as we have plenty of changes to implement if we hope to keep up with Google’s constant algorithm updates. The following summer updates for SEO have been developed by studying the algorithm changes and by listening to press releases offered by people like Matt Cutts, Google’s unofficial spokesperson. You may think that your search optimization efforts are on-point, but all it takes is a slight algorithm change and you could dip in the search results. Put these SEO tips into effect and secure your current rankings or, if possible, improve them.
Revisits And Bookmarks
One of the biggest summer updates for SEO involve zeroing in on revisits and the amount of bookmarks your individual pages receive. When visitors arrive on your site, are they intrigued enough to want to return again and again? If the answer is yes, then the good news that Google is going to reward your site with higher rankings, most likely. Everything else with your search engine optimization efforts would have to be sound, but theoretically if your visitors are returning and they’re bookmarking your site (either on social bookmarking sites or on their own browsers) for future return visits, then you can count this as the first of the summer updates for SEO that you’ve checked off your list.
No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
This should come as no surprise, but one of the summer updates for SEO involves targeting individuals and companies that buy links or that try to cheat to get ahead. You cannot trick Google and the other search engines into giving you higher rankings. You must earn it through social approval and by ensuring that your website includes the best content found nowhere else online.
In other words, stay away from link farms and black hat SEO techniques. They’ll only hurt your search engine optimization efforts in the long run.
Gradual Progression With Customer Focused Content
Google wants to provide you with top rankings so that you can become the most visible to your customers. The king of all search engines, and all the others, would prefer that you earn it over time. Most of Google’s algorithm changes to date have focused on rewarding quality content while wiping out spam and sub-par content.
This means that, while you’re implementing these summer updates for SEO, consider how you could earn more links, more exposure and achieve more bookmarks for your pages; thus bringing you higher and more prominent search rankings. Blogging, guest blogging, press releases and forum posting are just a few ways to share your content over a gradual period of time to allow for a natural SEO expansion instead of one that looks forced and paid for.
What If You’ve Been Affected By An Algorithm Change?
If you didn’t get to read these summer updates for SEO in time and you managed to drop in the rankings, don’t lose hope yet. If you feel that you have been deranked accidentally, you should report the matter to Google’s customer service immediately. Oftentimes they will take your case into consideration and make a judgment based on past behavior and your current content levels.
Again, as long as your content is considered of the best quality, if your visitors want to return again and again and you’re achieving a high level of bookmarks compared to your competitors, the search engines will reward you accordingly. You’re the type of webmaster they prefer – one who cares about the end visitor and who possesses a commitment to excellence.
So what did we learn? To give your search engine optimization efforts added emphasis, think of ways you can improve your content to really attract and retain your target market. This should involve text, videos, images – all types of media – in order to captivate their attention and open their minds and their wallets.
We also learned that there’s no free ride in SEO. You need to build your content and your links, as well as your social media channels, over time. It needs to be a gradual progress because that’s how the process happens naturally. Anything else is just considered SPAM in the search engine’s eyes.
Just remember; if your content is top-notch and if you have been affected by one or more of these summer updates for SEO, you can always plead your case. Whether or not that pleading will do any good is up for conjecture, but Google is pretty good about giving its top spots to those marketers who deserve them.
