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copyright © 2004, by Karyn Greenstreet. All
rights reserved.
Have you noticed your website slipping in the Google
rankings over the past few weeks for keywords that previously scored high?
Join the club and welcome to The Google Dance.
The Google Dance is a phrase that was coined to explain
the new search engine algorithms that Google puts into play on occasion.
Many of the recent Google Dances startled
website owners as they watched their previous number 1 site plummet to
number 400 in the rankings – or disappears off the Google charts all
together.
Many of my clients called me in a panic, wondering if they
did something "wrong" to cause this to happen. The answer is mostly: no.
You didn’t do anything wrong. Google is testing new search algorithms to
help people find more relevant results from their searches and to give
penalties to people who use illegal techniques to try to get higher rankings
in the search results.
I can't say that the results are any more relevant,
though. For instance, when I use the keyword "small business coach," I
expect to receive results that list small business coaches' websites. But
when I type in "small business coach" in Google, the first result I get is
an Amazon.com site. In fact, only four out of the top 20 sites listed are
coach's sites.
So, what to do? The knee-jerk reaction is to try to
figure out what the "new" algorithm is and to optimize your site
accordingly. That's a bad idea. First of all, the search engines use over
100 elements to rank a site. Since you can't possibly know what all 100
elements are, or what weight is given to each element, you will be wandering
in the dark. Second, you don't know how long this particular Dance will
last, so you might be optimizing your site only to have it all wrong when
the Dance is over. Third, you might optimize your site for Google, only
to harm your rankings on Yahoo or MSN.
My advice to my clients is two-fold: First, read the
guidelines for each of the search engines and make sure that your site isn't
doing something against policy, as your site will be penalized and dropped
in ranking. Next, sit tight. Wait a week to see how the Dance goes.
Monitor your site once a day to see where its ranking is for each keyword
phrase you're tracking.
Search engine optimization should be just one part of your
fuller Internet Marketing strategy. While the Dance is happening (and
some Dances last a few weeks), focus on
other pieces of your Internet Marketing strategy and use other techniques to
bring visitors to your site. In the end, your strategy and results will be
stronger.
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Karyn Greenstreet is a Self Employment expert and small business coach. She
shares tips, techniques and strategies with self-employed people to boost
clarity and focus, create sustainable motivation, and increase sales and
profits.
Visit her website at
www.PassionForBusiness.com
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