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Thread: Google tweaks its algorithm to push low-quality sites down in search results

  1. #31

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    I run a dozen or so affiliate sites, and I've not seen reduction in rankings - but then, I don't really use article marketing. I've always thought that relying on someone else's site to rank your pages was a failure waiting to happen. I tend to focus first on content, second on community, and third on building backlinkgs from a variety of sources.

    You have to have something worthwhile before you start trying to get peoples' eyes on it.
    Read about how I got a flat rate toll free number - or how to run a cheap background check.

  2. #32
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    I'm not sure anyone really knows exactly what Google changed, but it seems as long as you create original content and are putting effort into making it the best you can you probably came away from Big Panda without any significant loss.
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  3. #33

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    I've mixed feelings about this update.

    I'm very happy to get spam out of the search engines. I think allowing it to exist sends a very bad message to the wrong people - those who would take advantage.

    There are a lot of people out of work or who have taken pay cuts these days. That is leading people to the Net to fill in the gaps. People have the idea that all they have to do is pop on, make their dough, and their problems are solved.

    However, they don't think of the effect they have on others. For example, when someone borrows the content of others and rehashes it with an article spinner, they're not only stealing, they're helping to trash the entire online ecosystem. It's like throwing trash out your window as you roll down the highway. The Web is polluted daily by people throwing up garbage and using the "almighty backlink" to get rankings. It's BS and not right.

    People can't keep doing that without it having a negative impact.

    So I'm very glad for the update in that respect.

    On the other hand, I know of some sites that got hit by it that didn't deserve it. Most of the cases I know were plagiarized. They spent a long time creating their content, but others got the credit for it. So to all of you with article spinners, don't be so selfish to think that lifting others' content isn't a big deal. It is.

    My problem with Google is, how they can't tell which content is original, because there was a lot of wrong-targets in this update.

    All I can really do is speak for myself, because I know what I've done. All my content is 100% pure, genuine me, including the blood, sweat and tears - no spammy links, no excessive article marketing. Instead of getting hit, my sites improved.

  4. #34
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    I get how you feel Denise. Google has always shown they're willing to take down some innocents in an effort to get who they consider the bad guy. Some of that happens unfortunately and I'm not entirely sure there's any way to prevent it. In the case of the people you know, my guess is they hadn't done a good job building links into their sites and so from the perspective of the algorithm they were seen as the ones doing the copying.

    It's one reason when ever you create content you should always make sure to link to some of your other pages within the content. Then if and when it gets stolen all the stolen content links back to the source. Of course there's to reason the average site owner should know to do that. Sometimes I think Google needs to remember more that most people don't know and shouldn't be expected to know how to rank well in Google.

    I think Google understand some innocent people are going to get hurt, but they choose to benefit as many as they can and then as they learn who undeservedly suffered they tweak the algorithms to try to unhurt them. I think they're currently asking any site that's suffered after the recent change to submit a reinclusion request. I don't think it guarantees their ranking will come back, but it may help Google engineers understand how to make their algorithms better.

    Like you I'm glad they're going after low quality pages and also like you I wonder how effective they'll be. Real people aren't exactly great and judging quality. To think an algorithm can do it is unrealistic. All Google can look at are things that may indicate quality, but may also indicate something else. Apparently the site most people thought should be hit, eHow, not only escaped the latest update unscathed, they seem to be doing better after the changes.
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