One of the most frequent questions I get asked about my ebook, Don't Get Banned BY The Search Engines, is whether I amended it to include post-Florida Google. "Florida" is the code name that search engine optimizer wizards gave to a November, 2003, shakeup at Google that left many webmasters covering themselves up with makeshift fig leaves while dangling upside down above the proverbial crocodile moat.
I am tempted to explain that, "No, I did not amend it, because nothing has really changed." But just try telling the world that Bill Clinton did not have "sex" with Monica Lewinski. Yeah, right.
So I take the lazy way out and I just say, "Yes."
But the guilt has been creeping up on me, grasping at my skin, gnawing away at my bones, chewing on my heart, mauling my conscience, and spitting out my toenails one by one. So this is confession time. Don't Get Banned By The Search Engine has not been amended to include post-Florida Google.
Is this because I am peddling stale goods? Am I leading people astray? Do I have a clue what's going on? "No", "I hope so", and "Maybe".
In fact, nothing really has changed at Google, and webmasters who have been following Google's guidelines can just keep doing what they have always been doing, just as Presidents who follow public decency guidelines can keep doing what they are doing (until we vote them out of office for other reasons, of course).
"But I followed the guidelines, and I still took bullets in several vital organs," I hear many webmasters say. In fact, very few webmasters have been following Google's guidelines. Most have been following the Clinton what-can-I-get-away-with fig leaf guidelines.
Remember that Bill Clinton never had "sex" with Monica Lewinski. Technically. Honest, he did nothing wrong. He followed the rules by not having "sex" with Monica Lewinski. In fact, he was seen in public not having sex with Monica Lewinski on several occasions.
And webmasters follow the rules by not linking to "link farms" or "overoptimizing". Sure, they will link to sites that have nothing to do with their site's topic, but not to a "link farm". And they will "exchange links", but surely that does not violate Google's" uniquely democratic nature of the web" principle. As long as you are not actually caught publicly stuffing the ballot box, how could Google possibly suggest that you are doing so?
So here are my post-Florida rules:
You only link to relevant sites, because that's what you know Google and your visitors want. Keep doing that.
You don't exchange links, because that would be stuffing Google's ballot box and that is NOT something Google wants. Keep not doing that.
Your link does not appear on many useless "links" pages, where it has to share PageRank with dozens of other web sites. Keep not doing that.
You accept links only from relevant web pages, because you know that's the only meaningful traffic ... and that's what Google wants. Keep doing that.
Your links look different on different web pages around the Internet, because that's how a democratic process would create your links. Keep doing that.
You keep adding relevant content to your web site, because that's what you know Google and your visitors want. Keep doing that.
See? No change. And if there is a change, it simply means that you were not following Google's guidelines in the past. Oh sure, technically you might have been following Google's guidelines, but technically Bill Clinton didn't have sex with Monika Lewinski. Another round of fig leaves, anyone?
Google implemented "stemming" along with the Florida update, or more likely a few weeks earlier. Since your inbound links are varied and often unique, you probably already are taking advantage of stemming, so it won't bother you. And since you write meaningful copy for your visitors, you probably already have all the stemming you need right in your copy. You are ready to really excel in Post-Florida Google.
Google is also implementing a "communities" factor. Since your inbound links all come from relevant web pages, you are already part of the community. You are already well placed to succeed in Post-Florida Google, right?
Google has implemented "penalties" for some typically overoptimized terms. Actually, I think penalties is probably the wrong word, but that is what most SEOs are using. Since you write quality content, meaningful headers, and don't cut and paste the same phrase over and over in every possible place, you are ready to conquer Mount Google.
In other words, if you were following Google's guidelines, not the Bill Clinton fig leaf guidelines, just keep doing what you are doing. For the rest of you, isn't it time you dropped the fig leaf and wrapped yourself up in something a little more substantial that will weather the high winds of Google's next big storm?
And, "No." I did not amend Don't Get Banned BY The Search Engines to include post-Florida Google because I never advised people to follow the Bill Clinton fig leaf guidelines in the original edition.
About The Author
David Leonhardt writes the Happy Guy humor column:
http://www.thehappyguy.com/positive-thinking-free-ezine.html
and A Daily Dose of Happiness:
http://www.thehappyguy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html.
He also wrote Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness:
http://www.thehappyguy.com/happiness-self-help-book.html
There are many different website design companies, offering different facilities... Read More
A search for "web design" on Google returns more than... Read More
Geared Up with a website and lots of energy to... Read More
So you want to build a website here I will... Read More
In this era of ultra-sophisticated internet marketing and web design,... Read More
Have you ever been to site with so much ad... Read More
The icons in an application are the soul of the... Read More
Well, you've got your product, started your home business, and... Read More
What do the key words represent?Key words - these are... Read More
As of September, Smartads went through what so many have... Read More
Do you remember playing with the jack-in-the-box toy as a... Read More
Does your website make you any money? Does it SAVE... Read More
Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the... Read More
What is the relationship between Marketing and Web designing? How... Read More
Tips to brand your websiteInclude your logo in all pages.... Read More
"Oh, my eyes, my eyes! What an eye sore. Quick,... Read More
The landing page or entry page of your visitors is... Read More
Countdown to Armageddon - at least you'd think so judging... Read More
Before doing anything on the technical side, you need some... Read More
Websites that have multiple pages usually have a Frequently Asked... Read More
There are two camps when it comes to flash web... Read More
What dollar amount does your web site contribute to this... Read More
There are several very good reasons why you should consider... Read More
I'm not a professional web site designer and openly admit... Read More
You know... Before purchasing your product a person comes to... Read More
1. Lack of overall strategy and clear definition of success:Most... Read More
Avoid these mistakes and your site will be steps ahead... Read More
This may comes as a surprise to you but, if... Read More
Everybody talks about the importance of testing your sales copy... Read More
The internet is filled with sites and they are good... Read More
A "404 Error" happens when the web server you are... Read More
In today's age of fast food and high-speed Internet, a... Read More
You can create a website that attracts customers, not repels... Read More
A picture is worth a thousand words.And it still is... Read More
You have only 10 seconds to impress your potential buyer.... Read More
You've designed your logo, and you're ready to print your... Read More
If you've a website but not making a lot of... Read More
As web designer my self, I have had the unfortunate... Read More
A "template" is simply a design format which you can... Read More
Getting traffic to your website is not the only factor... Read More
There are literally thousands of different options, styles and formats... Read More
Here's the single most important part of your website: YOUR... Read More
One of the single most important aspects of effective navigation... Read More
Physical therapists have unique web presence needs. An effective site... Read More
How many times have you clicked on a website only... Read More
There are often many mistakes encountered when creating a webpage... Read More
Hello, how is your website doing?Are sales flowing in?If you... Read More
Why your site should be developed with CSS and semantic... Read More
Read the title of this article over a couple of... Read More
Surfing the internet is basically an information-fest! From intellectual discussions... Read More
I ask myself that question about once a month.My website... Read More
What the heck is going on lately? Most internet websites... Read More
When your web site sells more than a dozen items,... Read More
Using CGI scripts to add automation to your web site... Read More
There can be zillions of reasons why your visitors return... Read More
A website should firstly be searched out by visitors before... Read More
Avoid these mistakes and your site will be steps ahead... Read More
Congratulations! You've got a brand new site and it's doing... Read More
How often, men, have you come home to find the... Read More
If there's one thing that most web site developers can... Read More
We all want high impact graphics for our Web sites... Read More
Let's face it. Building a web site that browses consistently... Read More
QUESTION: My business is very small, just me and... Read More
There are plenty of Drupal Modules that you can install... Read More
Last Thursday afternoon I was working on a garage door... Read More
It is common sense.The more time people spend at your... Read More
Web Design |