As the SEO community chatters and debates the upcoming Penguin 3.0 update rumored to hit Google in less than a week it dawned on me that much has changed in my near-10 years within the Internet Marketing industry. So much so, that the panic of these algorithm updates employed by Google has calmed a bit in recent years, at least from my personal perspective.
It’s not to suggest that webmasters and fellow internet marketers shouldn’t pay any less attention to these important updates. They do have an effect on SERPs (search engine rankings positions) and thus effect your website and the website(s) of your client(s).
But as Google’s algorithm has evolved, so has the internet. Google’s stronghold on the online market is no longer the end-all-be-all and that is a good thing.
Search engines like Bing, the boom of social media and social media search and the alternative portals of information have taken chunks out of Google’s reign and the threat of losing position in Google’s search, albeit still hurtful, is no longer the death sentence it once was.
Google is, by all accounts, the best and most comprehensive search engine. It’s sophistication far exceeds that of Bing and eventually made Yahoo an afterthought of sorts. But the behavior of people looking for information is no longer just utilizing Google, it’s evolved.
Social Media platform’s like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and YouTube have all provided the alternative to searching on Google. Yes, there are things Google can do that these other platforms cannot but the days of Google being the “everything” of internet search are fading.
For internet marketers it means there are other areas of the industry that are both viable and valuable to their customers. Social Media Optimization, Social Media Management, Branding and On-Site Optimization have demanded more and more focus. While Google is vital and probably always will be in the search game, there are other areas that are valuable and receiving the attention they deserve. Putting all your eggs in the Google basket isn’t as favorable as it once was and doesn’t deliver the ROI that a more spread out internet marketing strategy that focuses on the aforementioned additional elements does.
Social Media is void of the panic of Link Policing and while I am a big proponent in Google’s stance on the manipulation of their SERPs, it’s refreshing to have a bit more transparency.
Personally, I always keep tabs on what Google is planning to do, what they are implementing and I do my due diligence in all algorithm changes. But most marketers who take an honest approach to any strategy can see these changes coming down the pike.
Google’s changes have been good and have rewarded those who take an honest approach, even if at first it doesn’t seem so. Google has forced marketers to be diverse, has forced the industry to expand their expertise and has, more importantly, created a larger level of importance on On-Site management. Google may not have intended all of these evolutions, but it certainly helped steer the industry this way.
So while marketers sit back and panic about Penguin’s new update (Penguin 3.0), how their websites will be effected and back-check all of their linking structures there are other marketers who are feeling at ease. At ease because they have implemented a rounded strategy and kept the core values of the brand at the forefront. At ease because their brand speaks for itself not only on their website, but on social media and in advertising campaigns. At ease because any linking they have done has been tactful, logical and most of all with the protection of the brand in mind.
At ease because websites are being rewarded for being what every search engine asks a website to be; Informative, resourceful and transparent.
Because at the end of the day and since the inception of the search engine there has been one universal purpose.
To make a search query return valuable results that make a user happy.
Enjoy the Penguin 3.0 update and cheers to Google for making the internet a better place!