Another Link Network Cut Down? Three Recent Changes to Google Search and SEO

For the second time this month, Google’s spam team has cut down another link network. Backlinks.com had a rude awakening after having previously assured in advertising that their link installation codes were “not detectable by search engine bots.” Google’s Matt Cutts tweeted in reply: “Au contraire.”

Although establishing inbound links to your website is an important part of building your online presence, there is a right and a wrong way to do it. If you do it the wrong way– as Backlinks did– you risk having your links devalued, and your Google ranking could potentially plummet rather than climb the ranks. This is one reason that quality SEO, or search engine optimization, is necessary in order to ensure a positive outcome for your company. Here are three other things you should know about recent developments in SEO services.

1. SEO is Complex, More than Link Spamming

As anyone clued into SEO articles has heard, major site Rap Genius was recently punished by Google for attempting to game the system with a link sharing scheme. They hadn’t, apparently, been paying attention to what Google thinks is acceptable, and were subsequently removed from search engine results. SEO today is more than just spamming site URLs in comments. It’s an integrated effort to combine inbound links with relevant, quality content that isn’t going to be removed by search engine bots. It involves everything from social media to the building blocks of website design.

2. What is Local SEO?

Local SEO has been of rising importance over the past five years. With the emergence of the smartphone has seen a corresponding rise in how consumers use the internet to locate information about local stores and services. SEO, in this way, is the new equivalent of a phonebook ad. According to Google itself, 97% of consumers will search for local businesses online. Local SEO makes sense for small businesses, too, because for the most part, you don’t need to pop up in a national search for “best steak”; you just need to make sure the locals know where to find you.

3. No More Access to Organic Searches

This past September, Google made all organic searches secure. This means that websites can no longer access information about what keywords users use to access websites through Google. This was a sizable blow to industries that relied on this data for direction in SEO content creation. There are ways around this, of course, it’s just not as easy as it was before. It’s important to know what words are trying users in. You might assume that “industrial lightbulbs” is the best term for your site, when in fact, users more often visit for “bulk incandescent lightbulbs.” Luckily, SEO companies are skilled in determining which keywords are best for search optimization.

What are your thoughts regarding the newest updates to Google searches, and SEO? Let us know in the comments. More like this blog.