Matt Cutts at SES About the Next Penguin Update

Oh man, here we go again. I really wish Google didn't dominate the search engine game so much. I would love some competition in this space.

Google should be more concerned with delivering good, relevant results than trying to intimidate SEOers and webmasters.

Just reaffirms what I've been thinking for a while...

Google is no longer a viable, long-term source of organic traffic. Time spent dancing to Google's ever-changing beat is much better spent strengthening your reach through other sources (social media, email, article syndication, etc).

Yep i've been saying this for some time now it really isn't a viable business model to be honest. I used to rely too much on SEO and with the Penguin update I got hammered overnight. This was actually good news this happened to me as I realised I didn't actually have a business.

This is another wake up call for people to realise they should try and stop relying on google traffic so much IMO.

Joel

People who continually try to game systems will continually be let down. And I don't think that's a bad thing.

All the best,
Michael

Feels good not relying on Google anymore. The last update was the best thing to happen for my business.

Google traffic should be considered a nice bonus, not a primary source.

Do you all know the REAL reason for so many arbitrary Google Updates? It's not to stop people from gaming the system... It's to get more people to finally start paying for good placement in the search engine. If Google had it's way, every search result would be 100% paid positions instead of having the organic section. But then everyone would stop using them so Google makes up all sorts of new algorithm changes to frustrate people into buying more advertising.

Reply to this article from Matt Cutts

" I wasn't saying that people needed to overly stress out about the next Penguin update, but I'm happy to give more details. I was giving context on the fact that lots of people were asking me when the next Penguin update would happen, as if they expected Penguin updates to happen on a monthly basis and as if Penguin would only involve data refreshes.

If you remember, in the early days of Panda, it took several months for us to iterate on the algorithm, and the Panda impact tended to be somewhat larger (e.g. the April 2011 update incorporated new signals like sites that users block). Later on, the Panda updates had less impact over time as we stabilized the signals/algorithm and Panda moved closer to near-monthly updates.
Likewise, we're still in the early stages of Penguin where the engineers are incorporating new signals and iterating to improve the algorithm. Because of that, expect that the next few Penguin updates will take longer, incorporate additional signals, and as a result will have more noticeable impact. It's not the case that people should just expect data refreshes for Penguin quite yet."

looking forward to the new update, just make you value your email list and social media that little bit extra, what I am less is more at the moment. I have been testing two sites, one with 100 fresh back links a week and the other one 10 (but in a pyramid). The pyramid is wining hands down.

Google has already done all they can to me. Bring it on!

Here's a little video I made a while back about this topic:

Funny thing is ... Google's search results suck now. It's much harder to find to what I'm searching for. I'm not interested in the youtube results or any other Google property and the results have just gotten less relevant IMO. As for shaking in my boots, I don't really care what Google does. That's not where my traffic comes from.

Gaming or not gaming is not the question. The question is weather a business can grow with the new changes. Unfortunately many SEO's believe Google is going for the dollar now instead of making their search engine the best in the world.

Diversify or die is what it looks like for the future.

Here's a guess:

Right before Xmas traffic starts, and without leaving webmasters time for corrections during the holiday season, millions of Amazon affiliate sites will disappear from the search rankings.

The goal will not merely be 'cleaning up search' - but the long-term elimination of affiliates by forcing financial devastation so they need to get jobs.

Coincidentally, of course, Google product listings will be given more prominence.

.

I agree that with all the updates I notice Google's results aren't as good. Furthermore other methods of promotion like social media just isn't as valuable or effective as SEO.

I have a large social media network of over 250K contacts but they don't buy like SEO driven prospects. Unless you're doing B2B on Linked In I don't really see social media prospects as good as SEO.

I even have a client doing a multimillion dollar business online. He invests big money in Adwords to off set his SEO efforts. But Adwords has a very low click-thru rate from people on Google. The organic SEO prospects driven from Google convert much higher than Adword prospects.

I'm moving out of SEO because I'm tired of all the updates. I'd rather go to a online sales platform like eBay or Amazon to work on building a business. eBay and Amazon want you to make money on their system.

Google is more concerned with their Ad revenue and destroying the SEO business. It's hard to beat someone in a game they created and control. SEO I don't think will be a viable and liable business in the future.

Just get your anchor text distribution sorted and you will be fine!

I built one of my sites 5-6 years ago and I believe that it is a quality site giving value to people looking for the information that the site provides. The only link building I did was post several articles on Ezines and I did that because I wanted traffic from Ezines (over the years I have gotten a lot of traffic from Ezines). Before Panda, traffic was so so, but I was OK with it. After Panda, traffic jumped big time. Then came Penguin, and traffic dropped 70% to about 30% of what it was under Panda. G giveth, G taketh it away. It is their search engine, so be it. I have not and I am not chasing G.

The real problem is that Google no longer gives relevant results. I have searched Google for several things, gone through the first 10-15 pages (no kidding, I really looked at the first 10-15 pages), not find what I am searching for, gone to Bing, and find it on the first page. Now I just go to Bing.

It seems to me that Google is so scared that someone is trying "game" their system that they do not even believe the page title, keywords, description, etc. of a web page, but believe that the web site creator is always trying to fool them. So Google makes up its' own concept of what Google thinks a page is "really" about. And because Google doesn't believe web site creators, Googles' results are JUNK!

I think as a community we should just ignore Google altogether. Boycott the whole thing. Just focus on W3 standards for organics and plow through other traffic methods.

If your scared of learning SEO, find another traffic source. Or just keep posting how Google did you wrong, lol.

If the search results are as bad as many of you claim, you can bet your sweet bottom that Google would fix it. But the reality is ..there is nothing to fix.

The truth of the matter, is that the average joe internet user is quite satisfied with what Google is recommending them. It's in Google's interests to keep them happy otherwise they lose market.

See: Bing/Yahoo Down 4 Percent, Google steady

If keeping them happy means serving answers directly in the SERPs, or offering up well-known brands more often, or demoting sites that didn't earn their rankings REGARDLESS OF CONTENT OR serving a half page full of ads before serps ....then that's what they'll do.

It's not in Google's interest to keep us [webmasters] happy or provide us free traffic.

Not worried in the least. Despite all the rah rah people always focus on what is changing not on what has remained the same. Getting great links (not spam links) has worked for years, Sites that engage real readers has worked for years (cause go figure people link to them organically) and well written pages that cover the subject well has worked for years.

People love to point out the exceptions but they are not the rule. If people were not finding the content they wanted like someone said Google would be slipping. they aren't . Only people really crying are marketers and that only makes Google want to make em cry more

I don't know if y'all noticed, but Matt responded to this article.

Although change is for betterment but i think this update will make a drastic change for SEO's and webmasters.Hope despite doing well my site image won't go down.

Google is a joke an algorithm can always be cracked and again it is dynamic just like all other websites it is like google does not know what dynamic means! Also google isn't a super artificial intelligence google cannot even read (well only numbers).

The internet is basically light and light has a infinite spectrum so google cannot beat light!

Many will disagree but Google is still predominantly a links based algorithm. Get good links and your site will go far. No need to try and game Google, with BMR and link networks. It's all about trust and relevancy with Google.

Google engineers doing handwork for launching next penguin updates. I am eager to see algorithm that's designed to penalize sites that spam Google. So now SEO becomes more challenging for us.

Hey.... Its really very important news for any SEO's and webmasters. I also agree with Mike Hill. And as per my opinion Google will convert all organic result into paid one. If this happen than most of high priority keyword would be on Auction.


I think organic result is always need. Because in organic result, their is a competition. And its better than paid.

Google never hates any sites, nor it hates spamming techniques.
They care less about who you are and what is this and what is that.

You can name it all you want. Google penalized me. Google wants that
google wants this. But one thing is real. If you pay them, they will list
you on each position you want.

You can spam internet all day long and end with getting dropped in ranking.
Do you think they hate you and your site?

Do you think they trust less to your site, its contents and to what you
provide on your site after spamming? If so, then how they will list you
in their adwords program for their visitors?

Yes, sure. They abide to US rules and laws.
They can show whatever they want on their site to profit more like all of us,
as long as it is legal and abide to laws.

All we can do is "WAIT"!

I like penguins and its updates, as with ever update I get sudden jump in ranking positions, like from #32 to #4 and so on.

Keep those penguins coming , as long as they improve my rankings every time

These threads make me realize that many of you spend far too much time in your own little IM world and not enough time in the real world. You act like there is this big backlash across the world against Google search. Do you actually talk to people outside of the IM world though?

Never once have I been sitting at a bar with some friends and heard this comment, "Man, did you hear about Google's latest update? I'm done with them. Bing all the way for now on."

The real world, which 99% of Google's users exist in, has no idea what Penguin, Panda, Caffeine, May Day, or any other major Google update are.

Google is still dominating search market share everywhere outside of China and Russia, while Bing continues to lose money hand over fist.

I find it hilarious when people act like Bing's search results are perfect and impervious to spammers. There are numerous search queries I can find where Google's results are better than Bings and vice versa.

Search "currency trading online". Just look at the top 2 results in Google and Bing, and tell me which look more legit. Google wins hands down. For those complaining that Google wants to overrun its SERP with ads, in this query Google does have more ads at the top of the screen, but Bing only lists 8 organic results while Google has 10. Also, I think Google is far more transparent about which results are ads with their colored box around them. Bing's ad background is only visible when you adjust your monitor settings (at least on the 4 different monitor's I tested it on).

I'm not a Google apologist. I could care less which search engine emerges as the top dog in the next 10 years. I think people just get too emotional in their analysis of Google and comparing it with Bing. If their website doesn't come up where they want it in Google, than Google sucks and they start making excuses for Bing.

If you want to believe that the SERPs are worse after Penguin, fine, but prove it. Show some examples of SERPs before and after Penguin. Do not just list some search query with a few spammy results in it. Those existed before Penguin too. Back it up with some facts, so there can be a real discussion about it.

Like I said, I have no side in this argument. I would rather just see the arguments made with actual facts and examples.

Mike, Google serp now is a piece of sh*t.
Look at this AOL Search and compare http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=sex...UTF-8&fr=moz35
I want links to sex dating sites, and what do I see? Ads are 100% relevant right....

I can show tons of such examples. Sometimes a half of the results is Youtube.

PS. In SEO 5 years.

By the way people use google because of Google search bar in their browsers. Even in my iphone I can't change default search engine. And yes, I started using Yahoo sometimes, because Google just can't find what I need.

Another story. I searched for some media buying IM methods, and I had found great blog posts about this... on the 15th page. Really great blogs with usefull info in the Google's ass. Sometimes I think that google now is a big catalogue of big brands.

P.S. I still have big SEO projects but i'm tired of all this Google's sh*t. It is a search engine, they use our content. They need US. Not we.

Before penguin I did not see that SERP could be filled with only Youtube or pages from only 1 website.

Just make your backlinks look natural and dont over SEO your on page stuff. If you make your site gain backlinks like a site that gets backlinks naturally you cant go wrong. Do you think they will give natural sites a penalty? Most likely not, so look natural and you will be fine .


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Hello, there! My name is Random Internet Marketer. I make terrible websites about other peoples products, that I've never even used myself.

Why has my website been penalized by Google updates!? I must proceed to hate this company, but still continue to use their services.

The rumor has it, hmmmm, the rumor has it hmmmm.

I hope you guys are not thinking what am thinking.

SPAM

Someone's
Page
Above
Mine

Part of the problem
Why are kids not allowed to use Google at school

Funny.

They want more people paying. They get no money from the top 10 results, ZERO, ZIP, NADDA. They get money from clicking on ads..... so you have crappy results in top 10... you get more people clicking on ads.

Just scare tactics from matt cutts. Penguin has made the results crappy but it also made ranking easier at the same time. I agree with mike hill that a big portion of its motive is to push people to adwords but also it's because they know they can never fully protect organic listings as long as they rely on a linking system and their is no better alternative to using links to gage a websites authority.