Too much SEO is bad for your site
One of Google’s most well-known and respected spokespeople, Matt Cutts, spoke at an event in the US recently and was asked a question from the audience along the lines of “I’m doing all the stuff you guys tell me to do to be a quality site – but I’m getting hammered by bigger players who spend thousands on SEO”.
Matt’s un-guarded response gave a valuable insight into the way Google is viewing sites optimised beyond the point of common sense. The search giant rarely reveals what’s coming next in its methodologies for ranking sites. Despite this, Matt commented that his team were working on a new release that focuses on penalising (yes, penalising – not just under-rewarding) sites that seek to distort the true value of a site through aggressive SEO techniques. He went on to say that Google really wants to “level the playing field”, finally wrapping up the point by stating clearly that site owners should “Make a compelling site. Make a site that’s useful. Make a site that’s interesting. Make a site that’s relevant to people’s interests”.
The revelation of this new way of Google looking at sites (which is apparently only weeks away from release) is a huge game changer. It comes hot on the heels of a recent post on the official Google blog stating that the quantity and quality of links coming into a site are now far less important than before.
Creating, posting and promoting great quality content on your site is fast becoming the No.1 thing to get right in your search strategy.
We’re moving towards a world where efforts to deliver an engaging and compelling user experience on your site will propel you above big, lazy and complacent competitors. Your voice can be heard – so long as you have something relevant and interesting to say.
Focus on your content today – the day when it’s the bee-all and end-all is fast approaching.
