Did you have your algorithms and SEO all figured out for Google? Too bad, it’s all changed, if you haven’t heard. Of course, Google changes their formulas and algorithms all the time to keep up with user trends. However, this change is destined to be a big one, and, for once, it’s positive news for all us PR pros out there. How does it really benefit us?
Link Quality
Are you slamming your page with a bunch of nonsense to get the highest PageRank? Well, I’m sure you don’t, but we all know someone who does, or, at the very least, have run across some webpages that come off more like link breeding grounds than actual, informational and useful content sites. This is how terribly designed websites, or awful copy, some of which is obviously spam, infiltrates its way into the top of the Google pages.
Change is coming soon with the new algorithm, though. The formula will now take into account the quality of the link. “Important” links will be valued significantly more than “unimportant” links. All of this will be based on user data, including but not limited to how often a page is visited, and how many times it’s been linked to.
This also cuts out stuff like blog and forum comments. You’ve probably seen that in the past – searching through results often brings about a bunch of nonsense in the comments sections of websites, leading to wasted time and misinformation. This will soon be a thing of the past.
How It Affects You
If you’ve been frustrated before when your page fails to experience growth despite excellent content, things may swing in your favor soon. Now you can concentrate on what you do best instead of worrying about resorting to unscrupulous practices. I actually had a meeting with someone just yesterday who was certain his practices of keyword slamming and bulk directory submission would result in a jump in PageRank. Boy, will he be surprised!
What should my frustrated friend concentrate on instead? Besides upping the quality as opposed to quantity, he, and you may want to focus on building up community. Take some notes from the bloggers and superstar community managers for ideas, as they have often already mastered this technique.
Guest blogging and getting others to link to your page will still work. The idea here is if your blog/page is up to snuff, others will want to promote it. Guest blogging also means people trust your work enough to want to be featured on it.
Also, press releases and some link baiting should still work. However, don’t focus your campaign on this by any means. Like Google says, focus on the content of your website if you really want results. PageRank is important, but if you focus on the quality of your message the hits should come either way!
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of 7 Cheap PR Tactics for Success in Any Economy here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/cheap-pr-tactics/