From Google itself – Why SEO is dead as we know it

Image by Raúl Ochoa via Flickr

Google have been on the offensive over the last year. The Panda algorithm updates have caused havoc in search rankings for many websites who have used established SEO techniques. Google’s Matt Cutts yesterday however made things as clear as day on Google’s blog:

“The goal of many of our ranking changes is to help searchers find sites that provide a great user experience and fulfill their information needs. We also want the “good guys” making great sites for users, not just algorithms, to see their effort rewarded.”

Cutts defines them in stark contrast to the bad guys who he feels manipulate search rankings through keyword stuffing and link schemes. “Black hat webspam” has been really attacked hard in Google’s latest update which will be going live soon. What is crucial to take from this however is the last paragraph where Cutts states:

“We want people doing white hat search engine optimization (or even no search engine optimization at all) to be free to focus on creating amazing, compelling web sites.”

The “even no search engine optimization at all” part sticks out like a sore thumb. SEO has always been a crucial part of any internet marketers’ strategy. Even Google have tried to help webmasters with their own SEO guide but what is becoming abundantly clear is that it is irrelevant in terms of where Google’s search algorithm is going.

There focus is quite clearly on the “social” side of the internet with the establishment of Google+ and they know that to make big money in the future, they will have to ensure they continue to be relevant for users. Great content is therefore vital for internet businesses in the future.

Why do you ask? Content, more precisely good content, is what users are searching for. Content which is shared to them by their friends via Facebook, Twitter or G+ is particularly important as people place trust in the opinions of their friends. Google’s search engine algorithm is therefore gearing itself toward content which does well on social media and as people are better at deciding what is great content, instead of algorithms, you better have a great content marketing strategy in place to ensure you can survive online in the coming years.

Follow me on Google+ here: +David Tully
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David has also written lots of articles for Best Website Builder HQ.

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Tagged as: algorithm, Google+, Matt Cutts, SEO