There has become a noticeable alteration in the ranking algorithms of Google. If you follow any of the industry leaders in SEO, you will have read about this change. The changes are taking place gradually and consist primarily in "tweaks" to the original PageRank, link popularity based ranking system that has made Google so distinctive. At least, this is the best way I can describe the changes.
I do not consider myself an SEO expert on the level of a Bruce Clay or a Rand Fishkin. However, I am a SEO professional, so I make a living understanding, analyzing, studying SEO. And, I am an SEO empiricist, of sorts. Meaning, our firm relies upon experimentation and observation. And we have noticed some definite changes through this process.
It is not easy to catalog or classify these changes. But one thing is for sure: what it took to rank competitively in Google in 2009 is most assuredly NOT what it takes to rank well now. Yahoo and Bing have lagged behind Google; the same SEO tactics of 2009 pretty much work the same for Yahoo and, even more, in Bing. But not so with Google.
Why PR Is The Future of Good SEO Rankings for Google
Here are a few of these changes, in capsule form:
-Anchor Text is being trumped by inpointing link location
-Brand name mention is becoming as important as inlinks
-Inlink diversity trumps sheer number of same domain inlinks
-Blog comment links are given less value
-Inpointing links at the beginning of an article are weightier than links later in the article
-More weight is being placed on trusted domains, and higher authority domains
-Greater emphasis on relevancy in linking
-Less weight given to "no-follow" attribute
(sources: SEOmoz, Bruce Clay, Inc., SEOBook and other authoritative SEO sources)
The Implications
The implications of these changes are significant. It appears that Google, at least, has recognized not only that the old model of anchor-text-determines-ranking-power has been gamed by SEOs, but also that there is more than one way to "cite" or "vote for" a web page. In fact, there are many ways to endorse a web page, some of which demonstrate even more "endorsement strength" than pure linking or anchor text linking.
One can endorse a site by, among other things:
-making a video about it
-doing a podcast about it
-retweeting it
-"like"ing it (Facebook)
-writing a review about it
-mentioning the brand name favorably
-referring a friend to it
-subscribing to its feed
Etc.
And because trust and authority are beginning to overshadow mere link popularity, Google may very well start looking at many peripheral factors (if it isn't already), factors such as
-Is the website a property of a business who's been around a long time?
-is it from a business that has licenses, permits, etc?
-does the site use SSL licenses?
-Does the site have a register or log in element?
-How long is the domain registered for?
-Does the site/business have a Wikipedia page?
-Is the company a member of the BBB?
-Is the business' brand(s) well-known? How well known?
For all these reasons, public relations is going to move into the fore. Mentions in authoritative, trusted news sources - even without an actual link - may go a lot further than you might think in terms of improving organic search engine rankings. Being a guest blogger on .gov or .edu sites may be more powerful than having that "perfect" anchor text link or that perfect TITLE tag. Searches for your brand or business name may soon hold more weight than sheer number of inlinks to your site.
That's why we are developing our PR presence. All the above related to PR. We are constantly scouring the Web for opportunities to be featured in major news publications; to be written about on quality blogs; to proliferate our brands out on the Web.
In short, the worlds of PR and SEO are coming closer and closer together.
sent from my T-Mobile Dash
Best regards,
Eric Bryant, Director
Gnosis Arts
22 Ray Court
Bedminster NJ 07921
908.787.3475
www.gnosisarts.com
No comments:
Post a Comment