|
|
 |
SEO WHY YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG
Like many webmasters affected by the Google Penguin update, Trent Harbour of Berkeyshop needed to find out why his site had dropped positions in the Google organic results and how he could reverse that. So he reached out to Search Engine Watch for some answers. What follows is a cautionary tale of missteps towards the complex problem of ranking on search engines and an examination into why small businesses are completely at a loss as to what constitutes “ethical” SEO.
Before he was worried about Google and its algorithms, Harbour was a portfolio manager and investor. However, during the 2008 financial crisis he “hit rock bottom” and an illness forced him to give up his job of 10 years. Clean drinking water was pivotal in managing his condition and so he decided to become a distributor of water filters in October 2010. To date, he said he’s invested $20K in the business and turnovers peaked at $600/day consistently for four weeks before Google’s Penguin update went into effect. Harbour
told me his revenues were reduced overnight to “next to nil, since I
was penalized” and unique visitors to the site are down by 55%
What emerged from phone conversations with Harbour was that he really could not distinguish between good and bad links and did not have a fundamental understanding of what really constituted ‘good content’. His grasp of the key principles behind the Google algorithm relied heavily on received wisdom from webmaster forums. From my perspective, the maxims he followed for SEO were taken completely out of context from Google’s actual goals. Furthermore, from his perspective the competitive landscape seemed to endorse the idea of actively manipulating search engines, whilst Google’s algorithm actually seemed to reward him - albeit temporarily - for engaging in what were clearly webspam strategies that were against Google’s guidelines.
Another challenge: he did not understand the difference between the Panda and Penguin update. He had received but never actually noticed the warning letter dated April 11, 2012 in webmaster tools because he hardly ever logged in. This letter detailed to Harbour that ‘unnatural links’ pointing to his site had been detected and that he should proceed to remove them, but gave little further insight into what that meant to Google and what actions he could take to rectify the issue.
The warning letter about ‘unnatural links’ combined with the algorithm update announced on April 24 and deployed on May 1, 2012, made Harbour feel like he had been penalized by Google. In those early days of the update it was difficult to explain what had really happened so I asked him to share more details with me so that I could conduct a deeper analysis of his site. Harbour kindly gave me access to his analytics account and lists of the bad links created.
Free Online Bankruptcy Evaluation: How Can Bankruptcy Help You?
Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy are designed to eliminate debt and stop collections. Talk to a local bankruptcy attorney today about your options.
Bankruptcy Counseling
Site - Learn about Bankruptcy Counseling and its Benefits.
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
Chapter 7 & 13
If you qualify
STOP
- Creditor
Harassment
- Stop utility
shutoffs
-
Foreclosure
- Car repossession
ELIMINATE
-
Credit Card debt
-
Medical bills
**For
cases with a wage order,
and the balance paid through a trustee as part of the payment plan
and not paid directly to the attorney. Court filing fee is
extra.
- Emergency Petitions
filed
- Ask to see a statement
of clients rights and responsibilities
Free Consultation
Reasonable rates
(New York)
|
 |
|
|
| |
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
|
Serving Upstate New York including Elmira, Horseheads, Watkins Glen, Corning, Ithaca, Waverly, New York, NY, Big Flats, Candor, Chemung County, Dundee, Elmira Heights, Erwin, Gang Mills, Montour Falls, Nichols, Pine Valley, Savona, Schuyler County, Southport, Spencer, Steuben County, Tioga County, Tompkins County, Van Etten, West Elmira, Woodhull.
[ Home ] [ Bankruptcy Law ] [ Tax Debt ] [ Divorce ] [ DWI ] [ Services ] [ The Firm ] [ FAQ'S ] [ Contact ]
OFFICE LOCATION: 200 William St. STE 202
Elmira, NY 14901
607-734-2917
Copyright © 2005 Web Imaging Productions |
|
