For years, Google and others have been trying to find ways of enhancing their search returns when people look things up online, in a bid to improve the data presented to customers when they pop in a search request.
In the past, search engines have relied almost exclusively on methods such as backlinks and open keyword data to judge how relevant a particular site may be in relation to the types of search queries users enter to get their information.
This led to a huge number of spam operators purchasing huge numbers of backlinks and flooding the web with as many indexed pages as possible in an effort to gain a higher ranking and more traffic.
The problem for all search engines was a simple one – how do they assess the quality of content, online?
Without having millions of operators sitting and trawling the web in person to read, analyse and rate every page (which would probably be impossible, never mind time consuming and exceedingly expensive!), there has never been a truly effective way of judging the quality of content.
Despite the technological genius deployed to retrieve relevant results from sites, there has never been a solution found that could match the simple judgment of a Human Being when it comes to ranking the usefulness and interest of a website.
So, Google and others have decided to make some simple changes to improve the way a site’s usefulness is analysed, in an effort to reduce spam, eradicate bulk-purchase indexing, and make their search returns more effective.
It seems that they have finally realised that it is people, rather than technology, that decide on a site’s worth and relevance.
And, the only thing that can make a site useful and interesting is the content it holds.
Because of this, Google et al have made a shift towards content.
This means that pages that are packed with interesting facts, information and great data will finally get the recognition they deserve, while the mass-produced poor-quality sites that have previously gained high rankings through devious spam techniques will have their rankings reduced.
The change is going to happen predominantly through social indicators such as FaceBook mentions, tweets. G+ and shares.
This means that when the mass audience decides to re-post an article, Google appreciates that it is relevant and interesting.
This shift in approach means that content will finally be given the recognition it deserves.
From images to videos to blog articles, your site is now going to be ranked according to how popular it is, and how useful, shareable and interesting it proves to be among your customers.
If you are already a great blogger that writes informative and engaging articles, it means you’ll get the recognition you deserve.
However, for those people out there who have previously relied on link purchases and bulk publishing to generate results, it’s time to change their approach.
This is one of the most positive steps in search engine history.
Blogs now have the opportunity to be judged against real indicators of their usefulness, and the more dedicated, motivated and well-informed site owners will soon find that their efforts are rewarded.
For us, it means we need to be more targeted, determined and consistent than ever before in terms of producing great online content.
Keep your articles relevant to your industry, make them interesting and useful…and Google and others will soon be recognising your effort and making sure it pays off!
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