Google's Search Improvements

Ken's Blog

Google has launched a ton of search improvements lately that have SEOers either crying, crying foul (the usual "Google owes me a living" or some variation thereof), or crying out that they are still relevant (as they become less and less so, at least in the traditional meaning of the SEO term).

It reminds me of "The Tao of CTPM/Tao of SBI!/Why SEO Is Doomed," first published in 2004 (I think?)...

http://www.sitesell.com/tao-of-ctpm.pdf

With personalized search, Google tracks everyone's search history for 6 months (logged in as a user or not). They make it tricky enough to opt out of the program that 99% won't. (I'm not sure if a mere cookie erase will do the trick or if the IP address also comes into play -- the tech details are not crystal clear.)

So, for example, if you are someone who tends to search on anguilla and have enjoyed anguilla-beaches.com (i.e., you chose it previously, you didn't bounce back right away, etc.), Google will likely bump other anguilla-beaches.com sites up a tad.

You can't SEO that, unless...

You practice Content Traffic PREsell Monetize.

One fool (sorry, I can't help myself) claims he has ways that he is already SEO'ing this. If he is...

1) He's much, much smarter than I am.

2) He has much less sense than all of us do since tricks don't last. It's just not worth the hassle of starting over, of building new tricks, etc. Instead...

If you give the Search Engines what they want, if you please humans with terrific, value-added content, you don't have to adjust every time Google dances, burps or issues substantial improvements.

The principles of C T P M have stood us in amazingly good stead over the past 5 years, without the roller-coaster feeling in our stomachs. SEOers, however, are at it again.

>Meanwhile, the tortoise said...

"Silly Rabbit. Tricks are for kids."

ll the best,

P.S. By the way, the SEOers wailing now are grossly overestimating how important each release is going to be. There are so many factors that no single one can be allowed to have that much sway.

For example, its "real-time search" (another release) is not going to flood search results with tweets from twits. If there is a tweet related to a search that was tweeted in the very recent past by a Twitterer with a good reputation, it might make it into the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) for that word for a day or two.

>No single factor, no single change to the algo, can affect it by very much. But slowly, steadily, Google makes hundreds of these changes and comes closer to "intelligence."

One exception...

If anything, Google's vulnerability to link-bombing is probably its biggest weakness. They are getting better at this, but still remain open to black hat tactics here -- they have to figure out how to eliminate the black hats without losing the ability to discern true links.

And, of course, together with great content, the emphasis on links always means that you must also spend time building links.