Articles after Google’s Penguin update

Some of the consternation which was evident after the Penguin update has died away. Initially, there were several site owners who expressed negative feelings about the algorithm change. They thought that their sites had suffered badly and were not always open to the idea that they themselves may have been responsible for shoddy content or unethical link gathering. Some of them may have been confused by the impact of the Panda update, which happened at a similar time.

Understanding post-Penguin attitudes

Although there are some post-Penguin concerns, particularly about the possibility of negative search-engine optimisation, much of the early fuss has died down. This is in part because some consultants see that Google is doing the right thing by cracking down on dubious techniques. It is also because the optimisation community has realised that the best way forward is to focus on quality.

An opportunity to relearn old lessons

One of the things about both the Panda and Penguin updates is that they actually reinforced lessons which should have been taken on board by bloggers some time ago. They have led some people to concentrate more effectively on using content-based approaches. Google’s stance is encouraging content writers to produce SEO articles which are not over-optimised.

Natural is the best way to go

SEO articles should always be written in a natural manner. The days of keyword stuffing are most definitely in the past. If an article includes too many keywords then neither users nor search engines are impressed. Google’s vigilance is directly improving the reading experience of users.

Content counts more than ever

Although optimisation now includes a wide range of techniques, the Google algorithm changes in the last two years have reaffirmed how important content is in SEO strategy. It might be a commonplace idea, but the notion that content is king is more relevant now than it ever has been. Articles must not verge towards the vague. They need to be detailed and laid out so that their details are easily digested.

Unethical consultancies put on the back foot

Although some members of the optimisation community feel that algorithm changes are a pain, many white hat firms know that they are actually highly positive things. This is because algorithm changes make it riskier for those consultancies which are prepared to break the ethical guidelines. This clears competitive space for ethical enterprises to exploit. Progress by supplying high-quality content may sometimes seem slow, but it beats making no progress whatsoever.

Some things can remain the same

Those consultancies which were unaffected by Panda or Penguin may not have to change all their tactics much. Their article production may simply have to keep going. If an enterprise is successfully converting clients into authorities in their sectors then the scope for adjustment may be restricted.

Articles shouldn’t have to do all the work

High-quality content is a valuable campaign asset, but it makes sense for companies to pursue diverse approaches. Content should be circulated around relevant social media, for example. It is important not to waste the traffic which content helps to generate. Conversion rate optimisation can really help to maximise positive outcomes.