Google’s Algorithm Change Scores One for the Good Guys!

February was a very controversial month in the online content world, due to the launch of Google Algorithm Changes 2011. In February, Google launched a ground breaking search algorithm change for its search engine. For web surfers, the change was welcomed with open arms and provided relief from the frustration of wading through search results which seemed to go nowhere. Instead of ranking results only on keywords, the new algorithm rewarded sites who focused on content, not just hot keywords. For the average person surfing the internet, this meant less garbage and more actual, original content at the top of the search page. For us at Reputation Accelerator, this has meant an immediate and overwhelming improvement in search rankings for our customers.

However, for the sites that specialized in ranking high in search results due to keyword misuse, this was a startling blow. Many of the sites that have complained and voiced outrage were sites that specialized in “content farms”. Basically, these sites hosted large amounts of throwaway articles containing very little valid content, but lots of popular keywords. The keywords would cause the throwaway web-pages and sites to raise in the search rankings and enable the site owners to collect massive profits due to ad revenue. As one can imagine, this sort of website was not very pleased with the changes. Many leading content farms have already felt the sting and, as a result, have laid off large portions of their “content writers”. CNN Money has also reported that over $1 billion dollars in ad revenue has already shifted away from these shady sites, towards more reputable venues.

At Reputation Accelerator, we were overjoyed with this change. Our goal is to connect the average web surfer with a valid web-page for a product, service or business that they are seeking. With more of the “meaningless junk” out of the way, we have already seen wonderful and inspiring results with our content’s search engine placement. It seems as though the era of the content farm filling the internet with low value spam may finally be at an end. Now, when a potential customer searches for one of our clients, they are connected to the client, not to an ad-laden, spam-filled page that exists only to drive up ad revenue for some third party. Instead of dealing with the frustration of wading through results that go nowhere and offer nothing of value to the customer, they get results that have meaning and value to the subject they are searching for. This change has shifted the tide of content farms bogging up the internet with useless articles just to make a quick buck, to articles that are relevant and full of value and quality being the clear winners.

Here at Reputation Accelerator, our customers submit real reviews and testimonials that they want their potential clients to be able to find on the internet. We pride ourselves on offering valuable information and resources to those potential clients. With these algorithm changes, the web surfer at the other end no longer gets page after page of gibberish- instead they get results that have content and quality in line with what we are proud to offer. Surfers are no longer discouraged by the top results being a page of spam; instead they are rewarded with finding real and relevant content for their search.

The real test of online reputation management is now ensuring that Google can decipher posted content as relevant and valid instead of dismissing it as garbage or gibberish. At Reputation Accelerator, we excel at providing content that Google consistently rates as the highest quality and value. We are home of the largest online distribution network in the world, and our content consistently appears as the top search results in Google searches. Although this change has hopefully dealt a deathblow to low quality content farms, the change has been an incredible boon for our business and what we do. Because we have always strived to provide high quality and relevant content for our customers, our efforts have now paid off in spades.

It is incredibly exciting and vindicating see the direct rewards of having high standards of quality and content. While other companies took the easy way out and merely went after profit, here at Reputation Accelerator, we always held ourselves to the highest standards and took care to ensure our customers get useful, valid content. It has been amazing and refreshing to see Google support our views on web content, and further our cause by making these widespread changes. Not only has this been exhilarating for our company, but it has provided our customers with even more long lasting value from their content.

It’s not often that the “Good Guys” win so clearly in a situation like this, and we are very proud and excited about the long term ramifications from this change. After all, we are all web surfers as well, and are very familiar with the frustration and lost time that the content farms were causing on a large scale. Thus, we see this as a completely win-win situation. As end users, we find the quality sites quicker, and as an online reputation management firm, we are delighted to see our customer’s relevant and important content get the rankings that they truly and rightfully deserve. For us, the Google algorithm changes 2011 were a huge step in the right direction on Google’s part!

Sources:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/finding-more-high-quality-sites-in.html

http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/08/technology/google_algorithm_change/index.htm

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/01/28/google-changes-algorithm-to-reduce-spammy-sites/