My 15 Minutes of Fame: Cutts

Showing posts with label Cutts. Show all posts

Monday, June 9, 2014

How Google Ranks Pages That Don't Get Many Links

Perhaps you've just launched a site that's loaded with fabulous content, but you don't have a lot of links to your site or individual articles yet. Or perhaps your site has a decent amount of links, but a brand new piece of content you believe is of great quality hasn't gotten any links yet.

But how does Google determine that content is quality, when there aren't many links pointing to it? Or how is it determined that the content is spammy or thin, when there are a lot of links pointing to it? That's the topic of the latest webmaster help video from Google's Matt Cutts.

"In general that sort of reverts back to the way search engines were before links," Cutts said. "You're pretty much judging based on the text on the page at that point. So Google has a lot of stuff to sort of say the first time we see the word on the page count a little more, the next time a little more, but not a ton more, and then after a while we say we've seen this word, maybe this page is about this topic."

Cutts does caution about something many SEO novices do: overusing their chosen or best keyword so many times that it crosses the line into being keyword stuffing. Because keyword stuffing is one of the oldest SEO tricks in the book, and something that hasn't worked well for at least 10 years, Google is pretty good about figuring out where that line is between normal keyword usage and keyword stuffing.

"It doesn't really help you to keep repeating that keyword over and over and over again," Cutts said. "And at some point we might view that as keyword stuffing and then the page would actually do less well, not as well as just a moderate number of mentions of a particular piece of text."

Cutts said Google has different ways to try to determine the quality, context, and ranking of the page, even without the links. For example, Google might look at whether the content sits on a "somewhat reputable" domain.

"But typically if you go back to a user is typing possibly some really rare phrase, if there's no other pages on the web that have that particular phrase, even if there's not that many links, then that page can be returned because we think it might be relevant or might be topical to what the user is looking for," Cutts said.

So Google can rank content based on other clues such as the quality of previous content on the domain, as well as the particular search phrase someone is looking for, especially if it's something unique or not found on many pages.

Of course, getting links to any content is always a good thing, and will help assert its authority to Google when they are ranking, particularly for search phrases that are more common and more competitive.

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Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Backlinks = Rankings, Rankings = Traffic – Deal With It

Link building, done correctly, is hard work. It's laborious and filled with lots of rejection. In many ways, it's like telemarketing – nobody likes it, but it pays off. In fact, link building still works better than anything else to boost organic rankings.

Google's Matt Cutts recently confirmed the continuing value of links here and here. The key quotes:

...backlinks…are a really, really big win in terms of quality for search results ... backlink relevance still really, really helps in making sure we return the best, most relevant, most topical set of search results.

...backlinks still have many, many years left in them ... over time backlinks will become a little less important ... we will continue to use links in order to assess the basic reputation of pages and websites.

So what are the takeaways from these videos? Most commenters picked up on natural language processing and authorship, as probable ranking factors moving forward, without acknowledging the core message of the videos – links still matter a lot. And they will continue to matter for many years.

I don't blame anyone for chalking these videos up to Google FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt), but the evidence doesn't stop there. I'm sure that you're familiar with the Penguin algorithm. How about manual penalties, for unnatural links? If links didn't matter, would there be an entire industry dedicated to link audits and sanitizing backlink profiles? Would Google spend so much time and resources battling spammy links? Of course not.

Still, there is a whole contingency of "link deniers" proclaiming that "link building is dead." These folks are just as fervent in their beliefs as the "truthers" and "birthers" despite factual evidence that runs to the contrary. (There's a pretty good chance you will read their comments, below.)

So why are so many people running away from the single most important task in building organic rankings? The answer is pretty simple. Not only is link building hard, but if done improperly, it can result in a penalty and in the most extreme cases can even get you sued!

Can you blame SEO professionals for running away from that hot mess? Of course you can – and you should.

Every marketing campaign focused on building organic rankings needs a link building component. Thousands, if not millions, of pages of great content are published on the web daily – most will never be seen by human eyes. Great content alone, in a competitive niche, rarely ranks without links.

There's a big difference between link building (baiting, earning) and link spamming. The kinds of links that matter are the ones that are editorially given. Links with innate value, not necessarily SEO value. These links require human intervention for placement. A link that can be dropped automatically by anyone has little value and often leads to abuse and trouble.

So, what are some effective techniques for building links in 2014? Actually, the same strategies advised by Cutts way back on March 4, 2010 still hold up today:

Create controversy: Use it sparingly like spice. The occasional rant is best and if over-used, loses its effectiveness.
Use humor: Offered as a "softer" alternative to controversy. Can be equally effective – especially if original. (The Oatmeal has built a franchise on funny)
Participate in blog and forum communities: Not as a spammer, but as an interested community member who gives back to the community by answering questions that help people. This builds credibility and opens up opportunities to attract links.
Publish original research: Doing a little work to dig into a subject can get a lot of links.
Use social media: Think about where your target audience spends their time. Is it Facebook, Twitter, Instagram? You need to be there as well. Like blog and forum communities, getting to know people via social media opens up link opportunities.
Create a "Top X List": Like controversy, this is best used sparingly or it can get old fast
Blog frequently and establish yourself as an authority in your field: If authorship had been in place when this video was produced, I'm sure that would have been mentioned, as well.
Create how-tos and tutorials: They may not attract a ton of links, but a few good links can have a huge impact – especially on the long tail. These are also a natural for video.
Create a useful product and give it away for free: Firefox extensions, Chrome extensions, WordPress plugins, anything open source.

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Monday, February 24, 2014

The Tale of Too Many Keywords: Optimization in Content Marketing

Once Upon A Time, Keywords Ruled

When SEO was young, it was a kingdom ruled by keywords. If you wanted to be the king on any search engine results page, you had to research and insert specific keywords and phrases into your web pages and online content. It didn’t matter if the keywords read perfectly in the sentence or not. They had to be exact – otherwise rankings fell.

Google Panda was the game changing algorithm update here. In late 2011, a big change was made from ranking keyword-focused content to higher quality, more reader-friendly content. What exactly was the big change?

According to HeBS Digital, Google said goodbye to keyword-centric SEO and changed the very direction of search engine queries in relation to websites. The change directly affected marketing strategies. Instead of providing searched for keywords to website analytics tools, Google moved to a nondisclosure policy. Says HeBS Digital , “Google is not disclosing to website owners the keyword terms visitors use to find the site, e.g. ‘downtown Houston hotels’ or ‘Hotel near Times Square’.”

At first, this change felt like doom rolling into the SEO kingdom. Businesses gasped in horror because a strong percentage of their sales came from website revenue, revenue that was directly related to the influx of traffic via keyword placement!

“The major shift on behalf of Google marks the end of the keyword-centric era and ushers in the page-centric era,” wrote HeBS Digital. “This new initiative is in tune with [the] Google Panda Update, which punishes low-quality content that provides poor user experience and engagement.”

The New Hero, Quality Content

As the Keyword King was dethroned, the new fearless hero made an entrance. However, this hero wasn’t really a new face. According to HeBS Digital, “Without keyword-specific data, SEO marketers must focus on what [we have] been supporting all along: relevant, editorial-quality website content.” Instead of depending solely on keywords to drive and corral the audience, it was time to use the more precise tools of the newly, officially crowned hero:

Create engaging content
Use professional copywriting
Develop a content creation plan
Use SEO monitoring technology

Matt Cutts, Google’s head of web spam, expanded on the new way of doing things. Cutts said, “A lot of people [think] there’s some one recipe, and you can just follow like baking cookies, and if you follow it to the letter, you’ll rank number one.” However, this way of thinking was shockingly incorrect. No single, perfect recipe for quick bake SERPs exists—not then and not now.

How does the Google expert say to use keywords? Instead of haphazardly stuffing content, Cutts says, “Think about the keywords that you’d like to have in your copy. Make sure your copy is long enough that you can work those keywords into your copy in a natural way and not an artificial way. And my recommendation is to either read it aloud or read it to someone else or have someone else read it, and sort of say, ‘Do you spot anything that’s artificial or stilted or that doesn’t quite read right?’ And if you can read through the copy, and have it read naturally where a person isn’t going to be annoyed by it, then you’re doing relatively well.”

Why the change? Wouldn’t stuffing keywords be easier than actually writing editorial-quality copy? The biggest reason for this change was to cut down on the spam in keyword-focused pages. Keyword-focused pages might well have increased website traffic and led to a statistical increase in several key areas, but they also accomplished on major thing that even Cutts said to avoid: they annoyed readers.

The old keyword techniques just don’t work as well as they used to. “When was the last time that anyone wanted to read copy that included many repetitions of a word that didn’t provide any additional context or information which helped the reader? Not very many,” says Search News Central.

Google’s Panda upgrade permanently dethroned keywords. And it all happened for one simple reason, which Search News Central sums up by saying, “The biggest reason [for this change] is that documents that lace themselves with hundreds of keyword repetitions looks like spam. So much so that it becomes unreadable for the normal human being.”

Plot Twist: Your New Focus

Since keyword research is clearly no longer a driver in SEO, what should you focus on? Well-researched content that delivers stellar readability is HUGE. This will do so much more for you than content that solely focuses on keyword optimization.

Instead of zeroing in on a keyword, make it the last thought as you write your content. You might say it’s time to start thinking of keywords and phrases as takeaway points. They are that tidbit of information you want the audience to remember. It’s likely your keywords are all related to your niche. By infusing the takeaway moment with your keyword or phrase, you’ll silently train your audience to come back to and look for your content in regards to that topic or key point.
Write to educate, inform, and share knowledge. What lasts longer than the latest and greatest product or service? A way of thinking. Your goal should be to generate the kind of well-researched and well-written content that educates, informs, and shares knowledge with everyone who reads it. Share facts that are backed up by research. Incorporate precise numbers such as exact statistics or results from a case study. Above all, reference and link your research. As a result, you’ll promote your way of thinking. Arming the audience with fact will only benefit your credibility, authority, and sales.
Keep your angle fresh. This can be easier said than done, especially when you simply cannot find a fresh angle to approach your content from. In an article about content for search engine rankings, SearchEngineLand.com says, “Sites can take advantage of [a] freshness boost by producing relevant content that matches the real-time pulse of their industry.” In other words, trend with your industry and present the latest and greatest relevant information with your own spin. No one has a voice exactly like yours, which is why your spin will help preserve freshness and uniqueness.
Write to engage. According to SearchEngineLand.com, “Quality content should produce meaningful interactions with users.” You can consider your content successful when it generates chatter. You want to see comments from your readers. You want to see them sharing your content via their social networking channels. You want to create a reaction. Write to engage by harboring a conversational style, incorporating real-world experiences, and telling a story.
Market your content. You can accomplish this in a number of ways. Moz offers two excellent suggestions in a piece on how to write great content: 1) “Post your post on a popular blog,” and 2) “[Use] your own social media [channels].”

A Final Word Regarding Keyword Research

Obviously, keywords are not dead. Instead of being a focal point, they are now that coveted secret ingredient to your favorite recipe (but remember that there’s no one recipe for rankings!). Keyword research is still a part of SEO. So, how should you perform such research for web content? Here are some ideas straight from an expert, Copyblogger:

Choose possible keywords to kick-start your research.
Determine the popularity and competition score of each of your keywords.
Discover (and research) other related keywords.
Check the trending data on your keywords. You can do this by using Google Trends.
Do some research on how your keyword(s) is/are being used in trending social network conversations.
Examine your research results, and ultimately choose the keyword(s) you want to target for your site.
Don’t be afraid of hiring help. If keyword research boggles your brain and leaves you short of breathe, don’t be afraid to enlist the help of a trained professional. Most copywriting agencies are equipped to lend a hand or point you toward a seasoned pro.

In summary, keywords have now become that little something extra that we add for emphasis and throw in for good measure. They are no longer the focal point of search engine optimization. Moving forward, it’s important that you use them wisely (and sparingly!) while focusing on the new SEO trend of editorial-quality copy. Do this and you will be well on your way to learning and applying the moral of The Tale of Too Many Keywords.

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