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Recovery From Google’s Panda Update

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Googles Panda Algorithm change hurt lots of small businesses.Google’s recent algorithm update named Panda has caused many websites to lose rankings in a big way. Most deserved it, but not all. Earlier this month, NPR ran a story about a furniture store called One Way Furniture that had been hurt badly by Panda, mainly due to its use of canned product descriptions, which they copied from their manufacturers’ listings.

Apparently Panda identified the duplicate content and downgraded the value of the pages at One Way Furniture. There are some other suspected factors at work in their rankings plummet as well. Now they’re slowly climbing back to their pre-Panda rankings through a lot of effort:

  • Removing duplicate content and rewriting product descriptions
  • Using the canonical HTML tag to resolve multiple URLs that point to the same page
  • Proper use of 301 redirects
  • Paying close attention to their page speed
  • Constantly building backlinks.
  • One of the things they did was to hire some new copywriters to write original product descriptions aimed at being search engine friendly, and not duplicates of manufacturer descriptions.
Recovering from a Google Algorithm Change

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CEO Mitch Lieberman said

For example, a bar stool that previously used a manufacturer-supplied bullet list of details as its product description now has a five-sentence description that details how it can complement a bar set-up, links to bar accessories and sets the tone by mentioning alcoholic beverages, all of which makes it more SEO-friendly. What we’re seeing now is what is good for customers and what they see on the site is also good for Google.

Another online publication that was badly hurt by Panda, DaniWeb, published a recovery story earlier this month. They cited their own reasons for the hit and what they’ve  been doing to get out of it:

“I guess it also goes without saying that it’s also important to constantly build backlinks, It is entirely possible/plausible that Google’s Panda algorithm hit all of the low quality sites that were just syndicating and linking back to us (with no unique content of their own), ultimately discrediting half of the sites in our backlink portfolio, killing our traffic indirectly. Therefore, it isn’t that we got flagged by Panda’s algorithm, but rather that we just need to work on building up more backlinks.”

Their experience reminds us to be vigilant:

  • Perhaps Google’s page speed factor is more heavily weighted than we thought.
  • And maintaining fresh inbound links from reputable websites is always important.

Need help with your small business SEO? Let’s talk!

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I Got Traffic. Now What?

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Increased web site trafficCongratulations! Through diligent keyword placement, content creation, and internal and external link development, you and/or your SEO consultant have optimized your site to attract search engine visitors for your top related keyword phrases.

Now that they’re coming, how do you get them to stay? And more importantly, how do you get them to buy?

I Got Traffic. Now What?

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It’s a lot easier than it looks. In an article on Entrepreneur.com Jon Rognerud provides 11 techniques, that should assure higher conversion rates, more sales and, best of all, more money in your pocket. Here are the 11 techniques in bullet form:

  • Clean house before you have visitors over.
  • Provide details, details, details.
  • Make suggestions
  • Create a sense of urgency.
  • Give clear directions.
  • Start high, end low.
  • Everyone likes something for free.
  • Give your word–and stick to it.
  • Offer testimonials.
  • Get them to leave something, if not their money.
  • Don’t forget to keep working on SEO.

Read the full article for details.

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First Impressions Count

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What’s the first impression your site creates?

First imp[ressions are important for your web pages.When people find your web site through search engines, you have to keep them on your site and you need to  convince them. A new study that was recently published in the journal Behaviour and Information Technology shows how important it is to make a good first impression.

The first impression is very important

A new study that has recently been published in the journal Behaviour and Information Technology shows that the snap decisions Internet users make about the quality of a web page have a lasting impact on their opinions.

It is very important that your web pages look good and that they have a trustworthy design.

You have 50 milliseconds

As reported in the BBC News report on first impressions, The study was conducted by Dr. Gitte Lindgaard of Carleton University in Ottawa. Lindgaard and her colleagues showed volunteers briefest glimpses of web pages previously rated as being either easy on the eye or particularly jarring, and asked them to rate the websites on a sliding scale of visual appeal.

Although the images were shown for just 50 milliseconds, the ratings were very similar to the judgments made after a longer examination of a web site.

Psychologists call this the halo effect. If people continue to use a web site that gave a good first impression they “prove” to themselves that they made a good initial decision.

First impressions on your web site are critical. You have 50 milliseconds.

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What does this mean to your web site?

It’s crucial that your site makes a good first impression. Otherwise, people might go to the next web site in the search results before finding out that you have something great to offer.

Make your web pages easy to read. Use a clear web site design and make it easy to find out what your web site is about.

Don’t put everything you can on a single page. Focus on a clear message on each and every page and tell your web site visitors what’s in it for them when they visit your site.

[Update November 2021] See how page experience has assumed new importance in 2021.