Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Google has adapted once again to help combat the ever increasing amount of spam. In lieu of a surge of questions regarding whether or not a recent Google algorithm change has gone live, Google has officially launched the change earlier last week that will target spam websites. About 2% of queries change, with less than half of a percent where people will really notice anything. This change is aimed at increasing the quality of Google searches and will give websites that wrote original content better rankings, while websites that primarily copy the content will be ranked lower. It should be noted that websites which spin or rewrite original content are being specifically targeted in this algorithm change, giving sites with the original content more authority. This is all an effort to increase the quality of search queries in order to provide a better experience for users.

Google is there to make money, and they do that by giving users good, original information. It should be noted that spam websites are sites that try to cheat their way into higher rankings with practices deemed unethical, like hacking websites and copying content over and over. The Google Algorithm Change might include review websites, or sites that make their money by promoting products and using information straight from the retailer. Since these type of sites do not really provide any value, they will be penalized, leaving the website with whom they are promoting the better rankings. In order for sites like this to continue existing, they will have to provide original content and make themselves an authority on the subject instead of dishing out rehashed information.

If you have used search engines a decade ago, you might remember how hard it was trying to find information on certain subjects. The search results were just repeating the same thing over and over, with slight changes to the queries, and it was nearly impossible to find anything original. Since then, Google has refined anti-spam methods, resulting in an unprecedented level of freshness and uniqueness. Instead of spending 5 hours trying to find something, you now spend 5 seconds. It can be said that this will only get better with time, and spam may now be a thing of the past.