If Googles Panda Does Not Get You Then Its Penguin Might

penguin—cnystrom (Flickr.com)

If Googles Panda Does Not Get You Then Its Penguin Might

In a recent post I described how Googles Panda algorithm update had affected my website traffic. Since then we have had another Google change to its algorithm this time called the Penguin Update. This update seems to target websites that have been over optimised for the search engines.

Now I am not that knowledgeable on all the reason why but others are and you can read their views here

Post Google Penguin Update Content Tips Endorsed By Matt Cutts. WebProNews. By Chris Crum 4 mins ago Leave a Comment Marc Ensign published a good blog post about staying on good terms with Google in the post-Penguin world. There are plenty of posts out there on this topic. I've seen a fair amount of pretty good ones.…Post Google Penguin Update Content Tips Endorsed By Matt Cutts WebProNews

Entrepreneur. Hit by Google Penguin An In-House SEO Crisis Management Plan. Search Engine Watch. This time the mayhem is called Penguin. As with all Google updates over the years there have been winners and losers. Before we start panicking we should remember that for Google to survive and continue dominating in the next decade it has put in Brands Must Act Quickly to Ensure SEO Campaigns Comply With Google Penguin MarketWatch press release Google's Penguin Search Algorithm Wrap UpBusiness Insider. Niche Traffic Builder Announces a Surefire Strategy for Not Being Affected by Seattle Post Intelligencer. Virtual-Strategy Magazine Opinno. all 163 news articles.…Hit by Google Penguin An In-House SEO Crisis Management Plan Search Engine Watch

Well as reported earlier I too have been hit by Googles Menagerie of updates - So what do I intend to do about this now.

Let me first say I am approaching all my websites from the user experience angle and not for the search engines. I am taking the view it is pointless to try to second guess all these current and future changes. I am also going to focus much more on going to the market place where people are and engage with them there. Sites such as twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Pinterest is an interesting example. This website has grown extremely quickly. In February 2012 it was quoted as having over 10 million users, somewhere near 9 million monthly Facebook connected users of which 97% were said to be women. Now that is a huge audience. As a result I have created pin boards for my main business of antique silver selling on Pinterest. Click the link to view these boards Nursery Silver Dining Room Silver Bedroom Silver and Study / library Silver . What I like about Pinterest is the way it displays these products and none of which rely on any search engine as they are all listed in front of this huge audience.

Another primary source of traffic for me now is my App. The Silver Makers Marks App I have created and reported on earlier has now been downloaded over 1300 times. it is now driving consistently more traffic to my main silver websites.

In my blog post Google Panda Killed My Traffic I tabled the traffic for one website to show the huge loss. It was part way through April with only 19 days stats to show.

The April results are now in and are produced below.

As you can see from the April figures my direct traffic from the App is slowly growing and the bounce rate is slowly decreasing. Google traffic is still almost non existent and interestingly the Bing traffic has dropped off a cliff also. However the earning from this website have started to show a modest increase from the disastrous earnings in February and March. This direct traffic from the App may be less but it is targeted at the website content so I am hopeful of better conversions in the future.

You can read my earlier post on my Silver Makers Marks App here. The Penguin and Panda have created a lot of work for me just now in changing the content and approach to my online presence but I am hoping the changes I make now will protect me from some of the next round of algorithm updates by whatever animal Google fancies next!

Here is a comprehensive video on youtube on the Penguin Update

What are you doing to beat the Penguin? Let me know your thoughts.