Google's Algorithm Footwork for Quality Publishers

The best "trick" may be to ignore the algorithms and focus on providing quality content, suggested Melanie Rembrandt of Rembrandt Communications. "Those who provide valuable content to their target market will always be rewarded.






 Google is introducing a change to its search algorithm that will impact some 35 percent of searches on the Internet.Google Search uses a freshness algorithm, designed to give you the most up-to-date results, so even when I just type [olympics] without specifying 2012, I still find what I'm looking for," he explained.

Marketing Manipulation 

For marketers, the change means coming to grips with yet another in a long string of Google algorithm adjustments. Google has been tinkering with its Panda algorithm, which it launched earlier this year to weed out content farms. It also began encrypting searches and outbound clicks.
Most recently, it placed a value on JavaScript items -- such as Facebook comments -- that never carried weight in the algorithms before, Donnini said.

A Big Adjustment 

Google's freshness algorithm update will require a significant amount of rethinking on the part of publishers.

Three main areas of focus are outlined in Singhal's blog post:

• Recent events or hot topics. People searching for Occupy Wall Street, for example, will find the latest new, possibly even minutes old.
• Regularly recurring events, such as annual conferences or presidential elections. "Without specifying with your keywords, it's implied that you expect to see the most recent event, and not one from 50 years ago," Singhal wrote. Now, the algorithm ensures the latest information comes up first.
• Frequent updates -- that is, information that changes often but isn't a hot topic or a recurring event, such as best camera products or new car models.