Penguin 2.0 Predictions

Matt Cutts knows how to rattle people’s cages, big time.  He’s announced that Penguin 2.0 is arriving, and it’s going to be “jarring and jolting” and something many webmasters “don’t want.”

My thoughts? It’s not going to shake up my websites.  Even a temporary slump will reverse, quickly.  I never worry about these things, because:

1. I know I’m providing unique, quality information at my sites.  That’s what readers and search engines want to see.
2. I never use sleazy tactics to artificially boost my sites to a higher spot at search engines. (That’s what Penguin seems to focus on.)

If that sounds smug to you, and you’re quaking in your boots because you’re not sure if Google will zap you with Penguin 2.0, maybe you need to make a few changes at your websites.

My advice is exactly the same as what I’ve been saying from the start:

• Create good, original, unique content.

• Don’t do anything (or recommend anything) you wouldn’t be proud to tell your mom or your kids about.

• Forget backlinking schemes, and don’t buy mass backlinks at Fiverr.  Anyone who’ll give you 1000 backlinks for $5… run the other way.  Your content should be so good, people link to it because they want others to know about your website.

• If you need to jump-start your exposure to people who will link to you, use the things that work:  Facebook, Twitter, and things like Squidoo lenses and Hub Pages. Then go answer questions in forums where your links are useful, not spammy.  (Every article at your website should answer someone’s question/s.)

• Don’t buy into any reciprocal linking schemes.  Google will not be amused.

• Anything that creates posts for you — even if it’s sold as “curated content” — is still autoblogging and it can be toxic.  Auto-posting Amazon product links?  Maybe.  Don’t rely on them as your sole content. Auto-posting blurbs from articles and the occasional YouTube video?  That’s a short route to Google’s version of outer darkness.

• If you can’t research and write your own articles, hire a writer to  create unique articles for you.  (You can buy PLR, but it had better be really, really good — something that will look syndicated — and don’t rely on that, alone.)  If none of those options fit your budget or schedule, sell your website at Flippa.  Do something else.  Website management isn’t for you.

• Create good, original, unique content. (Yes, I said that before and it’s worth repeating.)

• If you feel like you have to do anything special for on-page SEO, focus on things like LSI.  (Basically, words and phrases related to your main subject.) You can usually get the word lists by using any keyword tool, including Google’s free Keyword Tool.  There’s no reason to go crazy with this, just use the list to trigger “ah-HA!” moments… other things you can talk about in that same article or another one.

• Always provide quality to your visitors.  Respect their time and be sure they’re glad they visited your website.

Those are the things that will prevent you from being hit hard by Panda, Penguin, and any other animal that wanders down Google’s path.

This explains a little more about Penguin…

Here’s one opinion of what’s next, and what to do about it…

Here’s another, longer discussion…