Google algorithm change 2011: low quality content takes a significant hit, with Google rewarding “original content.” What will happen to your site?

On February 24, Google blogged about what they called “a pretty big algorithmic improvement to our ranking,” one that affected a whopping 11.8% of search queries. According to the blog post by Google, the goal of this update was to “reduce rankings for low-quality sites – sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful.”

On the upside, Google promises that this will result in “better rankings for high-quality sites – sites with original content and information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis.” Note that, so far, this update has only been put into play in the United States.

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Google and page content: How recent Google search algorithm changes affect determining web site content

There has been a lot of talk in the media about how building web content has become big business. This talk has been fueled largely by the impending IPO of Demand Media, a mass content farm that churns out an unimaginable amount of web content every day. So, how does this affect you in determining web site content? Here’s why: because most of that talk has not been positive and the Google search algorithm has been changing as a result.

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Improve your business copywriting to boost conversions and sales: these 12 tips show you how.

At the heart of organic search engine optimizing is well written, optimized copy – and, at the heart of optimized copy is just plain good copy: clear, direct and persuasive. Here are tips to remind you of how to focus on the strength of your business copywriting:

Copywriting tips #1: Be concise

We typically recommend that a page of copy should contain 250 to 350 words. This, though, does not mean that you should stretch out your text to fill space.

Can you express a certain part of your message as effectively in 50 words as you can in 100? Then do so. It’s even better if you can whittle that part of your copy to 25 words. In general, the longer the copy, the less chance it has of being read and absorbed. No one wants to read long-winded copy, so get your points across as succinctly as possible.

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Wondering if using manufacturer-provided copy will cause duplicate content issues for your site?

Manufacturers often provide copy about their products so that retailers can use it to describe those products to potential buyers. Although this copy may be useful to people who arrive at a retail website, manufacturer-created copy causes multiple duplicate content issues from a search engine optimization standpoint.

You may be asking: why should I care if duplicate content issues cause problems for the search engine spiders?

Take a look at search engines from a search engine company’s perspective (Google, Yahoo, Bing and so forth). Each of the search engines want online searchers to choose to use their services, right? To get this to happen, a search engine focuses on providing the best results for each search query; to quote the most successful of the search engine companies about one of the ways that they accomplish this: “Google tries hard to index and show pages with distinct information.”

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Spring is coming – so it’s time to freshen up your website by once again choosing keywords for your site and updating your web page content.

When was the last time that you conducted keyword research on your site? If the answer is a year – or more – then it’s definitely time to repeat the process. First, rerun all the keyphrases that you’ve been using. (The Search Guru provides links to terrific free keyword research tool options.)

What changes do you notice in your keyword research results? Why do you think those changes are occurring? What do they mean to your business?

For example, perhaps you’ve been featuring the luxury version of your product, because keyword research had previously indicated that there was significant interest in that product line. Perhaps, in today’s more uncertain economy, fewer people are searching for the luxury version of your product – but there is much stronger search traffic now on another product line of yours. How will this change your business – and search – strategies?

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