In this clip, Jim Hedger takes the mic for WebProNews, and talks to Ross Dunn, CEO and Founder of Stepforth Web Marketing about how Google penalties can actually be good for your site.
Dunn is basically talking about the principle - “What hurts can make you stronger.” His point is that when you get a penalty in Google, it forces you to really pick apart your site and figure out what’s wrong. At that point, you can make it better (and perhaps better than ever).
Dunn talks about a specific example in which a client had an issue with a site. There was keyword stuffing going on, and it got penalized by Google. When they went back and cut back on the spam and cleaned it up, they got back in Google’s good graces. Dunn attributes this to the fact that the client had good content (better than competitors in fact), and Google likely recognized this fact when determining rankings after the keyword stuffing issue was addressed.
Dunn says being penalized by Google serves as a wake-up call to webmasters. He says you should get someone outside of the company to look at the site. You can consult with an SEO or a friend with some SEO experience, look for advice in forums, and/or get a site audit.
Dunn and Hedger go on to discuss how you know if your site has been penalized from Google or your rankings have simply dropped. They also discuss Google’s Caffeine update and what this could mean for SEOs. Watch the video to find out what they think about the matter.
How to Actually Rank For Any Keyword With a Legitimate Search Engine "Loophole"...
Everyone wants to have their site rank well in Google.
And why not? Not only can Google send you a boatload of free traffic - it's also highly targeted, and it's one of the best ways to drive business.
The problem is, that exact same ideal is shared with thousands of your direct competitors. This creates an environment where you'll always be fighting, kicking and scratching to maintain your traffic - along with the ever present fear that your livelihood is only one "algorithm update" away from vanishing.
And that's if you can even get ranked for any decent keyword, to begin with...
In fact, only the largest, most-established authority sites can reliably see consistent traffic from Google. And even then, their rankings fluctuate constantly - several times a day, in some cases.
The fact is - it's getting harder and harder for the "little guy" to get any kind of meaningful web presence on the web these days.
Getting ranked in Google is almost impossible unless you've got a major promotional budget and some time on your hands to "wait" for your domain to become trusted (Google favors older domains). And advertising with pay-per-click ads isn't affordable like it once was.
Search marketing has finally become what everyone feared it would - a game reserved for big business.
But what if there was still a way to legtiimately rank for keywords with tons of traffic?
And what if you could do this without having to spend months and even years building up an authority site to do so?
In fact - what if you could systematically create one-page minisites that could rapidly rank in the top 3 spots (consistently) for basically any keyword you target within a matter of a week or so?
Is this for real?
YES.
But not with Google.
It's happening right now, as we speak, on MSN.com
Now - before you think it - yes, I know, MSN doesn't have nearly the reach that Google does. But, it still does receive millions and millions of search users daily. After all - MSN is the default home-page for anyone who first uses Internet Explorer.
And, to put it in perspective, which would drive more traffic?
Occupying the #1 ranking for your most desirable keyword target on MSN?
Or occupying the #47 spot on page 5 of Google's results?
Sadly, it's actually more effort to make it to the 47th spot in Google than it is to literally dominate in MSN.
