So, since the start of the year Google have been firing out loads of hints that there’s going to be a big shake up and that it won’t happen overnight. Previously Google have made big updates and changes to their algorithm very quickly and this approach has often come under fire web-masters out there. There have been several updates and changes that have taken place just before the Christmas sales period and this has left previously left many business with staggering losses over the festive period but this time Google didn’t make that mistake.
Noise from the SEO Community
In the last week we’ve noticed a few of the superior SEOs making comments about Caffeine now being live. We’ve been watching sites as well and we’ve been seeing some unusual results. How much of this is also combined with the Google design update is hard to tell. One thing is for sure, the design update and the Caffeine update are proving several things… One; that fresh content is more important than ever, which means user generated content with regular interaction is definitely something certain types of sites should look at; two, that website performance is more of an issue (e.g. page speed) and thirdly that branding is more of an issue than ever.
When we say that we believe “branding” is more of an issue what we really mean is brand awareness and we say “brand awareness” due to the almost inevitability that social media signals now a part of the ranking process. This is due to the huge chunk of user accreditation that social media plays which Google can use in the same way that it uses back-links. Most people don’t have a website, but most people have some sort of social media account such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn. So, it makes sense that Google use social media as another form of quality indicator.
In Conclusion…
So, some food for thought people… If we were to sum of the Caffeine update (and the general direction Google are going in) we’d say “there are a lot of web-masters out there who are going to have to kick it up a gear!”
