The Changing Face Of Online Marketing
ByWow, how times have changed in the Internet marketing world in the past 6 months. Most of the past Google updates have not meant a complete change in how we do things.
For the past 6 or 7 years I, and the a great majority of online marketers, played the google game by slapping up “ok” content and then backlinking the heck out of it. It worked like a charm…but not any longer.
A small number of you out there will stand up and self-righteously proclaim we are getting our just deserves. That small group remained on the high road of only the best quality content with no artificial backlinks. Most only had so-so success or, if they did well, it took FOREVER. The rest of us were making $ hand over fist playing the backlinking game.
But now many of us (including me) have seen some of our sites actually PENALIZED by Google BECAUSE we played the game THEY REWARDED us for in the past years.
How crazy is that??
It’s like telling people for years you could go 70 MPH on the interstate and then the speed limit is lowered to 60 MPH. That would be fine, but the cameras on the roadway were taking video the whole time. Now the video is being examined. Anyone caught going 70MPH in the past, when it was LEGAL, is now being sent tickets and some are even having their licenses taken away. This is exactly what is happening now with some sites.
Is it fair? Heck no! But life is not. It IS their business and they can do with it what they want. They get to make the rules for their business. If we don’t like it, we are free to build our own search engine.
More people will make more money online in the coming year than ever before. The rate of beginning online marketers having success will be the same or better in the coming year than ever before. People will still get tons of profitable traffic from Google’s organic search results.
How will that be possible?
It’s simple. Online marketers will adjust and learn the new “rules” Google has applied. Sure, it stinks in the short-term for many of us. But life goes on. I truly believe the recent updates will be for the best.
Hey Steve, I feel like one of the family again (:
I never felt like I was on the high road, I just never felt right about spinning content, commenting on blogs, etc. just to get back links. I didn’t want to be associated with anything “spam like.” I got involved with IM just at the time that the crack down on spam really got going. When I first started, you could still direct link from Adwords. I guess I read the writing on the wall and it has served me well, as all the recent Google changes have benefited me greatly. I have done some link building, it’s true, but my main focus has always been quality content.
Here’s my formula for success: publish original, well optimized content on a regular basis. Publish 3 – 5 related articles and link them together. Link to “authority sites” from words or phrases a reader might not be sure of, or that will help them understand your content better. Keep ads out of the content above the fold.
It has, and continues to work well for me.
Just my two cents.
Take care,
Brent
Hello Steve,
Now I am finally beginning to understand what the term ” The Money is in the List” really means.
Looks like Google is going to have it their way in spite of themselves and everyone else who is trying to make a life from an internet business. It also seems like they want everyone to be using their Google Plus One program.
Well, I have been on your list for years and also was a member of your training for a number of months. I have not made much of anything online, but that is not your fault. I still feel very comfortable with the information you provide, now more then ever before.
I am not sure if anyone will see success of any significance again without using Google’s paid programs somehow in their marketing effort. Yet others have mentioned that their sites have started to rebound after making changes to their back linking methods and improving the quality of their content. Still others have tried to incorporate their mini sites into a larger authoritative site whenever possible.
I have a couple of sites that are close to a year old and only have used Adsense to monetize them. I was sand boxed almost immediately, and got discouraged. I still have the sites and I know where the content came from, me.
My plan is to get back to writing and expanding my main site into an authority site and see where that takes the site in Google search. Then try and promote through an email list that I am just now starting to build.
Best of luck to you and all in your readership.
John
So what you are saying is that Google will be more favourable to those that write their own original content? On one hand, it only seems fair on several different levels. But on the other hand, yes, changing the rules again is really frustrating!!!
Here we are publishing time-consuming websites about things we are passionate about or have an interest in, hoping to help create information for others and to also make a little money on the side to help cover costs and make a little profit. Thankful that I have chosen niches that I am passionate about, otherwise this affiliate advertising wouldn’t be worth it if they continue to change the rules.
T.
Great post like normal Steve,The recent Penguin update definitely Stinks.I have never written an article for back links,the majority of my links focused on free web directories with rank, and the odd forum answer.
My site ranked quite well using the long tail,since the update my daily Google traffic
has dropped to 20 from over 200.Could it be the amount of advertising on each page?.
It makes a person ponder,another site with only 2 pages (so far) 2 links from Home page, none on the second, on page 1 & 2. No backlinks??.
Cheers,
Ashley.
Yes Brent…You can’t go wrong with that formula for sure. Thanks for the comments!
Hi John,
It is discouraging at this time. But I truly believe that the same percentage of total beginners starting out today with the new rules will have success as the percentage of beginners in the past years. (without paying google)
Yes, the list is a very very valuable asset all the time, but especially when there are these types of bumps in the road.
Yes, on page quality is more important than ever with the new updates. In the past you could publish borderline trash and still get it ranking with enough backlinks. So moving away from that has to be a good thing.
yeah, Google is frowning now on too many ads above the fold on sites. If the site has been hit hard, it is either poor quality (as they see it), or too many backlinks with the same anchor text (that’s a killer now).