Google Dance Anyone? Don't Let Google's Latest Update Step on Your Clients' Toes
By Sage Peterson
March 2004
No, it's nothing like the FoxTrot or the Tango, but if your company's or clients' business depends on receiving highly-qualified search engine
traffic, which is produced by top rankings in search results, then you know that the "Google Dance" is very real and affects millions of online
marketers around the world.
The "Google Dance" is a phrase coined by webmasters to describe the phenomenon of Google's search results changing during their regular "crawling" of
approximately 3+ billion Internet pages and the subsequent indexing of those pages within its database. The final result of this "Dance" is Google's
fresh index for that period - until another crawling and indexing is performed usually every 30 to 45 days or so.
And of course with pages being added, updated, and deleted by site owners every day, and with Google continuing to modify its ranking algorithm to
return the most relevant search results, many pages gain higher rankings each time the "Dance" is done and many also watch their rankings decline.
The past couple of months have been particularly alarming to large numbers of Web marketers who no longer find themselves among the top of the
"natural" search engine page results due to what has been coined the "Florida Update" (like hurricanes, Google search index updates are given
different names).
So, why all the fuss this time? The latest changes in rankings seem more dramatic than past updates, causing a significant number of Web pages that
previously enjoyed top search engine listings to fall out of the top-10, even out of the top-30 search results.
Some have accused Google of purging websites previously found in the top-10 listings for e-commerce related keyword searches (searches for "digital
cameras," for instance) in the interest of forcing these companies to pay for their AdWords search advertising listings in advance of their planned
IPO.
I believe firmly that this is not the case.
What's really going on is that Google is hyper-focused on the user experience. Google, as well as every other search engine, regularly makes tweaks
and adjustments to its algorithm. This causes rankings to shift - some sites win, some lose. Same as it ever was. Companies who have been working
with the right SEM firms may have had limited impact, others... well...
Don't Panic, Consult with Your Friendly Neighborhood Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Professionals
Google isn't required to, nor does it ever share algorithm changes. It is up to the website owner or their SEM firm to interpret the new algorithm
and suggest a new strategy.
It will be important for you to provide a competent answer to your clients and your boss if/when search rankings shift up or down. You will also
want to have a plan to make adjustments to your search engine marketing campaigns to regain any lost rankings and traffic as quickly as possible, and
pray your proposed changes improve your or your clients' situation instead of making it worse.
There are many SEM firms that understand the constant tweaks and improvements that Google and the other search engines make to their algorithm. Some
have proprietary tools that accurately asses the new algorithm to guide adjustments to "natural" SEO campaigns with proven accuracy. Others, will
rely on less accurate information sources, such as newsgroup postings or other anecdotal information.
The firms who posses these kinds of tools and intelligence can propose changes that quickly get your SEM campaigns back on track. Smaller firms or
individual practitioners may not have the benefit of these kinds of tools and will respond more slowly, or in some cases make things worse.
Check Frequently and Be Proactive
Your SEM firm or internal staff should provide frequent reports measuring your SEM campaign, both search engine visibility (top-10 rankings on
targeted keywords), traffic and conversion, along with recommendations as to what can be adjusted to minimize the effects of the "Google Dance."
Like any other dance, knowing the right steps is the best way to avoid everything from embarrassment to stubbing your clients' toes.
