It’s becoming a pattern: Google launches an update, webmasters post angry rants on forums, share stories of business going kaput, SEO services put together quick newsletters offering information and alternative solutions. Meanwhile, Google wags its finger, says, “I told you so” and starts planning a new update.

Fact is that when it comes to organic search webmasters have to follow whatever Google says. So, really there is no point in lamenting about Google’s policies and discussing how every update has an ulterior motive.

There’s one rule of survival in the SEO world: ADAPT AND ADAPT FAST! Continue reading

I assume you’ve heard about Google announcing an upcoming crackdown on ‘over-optimized’ websites? I bet the news has reached even the most faraway parts of the SEO galaxy.

As is often the case, Google did not say what exactly it meant by ‘over-optimized websites’. The only concrete piece of information that Matt Cutts provided was that the update would target those ‘throwing too many keywords on a page or exchanging too many links’. Well, what if I exchange not ‘too many’ links, would I be OK then?

OK, seriously speaking, what strikes me as odd is that this time Google decided to pre-announce the change, which is NOT what they normally do. I wonder if that’s just another Google’s stunt, intended to get SEO’s spooked out, so that they just roll over and stop their ‘malicious’ SEO practices? Continue reading