On Feb. 25 I wrote about Google's latest major algorithm update (the so called "farmer" update) on SocialMediaToday.com. Since then I've been tracking the results of the update, as well as the fallout. Danny Sullivan over at SearchEngineLand.com has been doing a terrific job gathering and reporting results from various sources on the impact of the update. So far it appears that the big losers are the article sites, like Ezinearticles, Associated Content, and ArticlesBase, and Web 2.0 content sites, like Hubpages and Buzzle.
In addition to tracking the data from the "farmer" update, I have also been busy tracking the reaction to it. There is now quite a lengthy thread at WebmasterWorld.com with reactions. To me the most disturbing fall into two categories: 1) complete panic, and 2) blame Google.
Don't Panic
Let's take the first category - complete panic. There are obviously some businesses that have been relying extensively on traffic from Google to generate their revenue. Those businesses that rely on Google but have seen their site ranking plummet are clearly concerned. Some people have even posted that they are going to have to layoff their workers or close their business. So, before anyone goes to extremes - Don't Panic...Yet!
During most major search engine updates the rankings tend to fluctuate wildly for days or even weeks. There are a number of technical reasons for this (removing of filters, reindexing of sites, etc.). But the upshot is that your site might come back ranked higher than before. I went through this exact scenario a few years ago when I owned a lingerie retail site. The site was ranked very well, but Google decided to implement a major change in late Jan. (just a few weeks before Valentine's Day). My site went from page one for most search terms to nowhere overnight. Yes, it was a tough break coming at the worst time. But I did not sell the site, close the business, or lay anyone off. I kept doing solid white hat SEO. Once everything settled down the site was ranked higher than before and we had our best year ever - even after missing our biggest selling season. So don't panic until the search results settle down and you can see what the real impact is.
Don't Blame Google
The second category are playing the Google blame game. I've seen posts along the lines of - if this update is so great why did my site get penalized and a bunch of spammy sites now outrank mine? Another popular rant is that something should be done about Google - call your congressman. The final type seems to be along the lines of - I worked hard on my site or my site has been ranked well for years. First, let's be perfectly clear - Google does not care about your site at all! Google is a company out to make money. It has come under pressure from competitors, such as Bing, that are perceived to have better search results. So, the spammy sites that now outrank you - maybe they won't when the results settle down. Or maybe they will because for some reason Google just likes those sites better.
Diversify
Site owners can rant, rave, scream, call their congressman/woman, layoff their employees, etc. It will not change the facts on the ground. Google has once again changed their algorithm and is not going to listen to or care about the plight of site owners. So, for now keep working on quality content and backlinks. But also use this as an opportunity to explore new ways of driving traffic to your site - try a small PPC ad placement, get started on a social media campaign, try some Facebook ads...