At WSI Milton, Denise Gervais is our penguin expert. With the recent announcement about the new Google algorithm changes – named Google Penguin, I sat down with Denise to get her thoughts about the changes and how they will affect our clients.
Kim – Why is there so much buzz out there right now about Google Penguin?
Denise – Every time Google announces changes to their algorithm people get nervous. There are horror stories every time the algorithm changes about websites falling off of Google’s top search results, never to be found again.
K- How do you feel about the most recent changes?
D – I’m not the SEO expert, we use great people to take care of our SEO services, but when Google says they have made a change, who in the SEO world wouldn’t get a little scared?
K – Can you explain the new changes to the Google algorithm?
D – The latest update is code-named Google Penguin. This is my personal favourite name of all Google’s changes because I have a long history of loving penguins (a story way too long for this blog).
Basically, the penguin update is part of an ongoing saga that started last year with Google Panda. Google is cracking down on spam, where people try to trick Google into thinking they are a high quality, relevant website when in fact they are not and they use poor quality everything – poor quality content, poor quality links, etc.
Google is changing their algorithm to force websites to create higher quality content and links. What Google Penguin comes down to is the need for a diversity of high quality sites linking to you AND high quality content.
Content has and always will be king with Google. High quality, relevant content on your site and published elsewhere linking to your site is the only way to go.
K – Do your clients have anything to worry about with these latest Google changes?
D – Absolutely not. Over time our clients have never suffered any negative consequences from a Google change and this is because we implement a high quality SEO strategy. In fact, we insist on quality in all aspects of our business, which includes website design, internet marketing, SEO and customer service.
K – How do you go about implementing a high quality SEO strategy?
D – Well, I can’t reveal all our secrets but I will tell you that from my perspective it’s about having the right team of experts in place. We insist on custom link building packages with our suppliers, not just the mass spreadsheets of low quality links that are so commonly used.
Having a talented and creative writer like you on our team is a key advantage. We like the fact that you have a Masters degree in English. Your education and background as a born and raised Canadian gives you a deep understanding of our culture, nuances and phrases which is critical. High quality writing is so important in helping our clients and it’s something that Google is demanding with the new changes they are implementing.
K – How do you use SEO to help your customers generate business leads?
D – A personal pet peeve I’ve developed is that in the SEO world most of the “SEO geeks” out there simply look at which keywords are searched the most when they do their keyword research. This is a mistake. Our in-house SEO team spends a lot of time considering business relevance as well as search results.
K – What do you mean by Business Relevance?
D – I’m talking about ensuring that the keywords will help the client generate business leads. This is where I come in to help streamline the process. For example, “backyard landscaping ideas” might be a keyword that has a high search volume, but it doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for us to use for our landscaping clients. I will not have a landscaper pay us to have people visit their website looking for free ideas where they won’t make any money.
K –How do you help your customers make money through SEO?
D – The goal is to have people visit the website that are looking to spend money on the services the client provides. To do this, we need words designed to bring the right people to the site. Once on the site, the copy, design and conversion architecture, if done correctly, will turn that visitor into a qualified business lead.
K – Can clients contact you for more information about Google Penguin?
D – Definitely! I always encourage our clients to contact us with any questions or concerns they might have. We are also hosting a free seminar on Wednesday June 6th from 10:30 am – 1pm where we will discuss these issues further. Current and potential clients are welcome to register.
