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Algorithm Updates

10th June we saw all our monitoring tools see a spike in search rankings, no confirmation from Google but looks like an algorithm update happened.

18th June we saw a lot of talk in the SEO world about an algorithm update If your traffic volume has changed around that time it could be due to this.

23rd June saw another update, this time it looks like a larger change. Google has not confirmed.

 

Tracking Parameters

Google has said this month that they will not be adding a filter option for tracking parameters in their tools.
These are parameters like:

juicyseo.co.uk?id=advert

You will not be able to filter out traffic using those type of parameters.
However, if you use a traffic monitor tool like WI1.com you can do this and a lot more.

 

How long does it take for Google to trust a new domain?

For this question I am talking about a “new to you” domain as it could have been used by someone else before.
Let’s say the previous owner of the domain got a link penalty, you the new owner would still have that penalty.
After you have cleaned up the links it will take up to a year for Google to trust your website again. Phew!

 

Should I use the Keyword META option?

For many years Google hasn’t used the keyword META field, and to be honest I didn’t think anyone still used it either.
However, it seems that Bing might use them to help rank websites.
There is a little history on this subject, previously Bing has said they don’t use them, then they said they do. Now they are saying they might use them.
My advice hasn’t changed and that is not to use them.
Using them only tells your competitors which keywords you are targeting, why help them?

 

How much content is the right amount on Category pages?

Category pages are really designed to group together content with a similar subject.
That said it is also a page on your website so why not optimise it and target a keyword?
To optimise a category page you shouldn’t stick 1000’s of words purely to target the keywords. Category pages shouldn’t really have that many words so try not to make the pages look unnatural. Be selective with your copy.

 

Should I remove old pages that are spammy?

Spammy pages are spammy pages, it doesn’t matter how old they are.
The best option is to rewrite the content so it isn’t spammy, but if not possible bin it.
Don’t forget to set up a redirect though!

 

Does Structured Data help my rankings?

Sadly not, if only it was that easy. Structured data helps the search engines understand more about your content and makes it easier for them to add to their index.
It does not provide any “authoritative signal”.

 

That’s it for this month, please share with family and friends if you think they need some SEO news in their lives!