From the horse’s mouth, Google plans on making it’s normal 1/2 a grand in changes this year to it’s search algorithm.
“Overall, our advice for publishers continues to be to focus on delivering the best possible user experience on your websites and not to focus on specific algorithm tweaks. This change is just one of the over 500 improvements we expect to roll out to search this year.”
On another note: I always love it when they say stuff like this at the googleplex. The company literally revolutionized business and is dominating one of the biggest distribution channels in the world right now, but when their changes literally pummel a business in the precarious business environment of the past few years, these are not just “minor changes” in the lives of many business owners. It’s VERY easy for people who:
a) have lots of stock with a company that’s done incredibly well this past year and are rolling in cash to say silly stuff like “not worry about these specific changes”
b) get paid quite handsomely due to this search engine monopolizing the business environment for many again to say just do the obvious
c) don’t have to depend on the monthly and sometimes daily changes in business income like most of us small business owners have to regularly, but instead can rely on nice LARGE paychecks regularly
d) work for the best company in the world in terms of benefits
e) suffer from “big company” perspectives
These changes make a huge difference in small businesses lives and they tell us don’t worry, but just focus on the bigger aspects about your website? Easy for folks who don’t run small businesses like we do and how it can literally give us an ulcer if we lose rankings and as a result, lose traffic.
