subject: Google algorithm update Jagger - advertising [print this page] This week we discuss the latest Google update, how it might affect your site, and how you can recover if your site lost its position as a result of this update.
The Jagger update started over a month ago and lasted 3 weeks. The update included updating the PageRank of all spidered pages, updating the number of backlinks and most importantly, changing the way Google ranked web sites for any search query. The key features and effects of this update are highlighted below:
Most algorithm updates, whether on Google, Yahoo!, MSN or any other search engine, are characterised by sudden, drastic and often frequent changes on the search results pages for any search query. During the Jagger update, the folks at Google were kind enough to warn us a few days into the update that we were witnessing an update!
What has happened as a result of the Google Jagger update?
Underneath the superficial changes in search results, the Jagger update has had a serious effect on the way companies use search engine optimization to influence ranks. Numerous search engine optimisation experts have theorized on these effects. The most commonly agreed upon conclusions are:
Search engine optimisation has become more difficult than ever!
Older sites are given more recognition
Authority sites (e.g. BBC, NHS) are given more recognition
Government and Educational institutions are considered more important
Links from authority sites, government and educational institutions count
Older, longer-term inbound links are given more importance
Outbound links to authority sites are considered good
Relevance of links is very important
Sites with more pages containing useful information rank better
There are two aspects to consider for reciprocal links. First, Google considers artificial link building with the aim of influencing rank to be a form of spam, and so if it detects unnatural linking patterns, such as links obtained from link farms or link exchanges between irrelevant sites, it will penalize both the sites for this. Second, inbound links are increasingly weighed in importance according to the relevance of the page and the site where the link originates from to the page it is linking to. So, a link from a gambling site to a site about corrective surgery will be considered almost useless. The only type of reciprocal link building that is encouraged is between related companies in an industry e.g. between theatres and ticket agents or between two ticket agents
