We have pointed out in past posts and videos that Google is tinkering with their algorithm. There have been two core algorithm updates and the update to Google Penguin is just around the corner.

There is another big clue that big changes are on the horizon. They just recently changed their content guidelines in the Webmaster Guidelines section.

Search Engine land is the first to have pointed it out. Here are the key points to consider…

The first section originally read like this:

“Even if you choose not to implement any of these suggestions, we strongly encourage you to pay very close attention to the “Quality Guidelines.”

They changed the sentence to now read like this:

“We strongly encourage you to pay very close attention to the Quality Guidelines below.”

Why is this important?

The first sentence may indicate that they do not have the capacity to enforce the quality guidelines. The second sentence may indicate that they now have the ability to do so and those who do not will not like the results.

The Google Penguin update is designed to push up the websites that follow their content guidelines, while the websites who don’t get pushed to the bottom. These are by Google’s definition, ‘informational’ and ‘helpful’ to the user. They have said many times in the past to focus on making content for people and not for search engines.

What Google particularly dislikes are deceptive and manipulative forms of content designed to mislead the user. Below is a very important paragraph that reflects how strongly they feel about spam:

“These quality guidelines cover the most common forms of deceptive or manipulative behavior, but Google may respond negatively to other misleading practices not listed here. It’s not safe to assume that just because a specific deceptive technique isn’t included on this page, Google approves of it. Webmasters who spend their energies upholding the spirit of the basic principles will provide a much better user experience and subsequently enjoy better ranking than those who spend their time looking for loopholes they can exploit (Googleusercontent.com).

If you’re interested in a full content analysis of your website to see if it falls within Google guidelines, use the link below. A member of our search marketing team will follow up within 24 hours.