Google is still the primary source of traffic for the vast majority of websites on the Internet and the best way to ensure a site’s success is to comply with all of Google’s stated and unstated standards for website quality. With the recent Mayday update, many established websites experienced a significant drop in their long tail traffic from Google. The explanation from Google is that they are striving to deliver higher quality sites in their long tail search results. It makes sense, of course, but it also represents just the latest curveball that Google has thrown at webmasters and web marketing professionals who rely so heavily on traffic from the world’s leading search engine.

The savvy website owner, however, has already begun to rely increasingly on traffic-generating methods outside of Google and other search engines. The manner in which Internet users are now finding information, while still dominated by Google, is increasingly including social media. Networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others have begun to chip away at Google’s share of web-based site referrals, meaning that they can be an effective tool in overcoming losses due to the recent algorithm changes at Google.

While most are familiar with Facebook and Twitter, et al, on a personal level, it is quite another matter to utilize these social networking tools for business purposes, and many are at a loss as to how to proceed with this type of strategy. First and foremost, understand that the use of social networking and social media is about connecting with potential customers or clients in a manner that is not possible with search engines and rarely seen even on company websites. Social networking allows a more personal, less formal introduction to one’s company. Because of this, Facebook profiles and Twitter updates for a company should be focused on elements of the business that will grab people’s attention.

Recent projects, portfolio updates, company-sponsored events, new hires, and many other similar subjects are the fodder with which company Facebook and Twitter profiles should be populated. Lest one forget, however, the point of these profiles is to not only connect with prospective clients, but also to have them click through the profile to the main company website. Ensuring that there are references to the site, including links, is a must, and it is also recommended that the company website, in turn, link back to the external company profiles on the various social media platforms.

While a website owner facing lost traffic from the recent Google algorithm change should, by all means, attempt to regain that lost traffic by making tweaks, adding content and garnering new links to deep content in their sites, there is something to be said for the volume and type of traffic that can be delivered from social media. The sheer numbers may still favor Google and other search engines in this regard, but the traffic from social media and social networking sites tends to be more “organic,” almost as though one’s company has been discovered by word of mouth advertising. The “friend” and “fan of” features on Facebook, and the “followers” element of Twitter especially lend themselves to this type of impression in the minds of potential customers, and can go a long way toward placing one’s company in front of a growing online trend for creating new business opportunities. For help in understanding and mastering social media marketing and optimization, Contact My Studio Space Web Design Firm today.

Recent algorithm changes at Google have left some webmasters and website owners scratching their heads over the precipitous drop in traffic their sites have experienced. It’s important to realize, however, that within the SEO game, Google algorithm updates represent a zero-sum game. In short, when one site loses rankings and traffic, another steps into its place. For some, that means that the so-called “Mayday” update has actually resulted in an increase in traffic, but those making the most noise over the issue are, by far, those that have seen diminishing traffic and revenue from the changes.

For those not entirely familiar with the recent updates, Google began making tweaks in late April in an attempt to bring higher-quality websites to the top of the search rankings. While that is a very basic goal that Google is always striving for, this particular tweak was interesting because it focused more specifically on so-called “long tail” queries, i.e. – highly-specific searches that are not individually big traffic-drivers but, when taken aggregately, can drive vast amounts of visitors.

Matt Cutts, an engineer with Google who frequently speaks at industry events and via web-based video, noted of the change, “This is an algorithmic change in Google, looking for higher quality sites to surface for long tail queries. It went through vigorous testing and isn’t going to be rolled back.” Discussion of the Mayday updates reached a fever pitch in the last days of May, when many site owners saw the biggest changes in their traffic logs. Specifically, those with e-commerce sites, or other websites that consist of many pages, were seeing fewer visitors to “deeper” pages within their site’s structure, including product pages and pages that were several clicks away from the home page.

While the mechanism and programming behind the Google changes are quite fascinating, for most website owners the only real concern is what to do about lost traffic. Ultimately, the name of the game is increasing the quality of a website in the eyes of Google. A great place to start is by upgrading existing content and working hard to attract credible incoming links to the site. Contact My Studio Space Web Design today to learn more about how we can help you improve the quality of your website and reclaim your lost Google traffic.