Like Me? Follow Me.
We've had the Panda and now the Penguin, but why do Google love naming their algorithm updates after black and white animals? Is it a subliminal symbol? Or are they just a fan of the monochrome look?
We all know that the Penguin update has wrought havoc in the SERPs, but is there something in the name that might help? Possibly not, however seeing as its Friday, I invite you to consider the candidates for the next Google update title:
1. The Social Zebra
If Wikipedia is to be believed, "Like most members of the horse family, zebras are highly social." Perhaps if a Zebra update was introduced, it would mean an even greater link between Social Media and SEO? Of course, the search results are becoming increasingly social all the time and social media mentions are now taken into account when a site is ranked.
2. The Skunk - Links that Stink
Is your linking causing a stink? I suspect a Skunk update would be even fiercer than the Penguin when it comes to punishing those with a dodgy links. We all know Google likes a natural looking link profile; poor quality links are losing value all the time and an increasing number of sites are being forced to clean up their act.
3. Construct like a Badger
A Badger's den contains an intricate network of tunnels - much like the structure of a good website! A Google Badger update might focus on a site's usability and the importance of a Google-bot-friendly structure.
A good site is made up of a clear structure that is easy for both users and search engines to understand. It should flow logically and have a distinct keyword focus for each page. Having a poor site structure can make it difficult for Google to recognise what your site is about and this could drastically affect your rankability.
4. The Spider Monkey?
As much as I like to think we can predict what's coming next, perhaps it's more likely that they will throw us another curve ball, perhaps the Google Spider Monkey update?
No one can know exactly what to expect from the next update, but Penguin has proved that it's time to ditch the 'black hat' tactics and stick to the white.
All ideas on update names welcome.
