This entry was posted on
Thursday, January 26th, 2006 at
2:11 pm and is filed
under Search Engine Optimisation.

DirectMag.com – BigDaddy Means Big Changes at Google: One of the most popular forms of exercise among many search engine optimizers – both the third-party firms that do it for others and the advertisers who spiff up their own Web pages for better natural search rankings – is a periodic workout called “chasing the algorithm”. The race begins when Google or Yahoo! updates some portion of the software that determines how they look at Web pages and decide which are most relevant and valuable to a searcher. The engine makes that change; Web operators see their rankings rise or fall as a result; and they, or their outside search engine optimization (SEO) firm, scramble to get back the old rank by providing the new elements the search engine now needs. After a few months, the engines make another change, and it’s off to the races again.

I don’t participate in this sport much, to be honest. I generally take a longer (and marketing-focused) view and stick to the principles behind Google, knowing that any technical updates (in Google or in any new/popular search engines) will mostly be in keeping with these principles. There’s stuff I did 5-6 years ago that’s still working, which is great for clients… but not so great for my bank balance.

update – Ah, yes; almost forgot… principles.