It's fair to say that the constant changes and tweaks to how Google addrresses page ranking/SERP is the bane of many a designer's life.
The Pengion update to the Google Algorithm appeared in April 2012 with various updates following on it's heels. It's also fair to say that the changes are still rumbling across the internet at the moment and while it's intentions are good, has Google got just a little bit too complicated for it's own good?
If you've read any of my earlier posts, you will realise the constand battle we are having with page ranking. It often feels like we are all dangling on a rope on page one with Google about to cut the link with a giant pair of scissors!
This weeks dilemma for a creative web designer is backlinks and anchor text - we all put a link back to our sites in the footer of the websites we design, but rumours are that after Penguin, this might be seen as an inappropriate SEO strategy - ie trying to manipulate page ranking. Which of course is true - but in a white hat way rather than a black hat way, surely...
After all, if someone likes our work, we want them to be able to link directly to us to be able to employ us to design their website too. Much the same as a builder putting a sign up outside a house that has had work carried out by them. It's just innocent advertising so we can pay the mortgage.
One of the suggestions is to vary the anchor text (that part which you click on) to not be directly keyword related - in other words, forget everything you thought you knew about SEO!?
I also read elsewhere on a respected blog, that varying the anchor text keywords is the way to go, for example, 'web designer in Chelmsford' on one site and maybe 'essex web designer' for another - all linking to the same site. I see examples of this being carried out, but mostly, designers anchor text is simply their company name.
But as if that wasn't confusing enough, there has also been the suggestion that you should limit the amount of links from a particular domain as Google may see too many back links as unnatural. The answer being to 'no follow' some of the links (rel="nofollow") on anything other than the home page - so you still give the opportunity for those that want to get in touch to do so, but also keep Google sweet.
At the moment, we are exploring our options and awaiting comment from the various SEO bloggers and other designers before we change anything drastically.
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