How Does Google's New Algorithm Affect Freelance Writers?
Oh No! Are my PPV's Going to Go the Way of the Dinosaur?
Many freelance writers and content creationist have been holding a long collective breath since Google's new algorithm change on February 24th 2011. Here are some of the most recent statistics for some of the largest content sites on the web.
Got a Little SEO Marketer in You?
Want Some?
Most freelance writers have little choice but to learn a bit about SEO marketing. Many of their clients have perfected some great techniques and have to pass them onto the writer to get the content they desire. This leaves observant freelancers with a bit more knowledge than they came to the party with in the first place.
I've found it amazingly short-sighted that some freelancers take all of those wonderful tips as nothing more than 'instructions' to be forgotten once the project is complete. Who has room for all of that crazy marketing mumbo-jumbo in their head next to all of those creative writing skills anyway, right?
Wrong. Oh, so wrong.
Who Loses?
And Why?
If most of your content has been generated and submitted by article submission software, you are likely on a slippery slope now, with no chance of ever
"I Try to Leave Out the Parts that People Skip ~Elmore Leonard
retaining another grip on Google's search engine, or at least not until the next unexpected change.As always if you have been badgering keywords and phrases to death, unless you have spectacular content to make up for it, graphs, charts and other extremely helpful information, those badgered keywords are still likely to be viewed as rude by Google.
If you have great content, but have limited it to some of the larger content submission sites, you may also be in danger of losing a big load of PPV's.
The reason for the failure is that with the new algorithm changes, Google will now search for such things as repetitive content and keyword stuffing to just plain old useless fluff, and penalize it.
In a way, for a bit we all lose out for a little while. Although the new change will encourage higher-quality content to the forefront (we hope), it will also prevent all of those useless links you find that are simply just repeated keywords and SEO mush.
Who Wins?
And Why?
Those who have been providing high-quality content to just about anywhere shouldn't really suffer that big of a loss. If you are smart, you aren't putting all of your digital eggs in one content basket anyway.
It is no coincidence that I am writing this on a Squidoo Lens. They are one of the few sites that hasn't been suffering immeasurable losses since the change landed. In fact, Squidoo lenses, mine and others have begun to show up not just on the front page of Google where they were previously unseen, but several have even quickly moved into the coveted number one position.
Personal blogs that have great content and helpful interaction are making a huge leap upward. Be sure to check your new page rankings and analytics.
*This Lens will be updated as more information is found on which sites are gaining more benefit from the recent change.
Content Sites That Are Losing Ground
Them? No Way!!
Many of them may not surprise you, but some may surprise you for the same reasons they caused me to pause.
Suite101
Suite101's content has always been a fair earner for me, however, SISTRIX stats show that has suffered a 90% loss. Oddly, on the 24th itself my Suite101 showed an immense increase. However, it has begun to show its true fate by having fallen into a fairly steep decline in the last few days.
Ezine Articles
This only surprises me because of all that time spent trying to meet and beat Ezine submissions. Having trained a hundred writers on the ins-and-outs of their oddball guidelines gave the illusion that they must know what they were doing. However, these early statistics show they have had a 90% loss.
Associated Content
Since Googles algorithm change, the stat meter on the Associated Content page has begun to look like a picture of mountains drawn by a pre-schooler. All sharp angles and dips and dives. The big stats though, they show a loss of 93%.
Buzzle
And just when they were starting to get better, higher quality content and filter out a lot of the mass submission work, they get hit hard with an 85% loss. Not quite as bad as the others, but for Buzzle, very bad indeed.
What All Freelance Writers Should Know
And where it can take them
The role marketing plays in creating freelance writing jobs should make anyone new to the trade sit up and take notice. However, if you haven't quite grasped the notion that likely 95% of the freelance projects you do for clients are all about marketing, you may need a tip to help you, help yourself. This is why monitoring the changes Google causes with any of their changes is vitally important to the freelance writer. Keeping an eye on these changes can mean the difference between shining content results or non-existent viewers, and therefore, zero PPV.
Pay attention to each clients needs for SEO percentages, keyword phrases, as well as other aspects of controlling their marketing processes.
Take notes of important aspects that could benefit you as a freelance writer. Does one of your clients have great traffic on their Wordpress site? Check out their plug-ins lists. Perhaps your blog could benefit from it as well.
Monitor the recent changes for yourself. Check out where your work now stands on Google and other search engines. Don't forget to check all stats measurements any of your write sites offer.
Be proactive. Submit your blogs, websites and other content through directories or search engine sites.
