Google warned us in advance about its planned webspam algorithmn update (now known as “Penguin”) and site owners who ignored those warnings are now paying the price.

Many of the comments posted to Danny Sullivan’s post about the Penguin update verify search engine ranking downgrades and loss.

Here are just a few examples:

• “I just had a website that ranked on the first page for numerous rankings…. completely tank. One of the only websites that didn’t do comment spam in my SERPS. Didn’t do link exchanges. Now it’s gone.”
• “5 out of 11 of my sites have dropped into oblivion today.”
• “In one of my niches, of course, my site has disappeared.”
• “I have 2 sites that went missing ..they are MIA .. No where to be found in any key word !!”

While I feel for the truly innocent who get caught in the crossfire of Google’s algorithm changes, they will mostly likely regain their rankings — as has happened in the past. By the way, if your site was affected by the “Penguin” webspam algorithm update on April 24th, 2012, and you don’t think it should have been affected, you may submit a report to Google here.

But some not-so-innocent webmasters are stating that Google doesn’t “play fair” and blame Google for the possibility that they may have to seek offline employment or go on government assistance.

Oh, too bad, so sad.

Forgive my lack of empathy, but give me a break.

I’m sick of the whining and moaning that ensues when Google dumps Viagra, make money online, and diabetes web spam over-optimized sites. Google stated that only 3.1% of English language sites would be affected by this update, yet there’s way too much emphasis placed on spammers’ reactions to such changes.

Instead of living in fear of Google algorithm changes, online business owners should seek out positive reports — and there are plenty of positive reports related to the Penguin update, including:

• “I went to my analytics and did a quick search of traffic over the period from April 23-27 and saw my stats go up after Penguin. More traffic, coming from more places. My ranking in Google is stagnant at #4, but has gone up in Yahoo, Aol etc. Has anyone else seen positive signs from this Penguin update?”
• “one of my sites is up 20-30%…”
• “I’ll wait and behold, and start to arrive at any conclusion in a month or two. First of all, none of my sites dropped outta’ index. Second, being patient is natural for buddhists. Third, being an IT worker, I’ve never seen anything of that scale working well at the moment of release and later on. And I don’t really think I’m ever going to, to be frank)”
• “my total search traffic hasn’t changed”

I too have seen a traffic increase in the past week on most of my primary sites, as is usually the case when an Google puts out an algorithm update.

Here’s a Google Analytics screenshot from one site to which no posts have been made for well over a week and no traffic sent from email blasts. Daily traffic variations remain completely normal and new visitor ratio is virtually the same.

After almost 15 years online, I must conclude that’s because I’ve consistently played by the rules. I do NOT do SEO other than naturally including important keywords in my post titles and text, i.e. I do NOT use silly formulas that may work today, won’t work tomorrow and will get me bounced from the index.

It’s Google’s game, therefore Google makes the rules.

Webmasters who want to rely primarily on free traffic from Google should know and follow Google’s webmaster guidelines.

Here are a few more recommendations:

1. Don’t buy links
2. Don’t allow links from low-quality sites and networks
3. Don’t get sucked into buying SEO services that promise a #1 listing
4. Don’t waste your money on crap tutorials that promise to teach you how to get #1 listings in Google

In other words, don’t waste your time on SEO – become a real business that provides real value to real people.

Has Penguin affected your site? Please leave a comment below!

Cheers,

P.S. Thanks to Stan Shebs and Wikipedia for the beautiful penguin pic.

Coming with new and unique ideas to write about can be a challenge. However, there are some things you can do to help you not only come with great ideas, but to also help you write about them. Follow these tips for creating content that is both outstanding and compelling.

No matter what you are writing about, keeping your readers in mind while doing so is important. This is especially true when you are writing a specific topic that relates to certain people. For example, think about the people that love gardening when you are exploring the benefits of hydroponics gardening. In fact, you might find your words come much easier when you have a targeted audience in mind.

Be direct and to the point in your writing. Most people never read an entire article. The first few paragraphs are read and the rest is generally scanned for outstanding and important information. By getting to the point in fewer words, you can get more information in and across to your readers.

When you start thinking about excessive words, you might consider the number of adjectives you use in your work. While adjectives do have a place in your writing, being there too much is unacceptable. This goes back to simply getting to the point without fluffing it up. How you write reflects a part of you, so avoid beating around your main topic and tell readers what they want to know.

One great reason many people never read through a complete article is because it becomes boring. However, think about the article that relays important information while also telling a story. The writing you do that contain interesting facts and a story line suddenly becomes writing that is not so boring.

The writing that is most appealing is the writing that is well rounded and to the point. While making your point, be sure to remain informal and friendly. The best content becomes unattractive when it sounds like it was written by a computer program or robot. Making yourself a real person is an important part of all the writing you do.

Brainstorming for new ideas can certainly be challenging. Take the time to read all you can about topics you want to write about. Ask your friends and family members about any ideas they might come up with. Read other content about the topics you are thinking about for ideas about what to write. Get outdoors and take a walk. You might be surprised how getting away from the desk for break with help to refresh your creative thinking.

Honing your writing skills takes you writing a great deal every day. By doing so, you begin to see the little faults in your work you never noticed were there before. Check out the information online as well about tips and tricks to creating content on a regular and profitable basis. Writing is skill you must practice. Making the changes to your style can mean the difference between your being excellent or mediocre.

If you’re a small business owner, chances are you’ve heard all the buzz about social media sites.

You’ve probably heard the fairytale-like stories of people who used social media to grow their company and their bottom line exponentially. The reason that these stories sound too good to be true is because, in most cases, they are. Social media is a great tool for small businesses to use, but it is not the final solution that will guarantee huge quarterly profits and healthy annual growth. There are a few things that companies should remember when utilizing social media.

The Human Element

People are most likely to buy from other human beings, not some robot with a status update and a profile picture. What I mean by this is that if you are going to utilize networks like Facebook or Twitter, the person who is managing your company’s account should be a great communicator. They should be engaging and interesting. Customers want to know that there is actually a human on the other end of the account so find someone with charisma to manage your social media campaigns.

How Much Is Too Much?

Be sure that you do not spread your social media manager too thin. One of the most damaging things that any company’s social media channels can go through is lack of consistent updating. Ideally you will want a few interesting informative posts on your channels each day. If you have two or three people handling the accounts, you can probably get involved on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. If you only have one person working in social media, you will want to focus your efforts on one or two channels. Identify which demographics you’re targeting and plan your focus accordingly. If you’re looking to recruit new talent, you’ll probably want to be on LinkedIn and Twitter. If you’re looking to push products to young people, MySpace and Facebook might serve you better.

Shake Hands

The final thing to remember about social media is that it does not replace the old fashioned business of making real life relationships. Social media is a great way to start relationships and continue to grow them but make every effort to attend chamber of commerce meetings, meet with colleagues in person and talk to veterans of your business. There is nothing like sitting face to face with someone and talking about the business, family, life or any other topic.

People are most likely to buy from someone they know and it is easiest to get to know people when you can look them in the eye.

In order to make social networking work for you, you need to be patient and persistent.

Just as in the physical world of networking, it is going to take more than a couple of weeks to build relationships and get your network going.

However, the more you reach out to others and contribute, the more quickly you will see results. If you have an email list, you can get a real boost from that at first, but in the long term, the idea that the more you put in (give), the more you will get back truly works in the social networking world.

Focus your efforts on contributing what you know; show your expertise, and others will notice and look for more from you (eventually paying you in the process). If you find discussions to which you can contribute, and do so regularly, it will pay off in long term success. But don’t overdo it especially when you are using Digg.com or StumbleUpon.com. These two social networking sites have strict measures when using their services.

If you do not enjoy the process of connecting with others, perhaps these media are not for you. However, if you like a good conversation, think about your social networking as a series of conversations with people you do not really know, but who will appreciate what you have to say.

Focus your efforts on contributing what you know; show your expertise, and others will notice and look for more from you… If you find discussions to which you can contribute, and do so regularly, it will pay off in long term success.

Public messaging

One of the most interesting things about social sites is that you can send messages to others privately — the way you do with email — but you can also make them public. As often as you can (when it makes sense), try to make your messages public. In that way, many others can benefit from the information you share rather than just one person, and those others will get to know you better as well.

The message could be about a new product you are creating or a workshop you are giving (or attending), a speech you are giving, or anything that might benefit others. They will want to know more and will contact you. Be careful what you say as you comment and message publicly, though because you cannot withdraw what you have said — so pay attention to what you say and make it positive!

The networking site that is currently most productive for this type of communication is Twitter; the more you send messages, the more followers and interest there will be from others.

One important thing to be aware of is that these sites may change their looks and options fairly quickly. You have to be flexible and allow for this because the social networking world is a fast moving one. In-fact from my own recommendation I would encourage that you sign-up with their news letter so that you can be updated regularly so as to avoid negative surprises.

You may find over time that you will want to give up one of the networks because it no longer meets your needs. Just be aware in advance that this can happen, and you may feel that all the work you put in is gone.

However, that is not entirely the case. Your comments and other links will still be there, directing others to your site and your other profiles. You can move on to other things and know that you will still be gaining page rank for your site and more.

Here’s great news on a Facebook event I’m actually happy to hear about… because it comes from a true leader in the social media space – Mari Smith.

If you’ve been trying to get social media to work for your business, you know that Mari Smith provides some of the best guidance there is for making sense of it all.

And as entrepreneurs and small businesses owners, we are all interested in getting better at Facebook marketing and relationship marketing in a big way!

So, I’m VERY excited to tell you what’s in store for you on Tuesday January 31st. Mari’s going to be leading one of her informative, FREE webinars — The New Relationship Marketing – FREE Webinar Series! — on Facebook Marketing for 2012 — and you’re invited!

This will be a lively and informative webinar about how to grow a raving fanbase on the world’s #1 social network — Facebook.

With all the recent changes over at Facebook, sometimes it’s tough to stay ahead and use the world’s largest social network to guarantee consistent visibility, engagement and growth for your business. That’s why Mari’s offering this free webinar, to get you up to speed on Facebook Marketing right at the start of the year. It’s all about the best ways to develop your Fanbase audience so that they REALLY connect with you. And when they join in and respond, they’re ready to buy from you, too!

Register right away to save your seat on Mari’s first big Facebook event of 2012 before it fills up (because if her previous webinars are any indication, I really think the seats on this one will be overflowing too!) I’ve already signed up, so let’s both start this year off with a big boost to our Facebook marketing for 2012!

The New Relationship Marketing – FREE Webinar Series!

I hope to see you on the webinar!

Comments, questions or suggestions? Please leave a comment below!

Cheers,

Here’s an idea for making this Friday more fun and fruitful.

In addition to doing your own Christmas shopping online, give your Facebook friends and family good reasons to do likewise.

The screenshot below shows a Facebook status update about reading Ken Follett’s “Fall of Giants” on my iPad, and how Ed was enjoying his new Kindle Fire on a rainy afternoon.

That’s a strategy that you can use every day of the year to make extra coin.

Respect your Facebook friends by making recommendations relevant and of interest, i.e. stay on topic on your business profile, and don’t inundate close friends with updates about incredible web hosting deals on your personal profile.

As ever, personal endorsements need to be REAL and honest. Getting stumped by follow-up questions will wreck your credibility and future earnings potential.

It’s also a good idea to add a disclaimer such as “When you buy the book through my link Amazon pays me… about enough to send my mother a Christmas card”.

Happy Turkey Day and best wishes for a prosperous Black Friday!

Back at the end of October 2009, I came across a disturbing post about fake soldiers bilking unsuspecting lonely singles out of their hard-earned money.

Running an internet dating site, I felt it only right that I should share this post with my readers and warn them about the dangers of military dating scams.

Little did I know what a beneficial effect that one post would have on my site!

Next to the homepage, that is the most-visited post on the site – with 8.69% of the traffic over the course of a month going directly to that page.

I attribute that success to the continuing run of comments made since the day the post was published.

As of August 5th, there have been 768 comments made on that post and they keep coming in….

So rather than dying a slow death and disappearing into the depths of long-forgotten posts (on a blog that doesn’t get very much attention anymore), that post still ranks high for it’s original keywords – ‘military dating scams‘ (3rd), ‘fake soldiers’ (2nd) and ‘fake soldier scam’ (top 2 positions).

The reason the homepage also shows up in the search is because I added a link to the post from the homepage after it became so popular.

Granted, although I was never looking to rank for terms that included ‘dating scam’ on a site that promotes internet dating services, the point is to go with the flow and try your best to make conversions.

In this case, I added a link to a well-known and respected dating service that caters to military singles.

You can see the original post about military dating scams here.

Subscribers to the feed on my personal blog got a surprise message in their email — a business message I did not intend for them to receive and a message they probably did not care to receive.

And you know what THAT means… LOST subscribers.

So, what did I do wrong (THIS time)?

Well, I failed to set up my Feedburner feed to exclude posts from a particular category. When I posted to that category, the list on my Aweber account that uses the Blog Broadcast service, emailed that post to all the subscribers on the list.

Here’s an example.

If I don’t want NPT newsletter subscribers to receive posts that I make to my XOX (personal) category, that category must be removed from the Feedburner feed.

Here are the steps to take:

1. Sign into WordPress
2. Go to “Categories”
3. Mouse over the name of the category you want to exclude and take note of the ID in the status bar as shown below. In this case, the ID is “381“.

   

4. Now log into your Google Feedburner account and click on “Edit Feed Details” for your feed.
5. Under “Original Feed Details” add ?cat=-318 (or whatever your cat ID happens to be) to your feed URL.

   

6. Now test your Feedburner Feed and you will that posts from the ‘offensive’ category no longer appear.

If you would like to remove 2 or more categories from a feed, simply add an ampersand before each category number ( @amp; ), i.e. http://netprofitstoday.com/blog?cat=-381@-642

Comments, questions or suggestions? Please leave a comment below!

Cheers,

This video about a merchant who ‘has a family to feed’ and ‘will go bankrupt’ getting wrongly banned on Google Adwords is so sad, it’s funny!

Comments?

With a quarter of search traffic coming from Bing and Yahoo!, if your blog isn’t optimized for bing, you’re missing out on lots of commissions!

So, what can you do to improve your Bing viewership?

1. Make sure the Bing spider is allowed to see your site in your robots.txt file
2. Check to see how many of your pages are indexed in Bing, by searching site:yourwebsite.com
3. Compare those returns against the numbers shown by Google.
4. Use Bing’s webmaster tools, to increase your visibility.
5. Use Microsoft AdCenter in addition to Google Adwords to generate traffic.

Yes, Google is great, but Bing will bring your extra traffic, so start paying attention to what they’re telling you!