Comments on: SEOs ♥ Drama: Why Our Industry Thrives on Gossip and How the Over-Optimization Issue is a Perfect Example

By: Robert McCulloch

Robert McCulloch — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:18:02 +0000

I thought I was reading too much into things. But after listening to these guys, I feel better about my SEO theories and options.

By: Jessica Lee

Jessica Lee — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:05:28 +0000

In reply to Nando. @Nando: I heard ad revenue was Google's largest source of profit. So while it's safe to assume that Google is in the business of making money, I do think user experience and relevance is also at the forefront. Competing priorities even within Google sometimes causes confusion. Thanks for your comment!

By: Jessica Lee

Jessica Lee — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:00:35 +0000

In reply to John S. Britsios. @John S. Britsios: Yeah, that's part of it, but there are measures you can take to be more proactive about inbound linking to your site. Agree?

By: Nando

Nando — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:47:29 +0000

Interesting post.

Sometimes you gotta wonder…

If Google were to throw out all the websites good and bad from their organic search results, what would people do?

Go to paid search?

Is it a conspiracy to get every one to start paying to play the internet game?

Stay tuned.

Some people just love drama.

By: John S. Britsios

John S. Britsios — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:42:34 +0000

Obviously this update had nothing really to do with on-page factors. There are sites being penalized for off-page factors (IBLs), and in many cases sites that have been attacked by competitors building toxic links to them and which are entirely out of control of the victims.

That said, I think it is a critical issue that we must seriously take into account.

By: Jessica Lee

Jessica Lee — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:46:15 +0000

@JakeSEO: Thanks for your comment. It sucks that there are people out there who are malicious enough to do that. Are there enough of those people to truly put a dent in all the good SEO? I don’t know the answer to that. Algorithms aren’t perfect, so it would be great if there was an improved process in place for handling wrongly penalized sites.

By: Jessica Lee

Jessica Lee — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:41:16 +0000

@Kent: I was wondering about you — glad to see you’re back! You’ve got the right ideas about SEO there. :)

By: Jessica Lee

Jessica Lee — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:40:12 +0000

@Mike: Great illustration and poignant perspective. I suspect the over-optimization thing is just as you described.

By: Jessica Lee

Jessica Lee — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:38:13 +0000

@Jan-Willem: Right, if it feels like you’re pushing the limits, you probably are. I can understand the cause for concern when you don’t actually know what Google is targeting, but I think it’s safe to say it wouldn’t be the same practices they’ve been supporting for years. Thanks for your comment.

By: Jessica Lee

Jessica Lee — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:34:13 +0000

@Rory: I’ve noticed that, too. Recycled drama. I agree with your point about the balanced coverage of SEO events. The negative views about what SEO is are only propagated by those. But you’re right, there’s never a dull moment in our industry! Thanks for your comment.