Were
                You Bamboozled by Google?
                By Diane
                Hughes Copyright © 2004 
                 
                It’s still happening. "Florida," "Boston,"
                "Ginger," and "Brandy" are just a few of the
                many Google updates that have hit within the last few months.
                And Google is still issuing periodic updates as we speak. No one
                can say for sure what’s going on or what to expect. One thing
                is for sure... unless you want to get bamboozled by Google
                (again!), you’d be wise to take action to prevent it now. 
                 
                So many people were screaming (and still are) about losing tons
                of business due to Google’s updates. Some have reported 30%,
                50%, or even total losses. What can you do? After all, you’re
                at the mercy of Google, right? WRONG! 
                 
                Why Do Rankings Keep Changing? 
                 
                Google, like many other engines, changes its algorithm (formula
                for calculating who ranks where) from time-to-time in an effort
                to filter out spammers and deliver the most relevant search
                results possible. 
                 
                Google has had updates since its very beginning. But now,
                depending on which theory you choose to believe, they are making
                more advancements that require more updates. This means, even if
                you rank at #1 this week, you might not make the top 30 next
                week. 
                 
                How Do You Protect Yourself From Updates? 
                 
                Diversify! It is never a good idea to have all your income
                generated by one source. You wouldn’t depend on having all of
                your retirement savings from one source (that’s exactly why
                mutual funds are so popular), and you wouldn’t have all of
                your money in one bank. I mean, really! What if that one source
                went under? The same principle applies to Internet marketing. 
                 
                While search engines are a phenomenal way to drive traffic to
                your website, they are most certainly not the only way. In order
                to ensure you are protected should Google (or whoever is the
                next "big" search engine) change their formula yet
                again, you need to create a diversification plan. 
                 
                Think of all the outlets that reach your target audience.
                Investigate each one to see how feasible it would be to market
                your site through those channels. Then implement a plan that
                includes several advertising avenues (including search engines)
                that - as a whole - generates as much (or more) business as you
                originally received from Google. That way, should one of these
                channels go down, your business would only be slightly affected. 
                 
                Don’t stop there! Twice a year you’ll want to go over your
                plan and be sure that everything is working, as it should. If
                one outlet begins to dwindle in its response, look into finding
                a replacement. This way you are never taken by surprise. 
                 
                Once you have your diversification plan working for you, you
                will be in a much better position to be rest assured that the
                business you receive will be there for the long haul. You will
                also feel more comfortable that no one organization can cause
                the tremendous damage Google has caused and could cause again. 
                 
                About the Author: 
                 
                 
                
                
                
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