But things changed in the Internet marketing world when Google decided that it only wanted to see links from other sites in your DMOZ category. (DMOZ is the open directory at dmoz.org) What that meant was that if you were in the health niche, for instance, you could get links in body building and even beauty, even if your site was about asthma. Paid linking was still OK, as long as you didn't buy lots of links on one site or too many links that hit all at once. Google wasn't happy about those things.
But since May, that fickle old Google has decided that linking is passe. Their newest algorithm shift said that they didn't like link manipulation schemes. Hmm... That meant that they wanted sites to link naturally to one another. They wanted webmasters to find something really exciting on another site and just link to it because they could. Google decided it no longer wanted to see "links" pages, just for the sake of collecting links. We proved this to ourselves when our blog sunk to #536 from #4 overnight. When we realized it was because we had put up a links page on the blog, and took it down, Google loved us again. We went right back to #4.
Today, it's all about content. That's it! Makes it pretty simple, really. Google wants articles, blog entries with more than just a trackback, audio, video, images, and press releases. All of these will become much more important in the results pages. Important directory links may still be OK, but don't waste time trying to get links from other sites. It just won't help you.
What Google has up its sleeve is universal search, which means that all types of content will soon be creeping into all results pages. So, to get high ranking in the Internet marketing world, you'll need great content in all of the forms we touched on above. And it's no wonder. Isn't it Google's job to give the most comprehensive, best search results to their clients? Their track record in doing this has given them more than 50% of the search market today. They just dominate!
But you may wonder why those of us in the Internet marketing world have to care about Google at all. Well, because they're the biggest, they bring the most search traffic. Not only that, but most important to Internet marketing is that Google also converts the best and that's what Internet marketing is all about--making sales.
So, here's the deal: Just give Google what it wants. Create a site filled with tons of great content in whatever niche you're marketing in, be it Internet marketing or dog training. If you have a blog, put some killer content into it. Give your website an articles directory and write or buy some great articles in your niche. Use video to show some tips about your niche or review products you want to sell. Make audios to do the same. And also be sure to include pictures with "alt" tags that are keyword rich. Google will love your site for it, and it will find you naturally. So, the buzzword this year is "content." Until Google changes its mind again, that's what Internet marketing is all about.