Google Latest Link Evaluation Update | NOT Panda 3.3

The SEO Industry news got hot last week as Google Rolled out 40 new changes to its Search Algorithm. For those who do not read properly and keep scream ’Panda - Panda’ the Panda update and Search Algorithm are not one and the same thing.

The Search algorithm is way boarder in scope and complexity than the Panda. Read more about Panda and Inside Search.

Well let’s get back to the hot story. Out of the 40 changes listed the one that made the most noise was ..Link evaluation.

We often use characteristics of links to help us figure out the topic of a linked page. We have changed the way in which we evaluate links; in particular, we are turning off a method of link analysis that we used for several years. We often rearchitect or turn off parts of our scoring in order to keep our system maintainable, clean and understandable.

 

Now what has been bothering me and a big chunk of the SEO world is what refers to as "method of link analysis that we used for several years" <- this one is probably ’anchor text’ signal. Here is a reference to a discussion on WmW.

 

Over the last few months there have been several independent tests by SEOs to determine the role of anchor text today as a signal to SERP rankings.

 

Here is one I remember Now with the recent declaration that one of the signals is being turned off, we SEOs increasingly feel that its the Anchor Text signal. I mean the ’exact anchor text’ signal.

 

Our Link Building activities for the last month has confirmed the suspicion. We got almost no results from ’exact anchor text’ links generated through social bookmarks. Please note that the bookmarks were the highest quality possible with 100% unique test descriptions in proper English. With about a 100 links to each target keyword we failed to hit the SERPs as hard as we used to do two months before in November. So, in the eventuality that ’anchor text’ signals are now dead, what are our options to tell the search engine what is this link about. How does google calculate what ’keyword’ to generate for that link in question? Consider this situation,

 

We have a great page on "lens making". So does that mean the link with anchor text "photo films" will carry no benefit at all for the keyword "photo film" because the page that links it is not exactly about it???

 

In the past we have bragged how related niches that are not competitive provide strong links. But what now? A lot remains to be answered. We are devotedly researching these developments and we assure you we shall update you with more information that will assist you in keeping your business alive in the face of tough competition and Google Quality standards.