The Penguin update is Google’s latest crackdown on what it terms webspam: Techniques used to boost PageRank without providing value to visitors. Launched on April 24, the update affects 3.1% of searches and targets sites that abuse Google's existing quality guidelines.

So far Penguin’s main impact has been on websites that rely on link networks for traffic. Using exact match anchor text, especially if the links are bought rather than organic, is a red flag to Google.com, as are spammy comments using exact match link signatures, guest posts on irrelevant websites and low-quality article directories, and links from sites that contain dangerous or dishonest content and links.

Penguin is not an attack on the use of SEO. Instead it is the latest phase of Google.com’s war against webmasters who abuse links and rely on other on-page SEO tricks.

The search engine behemoth believes that real people’s enthusiasm for content is the best indicator of quality. This means that social signals and sharing are becoming more and more important to PageRank.  Providing your visitors with high quality, unique content that offers useful information that they'll want to share is thus becoming more and more important; this is the only type of SEO content that's going to pay off for you in the long term.

If your website focuses on providing engaging, fresh content for visitors, then you have nothing to fear from Penguin. Avoid future problems by focusing your link-building efforts on getting high quality links from influential websites in your niche or industry. Think link quality rather than quantity. Links are the natural consequence of an engaging, content-rich website rather than a tool to be manipulated.

Google has very helpfully released specific guidelines for its Penguin update. It advises websites to avoid the following:

1) Hidden on-page text and links that exist only to boost rankings.

2) Cloaking or redirects that mislead your site’s visitors.

3)  Sending automated queries to Google to boost rankings.

4)  Keyword stuffing and hidden keywords that are there only to fool the search engines.

5)  Multiple domains or sub domains with duplicate or irrelevant content

6)  Doorway pages and pages created for affiliate schemes that have little or no original content. Affiliate programs must be highly relevant to your content and add value to your users’ experience. Google.com wants websites to attract traffic with unique, engaging content, rather than with pages designed to harvest click revenue or sales.

7) Pages that contain phishing links, or install viruses and trojans.

Note that there is nothing in the guidelines to concern websites that exist to please their visitors. However, if you feel that you have been unfairly punished by Penguin, Google.com has provided an online form for complaints about the effects of the update.

Google's latest push against webspam is not going to be its last. The days of building traffic via link networks and paid links are over: Websites now have to earn their links simply by being link-worthy. The search engine wants SEO to be transparent and honest. It is guaranteed to continue its war against websites and SEO experts who try to game its algorithms.

Ultimately the Penguin update is good news for honest webmasters and quality websites and blogs. Focus on providing unique, engaging content on a regular basis and make it as easy to share as possible with social network buttons. The more attractive your website and its content to real people the more it will rise in the rankings.

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“These days . . .”

“Nowadays . . .”

“In recent times . . .”

Don’t these phrases recall an elderly person, critical of today’s world, reminiscing about the “good old days”? Without meaning to, they incriminate the present, as if everything was so different “back then,” and sometimes, by implication, better. Many articles submitted to Constant Content begin with one of the above or a similar phrase, which is immediately followed by a statement describing a phenomenon common already for decades.

“These days, divorces are common.”

“In recent times, blogs have been thrust into the limelight.”

“Nowadays, everyone wants to be fit.”

Statements like these will leave the reader scratching her head. It seems as if the writer is either delusional about how different the past was or has failed to observe the past 10 or 20 years or more.

Bring your writing up to date by eliminating unclear comparisons of the past and present. Replace them with details that show you are following today’s trends and understand modern society in relation to the past:

“The divorce rate in the United States has been on a steady increase since 1950, but for individuals, the process remains as difficult as ever.”

“Blogs began gaining ground in the late 1990s as a form of internet self-expression. Today, blogs are a necessary part of marketing.”

“Diets come and go, but one fact remains the same: Everyone wants to be fit.”

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Take a look at the following paragraphs:

There are many writers who rely on sentences that begin with or contain “there.” In most cases, there is no need to include these words. Eliminating “there” from a sentence improves its conciseness and makes its message more direct.

Many writers rely on sentences that begin with or contain “there.” In most cases, the word can be removed. Eliminating “there” from a sentence improves its conciseness and makes its message more direct.

Which one reads more smoothly? The second one, right? What’s missing? There.

Removing “there” from a sentence takes only a couple of seconds. When you reword the sentence containing “there,” you are often forced to use a more active and descriptive verb than the form of “to be” that accompanies it. The message becomes instantly more accessible to the reader. You save the reader the effort of having to pick through unnecessary words to arrive at your meaning. And, with practice, you save yourself time as striking “there” from your sentences becomes second nature.

Remember, eliminating unnecessary words should be a top priority as you write and proofread your work. Conciseness is a major tenet of good writing because it respects a reader’s time and intelligence, shows that you are a thoughtful and careful writer, and increases your work’s appeal to editors (not only those at Constant Content) and customers looking to buy articles.

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The Benefits of Google Personalization for Your Website

The Cons of Google Personalization

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By Meghan McKenzie, Account Manager at Constant-Content.com

An exciting and well-written product description can make the difference between mediocre sales and plenty of sales. Even if you're not a business owner, you will want to work on your product descriptions. There are many selling venues available online for products, so it's an excellent way to increase sales and exposure for your brand.

Online Selling Venues

eBay has been the standard online selling venue for many years. Etsy, Amazon.com, Zazzle, and CafePress each require a compelling product description for selling. No matter if you're running an auction business on eBay, offering homemade crafts on Etsy, or trying to get rid of a used sofa through Craigslist, an excellent product description can help move that product faster and generate more revenue.

Two Goals

There are two main goals of a well-written product description. The first is to provide the necessary facts about the product. The product's color, manufacturer, price, measurements, weight, and other pertinent information must be part of the description. These details are often included at the end of the product description. This type of product copy is factual and informative.

The second goal of a product description is to showcase the product's benefits in such a way that the copy compels the shopper to add the item to his or her cart. This type of copy is creative, descriptive, and often imaginative.

'Romance' the Customer

The creative and descriptive aspect of product copy should 'romance' the customer. Add details to the description that evoke a certain mood or feel. For example, instead of using the word "lighting" to describe a lamp, try "illuminate" or "warm glow." A thesaurus really comes in handy when elevating your product descriptions.

Creative copy creates a personal feeling between the customer and the product. The item is no longer merely a couch, but a comfortable sofa they can picture in their own living room with their families and pets relaxing on it. The product copywriter imagines themselves as the customer. What would make them want to buy the item?

Sensory Details

Use the five senses to add emphasis to the creative product copy. Include at least three different sensory details in each product description. You can describe how the product looks, how it sounds, how it feels, how it smells, and, in some instances, how it tastes. Use positive adjectives like "plush," "velvety," "scented," "cozy," and "comforting." Avoid words that have a negative or neutral connotation like "cold," "hard," "rough," and "harsh."

Sensory details can help you conjure images of comfort, relaxation, friendship, romance, success, and satisfaction. After reading your product description, the customer should feel good about the product. It's about creating a personal connection.

Be Tactful in a Negative Description

Sometimes, the product itself is not in good condition or the seller has a pessimistic opinion about it. The best way to describe the product is to use tact when describing its negative qualities. Instead of writing "in poor condition," write "comfortably shabby" instead. Try to write the copy in such a way that it doesn't conjure negative images for the customer and reduce their inclination to buy it.

Remember to be honest about the product's condition, though. If it is broken or ripped, then include a photograph of the damage and mention it in the copy. A customer will be angry and disappointed if they receive a damaged product and the seller never informed them.

Create a Template

If you have a lot of products to sell and plenty of copy to write, then creating a template can save a lot of time. Add the product's facts, type the creative and descriptive copy, and include your photographs. Post your item online to sell.

Whatever online selling venue you are using, boost sales by writing a better product description or hire someone to do it for you. Include the accurate factual information about the product, and romance the customer with sensory imagery. Make sure everything is spelled correctly before posting it. Note the date that you changed the copy, and track your online sales. Writing excellent product descriptions is a great skill to have for any online seller.

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