Top Two Search Engine Themes of 2010

2010 marked some of the most significant changes in the major search engines’ algorithms within the last decade. Two themes dominated the updates that search engines (mainly Google) took on in 2010 - Speed and Social. Along with the launch of Google’s new indexing process coined “Caffeine” came the need for speed among websites. Essentially, websites that load faster will typically result in happier users, so Google incorporated speed as a ranking factor among the 200+ variables in its algorithm. Later in the year, Google’s Realtime Search got its own address, which aims to fill the need of users searching for information that is new and fresh. Within the last couple of months, there has been a great deal of speculation among SEOs as to how Google is using social signals as a factor in its algorithm. Just a couple of weeks ago, Google’s Matt Cutts addressed this speculation in a Google Webmaster Help video. So what does this all mean for your SEO efforts in 2011? Simply put, pay attention to the speed performance of your site and finally nail down a Social Media Strategy and manage it effectively. Happy New Year from the Verndale SEO team and we’ll look forward to sharing more tips with you in 2011!