Costing Google Money? You Might Pay

About a week ago, I was privileged to attend an SEOmoz Pro Webinar, presented by respected SEO Expert Dr. Pete. The theme was “Future-Proofing Your SEO – 2012 Edition.” Key among his insights was that now is the time to be efficient online. Like most things, it comes down to money…

Google's pile of money is built upon the solid foundation of an even larger pile of money. And they want to maximize their ROI, just like we do.

It costs Google to be Google.

To crawl and index everything in the world is a massive undertaking, with very real costs attached to it. Google’s latest updates are all about its money. Crawling and indexing the internet is a very real cost and since the beginning of 2011, wasteful websites have been actively punished in the name of “quality” and to save resources.

What should I do?

This is a great time to optimize your website! Ultimately, it makes for a better experience, a more Google-friendly site, and a better Internet. Inspired largely by the SEOmoz Mozinar, here are 5 ways to tune your website to work seamlessly with the modern Google:

✓ Make leaner web sites that load faster

Make pages unique – don’t repeat the same thing over and over. Syndicated content is still a great way to bolster your website, but make sure it doesn’t outweigh your uniquely valuable content. Using Google’s ownPage Speed Chrome Extension or Page Speed Online Analyzer is a great way to get actionable suggestions, straight from Google.

✓ Consolidate multiple domains

Differentiate them enough that they clearly stand on their own, or roll them back into your main site. Make one fantastic site instead of a bunch of alright ones!

✓ Create Unique Value

You still can’t beat having something worth looking at – and sharing. Amazon, for example, add volumes of value in the form of reviews (both their own and customer reviews), interviews, videos, lists, wish lists, and more.

✓ Invest in Quality

Buy high quality content and get it linked. High quality is always better. It’s worth it. 1 moment of excellence is worth hundreds of mediocrity.

✓ Analyze and Optimize Everything

Use Web Analytics, Webmaster Tools, Heatmaps, and Professional SEO Tools to analyze your website, and find where you can improve. And to actively test the improvements you make – so you can be certain that changes you make are the right ones. This will allow you eo ensure that things work exactly as they should – at every step of your website.

The bigger you make the pie, the bigger your piece gets...

Give Google a Positive ROI and You’ll Be Rewarded

Google’s budget is very real. If you give them high return for their resources, then you can expect them to invest more in you. Make your web presence optimal, help contribute to making a more Google friendly Internet, and Google will be more friendly towards you.