Several weeks ago, Google implemented drastic changes in its algorithms; it known as the “Panda Update.” The goal was to decrease the rankings of low quality websites on 11.8% of queries. For the search engine, “low quality” is content that is poorly written, copied and pasted, contains limited information, or otherwise is not useful. So as usual, there had been winners and losers.
One of the most significant trends that have become apparent is that user-generated content or (UGC) on product pages got an A+ grade from Google. It has long been known that fresh user-generated content is beneficial for a site’s ranking. But aside from new content, archived pages usually receive a significant number of long tail keywords traffic as well.
Based on research after the Panda Update, it became clear that none of the sites which contained UGC on their product pages dropped in rankings. In fact, 6 out of 10 of them got an increase of not less than 10%. Google has always valued UGC but now, webmasters know that aggregated UGC can help their websites as well.
A number of webmasters are hesitant about the value of user-generated content. But the truth is that even one sentence reviews or replies can be powerful, especially if they are aggregated together. It can contribute greatly to any SEO campaign. But aside from the rankings, there is an even better benefit of using UGC – it can actually increase conversions. Customers are likelier to buy from your store if they see that like-minded individuals like your products or services.
To maximize the effect of UGC, it is highly advised for you to insert a small amount of recent user-generated reviews or feedback into your product pages. This method simply increases the appeal of the page while enabling it to provide more information to users. Just make sure that Google can fully index the content for all your products.
With the Panda Update, there had been countless successful website owners and internet marketers who had been adversely affected. You can look at this change positively though. All it takes is to know what its actual effects are and how you can strategize the reach the number 1 position.
