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Google’s Biggest Changes of 2011

The end of the year is a time for resolution, for reusing leftovers, for regifting…and for reflecting on all the changes that occurred during the past 12 months. Google is so popular, so much a part of so many people’s everyday lives, that even one big change can rock the Internet for weeks, months, and potentially years to come. But the search engine giant didn’t stop at just one big change, or even two, this past year. Looking back at the website’s biggest changes of 2011 could reveal some of the changes Internet users can expect in the future.

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One of Google’s last changes of 2011 was pretty huge. With little fanfare and even less advanced warning, the search giant rolled out a brand-new look toward the end of December to surprise millions of users. The toolbar along the top of the page vanished to be replaced by a drop-down menu users have to rollover to use. None of the options changed, but they did move, hinting that Google may have some new tweaks and changes yet in store for its familiar, iconic look. But even this big change is a mere drop in the bucket of Google’s big 2011 changes.

Google Breaks Into Social Media

Not to be outdone by the likes of Facebook (which managed to surpass Google as the number one U.S. site in 2011), Google unveiled its biggest change to date when it jumped into the social media fray. The site launched the Google+ button, similar to Facebook’s popular “like” feature, along with new online profiles for users who want to boost and maintain their online reputation. Hudson Business Solutions can help you make the most out of Google’s new (and ongoing) social media changes.

Neither the + button nor the profiles set the world on fire right away, but many sites have added the button to their pages and more users are signing up for their Google profiles every day. Google isn’t quite a big contender for Facebook’s audience yet, but the search giant has proved it isn’t afraid to get into the competition — and one suspects that more changes in 2012 are imminent.

Revenue-Gobbling Panda Goes to Work for Google

For many webmasters, Google’s most notable change of 2011 was the Panda update. The first in a series of updates was unleashed in February, and by March many websites had taken a very noticeable dive in page visits and ad revenue. New search algorithms, dubbed Panda, completely changed the way Google finds content for web searchers. Pages that barely saw the light of search results suddenly flew up to the top of the list, while other sites that enjoyed great traffic found their numbers dropping sharply.

A large number of websites are still feeling the pain of the Panda updates, and Hudson Business Solutions can show you how to focus on building your online reputation to market your site in spite of Google’s best efforts. Strong marketing can help to offset a drop in search engine rankings.

More changes are on the way for Google and for all the big Internet sites, but Hudson Business Solutions will be there to track them — and help you figure out how to master them. So keep visiting our blog to stay current with these new updates.

Tagged with: Google Ranking, Google's Changes, Hudson Business Solutions, Online Reputation Management, Search Engine, Search Results, SEO, Social Media

Categorised as: Online Reputation Management