The Google Dance Is Back

Vets in the SEO space remember the “Google Dance,” how search results used to jump around on a monthly basis as Google rolled out algorithm changes. The dance eventually died, but now it’s back.

My latest column over at our Marketing Land site, The Return Of The Google Dance, covers how the dance has made a comeback.

The column takes you through the history of the old Google Dance and how we’ve returned to a monthly “Panda Dance.” It also explains how the results at Google may dance for other reasons that Google doesn’t announce, like refreshes of the Penguin or Top Heavy updates.

I wanted to make sure people who only read Search Engine Land also got a heads-up about this shift, because I think it’s really important. It’s also a nice opportunity to explain why I might write the occasional “big picture” piece on search marketing on our sister-site Marketing Land.

Marketing Land’s Search Marketing Column

MarTech is designed to appeal to a broader internet marketing audience than Search Engine Land does. General internet marketers do need to know about major trends in search marketing, since that’s a part of internet marketing.

I’m one of several columnists for the Search Marketing Column at Marketing Land that aims to ensure internet marketers are getting the general search education they need. For me, it’s especially a chance to stretch out and discuss a broader search trend, perhaps in a way that’s accessible to both newcomers and search veterans.

If you’ve missed them, here are a few other big picture columns that I’ve done over on Marketing Land since the column launched are:

• The Name Game: Does SEM = Paid Search? Does Search + Social = Inbound Marketing?
• Links: The Broken “Ballot Box” Used By Google & Bing
• How Google Went From Search Engine To Content Destination

If you already take one of our many search marketing columns here, I’d highly recommend taking the search marketing column from Marketing Land, as well. You won’t be disappointed. Be sure to also check out Marketing Land overall, because just as internet marketers need to know search, search marketers need to know internet marketing.

And don’t worry — if you follow Search Engine Land on Twitter, Facebook or Google+, any Marketing Land stories that seem especially relevant to our search audience here are shared. You can also take our SearchCap newsletter to get a daily recap of headlines from both Search Engine Land and Marketing Land, as well as stories from around the web.