Google Venice – Can You Keep Your Head Above The Water?

February 2012 Update

Venice is Google’s codename for the update that made the biggest news in February 2012. With over 35 changes to algorithms, many debates have occurred as a result of this.

How the change in the evaluation of links will now be determined and the effect on the internet this may have, is causing the debates. It will be some time before we start to see the changes Venice has on search results. Google often makes updates and with Venice will be turning off a various link signals. Many now believe that Google is looking to move more towards social media and innovative content as ranking factors rather than strength in links. Google might treat links in a more intelligent way, but I believe we should never forget about link building.

Venice is an important update for the localisation of searches and results. Google will deliver a result which is geographically related to the location of the search query without a location being entered in the first place.

Venice has already commenced, therefore it is advisable for one to have a local search results strategy in place within their SEO.

Google detects locations based on IP addresses and filters results accordingly.

Google calculates the results by determining which are local to the IP address from where the search query came. This works whether one is, or is not, logged in to their Google account.

“Local” has become quite a large portion within the algorithm and cannot be avoided.

From now on, one should have a correctly and completely optimised local strategy in place.

On page old techniques that are significant should still be incorporated and is very important that they are.

This will be one of the deciding factors as to whether an article or site appears on page one or two.