It really makes no sense to cull websites for keyword phrase stuffing if it’s using commonsense words … coffee maker is a distinct term from coffee (my niche), and though the term ‘maker’ denotes both a machine or individual, in an article that is about coffee makers, leaving out the word ‘coffee’ really makes no sense at all.

So, if you are writing about coffee makers, you also have to include other phrases like coffee spoon or coffee beans, if it’s Google’s intentions to stop keyword stuffing like that, then I’m afraid most sites are ‘stuffed’ (to use a colloquial UK slang meaning borked).

I think the only thing that Google is really concerned about is the searcher, and like the focus on the link (in PageRank) or the click (in Adsense), Google is looking for the USER/READER/SEARCHER and will use whatever algos ‘seem to pull that out’.

The problem is that an algo is no substitute for the fickleness of human nature, the cacophony and inconsistencies of human wants/needs/desires… and while Google may get close at times in mimicking reality (perhaps at an individual level), they will only mimic reality not capture its entirety.

We only have two defences against this onslaught of quasi-AI algo-fakery: our brand and our relationship with our readers. By building our relationship with readers and stating, clarifying and publicising our BRAND, we can & will be able to beat Google’s algo-nonsense.

So build a brand INTO your website and go find your audience, wherever it is. Google’s search engine is fast becoming a very dangerous place to be, as each of us waste our precious hours wondering what we did wrong each & every time the Panda strikes.

The only thing we did wrong: we spent too much time chasing Google and we failed to satisfy our customers properly. That’s it. That’s all.

So get out there, read the A&R and make your readers HAPPY. Make them delighted. Make them want to come back. Make them NEED to come back. And may Google get ‘stuffed’ instead.