BY AJ KUMAR

Every time Google rolls out a new algorithm update, article after article is posted online about how the latest changes represent “the end of SEO as we know it.” Here’s a better newsflash: No matter how many of these articles are written or how many adjustments Google makes, search engine optimization is still alive and well — and will continue to be.

But just because SEO hasn’t been made irrelevant doesn’t mean Google’s Panda and Penguin updates haven’t altered established SEO best practices. Although it’s difficult to say what Google’s next move will be, there are a few lessons we can draw from Google’s latest changes.

Here are my three predictions for how search optimization might look in the months ahead:

1. Overly-optimized sites will continue to be targets.
Based on Google’s stated interest in stopping sites that intentionally manipulate the natural search engine results pages (SERPs) from ranking well, it’s my expectation that we’ll continue to see future algorithm changes designed to punish indicators of over-optimization.

But simply saying “Don’t over-optimize your site,” isn’t realistic, as there’s no way to know which specific optimization metrics Google is able to measure and track. It’s also not possible to determine where the line between effective on-page SEO and over-optimization will be drawn.

Related: Can Too Much SEO Be a Bad Thing?

For now, the best approach appears to be focusing on the quality of your site in terms of visitor interactions, content value and other on-site elements — not over employing complex SEO techniques designed to boost rankings.

2. Visitor engagement matters more than ever.
Another factor that I expect to be important in future ranking algorithm updates is the level of visitor engagement occurring on a site. Since Google promotes the sites that its users will find valuable, one might assume that sites that demonstrate high engagement will be rewarded in future updates.

Again, the specific metrics that the Google can detect and track in order to measure visitor engagement aren’t immediately apparent. As a general rule, a few of the specific items webmasters should focus on are the presence of customer reviews, article comments and social networking follow-through.

Related: 3 Ways to Stop Losing Traffic from Google’s Penguin Update

3. Content quality will grow in importance.
Although Google has made no secret of its desire to reward high-value content with top SERPs rankings, too many webmasters still rely on keyword-optimized or copied-and-pasted content to fill their pages.

Even if your site wasn’t affected by the Panda or Penguin updates, you shouldn’t assume that you’re safe. Google has made every indication that it intends to weed out low value results from the search results. Getting your content quality up now offers one of the best opportunities to protect your site from future changes.

________________

Google Penguin

Google Penguin is a code name for a Google algorithm update that was first announced on April 24, 2012. The update is aimed at decreasing search engine rankings of websites that violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines by using black-hat SEO techniques such as keyword stuffing, cloaking, participating in link schemes, deliberate creation of duplicate content, and others.

Penguin update went live on April 24, 2012. However, Google had not come up with an official name for it until two days later. Search Engine Land, a popular online magazine that covers search news, asked their readers to provide suggestions on how to name the new algorithm change on Google+ and Facebook. Among the popular suggestion were “Pi”, “OOPs”, “Shark Update” and “Titanic” (the absolute leader). A post on May 20th 2012 by SEO Expert Todd Bailey on Search Engine Guide compares the algorithm and its detection of spam with the life cycle of a penguin and its sense of smell.

Before Penguin Google released a series of algorithm updates called Panda that first appeared in February 2011. Panda aimed at downranking websites that provided poor user experience. To identify such websites, a machine-learning algorithm by Navneet Panda was used, hence the name. The algorithm follows the logic by which Google’s human quality raters determine a website’s quality. In January 2012, so-called page layout algorithm update was released, which targeted websites with little content above the fold. The strategic goal that Panda, Penguin and page layout update share is to display higher quality websites at the top of Google’s search results. However, sites that got downranked as the result of these updates have different sets of characteristics. The main target of Google Penguin update is to check webspam.