Google Dance and Its Effect on Your Blog

Periodically, Google updates its index by recalculating the PageRank of the web pages that they have crawled. Since the number of pages is huge, it normally takes a couple of days before the whole process is completed. During this period, the position of web pages fluctuate until they settle to what should be their final position until the next update, thus the name Google dance.

When Does Google Dance Happen?

Google dance usually happen every 36 days or 10 times in a year. We have to remember that the Internet is constantly changing. There’s an article published every few seconds and links are created from time to time. To stay on top of the game, Google has to update their search results to make sure that they are providing the best, the freshest, and the most valuable content to their searcher.

What Happens To My Blog during Google Dance?

Some bloggers, especially those who watch their rank on a daily basis, panic during this time when they see that their position suddenly drops from search result.

Let’s look at possible scenarios to help you understand what’s going to happen if you experience this. If Google don’t find anything wrong with your site, or if there is no other competing site that deserves its position, then your site gets back to its original position when the whole process is completed. If Google finds another competing site that looks more valuable than yours, base on their algorithm, then your site moves one step backward. But if another competing site is penalized, then your site moves closer to the top.

The worst is – if they find suspicious activities on your site, then your site could possibly be taken out of Google’s index.

How Can I Prevent My Blog From the Negative Impact of Google Dance?

Avoid black hat SEO if you are not ready from its repercussions.

Some bloggers use black hat SEO on purpose because their strategies are focused on short term goals. They know that their site will not last long and getting shut down is part of their plans.

Be careful with your link building campaign

If your site is so new, avoid paying for massive links. It doesn’t look real. Make it as natural as possible. Or if you can avoid it, then do. But if you really want to pay for links, consider drip feeding. It is a method that gradually creates link to your site.

Update your site regularly

If your last update was 8 months ago, while your competitor clearly shows fresh updates, do you expect to hold the same position?

I must admit that I have a blog (my first one), which I don’t update regularly. For some reason, those pages that made it to the top of search result remain on their position even after a few years. I wouldn’t be able to make a valid conclusion, but my guess is because of the comments that continue to come along on a daily basis. Those are legitimate questions and opinions coming from visitors who actually read all the comments that was written 3 or four years ago (I doubt if they ever read the article since their comments are directed to previous posts J).

So why am I sharing this?

That blog that I mentioned never use any black hat SEO or any off-site optimization, but it continue to hold its position even after Google Panda and Google dances. My point is to build your blog according to Google’s TOS and you will have a blog that is as solid as a rock.