diberry - 3:47 pm on May 22, 2012 (gmt 0)

I'm seeing more action on long tail searches. It's nothing like a full recovery - I'm still off the map for my most popular search terms.

But I've been doing some thinking. Penguin has really improved my bounce rate because... well, in all honesty, I've been running several websites for 7 years now, and I've always found Google sends the wrong people to the wrong pages, resulting in a lot of bounces and few conversions. I always thought it was that Google sends so MUCH traffic, statistically some of it has to be a dud. Or maybe it's my niches - I assume some of you got good, converting traffic from Google?

Anyway, my bounce rate massively improved with Penguin. This suggests that the traffic I'm getting is better matched to my content. In the longterm - especially if I keep picking up top positions on long tail queries - this might build my business better. I.E., if Google only sends me 1/5 the traffic it used to, but even 1/10th of that traffic converts, then over time I have a bigger reader base, a better reputation (because some enthusiastic readers will share my site with others)... and, ironically, less dependence than ever on Google.

Now, of course, things are still shifting. Probably next week I'll come back in and announce none of my Google traffic is converting AND it's miniscule, LOL.