Is there such a thing as too much tweaking?

[lionstail]

I am wondering if Google frowns upon a website that changes a page a day (to reoptimize or rewrite a page a day) or adds a page a day.

Is there such a thing as TOO MUCH website tweaking?

Thanks for the advice.

[soxos]

Title tweaking is known to damage the page if done too often call it an SEO-TWEAKING penalty if you like, and i believe a changed title has a lower threshold when it comes to a OOP-PENALTY too, no real proof of this, just my experience, but enough to make me stop editing titles - if anything I tend to be editing keywords out of them these days and making them more descriptive.

[AndyA]

I have one page that changes every week or so, and I used to change the title each time as well to reflect the exact changes to the page. I've stopped doing that now, and am using a descriptive title that's a bit more generic, but static.

I'm waiting to see if this makes any difference. Because the contents on this particular page are only relevant for a specific period of time, I don't want to create a new page every time I update, as I'd soon have lots of expired pages.

If your site already has ranking problems at Google, I don't think making regular changes will be detrimental to your site. In fact, when my site recovered from a long period of bad rankings, I believe it was because I was making daily changes to correct problems and add additional content to my pages. I often try to add something new to existing content when I make changes, as it keeps the page fresh and appears less like the changes are for SEO.

It seems to me that depending on what kind of site you have, pages do need to be changed from time to time. In my experience, allowing a page to sit dormant for years hasn't been beneficial, but I know others say it hasn't hurt their sites.

[jbinbpt]

Fresh content is your friend. It's OK to make small tweaks or to add a page a day.

Don't expect to see any effect immediately from the tweaking. If you make constant tweaks to the same element, you won't know which version worked.

[pageoneresults]

If you make constant tweaks to the same element, you won't know which version worked.

And, with the algo the way it is today, you really won't know if the tweaking of that particular element was the cause. ;)

Can you tweak a website too much?

I think you can. But, I think you get caught up in a constant recalculation process due to the changes. There is never enough time for the last set of changes to become fully propogated. Think of it like changing your DNS every 12 hours. Each change you make has to propogate its way through a hive of routers, etc. With Google, you've got changes floating about in multiple indices being served to different audiences all over the world.

If you have pages that are constantly changing and they fit the "profile" for that type of change, there is nothing wrong with that, it happens every day.

Tweaking is fine if we are talking the true meaning of the word. If you have a page that has not been performing and is at least in the top 50 results, then "fine-tuning" is a given. I'd be real careful though not to "tweak too much". Abrupt changes to title elements and other core page content may "change the meaning" of that page. It will take some time for that page to recover. It could even go AWOL for a bit and then all of a sudden appear in the #5 spot one day. And then you wonder, how the heck did that happen? ;)

[Whitey]

It's all about the risk ratios. What will the tweak bring , what will it loose ?

And how can you be sure of the facts supporting your choice ?

[ecmedia]

Tweaking to manipulate ranking is risky and if you get caught it might mean penalty of some kind. Adding new content is actually good -- just follow a steady pace for your website profile. If you have always added one page a week you can't just starting 100 pages daily starting today but you could get to that level progressively.

[Robert Charlton]

I read a theory somewhere that has stayed with me because it does make some sense, that if you change a page sufficiently from the original, you may lose some linking credit because Google no longer thinks of it as the same page that attracted those links.

Obviously, this might be true if you depart from the sense of inbound links. I wonder how much it might be true to a smaller extent for tweaks.

I've seen no conclusive evidence, though, about what is going on... but I'm much more reluctant to change high ranking pages than I used to be. I have seen pages jump up, crash down, and then jump back up again as the result of moderate change on a page... or because of changes in some internal linking (as in a couple of links, nothing global, on a 50 page site). It's getting harder and harder to trace movement to specific changes, as Google now appears to be constantly making cyclic changes which superimpose themselves on any onsite changes you make.

One consideration might be how much your particular ranking has to do with onpage optimization vs inbound linking.

[tedster]

The first time Google mentioned anything about measuring the frequency of changes was in the Historical and Age Data Patent [appft1.uspto.gov].

It's the nearly infamous "laundry list" of many factors that we first discussed here [webmasterworld.com]. Most of the opening section of that patent is all about measuring how frequently a page changes - and by how much. Then it gets into changes in the backlinks, the Whois information, and all sorts of goodies.

[internetheaven]

Tweak = to alter a page's content for the purpose of ranking better.

Freshness = to alter a page's content for the purpose of giving users a better quality experience.

One is penalised, the other is rewarded. Find the line and the pot of gold is yours! ;)

[Whitey]

What i find interesting is that the more successful a site or company is with SEO, the more risk averse owners seem to be to make "tweaks" in it's SEO .

One well researched, tiny change, gone wrong can put the business in the bin.

Tweaking in SEO should try to get you to a point of providing enough income to make the next step towards building a sustainable business and avoid excessive dependance on SEO. [ Well funded business' will likely use other methods from the start anyway ].

Otherwise you'll be permanently living one minute to midnight.

That's not good business. In fact it's not business.