Google has recently launched a new series of algorithm updates this month and they are set to release more. That being the case, Google has also started to work toward making their site truly mobile friendly as well as reformatting their Google doorway algorithm. This is all in an effort to make it easier for users that are on the go and to clean up the user experience all together.

So far, the search industry really has no way of knowing how to react to this news as Google, in their own unique fashion, has been very evasive and secretive about what changes are really being made. Google’s Brian White says that the update is currently targeting sites that have not actually added value but have still managed to increase their foot print as far as search engines go. In a way, they are trying to level the playing field and make things a bit more fair for those that are using search engines rankings on their sites.

The main issue that many have run into is wondering what the problem is with maximizing your search engine foot print? Currently, it seems as if Google wants to reduce the rankings of those sites that have been able to market themselves well enough to have a large footprint even if they may not appeal to all or provide information for all users. Google has since released five questions that each site or moderator needs to consider when it comes to the overall change that the update to the algorithm will cause.

Google did little to really define what usable or relevant was in their eyes so it makes it supremely difficult for webmasters to determine if their site is going to be affected negatively or not. The overall concern is for those sites that are considered doorway sites and how they will be affected overall. We can so far expect updates like bad grammar, duplicate content, and scraped content but there is as of yet no official word as to what the update is really going to do.

One target that has been found out so far are businesses that use multiple sites to talk about various locations. These businesses are likely to be affected negatively as they are making doorway sites that lead from one site and page of content to another. There is something to be said however for those that create these doorway sites without realizing they are doing it.

One way that some are considering fixing the issue before it ever really becomes one is to remove noindex of all the pages that you may have created. The real issue is however, no one knows when the update is going to be finished and applied so no one really knows how much time they have left before Google slams them with the update. Removing all the doorways can in some ways throw up a red flag however so it begs the question, do we let Google change sites, or do we change them before Google has a chance?

One main reason that Google is looking to fix this algorithm is explained here by Brian White from the Google Webspam Team, “For example, searchers might get a list of results that all go to the same site. So if a user clicks on one result, doesn’t like it, and then tries the next result in the search results page and is taken to that same site that they didn’t like, that’s a really frustrating experience.” And they are right, this is a frustrating prospect but that doesn’t mean that all sites that have worked for their search engine rank should be negatively affected.

The main issue that this is going to cause is to those that are using the new method of owning the SERP for branded and non-branded search queries and ranking. If you are providing new content that has value and that is useful to people odds are you are going to be fine when the new update comes down the pipes. For those that are just trying to dominate searches without really giving anything back to those that are searching, there are sure to be changes.

Only time will tell what the real update entails and how it is going to change SEO and doorway sites as we know them but it may not be all that bad, at least from the perspective of the person using the search engine.