Fresh Content Now Vital For Ranking

Google has made a bunch of algorithm changes recently, about 10 in total. This is not newsworthy in itself; they are always making changes. But there is one in particular that you need to consider now.
As was flagged in the last big update to Google (Panda), the dominant Search Engine wants up-to-date, topical content. They term that 'fresh content' - here is a quote from Google about that:

"As we announced just over a week ago, we've made a significant improvement to how we rank fresh content. This change impacts roughly 35 percent of total searches (around 6-10% of search results to a noticeable degree) and better determines the appropriate level of freshness for a given query."

So the message for you?  Keep content fresh!  Yes, my clients know that I've been saying that for years but it's becoming more important than ever.  This is especially so, if you are in an industry where things are constantly changing. If there are clear, changing trends - you want to keep feeding fresh content to the Google robots (the ones trolling your website every day).

Now, I know you are very busy running your business and taking care of a million other issues -  BUT content addition needs to be high on your list of things to do. Someone needs to be adding high quality content to your site every week, if possible.

And while on the matter of content - it also is important where you place that content. Again my clients know the importance of placing content above the fold line as Google have always rated that as important.
Seems more so now - Google are testing methods that determine how much content is available above the fold on your web pages.  Matt Coutts of Google has warned that sites that have adverts that obscure content could be in trouble.  It might pay to check your site now - do your website visitors see the content easily and readily on your site or is it obstructed by ads and other distractions?