CNET, a leading tech news website, is deleting older articles in an effort to show Google that its content is fresh and worthy of being placed higher than its competitors.

A media report said that thousands of old articles have been removed from CNET, a media house that had pioneered the use of artificial intelligence to generate stories but had to eventually put a halt to it following criticism over its editorial practices.

Google’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is perhaps one of the single biggest factors for news reports reading quite differently from those in the past, with the focus on loading keywords into the headline, intro, and the body.

Although it is largely and loosely understood, one is never quite sure what makes SEO tick to draw organic traffic to a website. In fact, there are said to be over 200 Google ranking factors that play a key role in deciding how a website is placed as compared to another similar one.

Google Dance, Google Sand Box, widget links, low quality directory links, site over-optimization, doorway pages and panda penalty are just a few of the factors that needs to be kept in mind while dealing with Google’s SEO.

Remember there are over 200 factors and a person skilled in SEO is just like a trained surgeon who knows exactly how to deftly handle a story to get the best results.

One is not too sure whether CNET’s move will lead to a better search result, but one needs to keep trying as there is no magic fix.

Drawing from my personal experience I can say with confidence that if your content is original, then ultimately organic traffic will come your way. But, in the meantime, do pay close attention to search engine optimization as that is what is making journalism twirl.