Who’s honestly not afraid of the Penguin? In 2012, Google decided to release one of the most terrifying algorithm updates that makes us watch our backs every single time we post or update content on our website. The Penguin, Google’s radical algorithm change targeted websites that featured overly optimized anchor texts stuffed with keywords, dubious link profiles and shady link building strategies. All in all, the not so cute Penguin made us change our perception of endorsement.
Penguin – The Algorithm Update That Makes Us Look at Endorsement from a Different Perspective
In online environments, we are actually permitted and sometimes even encouraged to pay a popular celeb to promote our products on his/her social media channels, but we aren’t allowed to beg, pray or pay for links coming from other sources. Now does this make any sense? It does, actually. Google has always been striving to ensure a flawless web experience for all Internet users.
According to Search Engine Watch, this is the main reason why it does everything in its power to sniff, signal and ban any kind of black hat strategy rolled out by webmasters whose sole purpose is to manipulate search engine results to their best advantage.
To begin with, Google scared the SEO out of us with its Penguin algorithm update designed and implemented to penalize websites that promoted low-quality content. These websites did not do any favors to readers looking for quality information; they just represented a cheap and convenient moneymaking machine for most business owners who did not plan to optimize their content strategies anytime soon. Fortunately, the mighty Penguin made them reconsider. Shortly after Penguin buried many webmasters 6 feet under the ground, Google decided to focus its entire attention of manipulative, unnatural inbound links. According to Moz, the types of inbound links that can ruin your friendship with Google can be separated into different categories:
Paid links
Links with overly optimized anchor texts
Links coming from low-quality webpages
Links coming from sources that are not relevant to your business
Keyword stuffed links
3 Reasons Why Paid Links Are the Forbidden Fruit That Should Be Left in the Tree
If you don’t want to upset Google, it is highly recommended to invest time, money and energy in your content strategy, rather than trying to come up with a counterproductive tactic based on paid links. You may be wondering: why are paid links bad in the first place? Google doesn’t like them much for a number of reasons:
1) Paid Links Are a Form of Cheating. Basically, when you buy links, you pay to help your own page rank higher in search engine results. In other words, you defy Google’s rules and guidelines and put a certain amount of money on the table to see your website on page 1 in Google. Ultimately, you get bonus points from search engines that will consider you a relevant, popular, trustworthy source even if this is not the case.
2) Your Practice Stops Search Engines from Delivering Relevant Results. If all people were to pay to see their website occupy a privileged position in search engine results, how could Google, Bing and Yahoo manage to display relevant, quality results that users are actually interested in finding?
3) Bad Linking Strategies Don’t Help Your Readers. On the contrary, paid links that have no value whatsoever annoy and bore your readers to death, so this is one extra reason why you should avoid them.
5 Ways to Boost Your Website Traffic without Relying on Paid Links
Instead of investing your resources in deceptive optimization tactics, try to stay in Google’s good graces and increase your website traffic rapidly and risk-free. Here are 5 simple ways to attain your goal without jeopardizing your relationship with Google:
1) Maximize the Satisfaction of Your Readers. Moz points out that Google may measure satisfaction every single time users click on a certain page. So the question is this: does your website have what it takes to keep your readers on your side for the longest period of time? If the answer is no, find out what you have been doing wrong this whole time and discover the simplest method to correct your mishap. Update you content, add calls to action, change you tone/writing style, cultivate the feedback of your readers and make sure the topics that you expand one actually address their needs, demands and concerns.
Also, don’t neglect social media marketing opportunities. Improve your social media presence the easy way. Create and publish premium web content enabling you to interact with your fans and followers on some of the most important social media platforms.
2) Proper Video Optimization. A picture is worth a thousand words, but since the online environments have become increasingly competitive, you’ll need more than a great pic to convince users to click on your website. In this case, a video snippet could serve your best interest by stimulating the curiosity of your readers and proving that you are a first-class source of information that is counting on killer multimedia content to stay relevant.
3) Google Authorship (Plus an Awesome Photo of Yourself). Many webmasters are dealing with the same problem: they don’t know that online businesses have to establish real relationships with members of their targeted audience. Since not all the info available online is 100% accurate, users must find a way to separate quality content from written trash. To simplify their process, they take a closer look at the original source. Who is the mighty content creator? You are! In this case, highlight your authority and build credibility and trust by counting on Google Authorship. This way, a short, relevant description and a great photo of yourself will be listed at the beginning of you articles. While you’re going down this road, make sure you rely on a few basic elements guaranteeing your success:
Opt for a picture revealing a real face, not a cartoon character
Go for high-contrast hues that will make your pic noticeable
Post a photo that is audience-targeted: a photo of someone looking like a respectable financial advisor is certainly not the best pick if you want to convince teenage girls to click on your website and buy fashion jewelry.
4) Update Your Content. This is a good strategy that will also help you increase your website traffic. Create new, stellar content and update the old one regularly to attain your optimization goals. Google interprets freshness in different ways, based on several criteria, including your changes to important and unimportant web content, how many new pages you create over a certain period of time and how often you update your content.
5) Industry-Specific Websites. OK, so you have finally reached the conclusion that you shouldn’t buy links. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to get listed on industry-specific sites. Approach the webmasters and ask them to support your optimization efforts. They will most likely include you, especially if you are a relevant player in your industry and your content is fresh, engaging and rich in information.
These 5 simple methods can help you increase website traffic without relying on paid links. After all, why pay for something that will eventually go against you when you can redirect your resources towards a world class content strategy that will boost your profits, online visibility and your competitive edge without upsetting Google?
Some marketers out there manage to sell land on the moon, while others have a hard time trying to commercialize toilet paper, one of the most common, essential products that you could ever find on the supermarkets’ shelves? In this case, the not-so-secret recipe for success involves a very important element: irresistible copywriting that can turn the dullest product into a hot must-have as fast as you can say “buy me, you need me.”
How Smart Copywriting Can Make a Difference in Your Life
You need to rely on excellent copywriting to take your products or services to the next level, regardless of your goals, the size of your business or your field of activity. Whether you’re selling cosmetics or trying to promote your small-scale plumbing company, first-class copywriting can get you where you want to be on time and on a budget, by helping you create a long-lasting connection with your audience. To bring whatever it is that you are selling into the spotlight you have to be witty, bravely honest, intriguing or straightforward. Either way, you have to be shockingly different than the rest.
Good web copy will help you differentiate your business from the rest, make a name for yourself and stay in the game with minimal effort. You cannot become the master of words overnight, but you can certainly improve your own writing skills and boost your power of persuasion by learning from the best. Let’s face it: some old players just nail copywriting and sell better and faster than anyone else. Others create legends. Here are 5 awe-inspiring copywriting strategies incorporated in calls to action, modal boxes, different website sections and various other structures that have rocked our world, making us believe that we have to buy products that we may or may not need in our lives at this point.
1. Cracked Show Us How to Reinforce Our Social Sharing Widget. Let’s face it: it’s not really easy to convince people to share or like your page. To simplify your mission, you have to get up close and personal with your audience and unleash the creative beast that is still dormant inside you. Be bold, daring and fun. Cracked embraced this approach and reached the outstanding 3 million mark while counting their Likes. The message promoted by Cracked is pretty straightforward: “Choosing to “Like” Cracked has no side effects, so what’s the worst that could happen?” Indeed, a little impulse given to your readers to Like your page doesn’t pose any unwanted side effects and has never sounded better.
2. Apple Is No Stranger to Seductive Copy. According to KISSmetrics, Apple has always played its cards right, at least when goal-oriented copywriting is involved. Apple copywriters give you the chance to justify your purchase and convince the breadwinner in your family that you were unable to live the rest of your life without an iPhone 5s in your pocket. So far, Apple has taught us a few basic things that show us how to perfect our own web copy, make our voice heard and sell big while making the most of cleverly selected words.
Apple has given us 3 valuable lessons for this point:
We should always use short, concise sentences with a powerful impact to promote readability (example: It’s our thinnest display ever. And it’s the first of its kind)
We should boost our credibility by adding essential technical details (example: The back of iPhone 5 is made of anodized 6000 series aluminum — the same material used in Apple notebooks )
We should boost client engagement by telling a fascinating, compelling story. For example, Apple tells the whole world how the Apple EarPods were created and tested. During the testing phase, the subjects had to run on a treadmill and perform different kinds of cardio workouts, while being exposed to extreme temperatures. As a result, the AppleEarPods ensure the hghest level of protection against water and sweat, so they represent a smart investment. Doesn’t this cute little story make you want to get your hands on the AppleEarPods that were tested by 600 people who had to withstand extreme cold and excessive heat?
3. Mozilla Proves That You Can Sell Big with Fewer Words. You don’t have to write an entire book to convince your targeted audience that you are the best player in your sector. You just have to learn how to resonate with your public and come up with a compelling message. Mozilla knows that in terms of copywriting, less is sometimes more. The creative minds behind its web copy are able to say a lot without actually using tons of words. “We are Mozilla. Doing good is part of our code.” Do tell us, how do you ignore this powerful brand that succeeds in delivering its value proposition in less than 50 words?
4. Groupon Gets Bonus Points for Its Funny Email Copy. We will let you inon a little secret: buyers love brands that do not take themselves too seriously. So why not make your prospects laugh a little, by making the most of your funny, reader-oriented email copy? This is the clever strategy embraced by Groupon, the creator of a subject line will definitely put a smile on your face: “Beat the Heat Deals: Half Off Being Less Sweaty”. This subject line responds to the pressing needs of the recipients and stimulates their curiosity and their lust for great deals and discounts.
5. Petco Knows How to Keep Its Prices on a Leash (and brag about it). Ok, let’s face it: clever words that offer the promise of a substantial discount are almost impossible to ignore. Petco is fully aware of this fact. This is probably the main reason why it has created the pet-friendly slogan that we all know and love: Down, Prices, Down!” for their pet stores. It is short, concise, funny and compelling. It definitely helps the brand create a solid connection with pet owners who are constantly looking for quality, decently priced pet supplies.
All in all, these 5 examples show us that passion, killer writing skills, in-depth research and a flawless understanding of your buyers’ shopping behavior represent the key to crafting stellar web content that actually sells.
If you’re a successful agency in any part of the digital realm (web marketing, SEO, digital media, you-name-it) you probably have a lot of success stories to share and happy clients who wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you. All of that is great – but, how useful is it, if you aren’t letting everyone else out there know your existing value and the fact that you don’t need to prove yourself, since you’ve already had successes? This is where a case study comes in. You can send it to new clients, show it off as a downloadable marketing material to new subscribers, send it to anyone questioning your successes (how dare they!), and so much more.
3 Great Reasons Why Case Studies Can Become One of Your Most Valuable Content Tools
Creating and publishing case studies is a great strategy, especially if you plan to highlight your authority and build credibility and trust in your line of work. You cannot and should not harvest the fruits of your own labor without letting the whole world know how resourceful, competent, successful and client-oriented you really are.
Bragging about your own success stories can take you a long way, as long as all your claims are backed by solid evidence. This is precisely why a case study is such an important content tool these days: it enables company owners to separate themselves from unreliable, boastful competitors who speak very highly about their own affairs without actually being able to list their accomplishments. In this context, there are 3 main reasons why you should invest time, money and energy in creating a case study:
1) Case Studies Give You the Chance to Tell a Compelling, Factual Story about Your Clients. This will obviously help you attract new customers and/or partners who may need a bit more than a string of fancy words to choose to do business with you. A skeptic may ask you: “Why should I invest in your goods or services?” Case studies provide the shortest, most accurate answer to this question. A good case study should put your selling skills and first-class marketing strategies on full display. Remember that your goal is to seduce both the hearts and the minds of your targeted audience. 2) Case Studies Help You Gain a Competitive Edge. Whether we like it or not, we live right next to impostors and people who can’t make a single move without exaggerating their positive attributes. In a world where it is still very difficult to separate the ugly truth from an overly adorned lie, case studies can reflect your transparency, sustained efforts and your good name. They can also come in handy if you want to separate yourself from your main competitors who are nothing but talk. 3) Case Studies Help You Promote and Run a Real Business. Ask yourself the following question: does your business seem real, or does it sound as fantastic as a fairytale with pink unicorns? Case studies can make many people realize that they need your products or services in their lives; a well-written study will highlight your competences, your previous results and awaken a powerful emotion. You can use this valuable content tool to evoke sympathy, admiration, joy or curiosity, based on your end goal and the nature of the facts presented in the study. Either way, a content piece that resonates with your readers, stimulates their empathy and encourages them to take action will work to your best advantage.
Don’t know how to draw the line between truth and necessary braggery? In this case, we’ve got news for you: superlatives and exaggerations can hurt your business, as long as all the claims that you make are not supported by solid, 100% verifiable evidence. Case studies can help you keep your feet on the ground, keep track of your success stories and put them to good use to diversify your clientele, boost brand awareness and maximize your gains.
Getting Started: How to Write a Killer Success-Oriented Case Study in 6 Easy Steps
Even if you’re goodand you know it, and you have a virtually endless list of satisfied customers who would vouch for your business at any given point in time, it may still be difficult for you to write a concise, genuine and persuasive case study. Follow these basic guidelines to overcome your own limitations. Leave your modesty and the door and you’ll manage to come up with an awesome client case study in 6 easy steps.
Gather the Most Relevant Details Related to the Success Story of One of Your Customers. Focus mostly on quantifiable aspects (like for instance monetary advantages, website traffic increases, improved sales and so on)
Opt for a Punchy Headline That Manages to Introduce Your Most Important Accomplishment. Your goal is to explain how your services improved the life of a certain customer in a very succinct, compelling manner.
Include Convincing Client Testimonials. Don’t turn your case study into a boring, pointless monologue. This is not a church sermon; it is your best chance to attract new clients, accentuate your best qualities and capabilities and make a name for yourself. Keep things interesting and highlight your realness by including relevant client testimonials that introduce at least 2 or 3 key benefits associated with your brand, product or service.
Create Subheads for the Most Important Details Listed in Your Case Study
Shed Some Light on the “How” Aspect. Unless you are a mysterious magician who is recruiting spectators for his next show, get ready to talk a bit about the aces up your sleeve. How did you manage to trigger the complete satisfaction of your customers and deliver the promised results? Use powerful action verbs and avoid using passive voice in your content piece; passive voice minimizes your efforts and may make your audience believe that major improvements could have been witnesses even without your contribution.
End the Study with a Short, Relevant Quote from a Customer. The quote should summarize all the info presented in the study and reveal the fact that you are a top-rated, trustworthy player in your line of work.
Showcasing: Express Writers’ Case Study
We’ve presented case studies in the past on our blog, including one on short vs. long content, which was also a successful SocialMediaToday guest blog with over 1,000 shares. Besides blogging our successes, we also have an official “case study” PDF branded to our company with our clients’ success stories. We started the case study document by featuring our own company and blog – what better way to present success than to show your own company is a success in what you offer? We asked about 10 of our satisfied clients if they wouldn’t mind being featured in the case study; not only were they receptive to the idea, but they gave us screenshots of statistics and data to use and full permission. It was a success to create and collaborate on – and now we have a record of just a few sample successes we’ve had when it comes to creating and publishing high quality content.
Case reports are an extremely valuable content tool, which can boost you popularity and profitability in no time, without forcing you to spend a small fortune to make things happen. At the end of the day, a good case study should let you put solid facts where your mouth is and prove that you have legitimate reasons to brag about your business success.
Are you speaking to your readers on their level, or are you going over (or under) their heads?
Without understanding what grade level to write online content in for different target audiences, your words will not have the hoped-for impact.
Instead, your readers will get bored, confused, annoyed, or all three – exactly what you don’t want to happen.
What’s the Most Common Reading Level for Adults?
Before we dive into what reading levels to write your online content in, we need to establish a base of knowledge.
First off, what is the reading level of an average adult?
While adult reading levels vary, it’s helpful to know the average – especially if you don’t know your own audience’s level yet.
According to a rigorous literacy study, the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) published by the National Center for Education Statistics, the average prose adult literacy level is basic to intermediate.
In 2003, 29% of American adults tested at a basic level.
Another 44% of adults tested at an intermediate level.
When you have “prose literacy,” you have the skills and knowledge you need to comprehend, use, and search information from continuous texts (e.g. novels, textbooks, papers, essays, and other long works).
Having basic prose literacy means a person has the skills to perform simple literary activities. For example, they can read and understand short texts and simple documents and locate easy-to-find information to solve simple problems.
Having intermediate prose literacy means a person can perform literary activities that are moderately challenging. They have higher-level reading and analysis skills and can sift through denser texts to find meaning and solve problems.
So, what are the equivalent reading grade levels?
Let’s begin with one startling fact: 50% of American adults are unable to read a book written at an 8th-grade level. (That’s not to say they can’t read it, period. They can probably read some words and some sentences, but the larger ideas and themes won’t connect. That’s because the continuum of reading comprehension will be interrupted and fragmented.)
When we compare prose literacy levels with a system like the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Levels, they match up how you’d expect:
Most adults fall in the “average” range, which spans from 6th to 12th-grade reading levels. In other words, most adults can read books like Harry Potter or Jurassic Park and understand them without any problems.
So, if you haven’t figured out your audience’s average reading level, a good base to start from with your content is indeed on the lower end of average – about an 8th-grade reading level.
[bctt tweet=”Improving your content’s readability is beyond writing what works for the majority. Here’s @JuliaEMcCoy’s guide on how you can find the right grade level to write your online content in. ✍” username=”ExpWriters”]
How to Know What Grade Level to Write Online Content in for Maximum Readability
So, now you know the average reading grade level for most adults. But, what about YOUR audience?
Your brand audience may have a reading level on par with most adults, or it could differ a lot. Here’s how to know what grade level to write online content in for YOUR specific set of readers.
1. Match Your Content to Your Audience
Before you do anything else, get to know your audience. You have to findout who these people are to know the best reading level to write in FOR them. Find out details like:
Their level of education
Their profession and job description
Their interests and hobbies
Matching your content to your audience is essential for your words to make an impact.
Dumb it down too much, and you risk insulting their intelligence or boring them.
Make it too high-brow or intellectual/formal, and you risk losing them from confusion or incomprehension.
No matter the audience you’re writing for, hitting the right balance is tricky. However, the better you know them, the better off you’ll be.
2. Use Your Audience’s Vocabulary
Vocabulary and word choice are two big factors that determine reading grade level.
For example, does your audience prefer well-worded content? Or do they need it simple and clear?
It’s the difference between using words like “elementary” vs. “basic,” or “intellectual” vs. “smart” in your content.
Another thing: Will your audience understand your use of technical industry terms, or do you need to simplify those words for general understanding?
E.g., if you run a marketing agency for small businesses, you wouldn’t want to use marketing jargon in your content – that’s your expertise, not your clients’. If you DO need to use specialized terms like “brand awareness” or “marketing segments,” for example, you’d need to define or explain them.
The best way forward here is to always use your audience’s vocabulary:
Research what they say and how they say it – this is easily done by analyzing at their social media profiles, posts, and comments.
You can also check Quora and Answer the Public for how they word questions about your topic area.
3. Remember You’re Writing for the Web
No matter who makes up your target audience, you must always remember you’re writing content for the web.
People read and interact with electronic text differently than they do with printed text. This table from Writing Cooperative shows what I mean:
With printed text, the average reader will read from top to bottom. There’s no skipping around.
With online text, the average reader will read it piece-meal or skip around. They’ll scroll until something catches their eye or skim the headings of a content piece rather than read it through 100%.
A study from Sumo backs this up. They discovered the average online reader will only read about 20% of your blog or article.
This is a frustrating reality of online writing, but not all hope is lost. There are actions you can take to encourage your readers to read ALL of your words on a page.
[bctt tweet=”How do you know the right reading grade level for your audience? First of all, get to know your audience and speak like them, but make sure your content is well formatted to be easy to read on the web. Read more tips on this post.” username=”ExpWriters”]
How to Improve the Readability of Your Content
These tips are especially helpful if you are unintentionally writing at a level way too high (read: too academic or too formal) for your audience. They’re also good if you need to improve your online writing skills and learn tactics to engage internet readers better.
1. Write Shorter Sentences
Contrary to what you might think, using shorter sentences will not dumb down your content. Instead, it will make it more readable.
Sentences that drag on… and on… and on… are harder to read on a screen. They tend to make your mind wander and your eyes hurt because there aren’t any pauses. Hence, your eyes play hopscotch on the page rather than continuing in a linear fashion.
An easy way to do it: Look for the coordinating conjunctions in your sentences – and, but, for, nor, and so – because these tend to join two independent thoughts together. Delete them and add a period.
E.g., “She knew it was going to be a rainy day, but she didn’t want to bring an umbrella.”
Remove the conjunction, add a period. The sentence becomes “She knew it was going to be a rainy day. She didn’t want to bring an umbrella.”
No meaning is lost, and the sentence isn’t dumbed down. It’s just shorter!
2. Use Less-Complex Versions of Common Words
If you’re writing for an average reader, skip the words that over-complicate your ideas.
One major example: “Utilize” vs. “use.”
They mean the EXACT same thing, but one is simpler and clearer.
Look at the difference:
“She wanted to utilize her knowledge.”
“She wanted to use her knowledge.”
See what I mean?
3. Make Paragraphs Shorter
Another great way to increase the readability of your online content is to shorten your paragraphs.
Shorter paragraphs naturally keep your eyes moving down, line by line. Whether it’s due to our natural curiosity or some other factor, it works.
For example, use one-line paragraphs to pull your readers’ eyes down the page. These are called “bucket brigades” (Brian Dean explains them really well in his SEO copywriting article).
Use one-line paragraphs and bucket brigades in your intro to grab attention.
Use them to emphasize important points, facts, or ideas in the body of your piece, too.
For example, after some longer paragraphs that are explain-y, use some bucket brigades to break up the rhythm of the piece and keep your reader interested.
4. Include Lots of Headings
Headings are a godsend for online writing.
They break up the text into orderly, logical chunks.
They make the text easy to scan and find the information you want.
They help readers make sense of the text.
As a general rule, add a heading whenever you introduce a new facet or branch of your topic. Use them liberally versus sparingly, especially if your piece is long.
Don’t forget to tag your headings appropriately and make them stand out from the body text. In WordPress, there’s a dropdown menu that lets you apply headings to text, including formatting:
Some other heading tips:
H1 should only be used once – for your headline/title.
H2s are for major subtopics within your content piece.
H3s break down facets of your subtopic(s).
H4s further help break down points inside your H3s.
Tons of tools exist on the web that can help refine the readability of your online text. My favorites:
Hemingway Editor has a built-in readability score. It also shows where you’re being unnecessarily wordy – a giant help for cutting down sentences and improving clarity.
Readable works similarly but scores your text against several readability algorithms so you get a bunch of different scores, plus a grade from Readable’s proprietary scoring system. It also points out the hard-to-read text so you can refine it.
Microsoft Word has a reading score tool built in. To use it, just go to Review >> Spelling & Grammar. Go through the spell-check. When it’s finished, the final screen will display lots of extra information about your text, including the various readability scores.
6. Get Feedback
Nothing beats the human eye when you’re trying to assess the readability of a text.
To that end, enlist an editor, proofreader, or a trusted friend to read your content for clarity and readability. Ask them to specifically judge the clarity of your content and how easy it is to read.
Use this as your last check before hitting “publish.” Keep your editor’s comments in mind for the future and use them to further hone your writing.
[bctt tweet=”How do you improve the readability of your content? Write shorter sentences, use simpler, commonly used words, write shorter paragraphs, add lots of headings, use readability tools, and get feedback. – @JuliaEMcCoy.” username=”ExpWriters”]
For What Grade Level Should You Write Online Content? It Depends
The average adult reads at an 8th-grade level, but that doesn’t mean you should write to that level.
Your audience will be the last word on the reading level you aim to hit.
Do thorough research to get to know them, then write accordingly. Don’t forget to infuse your content with best practices for online writing and reading on screens.
Once you write to your audience in a way that’s totally tailored to them, your content will start making the impact you’ve been hoping for. Here’s to better content that moves people in ways you never imagined!
Net neutrality is a trending topic these days for all the right reasons. After all, what could be more important than equal access to all the information that the Internet has to offer? These days, we simply can’t afford to take the Internet for granted. It reduces our workloads, supports and promotes our business, reinforces our communication with our loved ones and provides timely answers to all our questions.
The Internet is our unanimated Mr. Know-It-All whom we all need in our lives to function properly. But even so, the Internet is not technically ours. It belongs to no one and to everyone at the same time. This is precisely why news related to net neutrality and its virtually endless list of positive aspects is received with great enthusiasm by a large audience.
What It Net Neutrality and Why Does It Matter So Much?
A few days ago, the European Union made a huge step in the right direction, towards an improved legislation by signing net neutrality into law. The European Parliament voted in favor of the Telecoms Single Market proposal, a much-awaited change that could improve the online experiences for all European Internet users. The EU showed its eagerness to support a set of solid rules that ensure an equal, indiscriminative access to the Internet. According to an article published by Forbes, the whole concept of new neutrality gravitates around a very important nucleus: the idea that all the information available online should be treated identically, regardless of adjacent factors like users, application or platforms. This means that all EU-based Internet visitors would have unlimited access to the same content, without being forced to cope with interferences or any other kind of limitations.
In most cases, people do not appreciate the good until they meet the really bad and the ugly. Those who do not acknowledge the importance of net neutrality should imagine how the absence of a legal framework regulating the Internet access would influence their work, spare time and ultimately their whole life. Clearly, an Internet that would not be protected by net neutrality would look and feel completely different. In this context, there are two potential threats that should be factored in.
First of all, numerous companies could decide to fill the pockets of major players operating in the telecom industry by paying ridiculously high amounts of money for premium, faster services. This would be good news for telecom giants who would probably rub their hands together in anticipation, but a major drawback for the masses. The financial aspect is only a part of the problem. According to Forbes, the absence of a robust set of rules designed to protect the Internet as we know it and help it become a better version of itself, the content that users check out online could also be influenced. This would be a highly unethical practice that should be avoided at all costs. We all know that content is a mighty king. So the question is this: how much could we actually value a king in chains?
The Reason Why Net Neutrality Makes Telecommunication Moguls Choke
As expected, the new step completed by the EU has created quite a stir, especially among giant telecom players who realize that the net neutrality framework doesn’t really serve their best interests. Right before the much-awaited EU vote, 4 major companies operating in the telecommunication industry chose to express their discontent by releasing a joint statement. Their statement condemned the new legislation and all the proposed amendments, blaming them for their “restrictive” nature. According to these four influential players, the proposed changes would block innovations and impact competitiveness in this field of activity.
On the other hand, experts specializing in digital security and privacy issues beg to differ. For instance, Forbes’ Michael Fertik suggests that net neutrality would protect the consumers’ rights, support the evolution of a free Internet and block the abusive, aggressive, moneymaking strategies that would most likely be embraced by big players in the telecommunication sector.
Network Discrimination Comes to an End in Europe. What’s Next?
At this point, by giving the green light to net neutrality, Europe has managed to outpace the United States. Forbes reveals that America is a few steps behind the EU in what equal, unlimited access to the Internet and online privacy issues are concerned. Perhaps the recent changes implemented by the EU will accelerate discussions and compel the U.S. to follow a similar course of action.
Accessnow.org reveals that the positive proposal will be analyzed by the Council of the European Union, whose representatives will have to communicate their final position on the new set of rules later on this year. The same source indicates that the Council should protect the net neutrality and make sure that this principle could be enforced in a highly effective manner, to prevent power abuses and protect the consumers’ rights.
