Understanding exactly what elements need to be in place to satisfy the hunger of the Google algorithm is an on-going process fuelled by the speculation of a thousand SEO forums, each looking for the fabled Golden Key that will unlock the doors to page rankings only ever spoken of in hushed tones.
The reality of the situation is that much of what happens behind the closed doors of Goggle is already understood.
A quick search of this site will reveal all of the on-page elements that are now thought will assist a site in reaching the top of the Goggle rankings for any particular keyword or phrase.
Additionally the importance of off-page elements such as one way in-coming text links from relevant and related sites with a good page rank are equally discussed infinitum.
What are rarely discussed are the technical factors thought to be used by Google as part of its analytical ranking process.
These are thought to play as big a part in the process as the on-page factors and may in fact supersede them as Google steps up its anti-spam campaign.
Ask yourself or the poor devil responsible for your search engine marketing the following questions, and then reflect on why your search engine page rankings are not as high as you would like:
1) Is your domain name registered for at least ten years or is it registered for a year or two like all the other keyword rich spam sites with their multiple doorways
2) Is your site located on an unique IP in a clean neighbourhood or does it share an IP range with that foot fetish link farm that Google loves so much (or not as the case may be)
3) Is your server red hot with a delivery speed approaching warp speed nine or does it chug along at Zimmer frame speed one
4) Do you hide all of your CSS style sheets and JavaScript in remote files or do you live them on the page and hope that the robots can be bothered to pick up that first piece of keyword rich content at line 987.
5) Is your index page lean and mean like Tyson circ 1986 at well under 20K or is a William The Refrigerator Perry home page at somewhere around 75K
6) Does your CMS rewrite its page urls so that they are user and search engine friendly or does it spew our page urls that are longer than a sleeping Tom Cruise
7) Does your Robots.txt File invite search engine robots in like a long lost friend or is it the new Berlin Wall around your keyword rich content
My hope is that this slightly tongue in check article furthers the understanding that key elements of any search engine optimisation campaign are technical in nature and that an overall holistic view needs to be taken if you are to reach the promised land that is Google Ranking No.1
Please feel free to reproduce this article but please publish in its entirety and with the resource box and all live links included.
Ivor Conway is the Managing Director of Neuchi,
Please feel free to learn more about how Neuchi can help you sell more on the internet at .
Does your companys website really need to be listed in both the organic or natural search results as well as the paid sponsored results According to panel of search engine experts at a recent Search Engine Strategies conference, the answer is yes. Most search engine marketing experts agree that a combined approachone that relies on both organic search engine rankings and paid listings works best.
Higher click-thru ratiosAccording to recent research, websites that are listed at the top of the organic search results and the paid listings will triple their click-thru ratio. Three times more people will visit your website if it is listed in both places because there is a second opinion effect. Searchers see both listings and are encouraged by the fact that a website is listed in both the organic listings and the paid listings.
Greater penetration of search resultsBy optimizing your websites content to rank well in the organic search results, your website can be found for many keyword phrases and combinations of keywords. Good organic search engine rankings typically take months to achieve, and are fairly easy to maintain on an ongoing basis. Pay per click (PPC) can be implemented quicklyit can also be turned on and off as needed, depending on your companys budget and current promotions.
More keyword researchKeyword research tells you how many people per day search for what keyword terms. There are many tools available that allow you to perform keyword research even before you achieve organic search engine rankings or start a PPC campaign. Once organic search engine rankings are achieved, keyword research using existing website statistic data allows you to enhance your listing of keywordsyou can combine your organic keyword list with your PPC keyword list to focus on the keyword phrases that bring you the best ROI.
Build credibilityOrganic search engine rankings provide very high levels of credibility and broad coverage on potentially every search engine worldwide. When a website is listed well in the organic search results, the website usually is found for not only their chosen keywords but many combinations of keyword phrases related to those chosen keywords. Its those other combinations of related keywords that bring a website a lot of more visibility in the search results, frequently causing a website appear to be found for everything related to a certain industry. The results can be staggeringa properly optimized website can appear in the search results more often and for more related keywords than a company who has not done any organic search optimization.
Appearing the paid results also helps to build credibilityjust because a searcher doesnt click on a paid ad and visits the website doesnt mean they havent seen the companys sponsored listing. Paid listings also can provide some visibility and credibility for certain keywords that arent usually obtainable through organic search engine optimization.
Bill Hartzer manages the Search Engine Marketing division of MarketNet, Inc., a leading full-service interactive design and development firm in Dallas, Texas. Hartzer recently joined MarketNet, where his vast experience significantly bolsters MarketNets already robust search engine marketing offerings.
Hartzer is a successful writer and search engine marketing expert. During the past fifteen years, some of his many accomplishments include:
Search Engine Optimization Strategist, Intec Telecom Systems PLC
Webmaster, Intec Telecom Systems PLC
Founder, Dallas/Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Association
Owner/Author, Corporate Web Site Marketing
Administrator, Search Engine Forums
Frequent Speaker, Search Engine Strategies Conferences
Frequent Speaker, WebmasterWorlds PubCon Search Engine and Internet Marketing Conference