News May 31, 2005
The e-commerce world is a tricky
one. If you have an online business,
then there's no doubt as to the
importance of obtaining a high
ranking on search engine results
pages-especially on search master
Google, whose popularity has led to
a command of 85% of the search
world.
Editor's Note:
Has Google dropped you out of its
index? Have you become a Google
dropping? At Webproworld we maybe
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A high ranking, especially a first
or second spot, is the key to a
successful online marking campaign.
A drop in rank, or worse,
disappearing altogether, can
threaten the very life of your
business-especially if your webpage
is the sole face of your
organization, your building, and
your salesperson.
 Search
engine optimization is so
competitive that some resort to
"black hat" techniques to increase
their ranking, a desperate, some say
smart, but foolhardily risky
practice that can get you banned
from Google outright. But there are
still instances, usually due to a
change in algorithms, where a site
completely drops off even though
they're marketing techniques are
innocently on the "white hat" side
of the spectrum.
So what do you do if you become a
Google dropping? There are a number
of suggestions about how to handle
this situation--the first of which
is, "chill out." Chances are that
Google doesn't have a vendetta
against your organization. It is
most likely the result of algorithm
changes that are necessary to
prevent people from manipulating the
system through "black hat"
techniques like link spamming,
hidden links, and such.
As a general rule, you shouldn't
rely on Google and organic listings
as your bread and butter. As you
don't have control of how sites are
picked up, then you also have no
control of how much traffic is
generated. If your site has been a
top keyword listing for a
significant amount of time, that's
great, but it can change in a heart
beat. Too many variables equals
dangerous ground, and if Google is
the only source of traffic, then all
can be lost.
So, take the gun away from your
head, as one
blogger mentioned after his site
was dropped, and follow a few
suggestions to get your site back on
track.
1. Wait a few days. During an
update, it is common that ranking
drops, but in a matter of days, the
site often crawls its way back to
the top.
2. Diversify. Instead of
making Google your principle traffic
supplier, arrange it so that you
expect 10-20% of hits will come from
there. There are lots of other
search engines that accept paid
inclusion and paid placement. In
addition, good old-fashioned
marketing techniques in the real
world can make a big difference.
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3. Content continues to reign
supreme. Most Googlites (Google
users) view the web as a library
rather than a shopping mall. Update
your webpage content every day, at
least 200-300 words worth, making
sure it is relevant and compelling.
Remember that people aren't
searching for your content, they are
searching for their own-a concept
that changes with each user
depending on their personal
paradigms. So varied, updated
content can help match up with some
unpredictable keyword choices.
4. Avoid duplicate content.
This is incredibly important if
you're running several websites at a
time, or using "doorway" pages to
your main site. Having pages with
identical content is a surefire way
for Google to drop your listing.
5. Site design is the stepchild
of good online marketing. Though
an algorithm is clueless about how
nice your site looks, people viewing
it do notice and this will increase
your click-throughs. Sites heavy on
HTML and light on text, however, are
a bad idea, as search engine spiders
pick up text mostly. A good balance
of design and simplicity coupled
with easily read content is probably
the best bet. Even better, have lots
of breaks in text to accommodate the
majority of net readers that scan
pages, rather than read them in
their entirety. It takes 25% longer
to read from a computer screen than
from paper.
 6.
Remember that there is a balance of
keywords required. If your pages
use the keywords excessively, red
flags pop up all over the Google
world and they might tag you for
spamming. A good rule of thumb is to
keep keyword density below 20% of
content.
7. Linking in the Internet world
is what networking is to the outside
world. Always include links to
other sites that relate to your
subject matter and try to utilize
link swapping as much as possible.
Other people want their site
recognized too, so most are more
than happy to trade links with you.
The more your site is referenced on
other sites, the more it affects
your page ranking.
8. Try to keep the gloves up.
Don't try to trick the algorithms
with "black hat" techniques like
hidden image links and burying the
link inside the background. This
will get you banned for sure. Avoid
Java script redirection and IP
cloaking.
9. It is impossible to create a
page that pleases everybody. Try
to think in terms of target users,
who the typical viewer of your site
is going to be. If you sell baby car
seats, don't have content about the
Chinese socio-economic politics.
10. It's so important I have to
say it again. CONTENT IS THE
MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF YOUR
WEBSITE. Content content content
content.
And I'm spent.
About the Author:
Jason L. Miller is a staff
writer for WebProNews
covering technology and
business. |
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