The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous websites. For the latest web marketing tools try: web marketing tools If you liked the SEO tips above, why not try the Free 7 Day Traffic course here: internet marketing course 2008 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.
Does Google Have a Golden Rule?
November 12, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
Copyright (c) 2008 Titus Hoskins
As a full-time webmaster and site owner, figuring out just what Google wants has been the most challenging aspect of running an online business. For many webmasters Google is the eight ton elephant in the room and you only have two options: upset the elephant and get trampled or quickly find out what it likes to consume and try to feed it.
In order to keep Google fed, webmasters have to jump through more than one set of hoops. When it comes to getting top rankings in Google’s Index or SERPs, there are 200 of these hoops or ranking factors. And if you want to play in Google’s ballpark, you have to try and master the majority of them.
For years, frustrated webmasters have been guessing and searching for these ranking factors. Asking what does Google want? How does Google rank pages and keywords? How does Google want you to build your site?
Ten years ago it wouldn’t have mattered what Google thought of your site for it wasn’t even in the picture, but now when it comes to online search, Google is king of the hill. And as we all know, kings get whatever they want.
Besides, any webmaster worth his salt, knows Google is what counts when it comes to organic traffic – you can achieve #1 spots for a keyword in all three top search engines (Yahoo and MSN being the other two light-weight contenders) but Google will simply deliver the most traffic to your site.
Google doesn’t as yet have a monopoly on web search, but it’s getting close to 70% of U.S. traffic and in some countries it’s up over 90%. But it’s not only the search numbers which makes Google king – it is the prestige and power of the Google brand name. Google has truly permeated into popular culture and the public psyche like no other brand name in history.
Google brings respect and trust into the equation. Web users respect and trust Google to give them a quality answer to their question. That’s why it was rather ironic, that for years webmasters have been asking Google about their ranking system, their algorithm, their practices… for years Google remained for the most part silent. This was mainly to keep at bay, those who would like to “game” the system in order to get high rankings within Google.
Until now that is, maybe it’s just me but doesn’t it appear that Google is suddenly opening up about its whole ranking procedures and what they expect from webmasters. Maybe the answers have always been there, we just couldn’t find them. However, a more likely scenario is that someone high up within Google made the decision to be more transparent with it comes to webmasters and how much they would tell them.
In recent Webmaster live chats, Googlers Matt Cutts, Maile Ohye, among others… have been honestly answering questions about what Google requires webmasters to do regarding their sites. These are Q&A sessions dealing with the “burning questions” webmasters have had for years concerning Google and what Google wants. Do a search in Google for “Google Webmaster Help | Google Groups” if you will to find these sessions.
Since I run several modest sites on webmaster tools and Internet marketing I am approached by more than a few people who want me to help them build their online site or business. One of the major issues that always comes up somewhere in the process (usually phrased in different ways) is this question:
What does Google want? What does Google expect of my site? How do I get ranked high in Google?
Mainly because my chief goal is to help these webmasters understand Google better in order to build a profitable site; I have struggled and puzzled over this question for years.
What is Google’s Golden Rule?
Many experts believe it is related to relevancy – the key to getting high rankings is how relevant your content is to the question being asked? Maybe so, but in order to explain it to a would-be webmaster, I had to find the words that would most appropriately sum up Google’s prime directive?
After you go through all the SEO checkmarks, take into account the quality and uniqueness of your content, factor in the credibility and authority of your site and backlinks, and factor in the relevancy issue… this was the simple Google Golden Rule I came up with:
“Always think of your visitor first when creating any content for your site.”
This may or may not be what Google is expecting but all indications are pointing in the direction of the “visitor’s experience” and how good you or your content make that experience? Google is serving up a product, it wants the user of their product to be happy with the results. If they’re happy, Google is happy. And if everyone’s happy then the kingdom grows.
Still anything as simple and as complicated as getting top rankings in Google can’t be boiled down to a single catch phrase. You must do your homework and a good starting point would be to thoroughly read Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Studying and listening to the latest Google webmaster chats may also prove beneficial and helpful.
However, there are still those 200 hoops you have to jump through and you must be extremely careful of how you build your site if you’re trying to please Google. Listen when the king speaks. Observe his rules. Be on your guard, and it helps to become just a little paranoid. And always, always remember, an elephant never forgets.
Traffic to Your Blog – How to Accomplish It?
November 2, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
Traffic to your blog, is that what you want? I wanted to take a moment and share the following tips with all you guys on how to increase traffic flow to your blogs and or sies. Its very important that you read the steps below and apply them accordingly.
1) Consistency with your post -Blog frequently
I dont know why so many bloggers hate the idea of the above when its vital to keep the content ongoing. Trust me when I say that the struggle for content is ongoing. New bloggers, however, feel like it’s just happening to them. The truth is, don’t get a blog just to have a blog. Get it and keep it updated. It’s the quickest way to gaining traffic. How often should you blog? Three times a week. The best days to blog? Studies have shown that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are key days for blogging.
2) Focus and Stay on Track
I tell authors this a lot: stay on point, stay on topic. Why? Because if you don’t you’ll lose readership. Once someone commits to your blog they want to keep reading relevant information. So don’t blog one day about your book, your speaking, or your mission and the next day share Aunt Ethel’s pot roast recipe.
3) Plan your blogs
While spontaneity is the catalyst for creativity, planning is a good way to stay on track. Start to map out key dates that you want to blog about that have some relation to your topic – this way when you’re at a loss for topics, you can always pick one from your list of planned out blogs. Also, consider these topics to blog about:
a) Future predictions: everyone loves these, to the degree that you can predict market trends in your industry do it, and the readership will follow.
b) Discuss industry news: what’s happening in your industry that you can talk about? Even if you’re a fiction writer there’s always *something* going on worth mentioning in publishing, writing, or marketing that directly relates to your topic.
c) The elephant in the room: talk about the stuff that everyone is afraid of. What new trends are emerging that consumers/readers/companies need to be aware of? What’s next for your market and how will it affect the industry? How can we keep publishing books when we already publish 800 a day? You see what I mean? Think of things that frighten you and talk about them. People will respond. Every time I do this I get a ton of comments on my blog.
d) Write reviews: review other people’s books, product or work. This is a great way to network and to become a “filter” for your market. Filter out the new stuff and feature it on your blog (this goes for you fiction writers too!).
e) Other blogs: what are people talking about? What did your favorite blog just say? Virtual networking (with other bloggers) is a great way to grow your content and get to know others in cyberspace. Don’t forget to link to the blog you’re discussing!
4) Invite comments on your blog!
This is really important! The more folks you can get commenting, the quicker your blog will get passed around. If you have a “no comment” feature on your blog, remove it! You want people to be able to comment and give feedback. In fact, at the end of every blog, why not invite readers to comment? If you start getting a lot of responses to this, begin featuring your favorite comments in future blog posts!
5) Comment on hot topics in the news
The quickest way to get traffic is to get your blog featured on a high-traffic site. But how can you do this? By commenting on news stories. Most major news sites have a feature that will list blogs that are talking about the various news stories. Not all blogs get featured but: a) if your if your topic is related to the story they’ve featured; and b) you’ve written an insightful post on the topic, you’ll likely get listed. For an example of what these look like take a peek at a recent story on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/14/simpson/index.html
6) Digg yourself
Make sure that your blog has a bookmarking feature. Sites like Digg and http://Del.icio.us are great places to get started. You can go there, sign up for an account (very easy to do) and then follow their instructions for bookmarking your individual posts. This is important! You don’t want to bookmark the blog but rather, the posts. The posts will then show up in these sites and, hopefully, other folks will bookmark them as well. Even if no one else bookmarks your posts, it doesn’t matter. You can still get traffic by being positioned on these sites. Super simple to do, go ahead, give it a shot!
7) Twitter your blog
Got something to say? Try microblogging at Twitter: http://www.twitter.com. It’s a free service that asks the question: What are you doing now? Go in, sign up and start posting your messages with links back to your blog. We tried this and it’s fantastic. You can also blog from your cell phone and blackberry. You can not only use it to promote your blog but your book, speaking event, whatever you want. It might sound like a “who cares” idea, but trust me, everyone’s Twittering these days.
Syndicate yourself
Using simple RSS feeds through http://www.feedblitz.com you can syndicate yourself and let folks subscribe to your blog. If they don’t have a way to subscribe to your blog, they may forget you altogether. Once someone subscribes, every time you post new content it will notify them. And the best part? Your messages won’t get stuck in someone’s spam filter. They’ll get the notification, head to your blog and voila! Your readership stays engaged and growing.
Finally, don’t use an “official” voice on your blog. Pretend you’re sitting across from your reader over coffee. Talk to them in a more casual, conversational tone and you’ll not only get more readers, you’ll likely get more comments too! It doesn’t take much to grow a blog, just a little dedication and creativity. Happy blogging!
Ruben is an experienced Internet Marketer who has over 4 years of experience in the Internet Marketing Industry. He firmly believes in bum marketing techniques because everyone starts at the bottom and there has to be some free techniques available to grow your business. Tune into my blog and articles for great tips on free marketing.
How To Get More Traffic To Your Blog
November 2, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
1) Blog frequently
Most new bloggers dislike hearing this. Trust me when I say that the struggle for content is ongoing. New bloggers, however, feel like it’s just happening to them. The truth is, don’t get a blog just to have a blog. Get it and keep it updated. It’s the quickest way to gaining traffic. How often should you blog? Three times a week. The best days to blog? Studies have shown that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are key days for blogging.
2) Stay on point
I tell authors this a lot: stay on point, stay on topic. Why? Because if you don’t you’ll lose readership. Once someone commits to your blog they want to keep reading relevant information. So don’t blog one day about your book, your speaking, or your mission and the next day share Aunt Ethel’s pot roast recipe.
3) Plan your blogs
While spontaneity is the catalyst for creativity, planning is a good way to stay on track. Start to map out key dates that you want to blog about that have some relation to your topic – this way when you’re at a loss for topics, you can always pick one from your list of planned out blogs. Also, consider these topics to blog about:
a) Future predictions: everyone loves these, to the degree that you can predict market trends in your industry do it, and the readership will follow.
b) Discuss industry news: what’s happening in your industry that you can talk about? Even if you’re a fiction writer there’s always *something* going on worth mentioning in publishing, writing, or marketing that directly relates to your topic.
c) The elephant in the room: talk about the stuff that everyone is afraid of. What new trends are emerging that consumers/readers/companies need to be aware of? What’s next for your market and how will it affect the industry? How can we keep publishing books when we already publish 800 a day? You see what I mean? Think of things that frighten you and talk about them. People will respond. Every time I do this I get a ton of comments on my blog.
d) Write reviews: review other people’s books, product or work. This is a great way to network and to become a “filter” for your market. Filter out the new stuff and feature it on your blog (this goes for you fiction writers too!).
e) Other blogs: what are people talking about? What did your favorite blog just say? Virtual networking (with other bloggers) is a great way to grow your content and get to know others in cyberspace. Don’t forget to link to the blog you’re discussing!
4) Invite comments on your blog!
This is really important! The more folks you can get commenting, the quicker your blog will get passed around. If you have a “no comment” feature on your blog, remove it! You want people to be able to comment and give feedback. In fact, at the end of every blog, why not invite readers to comment? If you start getting a lot of responses to this, begin featuring your favorite comments in future blog posts!
5) Comment on hot topics in the news
The quickest way to get traffic is to get your blog featured on a high-traffic site. But how can you do this? By commenting on news stories. Most major news sites have a feature that will list blogs that are talking about the various news stories. Not all blogs get featured but: a) if your if your topic is related to the story they’ve featured; and b) you’ve written an insightful post on the topic, you’ll likely get listed. For an example of what these look like take a peek at a recent story on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/14/simpson/index.html
6) Digg yourself
Make sure that your blog has a bookmarking feature. Sites like Digg and http://Del.icio.us are great places to get started. You can go there, sign up for an account (very easy to do) and then follow their instructions for bookmarking your individual posts. This is important! You don’t want to bookmark the blog but rather, the posts. The posts will then show up in these sites and, hopefully, other folks will bookmark them as well. Even if no one else bookmarks your posts, it doesn’t matter. You can still get traffic by being positioned on these sites. Super simple to do, go ahead, give it a shot!
7) Twitter your blog
Got something to say? Try microblogging at Twitter: http://www.twitter.com. It’s a free service that asks the question: What are you doing now? Go in, sign up and start posting your messages with links back to your blog. We tried this and it’s fantastic. You can also blog from your cell phone and blackberry. You can not only use it to promote your blog but your book, speaking event, whatever you want. It might sound like a “who cares” idea, but trust me, everyone’s Twittering these days.
8) Syndicate yourself
Using simple RSS feeds through http://www.feedblitz.com you can syndicate yourself and let folks subscribe to your blog. If they don’t have a way to subscribe to your blog, they may forget you altogether. Once someone subscribes, every time you post new content it will notify them. And the best part? Your messages won’t get stuck in someone’s spam filter. They’ll get the notification, head to your blog and voila! Your readership stays engaged and growing.
Finally, don’t use an “official” voice on your blog. Pretend you’re sitting across from your reader over coffee. Talk to them in a more casual, conversational tone and you’ll not only get more readers, you’ll likely get more comments too! It doesn’t take much to grow a blog, just a little dedication and creativity. Happy blogging!
Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a book marketing and media relations expert whose company has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. Visit AME
-
FOR SALE
