Linky Love Getting relevant links so that your website can be ranked high in the SERPs - is it rocket science or does it require just simple logic to get to the bottom of this whole darn thing?
Many SEO gurus have discussed this so-called "mysterious" issue or "linking secrets" since the advent of search engines and yet, today, it's a topic that's still with us with many different angles to it. Recently, Google have made public so-called "linking secrets" that webmasters should take note of, and Internet marketer Titus Hoskins puts in his say in the article below:
Google Reveals More Linking Secrets To Webmasters
One of the most problematic and confusing issues most webmasters have with Google concerns linking. How your links are ranked? How you should link out? How you should construct your internal links? How you should get more inbound links? How many links should you have on a page? And the list of questions goes on...
Perhaps, the most annoying aspect for the struggling webmaster, has been Google's secrecy in how it actually ranks links and pages. Google's whole PageRank and Ranking Algorithm is so complex that no one can fully boast they understand how the whole system works.
Google's ranking secrecy and complexity has probably been well-planned mainly because there are millions of webmasters who would like to "game" the Google Algorithm and achieve high keyword rankings through manipulation with so-called "black-hat" SEO techniques and reverse engineering.
Wouldn't it be ironic if this whole secrecy and complexity is more of a smokescreen rather than an actual deception on Google's part. What if the keys to the kingdom are actually yours for the taking? What if the solution is hiding in plain sight for everyone to see? What if the secret to high rankings in Google is not a secret at all? Wouldn't that be a hoot!
Actually, that's not a far-fetched assumption to make, mainly because many of Google's linking policies and recommendations are freely given by Google. Whether you can believe Google is actually giving you the goods is another issue that we'll put on the back-burner for another day; but for now, Google's advice on link building is rather generous and informative.
As a part of Links Week held recently, Google's Maile Ohye gave some pointers on what Google is looking for and how it does its index ranking. No big surprise that content and inbound links are the two most important factors. This is what most SEO experts have been saying for years.
A site's content is one of the main factors. Therefore, you should have a compelling site with interesting information and/or offer quality products, entertainment, opinions...
(Quoting Maile Ohye) :
"One of the strongest ranking factors is my site's content. Additionally, perhaps my site is also linked from three sources -- however, one inbound link is from a spammy site. As far as Google is concerned, we want only the two quality inbound links to contribute to the PageRank signal in our ranking.
"Given the user's query, [over 200 signals] (including the analysis of the site's content and inbound links as mentioned above) are applied to return the most relevant results to the user.
"As many of you know, relevant, quality inbound links can affect your PageRank (one of many factors in our ranking algorithm). And quality links often come naturally to sites with compelling content or offering a unique service."
(End Quote)
Then Maile Ohye explained further how to create unique and compelling content for your site:
(Quoting Maile Ohye)
Start a blog: make videos, do original research, and post interesting stuff on a regular basis. If you're passionate about your site's topic, there are lots of great avenues to engage more users.
Teach readers new things, uncover new news, be entertaining or insightful, show your expertise, interview different personalities in your industry and highlight their interesting side. Make your site worthwhile.
Participate thoughtfully in blogs and user reviews related to your topic of interest. Offer your knowledgeable perspective to the community.
Provide a useful product or service. If visitors to your site get value from what you provide, they're more likely to link to you.
(End Quote)
SEO experts have been telling webmasters for years that creating valuable, unique, relevant useful content is one of the best ways to get your site and pages highly ranked in Google. If you create valuable content then other sites will want to link to you naturally.
Linking out to other sites should be done in a "common sense" manner and it's a way of offering value to your visitor's experience. We expect helpful relevant links when we visit other sites since it's a natural way a good quality site should work; so be careful of linking out to spammy sites that only offer pages of links with very little or no unique content.
There are several things every prudent webmaster should be checking like making sure your site hasn't been hacked and hidden links placed on your site without your knowledge; those with WordPress blogs should be installing the latest security measures and updates. Make sure you keep checking all your outbound links regularly since you may initially link out to a valuable resource, but over time this page may be closed or replaced with one of those spammy-links-holding pages. It can happen to the best of us.
What has confused things lately is all the "link buying" which Google greatly discourages and has shown its displeasure by de-ranking many paid directories. The size of your "wallet" shouldn't be the determining factor in how pages and content are ranked. If you're selling a link, it should have the "no-follow" tag so that it doesn't pass PageRank along and confuse the system. Policing or deciding what is or what is not a "paid link" has become a major problem for the search engines, including Google.
You should not have more than "100 links on a page" as this can overload the search engine robots that regularly crawl the web, indexing pages. Likewise, your site's "linking architecture" should be natural and easy for both your visitors and the robots to follow. Make sure your important pages are no more than a few clicks away from your homepage.
As to interior linking, the two main points being: Intuitive Navigation for your visitors and Crawlable Text Links for the search engine robots. Use descriptive anchor text links thatexplain your content to your visitors. The anchor text is the underlined clickable part of the link and many SEO experts suggest you place your keywords or variations of them in your anchor text.
Make sure your site is transparent. Do not use "link cloaking" on your site. Make sure what your visitor sees is what the robots are indexing. Use a 301 Redirect if you have permanently moved any webpages. Again, there is stressed the need for a sitemap as this can be very helpful for both your visitors and robots to see and find all your valuable content. Make sure you have a sitemap and all your important pages are listed on it.
One final note, many professional webmasters and marketers don't worry about PageRank as much as they are concernedwith SERPs. Getting those top rankings for their sites in the search engine results is what really matters. Again, quality content and building quality links play an important role in achieving those top spots and maybe Google has already given you the formula for getting them. Maybe, a big maybe!
About the author: Titus Hoskins is a full-time online marketer who runs numerous web sites, including two sites on Internet marketing. For the latest web marketing tools try: http://www.bizwaremagic.com Discover more about linking and ranking directly from Google here: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/
6.10.08
Making Money Online As A Writer
Make money online The Internet has opened the door for many would-be writers to make money online by writing for businesses. But before you can jump in, you need to know a few things about the "art of online writing" and how to sell yourself to potential business clients.
Becoming a successful online writer and publisher is perhaps not for everyone, but if you have the knack for it and the determination to learn the ropes, you can go far and be in great demand. As writer Angela Booth explains in this article, writing for businesses online can be a profitable venture because of the limitless markets that are waiting for you out there.
How To Make Money Online by Writing for Businesses
Here's an easy way to make money online - write for businesses.
Every business dependson communication for its profits, so if you can write, you have an unlimited market for your words. Businesses Will Pay You to Well Write on a Per-Project Basis
Think about what you're writing now. Do you write white papers, marketing communications or reports in your day job?
If you do, you're golden. Businesses have an endless appetite for these. You can start your own writing services business part time, and then go full time when your income surpasses what you're making in your day job. It will do this very quickly.
If you don't write in your day job, but write as a hobby, a great way to make money online is to write articles for online businesses. If you can write around 500 words on a range of topics you'll be in super-high demand.
How to Get Started
You get started by finding a business which will pay you to write for them. This is much easier than you think.
Start with businesses you know - the businesses in your city which have Web sites. Just get in touch, and ask what writing services they need. Yes, it really is that simple. You'll find that may of the local businesses which hire you will turn into on-going customers, paying you thousands of dollars each year to write for them.
Next, use the online classifieds sites, and advertise there. If you use the classifieds sites, it's best to wait until you've written five to ten projects for clients. Create a small Web site, and (with the permission of your clients) post the writing there as an online portfolio.
How Long Until you Can Quit your Day Job?
I'm often asked how long before you can quit your day job and just write full time for businesses.
If you throw yourself into this with great enthusiasm and treat it as a second job, you can do it within three months.
As more and more businesses move their operations online, the demand for writers will continue to grow. Not only can you make great money, but you can work the hours you choose and get paid much more than in most regular jobs.
About the author: Discover how to make money online in your spare time with Angela Booth's Sell Your Writing Online NOW at http://sellwritingnow.com/Home/training.html Not only will you discover how to write and sell articles for profit, you'll get complete training in how the Web works, so you can take advantage of the unlimited opportunities.
Becoming a successful online writer and publisher is perhaps not for everyone, but if you have the knack for it and the determination to learn the ropes, you can go far and be in great demand. As writer Angela Booth explains in this article, writing for businesses online can be a profitable venture because of the limitless markets that are waiting for you out there.
How To Make Money Online by Writing for Businesses
Here's an easy way to make money online - write for businesses.
Every business dependson communication for its profits, so if you can write, you have an unlimited market for your words. Businesses Will Pay You to Well Write on a Per-Project Basis
Think about what you're writing now. Do you write white papers, marketing communications or reports in your day job?
If you do, you're golden. Businesses have an endless appetite for these. You can start your own writing services business part time, and then go full time when your income surpasses what you're making in your day job. It will do this very quickly.
If you don't write in your day job, but write as a hobby, a great way to make money online is to write articles for online businesses. If you can write around 500 words on a range of topics you'll be in super-high demand.
How to Get Started
You get started by finding a business which will pay you to write for them. This is much easier than you think.
Start with businesses you know - the businesses in your city which have Web sites. Just get in touch, and ask what writing services they need. Yes, it really is that simple. You'll find that may of the local businesses which hire you will turn into on-going customers, paying you thousands of dollars each year to write for them.
Next, use the online classifieds sites, and advertise there. If you use the classifieds sites, it's best to wait until you've written five to ten projects for clients. Create a small Web site, and (with the permission of your clients) post the writing there as an online portfolio.
How Long Until you Can Quit your Day Job?
I'm often asked how long before you can quit your day job and just write full time for businesses.
If you throw yourself into this with great enthusiasm and treat it as a second job, you can do it within three months.
As more and more businesses move their operations online, the demand for writers will continue to grow. Not only can you make great money, but you can work the hours you choose and get paid much more than in most regular jobs.
About the author: Discover how to make money online in your spare time with Angela Booth's Sell Your Writing Online NOW at http://sellwritingnow.com/Home/training.html Not only will you discover how to write and sell articles for profit, you'll get complete training in how the Web works, so you can take advantage of the unlimited opportunities.
30.9.08
How Do You Perceive Google PageRank?
Page Rank Dance Google's latest pagerank updates were reported this past week and like previous updates there were lots of complaints of sites losing PR by a notch or two. Of course, there were also some sites happy to announce that they have seen improvements in their pagerank.
Although, you would have read about the pros and cons of this periodic fluctuations of a ranking system that's measured on a scale from 0 to 10 - the greater the number, the better it is for your site -- most people are still unsure how Big G's pagerank algorithm really works.
There are other search engines on the Internet but, being the top dog in search engines, Google is regarded as the one that really counts. And if you are rubbing Goog the wrong way like selling links or using some other tricks, you just might get hit by the Google slapfest.
Many people have formed theories about how Google rank sites. but there's no foregone conclusion. To most of us, it looks like there's a discrepancy in Goog's choice of bestowing pagerank on certain sites. For example, we see sites that appear to be more like scrapper sites getting a pagerank while another site with good articles is still without a pagerank.
It would seem that Google's PR algorithm works in mysterious fashion, but like it or not, Google PageRank is an important aspect of Internet life.
Free organic web traffíc from Big G is vital to any online site or business. One Internet marketer says he would take traffíc from Google over any other source of traffíc on the web, except for traffíc coming from his articles on other sites, and even that traffíc probably originated from a search in Google.
"Google and Google PageRank have always been important to me - that's one of the reasons a sudden large drop causes so much concern. There's another important reason Google PageRank is important to me," writes Titus Hoskins
Although, you would have read about the pros and cons of this periodic fluctuations of a ranking system that's measured on a scale from 0 to 10 - the greater the number, the better it is for your site -- most people are still unsure how Big G's pagerank algorithm really works.
There are other search engines on the Internet but, being the top dog in search engines, Google is regarded as the one that really counts. And if you are rubbing Goog the wrong way like selling links or using some other tricks, you just might get hit by the Google slapfest.
Many people have formed theories about how Google rank sites. but there's no foregone conclusion. To most of us, it looks like there's a discrepancy in Goog's choice of bestowing pagerank on certain sites. For example, we see sites that appear to be more like scrapper sites getting a pagerank while another site with good articles is still without a pagerank.
It would seem that Google's PR algorithm works in mysterious fashion, but like it or not, Google PageRank is an important aspect of Internet life.
Free organic web traffíc from Big G is vital to any online site or business. One Internet marketer says he would take traffíc from Google over any other source of traffíc on the web, except for traffíc coming from his articles on other sites, and even that traffíc probably originated from a search in Google.
"Google and Google PageRank have always been important to me - that's one of the reasons a sudden large drop causes so much concern. There's another important reason Google PageRank is important to me," writes Titus Hoskins
24.9.08
Do You Keep Track of Your Website's Performance?
Make you website stick Regular evaluation of your website's performance is important as it will help to ensure a good experience for your visitors.
If your website is slow to download or not working properly, your visitors are more likely to go to another site than they are to tell you about it.
Slow performance can be caused by a few different factors. The processing speed of your server, your site's bandwidth, poor coding or database structure and using images or other media that are too large can all contribute to the problem.
Any one of these factors can be a problem but if you're dealing with a combination of them, it can be a critical problem.
You - or someone on your behalf - must keep track of your site's performance and make sure any problems get fixed quickly and effectively.
If your website is slow to download or not working properly, your visitors are more likely to go to another site than they are to tell you about it.
Slow performance can be caused by a few different factors. The processing speed of your server, your site's bandwidth, poor coding or database structure and using images or other media that are too large can all contribute to the problem.
Any one of these factors can be a problem but if you're dealing with a combination of them, it can be a critical problem.
You - or someone on your behalf - must keep track of your site's performance and make sure any problems get fixed quickly and effectively.
21.9.08
Keyword Targeting Could Get You More Traffic
We all hate getting caught in a traffic snarl. It's an everyday headache for almost everyone who drives in the city. But in the virtual world of cyberspace, website traffic is something we all crave for if you are into Internet marketing or some other forms of online business.
This kind of traffic is essential if you have a website or a blog. You need to attract other Web users to your site so that you can get them to buy your products or read your articles. What use is a website if nobody knows about it?
If you are a corporate advertiser or an online entrepreneur, you might want to consider buying traffic which is typically known as Pay Per Click advertising. This approach could be quite complicated for those not familiar with it. Anyway, it's not for most people although we see Google turning in good revenue from their Adwords, a reflection of the popularity of this PPC program.
The other option involves 'borrowing traffic' whereby a site seeks to exchange links with another site or enter into a joint venture with another marketer or company.
The link exchange is a tricky approach. It's not easy to get a site with high pagerank and traffic to link to you if you are a "nobody." If you managed to exchange links with an average site, traffic juice may not be up to scratch. Joint venture usually means hooking up with an affiliate marketer whose products complement yours - a kind of "you scratch my back and I scratch yours" business arrangement.
Now you are seeing how tricky it could be in your quest to garner quality web traffic. It always involves giving something in return when you strike a deal with another web user but there's always the 'doubt factor' whether it will be successful or not.
No, it's not all 'doom and gloom' yet. In fact, one of the best ways to start is drive your own traffic by putting your site high on the radar. Okay, I admit there are literally hundreds of ways to do it but just take note of two of the most popular methods -- article submission (i.e. Article Marketer, Ezine Articles, Go Articles, etc.) and video (think YouTube).
Oops! There's one more important thing to remember and it could well be one of the best ways to get traffic that's truly targeted. This would be organic search engine traffic which has a tendency to convert well since people are targeting keywords.
Get your site to be ranked high on the SERPs (Search Engine Ranking Pages) by applying the most relevant keywords so search engine spiders like Google's will get your site indexed. I'm not going into the full details here on how you can perform this trick. - by Titus Hoskins
This kind of traffic is essential if you have a website or a blog. You need to attract other Web users to your site so that you can get them to buy your products or read your articles. What use is a website if nobody knows about it?
If you are a corporate advertiser or an online entrepreneur, you might want to consider buying traffic which is typically known as Pay Per Click advertising. This approach could be quite complicated for those not familiar with it. Anyway, it's not for most people although we see Google turning in good revenue from their Adwords, a reflection of the popularity of this PPC program.
The other option involves 'borrowing traffic' whereby a site seeks to exchange links with another site or enter into a joint venture with another marketer or company.
The link exchange is a tricky approach. It's not easy to get a site with high pagerank and traffic to link to you if you are a "nobody." If you managed to exchange links with an average site, traffic juice may not be up to scratch. Joint venture usually means hooking up with an affiliate marketer whose products complement yours - a kind of "you scratch my back and I scratch yours" business arrangement.
Now you are seeing how tricky it could be in your quest to garner quality web traffic. It always involves giving something in return when you strike a deal with another web user but there's always the 'doubt factor' whether it will be successful or not.
No, it's not all 'doom and gloom' yet. In fact, one of the best ways to start is drive your own traffic by putting your site high on the radar. Okay, I admit there are literally hundreds of ways to do it but just take note of two of the most popular methods -- article submission (i.e. Article Marketer, Ezine Articles, Go Articles, etc.) and video (think YouTube).
Oops! There's one more important thing to remember and it could well be one of the best ways to get traffic that's truly targeted. This would be organic search engine traffic which has a tendency to convert well since people are targeting keywords.
Get your site to be ranked high on the SERPs (Search Engine Ranking Pages) by applying the most relevant keywords so search engine spiders like Google's will get your site indexed. I'm not going into the full details here on how you can perform this trick. - by Titus Hoskins
17.9.08
Why Web Marketers Go Gaga Over Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate How-to When you think about Affiliate, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Affiliate are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.
Ever heard of affiliate programs? These are forms of Internet advertising that rewards the affiliates for driving traffic to the advertiser or for other transactions.
The advertiser pays the affiliate to place a link on their website, and the affiliate sends traffic to the advertiser in return. Simply put, it's about paying commissions to people who help you make sales. It's that easy. .
Affiliate marketing has its ups and downs. It could be draining if you are not armed with updated information and the technical how-tos.
Ever heard of affiliate programs? These are forms of Internet advertising that rewards the affiliates for driving traffic to the advertiser or for other transactions.
The advertiser pays the affiliate to place a link on their website, and the affiliate sends traffic to the advertiser in return. Simply put, it's about paying commissions to people who help you make sales. It's that easy. .
Affiliate marketing has its ups and downs. It could be draining if you are not armed with updated information and the technical how-tos.
16.9.08
Search Engine Rankings - Some Tips
Many people ask "How do I get traffic to my website?" To best discuss this topic you should break this down into categories:
Title Tags: The title should contain keywords and keyword phrases that is important to your site. The recommended maximum number of characters for this tag is 60.
Also when counting your characters remember that spaces are considered as well. Titles should appeal to the reader otherwise even a top position will lose a lot of clicks.
For example, "shoes, nike shoes, best shoes, review shoes," is unlikely to induce a click. What may induce a click would be something like:
Shoes - Find out the latest styles on name brand shoes.
Title Tags: The title should contain keywords and keyword phrases that is important to your site. The recommended maximum number of characters for this tag is 60.
Also when counting your characters remember that spaces are considered as well. Titles should appeal to the reader otherwise even a top position will lose a lot of clicks.
For example, "shoes, nike shoes, best shoes, review shoes," is unlikely to induce a click. What may induce a click would be something like:
Shoes - Find out the latest styles on name brand shoes.
Internet Marketing: Knowledge is Power
Imagine the Internet is your cyberspace battleground...to gain knowledge... and to achieve financial security...when you venture into Internet marketing, affiliate marketing or your own home-based online business. Imagine what you could do if you have the power of knowledge.
Because...Information + Knowledge = Power
It's a fact that one of the biggest sellers on the Internet is information. You want information? Find it, read it, and learn it.
Yes, information is your key to know what to do and how to do it. If you don't have it, you're as good as dead in the water! What if your mind can open up and see the many opportunities right infront of you?
Savour this quotation attributed to James Dewar (1842-1923):
"Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open."
Overcome this barrier...and you'll be able to win the battle against procrastination and financial stagnancy.
Let information be your motivator that'll take you to the next level in your online quest.
Because...Information + Knowledge = Power
It's a fact that one of the biggest sellers on the Internet is information. You want information? Find it, read it, and learn it.
Yes, information is your key to know what to do and how to do it. If you don't have it, you're as good as dead in the water! What if your mind can open up and see the many opportunities right infront of you?
Savour this quotation attributed to James Dewar (1842-1923):
"Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open."
Overcome this barrier...and you'll be able to win the battle against procrastination and financial stagnancy.
Let information be your motivator that'll take you to the next level in your online quest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
