|
Home | Main Index
| Banner Ads
How to Optimize for Google Part 3
By Scott Van Achte, Senior SEO, StepForth
In Part 1 and Part 2 of How to Optimize for Google I discussed
general website optimization, links, and Google webmaster tools. In Part
3 we will look at a number of other considerations which play a role in
successful rankings in Google, and also touch on some tactics which are
best avoided.
Completing Optimization: Other Considerations
Redirects
If you need to use redirects on your site, it is very important to use
the correct one. If a page is moving to a new location, or being removed
all together, it is very important to have this page redirected to either
the new location or the next closest page using a Permanent 301 Redirect.
While rare, if a page is being moved to a new location for a short term,
with the intent of it returning to the original location, then and only
then, will you want to use a Temporary 302 redirect. For more information
please see Redirects: Permanent 301 vs. Temporary 302 .
Non WWW Redirects
To help eliminate page rank split, and provide your site with a little extra
value, implement a non-www redirect. What this redirect will do is change
the URL to include the "www" whenever a URL is accessed that does
not include it. This can help to consolidate links to the correct page and
give your site some additional strength. For more help on Non WWW redirects
please see: How to 301 Redirect Non-WWW to WWW URL's
HTTP Headers
Check your page headers! If you have implemented any form of redirect
on your site including mod rewrites, check your HTTP headers. You may
be surprised at what you find. Some forms of redirects may use a 302 code
where you really want a 301. By checking your headers you can ensure all
is well, and troubleshoot problems. On our website we have added our own
HTTP Header Checker for your convenience.
Home Page URL
Never have more than one URL for your home page. If your home page is
available and displays on more than one URL, then utilize 301 redirects
on all but the main URL you want to focus on - in most cases "http://www.domain.com/".
All your links pointing to the home page should direct to the exact same
URL otherwise you will split the value of your home page into multiple
duplicate URL's.
Google sees "http://www.domain.com" and "http://www.domain.com/index.html"
as different pages, but displaying the same content. This splits the overall
value of your home page, and can decrease the chances of rankings. By
keeping it consistent with a single URL, you remove this split and retain
more of the strength.
In theory having your home page split like this could bring with it duplicate
content penalties, however, I have yet to see this actually happen - that
said, it is best to avoid the risk all together.
XML Sitemap
XML Sitemaps are great for ensuring that Google and the other engines
are able to spider your entire site. While an XML sitemap will not directly
impact your search rankings it can help as Google is more likely to see
any SEO based changes more quickly, which in turn can have an impact.
Robots.txt
This is the first file all search engines look for every time they visit
your site. While placing a blank robots.txt file in your root folder will
not help with search rankings, it will help reduce 404 errors appearing
in your log files.
It is also highly recommended that if your site utilizes an XML sitemap,
to include a call to this sitemap within the Robots.txt file. Simply add
the following line to ensure that the major engines (including Google) can
find your sitemap:
Potential Blockages
If you are finding that your site is simply not being indexed it is possible
that you are blocking the spiders in one way or another.
Start with checking your main site navigation, if you are using Flash
or some other fancy form of navigation that could be your problem right
there. Next check your HTTP headers to ensure that your home page is returning
a 2xx code which indicates that the clients' request was successfully
received. Finally take a look at your Google Webmaster Tools for any noted
errors. If you are blocking Google, chances are you will be able to uncover
the issue with these steps.
Duplicate Content
Duplicate content can be quite damaging to your rankings. Ensure that
all content on your site is unique. Never steal or "borrow"
content from another site, and never cut and paste large portions of text
from one page of your site to the next. By keeping all pages of your site
entirely original you stand the best chances of getting a thumbs up from
Google.
Fresh Content / Regular Updates
Update your content. In highly competitive markets, sites with old static
content can often slip away. Keep your content fresh and updated to keep
bringing Google back to your site. If they find new pages and updated
pages with every visit, they will come back more often.
Site Age
The age of your site can also have an effect on search engine rankings.
While there is little you can do (short of keeping the same domain) to
help on this matter, remember that the longer your site is online, the
better its chances for success. It pays to select the perfect domain right
from the start and not to change domains mid-stream. Older sites that
stand the test of time add a level of authority in Google's eyes. New
sites seldom see rankings for competitive terms in their first year.
Note: Site Age is determined not by the date the domain was originally
registered by rather by the date Google first discovered content on your
site.
Load Time
Load time can have an impact in your Google AdWords Quality Score but
it is unknown for sure if it can also impact your organic search rankings.
It is best to keep your load time to as little as possible. If it is not
already a part of the Google Algorithm, it likely will be soon. Besides,
it is also best in order to give your site visitors the best experience
possible.
Server Up Time
This can be a rather significant issue. If you find that your web hosting
company has a history of down time, change hosts. If Google comes to visit
your site once and it is down, not to worry, they will come back, but
if Google visits your site often only to find that it is unavailable,
you can find yourself with drastically depleted rankings.
Google Local
If you have a traditional brick and mortar store, consider submitting
to Google Local . While this will not directly impact your regular organic
rankings, you may find your site ranking above the organic results with
a "local business results" map listing. This tends to be most
common when your business is near the geographic center of a city, and
when the search phrase uses a geographic modifier.
W3C Compliant Code
There is much speculation as to if W3C compliant code can have a positive
impact on search rankings, and the majority believe "maybe"
with some saying "yes". Regardless, it is definitely a good
idea to have your site be W3C Compliant if at all possible. Not only may
it help you in terms of search rankings, but having compliant code can
decrease load times, and help to ensure cross-browser compatibility, all
of which are good things. If at all possible, it is recommended that sites
be made to be compliant.
Many experts who took part in the SEOMoz "Google Search Engine Ranking
Factors" lean towards it not being a big contributor, however, it
may be an issue if Google has difficulties indexing a page properly.
Read Articles |
