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October 16th, 2009SEO Tips: Improve PageRank (Google PageRank Demystified…Sorta) Part 2
October 16th, 2009This article continues from SEO Tip: Improve PageRank (Google PageRank Demystified…Sorta) Part 1. As with any of our articles you should be aware of the disclaimer:
Disclaimer: Chattanooga Search Marketing Blog features SEO tips for the benefit of our readers and clients in order for them to understand what we do and help them with their own SEO projects. As with any SEO technique, these techniques and tips are based on our experience and are our best opinions. Our opinion may change and this tip may still exist.
In the previous article I introduced some of the common myths about Google PageRank. There are many myths, but the three that I listed are the most common and are somewhat tied together. The reason for discounting the myths is simple. It’s important to work on other aspects of your website and not to just grieve over PageRank night and day.
Let’s get right to it with the first myth, websites must have a high PageRank to get high rankings in Google or SERPs. We’ll call organic search rankings SERP or search engine ranking position. As an example I did a couple of searches with Google to test my theory. The first term that I used was “best ipod”. Someone trying to figure out which iPod to buy as a gift might search this. I imagine that this would be a pretty hot search term to have a page one ranking with if you are selling iPods. My results are as follows: The page with the number one ranking has a PageRank of 1. The page with the number two rank has a PageRank of 2. The page with the number three rank has a PageRank of 3.
I did another search for “buy lcd tv”. LCD TV’s are a hot consumer product and I would think that having a high SERP for the term would be highly desirable for someone selling LCD TVs. The pages that are ranked number one and two in Google for this term has a PageRank of 3. The page that is ranked number three has a PageRank of 4.
With just doing a few searches for some high traffic non generic search terms we can see that maybe not having the highest PageRank will be the end of the world when it comes to achieving high SERP.
The second myth, websites with high PageRank get the most traffic from Google, is tied to the first myth in the sense that if the myth were true, the sites with the best PageRank would capture all the good, organic traffic because they have high SERPs. As we saw, the higher your PageRank is doesn’t necessarily have an impact on your ranking. Think about it like this. If PageRank was that big of a factor, CNN (PageRank 10) would get all the traffic and the only way to sell anything would be to have a link from a CNN article.
The most important aspect of SEO is achieving a high PageRank for a website is doomed based on discounting the first two. A high PageRank does come with bragging rights. If you are really trying to impress your friends and fellow webmasters, bang away achieving that 6+ PageRank.
Having said that with a bit of fire, don’t give up on PageRank. There are some important reasons to work on improving your PageRank. In Part 3 of this article I’ll tell you why PageRank is important and we’ll get down to figuring out how to improve it.
Subscribe to the Chattanooga Search Marketing Blog RSS feed so that you get Part 3 of this article without having to remember to come back.
from: http://www.abraxasweb.com/blog/2009/07/30/seo-tips-improve-pagerank-google-pagerank-demystified%E2%80%A6sorta-part-2/
SEO Tips: Improve PageRank (Google PageRank Demystified…Sorta) Part 1
October 16th, 2009(Disclaimer: Chattanooga Search Marketing Blog features SEO tips for the benefit of our readers and clients in order for them to understand what we do and help them with their own SEO projects. As with any SEO technique, these techniques and tips are based on our experience and are our best opinions. Our opinion may change and this tip may still exist.)
When Google exploded in the search space in prehistoric times (1998), one of the concepts that made Google much better than the popular search engines of the time (Alta Vista, Excite, etc.) was PageRank. Of course, PageRank, was not the only thing that made Google better, but it is one of those things that allowed Google to provide better search results. PageRank has evolved since 1998, and I expect it to continue to evolve. Search engine optimization (SEO) experts that figured out PageRank in those early days were able to get results for clients, and those who had always done practical SEO continued to do well.
Still today, there are many myths about PageRank and Johnny Come Lately SEO “experts” may be propagating these myths. By understanding some basics about PageRank, you should be able to improve a bit. Before I go much further, I’ll say that there are few people that have “inside” information on exactly how PageRank figures into Google’s ranking algorithms. Most any theory on PageRank is a best guess, and some guesses are better than others. Fortunately, Matt Cutts (who works for Google) shares a fair amount of information about Google that gives SEOs a head start on best practices to improve PageRank.
Here are a few popular myths about Google PageRank that you should be aware of:
- The most popular myth, by far, is that a website must have a high PageRank to get high rankings in Google.
- Websites with high PageRank get the most traffic from Google.
- The most important aspect of SEO is achieving a high PageRank for a website.
Part 2 of this article will dispel these myths and give you some truths about PageRank and some techniques to improve your overall PageRank. Subscribe to the Chattanooga Search Marketing Blog RSS feed so that you get Part 2 of this article without having to remember to come back.
from: http://www.abraxasweb.com/blog/2009/07/07/seo-tips-improve-pagerank-google-pagerank-demystified%E2%80%A6sorta-part-1/
How to Avoid the Scam & Pick the Right SEO Company
October 16th, 2009I have written an article that is filed in the pages of this Web site offering up advice to Chattanooga business owners (and any other business owner) regarding picking a SEO company and a Web design company. I didn’t think the full article warranted a post in the Search Marketing Blog, because, there is no real SEO tip there, but is more intended for prospective clients. However, I did want to bring up a few highlights and point those interested over to the proper article for more details.
As most “real” experts in the SEO business know, we are constantly fighting false information, and companies offering less than desirable SEO techniques. Just as buying anything, the informed buyer is a better buyer. That’s the goal for this article, to inform the buyer.
The main things to watch out for are:
- The SEO Amateur: This is someone who doesn’t really know much about SEO, but will tell you otherwise to get your business. At the end of the day, you end up with bad results and wasted time and money.
- The Submission Scam: If someone offers to submit your web site to thousands of search engine and directories, they are about to take your money smiling.
- The Keyword Scam: The informed business owner can avoid this one, but you have to be on your toes. A true SEO expert, will always perform research and share that research with you to help determine the best tactics.
- Avoid Google Hell: SEO experts offering banned and spammy techniques can get your web site sent to Google hell and will never return. You are not Odysseus.
To read the complete article head over to Selecting a Web Design Firm and SEO Expert in Chattanooga.
from: http://www.abraxasweb.com/blog/2009/09/25/how-to-avoid-the-scam-pick-the-right-seo-company/
Selecting a Web Design Firm and SEO Expert in Chattanooga
Finding the right Web Design or SEO company can be a challenge with all the scams and untruths…
For a business owner in Chattanooga, TN, it can be a challenging task to hire the right Web designer or SEO expert to improve your website traffic or improve search engine rankings. There are many so called “SEO Companies” out there that advertise in the Chattanooga market that offer quick solutions, “submission packages”, and other unsavory tactics. To the unknowing business owner, these offers can seem like an affordable or easy way to get top rankings in the search engines. To help you weed through the information overload, here are few tips and things you should know when selecting a Web designer and/or SEO expert.
Avoid the SEO Amateur
It is a common tactic by many Web design companies to offer search engine optimization when they sell you and attempt to convince you that they are SEO experts. Most of these designers are well intended, but that doesn’t help your business. Many of the web designers that are optimizing your Web site may have read a few blog posts on the subject and, even worse, read some ancient information on the subject that doesn’t help you and could even hurt you. A SEO professional can offer you a specific strategy with specific tactics that can be accomplished over a period of time with measurable results.
The Submission Scam
One of the most common scams is the submission scam. Anyone who has surfed the net for any amount of time will have seen advertising for these services. Most business owners have probably even received a phone call offering such a service. The offer usually goes something like this: “We will submit your Web site to 2000 directories. You’ll get higher search engine rankings!” While the idea is on the right path, the tactic is completely wrong.
Most directories and search engines have defense mechanisms in place to disregard submission done by an automated system. 99% of the submissions will fail. Some may even ban you. Paying for a service like this is about as good as throwing your money out your nearest window.
The Keyword Connection
Many business owners are realizing that mass submission to 2000 directories will not help their business, so the not-so-legitimate SEO companies are offering keyword placement. On the surface this seems like a good idea. The devil is in the details. Let’s pretend that you are in the pest control business and your business name is Jim’s Big Bug Squashing. Someone pulling the keyword scam on you might tell you that they will get you a number one ranking for “Jims Big Bug Squashing.” Chances are they will be able to pull that off. Chances are very few of your potential customers would ever find you. A better keyword/term would be “Chattanooga exterminator” or “exterminator in Chattanooga, Tn”.
A legitimate SEO company would do the research and determine what keywords real Internet users are using to find a service such as yours. Not only will they do the research, but will share the data with you and include you in the decision making process.
Google Hell
There are some SEO companies out there that practice techniques that are banned by Google and other search engines. Using such techniques can get you sent to “Google Hell.” These techniques can include keyword stuffing and other spamming techniques. These techniques can score you short term results, but once you are found out (and you will be found out), your site will be sequestered to “Google Hell” to never return.
It’s a good idea to discuss this with any Web designer or SEO company before you agree to do business with them. If these techniques are used on your site, you would have been better off to have never even attempted to optimize your site at all.
Keep an Eye Out
There are a few things that you should watch out for that could save you a lot of money and a lot of heartache:
- Be wary of any unsolicited email that starts out anything like, “We noticed that you are not listed in the top ten of Google…” Chances are they didn’t even look and will only look for your credit card number.
- If someone promises to submit your site to thousands of search engines or directories, hang up the phone and review “The Submission Scam” section on this page.
- If a company employees telemarketers to solicit your business and has a supervisor if you rebuff them.
- Always ask if they are offering organic rankings or paid rankings when offering high rankings. Anyone can buy a ranking. It takes a talented SEO expert to get the organic top rankings.
Web Design & SEO
When you are building or rebuilding your Web site and you want search engine optimization built in, be sure that your Web designer is a true SEO expert. It may come to some surprise, but Web design and SEO are not synonymous or interchangeable. An excellent designer may know nothing about search engines. The best practice is for a Web design firm to have an SEO expert on staff or to outsource. Any good Web design company wouldn’t be opposed to you bringing your own.
Make a Good Choice
Simply being aware of these basic concepts, will help you make better decisions when it comes to Web designers and SEO experts.
SEO Eight Month Research & Development Project
October 16th, 2009
It is rare that a SEO company will pull back the curtain and let everyone see some of the things that go on behind the scenes. We aren’t going to show you how to do this magic trick, but we will reveal some actual results. We do protect our clients, so this is some of the results from an in-house R&D project.
Hdmusicvideosonline.com is a music video Web site developed by Abraxas Web Design & SEO as a research and development site where we experimented and explored search engine optimization techniques for eight months.
This document contains screen captures of some of the top search terms used in Google to land on hdmusicvideosonline.com. We consider this project an overwhelming success being able to achieve number one rankings for many of the primary search terms that we targeted. In many cases we were able to beat well established sites such as Apple, Vimeo, Youtube, Palladia, MTV, etc. In the end, in eight months we were able to dominate the HD music video category. From September 14, 2009 to October 14, 2009 2330 search terms were used to land on hdmusicvideosonline.com.
(These screen captures were taken October 15, 2009 and are accurate as of this day and only represent a small portion of search terms used to find hdmusicvideosonline.com.)
