Google has been leading Search Engine Optimization for the past decade and what better place to get advice on Internet Marketing then from Google. Below we have compiled 6 great online assets from Google that will aid your efforts in getting better web page rankings.

Asset 1: Google’s Webmaster Guidelines
Google outlines what it looks for in quality built websites in it its Webmaster Guidelines: “Following these guidelines will help Google find, index, and rank your site.”
There are:
• Design and Content Guidelines
• Technical Guidelines
• Quality Guidelines

These guidelines are an accumulation of experiences gained by Google in improving their search result algorithm to provide users with the best possible results based on their query.

Asset 2: Google Webmaster Tools
Google Webmaster Tools provides you with detailed reports about your pages’ visibility on Google including how Google views your site, share information about your web pages with Google using Sitemaps, lets you set GeoTargeting for your website so it will show up in the relevant GeoTargeted searches. There are lot’s of other helpful tools in Google Webmaster Tools (such as discovering your link and query traffic), so if you haven’t signed up for Webmaster Tools yet, make it a priority.

Asset 3: Google’s Very Own Guide To SEO
Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide is really SEO 101. It goes through:
• SEO Basics
• Improving Site Structure
• Optimizing Content
• Dealing With Crawlers
• SEO For Mobile Phones
• Promotions and Analysis

This guide uses examples, illustrations and is really a must read for anyone looking to improve their website’s organic ranking in Google.

Asset 4: Matt Cutts’ Blog
Matt Cutts’ Blog on Gadgets, Google, and SEO helps keep you up-to-date on search quality, webspam and SEO from a Google perspective as he is the head of Google’s Webspam team.

Asset 5: Google Adwords Keyword Tool
While the AdWords Keyword Tool is primarily for Google’s Pay Per Click (PPC) platform. We can use the data from it to find Global & Local Monthly Search Data and Traffic Estimator which can be very helpful in deciding what keywords you may wish to target in your SEO Plan.

Asset 6: Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an enterprise-class web analytics solution that provides rich insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness. Powerful, flexible and easy-to-use features now let you see and analyze your traffic data in an entirely new way. With Google Analytics, you’re more prepared to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher converting websites. You need to sign-up and then install Google Analytics into your website

6 valuable Internet Marketing assets provided by Google that can help your website get better search rankings typically leading to more traffic. If you know of or use any other resources from Google or other source please share by leaving a comment below. If you need help integrating any of these SEO techniques into your website, WebPaws.com would be happy to help! Just Send WebPaws a note.

6 Ways Google Improves Internet Marketing for Your Website is a post from: WebPaws.com

For years internet marketing professionals used reciprocal linking in their SEO strategies (I’ll add your link on my website if you add my link on your website). Google then started cracking down on various reciprocal link schemes and talk about loosing rankings with Google made people avoid using this strategy. Many internet marketing professionals still believe this is bad SEO and will only do one-way linking for their clients’ websites. They are misinformed and their clients are paying for it. So what’s really going on?

The facts are that exchanging links with other reputable sites is a good thing because Google likes it. If a good site is requesting a reciprocal link with you, by all means do it. It will help your search engine position and bring more people to your website. What Google is against is the automated, large-scale, linking systems. If you get caught in one of those, you’re going to need more than a shovel to dig your way out as JC Penny found out the hard way. To avoid these schemes, don’t use any internet marketing company located overseas, and always check out a website before agreeing to a link exchange. If you need some more advice, contact us, we’ll be happy to work with you.

Reciprocal Links. Are They Good SEO? is a post from: WebPaws.com

SEO Lesson 4

Search Engine Inclusion/Rankings

by Ryne C Allen, WebPaws.com

Have a new website and need to get it on the boards?  After creating your new website, instead of waiting for the Search Engines (SE) to find you, you can speed things up by submitting your primary index page (website root directory) to some of the major search engines to start the ball rolling.  Normally, depending on how well linked your website is from other websites, blogs, social networks, etceteras; your website may not be indexed for several weeks to months by the major search engines.  If you’ve generated a lot of backlinks to your website by various internet marketing strategies, then you may not need to do direct page (site) submissions to the search engines because they will find you through your well indexed backlinks and you are off to a very good start. However, if you’re not listed in the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) then you should manually submit your page (website) to some primary search engines so they become aware of your presence and start indexing your content for inclusion in their SERPs.

Let’s start with the 5 top search engines and get your site submitted for indexing by the search bots.  The ranked*  list below gives you the top 5 major search engines and their free submission links for you to use in your site submission.

1. Google
   Free Submit: http://www.google.com/addurl/
2. Yahoo! Search
   Free Submit (need to sign in): http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit
3. MSN Live Search
   Free Submit: http://search.msn.com/docs/submit.aspx
4. AOL Search – Powered by Google
   Submit: http://www.google.com/addurl/
   AOL’s search engine and the AOL directory are just copies of search engines and directories found elsewhere on the web.  To be listed on AOL SE you just need to be listed on Google, as Google provides the results to AOL searches.  The AOL directory is mentioned below in “Other Sources”.
5. Ask – Powered by Teoma
   FAQs: http://static.wc.ask.com/en/docs/about/webmasters.shtml#18

* Rankings provided by: http://www.hitwise.com/datacenter/main/dashboard-10133.html

Additionally, there are submission services to hundreds of other search engines (primary and second tier), directories, FFA page links and the like.  Below is a list of a few of these second tier search engines for your convenience in submitting your website.

1. AltaVista – Powered by Yahoo!
   Free Submit: http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit
2. Fast (AlltheWeb.com) – Powered by Yahoo!
   Submit: http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit
3. Gigablast – Real time spidering, really!
   Free Submit: http://www.gigablast.com/addurl
4. Netscape Search – Powered by Google
   Free Submit: http://www.google.com/addurl/
5. Snap.com – Portions powered by: Gigablast, Smarter.com, SimplyHired.com, X1 Technologies, Inc. and Enhanced by Ask.com
   Submit: http://www.snap.com/

Free-for-all links list can help you get many backlinks to your website in a short time.  You can find services that will submit your website to hundreds of these FFA sites for increased temporary exposure.  Most FFA sites keep your information for about 30 days, others last as long as their cut-off list number will hold over time and may need to be re-added within days or weeks.

Other Sources of increasing SE rankings

There are many other sources of creating exposure for search engine crawlers (“spiders” or “bots”), to find and index you and to increase your rankings with them.

1. Creating mutual links (inputting your website’s link submission to “like content” websites with mutual links going back to their site).  In some search engines (e.g., Google) this does not merit much if any weight – they sort of cancel each other out.
2. Creating backlinks which are one-way links from “like content” websites only going back to your website.  The more weight these external sites have (better rankings with Google PageRank, Alexa Traffic Rank, Compete Rank,  etc,) the more important it becomes to the search engines algorithm and to your website’s ranking.
3. List your site on dmoz – Submission to the Open Directory Project (dmoz) must be done manually and with care.  To get listed on the Open Directory (dmoz) which is the AOL directory go to: http://dmoz.org/add.html Please note that AOL Time Warner owns Netscape, and therefore “owns” the Open Directory.
4. Local Directories such as Google Local (http://local.google.com/), Yahoo Local (http://local.yahoo.com/), Live Search Maps (http://maps.live.com/), etc. are very good ways for businesses to get free listings that bring top local search results for their websites/businesses.
5. Blogs – having a business blog helps a lot in expanding your relative content and spilling it into the web pool.  Active blogs have quicker turn-around times in becoming listing in the SERPs and are good places to place backlinks to your main site as well as providing good fodder for social networks and other related blogs and websites to use or link to your blogs (if the message is a well crafted and popular one) leaning toward a viral campaign.
6. Social Networks - are alternative places to solicit friends to help spread or promote your business messages, services, products, ideas and other communications that help expand your brand awareness, product or service offerings, etc.  Make sure that you focus on one-way backlinks to your main website and that you attend to your social media page/site to keep it current and keep your friends interested (in propagating your word).  Some social networks worth considering are: www.myspace.com, www.facebooks.com, www.twitter.com, www.plaxo.com, www.linkedin.com, etc.
7. Information Website Websites such as www.Alexa.com, www.aboutus.com, www.domaintools.com, www.compete.com, etc.  Visit these websites and wikis and build your domain presence by editing, modifying and keeping track of your standings in these websites.

How is your website doing?  Check your website rankings at http://popuri.us/.  Need to improve this?  WebPaws.com is a full service Internet Marketing company.  We will improve all your rankings for your website with our unique techniques and SE insight having worked for Google and perform SEO to every website we touch.  It is magic!  Contact us today for a free quote.

Search Engine Inclusion/Rankings – Lesson 4 is a post from: WebPaws.com