Webmaster Discussions

Google recently released a statement announcing that they have taken steps to prevent Googlebombing, this is the action where sites are found for some specific terms not totally related to their content for example ‘miserable failure’ would return the Whitehouse site, ‘liar’ would return the 10 Downing Street site etc.

This has been a problem with the results for a while in that they could be manipulated by using links and in some cases very few links. When asked why they hadn’t responed before the Official Google Webmaster Central Blog, responded by saying :-

“People have asked about how we feel about Googlebombs, and we have talked about them in the past. Because these pranks are normally for phrases that are well off the beaten path, they haven’t been a very high priority for us. But over time, we’ve seen more people assume that they are Google’s opinion, or that Google has hand-coded the results for these Googlebombed queries. That’s not true, and it seemed like it was worth trying to correct that misperception. So a few of us who work here got together and came up with an algorithm that minimizes the impact of many Googlebombs.”

“The next natural question to ask is Why doesn’t Google just edit these search results by hand? To answer that, you need to know a little bit about how Google works. When we’re faced with a bad search result or a relevance problem, our first instinct is to look for an automatic way to solve the problem instead of trying to fix a particular search by hand. Algorithms are great because they scale well: computers can process lots of data very fast, and robust algorithms often work well in many different languages. That’s what we did in this case, and the extra effort to find a good algorithm helps detect Googlebombs in many different languages. We wouldn’t claim that this change handles every prank that someone has attempted.”

So the question from an internet marketing and SEO point of view is how this change will filter through the results. Will this have any effect on someone in their real estate internet marketing?

At this stage it is hard to say, but from what Google say there are 100 or so Googlebombs that they are aware of. If they are manually flagging them which they say they’re not, how are they picking up these spurious links that are unrelated to the site they link to and likely unrelated to the site they link from. At this point my personal feeling is unrelated may be very related to how Google is filtering so watch how your results may be changing depending on how relevant your links are.

Read the original here: Google Bombs the Googlebomb

Why Flash Websites Are Not SEO-Friendly (Yet)

June 2008. That’s not too long ago on your wall calendar, perhaps, but is a geological age or two in “tech time.” Computers and communications technologies like the Web have changed quite a bit since then, but some things apparently take longer than others, as it was in June 2008 that the Google Webmaster’s blog announced that Googlebot was able to extract links and text content from Flash files. This would make it possible for the company to rank and index all the sites using that popular type of content. Adobe chimed in at the time to say what a win-win situation it was. It sure sounded like the previous problems were solved.

Of course, Google backed off a bit by adding that they would have to phase in the changes, that it would take a little time. The firm promised that the first noticeable improvement would be better snippets, the search result blurbs, coming from Flash-filled sites. Since, in the past, Google could get nothing at all from that content, the snippets would be missing or exhibit the only discoverable text (even if it were tags or version numbers). The fact is, there is now some limited functionality to the Googlebot Flash-reading program, but many observers believe the firm overpromised and underdelivered.

Two years on

Adobe has every incentive to convince people that Flash belongs on their Web sites and is fully indexable by all leading search engines. The explosion of Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) means that a lack of indexing functionality renders a growing percentage of sites invisible to the search spiders. Two years on, there is still little data being release by either Google or Adobe on the number of Flash pages being indexed, the depth of the indexing, the effect on search results or any other metric. There appears to be quite a disconnect between the PR and the facts.

About a year after the initial announcement, in summer of 2009, Adobe started sending out assurances to RIA developers (again) that they could keep working the way they were working, and didn’t need to alter or repurpose content to make it searchable. The problem, of course, is that this solves nothing, as many Flash pages have little text, anyway, and are composed of images, video and animation, the details of which will not be displayed in the proposed approach.

The search process would work better if a unique URL were associated with each piece of content. When Flash dynamically loads text during the user interaction, and the URL stays the same, Googlebot could track and remember those actions, at least to a reasonable degree, and remain tied to the original URL. Adobe distributed a Flash player to all the search engines to allow spiders the ability to navigate through an SWF application like a virtual user. When specially tweaked for searching, Flash technology can capture all the paths in the SWF application, much like it ambles through pages in standard Web applications and formats.

Workaround time?

In the meantime, progress has stalled. There are workarounds, though. You can use meta tags on whatever HTML page has the SWF file, but the problem with that is that search engines rank on multiple pages, content, linking, user paths and more. Your page will rank low because, as far as the search bots are concerned, your site is just a single page that links with no one and nothing.

The other workaround is an HTML mirror site, where you take your Flash pages and build separate HTML versions of each, stripped down without a lot of fanfare and hoopla included. You will then use meta tags to embed specific search terms that relate to that page. This allows the spider to crawl the entire content of the site, bringing up your ranking and visibility, and you can then insert HTML code to automatically redirect people who open the HTML ringer page to the Flash version. It also allows you to offer, instead of a bells-and-whistles Flash site, a simpler, faster-loading HTML version for people who have dial-up or low-bandwidth connections.

The impact on SEO

No one wants to have to do a pile of extra work like that if it’s not necessary. The problem is, we don’t really know when the full-on solution will be in place. Flash is still a sore spot for SEO pros, and some would prefer that text always remain HTML (which is text), and that Flash be restricted to non-textual content such as animations, videos, illustrations and the like. Others are hoping that the Holy Grail of Flash searchability will be announced, with evidence that it works, any day now. That day is not here, and it’s hard to predict when it will be. In the meantime, there are workarounds, and there is also patience. Perhaps a combination of these is the best route for the moment.

Follow this link: Why Flash Websites Are Not Seo-Friendly (Yet)

So what’s the difference between promoting your website and a brick and mortar store? That’s a common question asked by new internet marketers. It turns out the principles are the same but the methods are different. Let’s take a look at how.

The main object of promoting either store is to first create awareness of the stores existence. Secondly you want them to know what you offer and why it will improve their life. Next you want to show them how yours is better than others in the market. This is all to achieve your final goal of visiting your store or site. Making the sale is another topic all together.

If you have real deep pockets you can start by advertising in the New York Times or on NBC for a brick and mortar store or on MSN or Yahoo sites if you’re on the internet. Of course you have to remember your AOL users won’t see you there just as your CBS watchers won’t see you on NBC. Most start ups aren’t going to worry about this problem as they don’t have the money to do this kind of advertising.

So what method do you use to advertise and drive traffic cost effectively to your site?
? Tell your friends and family about your site. The average person has about 250 people they would invite to their wedding. Let them know what you’re doing.
? Sign up for a leads service that will refer leads to your site. This will be a nominal expense in relation to the leads if you use the right service.
? Post your helpful opinions on forum web sites. This will add credibility to you as an expert and refer people back to your site.
? Place Solo Ads in targeted ezines. Ezines are electronic newsletters that are directed to select groups. This is a very effective method.
? Google Adwords is another way to reach your potential clients. Google adwords allows you to promote your website anytime someone searches for the words or phrases you have selected.
? Another effective method is to make promotional handouts that can be passed out to those you meet. Of course this must direct people to your website.
? Place newspaper classifieds. You can put together a very cost effective campaign using weekly papers that are less costly and can reach your target market.
? Write and publish articles just like this one that show your expertise and direct clients back to your website.
? Start your own blog. Your own blog allows you to ad more pages of content that refers potential clients back and forth from your website to the blog and vise versa.
? Write, have written for you or find an eBook you can brand. The eBook should refer and link to your website throughout the book. This not only shows you to be an authority but also where they can learn more. Advertise your FREE eBook and give it away.

There you have ten ways to promote your website. It’s like advertising a garage sale with yard signs all over town. It’s like putting signs all down the interstate that directs people to which exit they need to visit you. The internet is continually growing. The potential is endless. Go get your share.

Rod Hey

http://www.WinningLifeChoices.com/pips.html

3 Easy Steps to Work at Home Now!