To me it appears Google has increased their strategy of getting users to log into the “internet” and stay logged in. OpenID and OpenSocial as well as Google Friend Connect are all steps in this direction. I’m okay with idea, too, as long as the “anoymous” internet doesn’t disappear completely.
Continue reading “Google 2009 – Keeping Us Logged Into The Internet” »
Google has been running the SearchWiki experiment for a few weeks now, and I haven’t been using it. There’s something about the idea of voting SERPs up and down that is quite sitting right with me. I also don’t see the purpose of commenting on SERPs.
I’m sure the reaction from your average web surfer is vastly different, but for me the idea behind this feature is a bit counter-intuitive. I understand why Google would want to incorporate common features like this, but this particular implementation is rife for abuse.
Google has already suggested they may use SearchWiki data to influence SERPs. If they do, you can expect manipulation quickly. It would be nothing for companies to set up “boiler rooms” of “raters” who go and push up their SERPs.
If Google uses it for statistical modeling, fine. Or if they use “massive demotions” to see if a website is crap for a further review, fine. But it just seems like one more place on the internet for people to leave unsolicited and unverified information about a websites.
It’s another one of those products where if people had to pay extra for the feature, they wouldn’t. If Google adds too many of these features to their listings, they’ll end up losing that simple sparse look and feel people are used to.
Whenever Google updates their rankings, it seems inevitable that some websites will drop in rankings. To the afflicted webmaster, the news couldn’t be more devastating. These drops in Google are becoming much more commonplace, especially for low PageRank websites. Let’s take a look at what could be causing such drops, and how they can be fixed.
The problem can be caused by an error on your part. There’s no reason to adopt the mindset that you couldn’t have made a mistake. We’re all humans, and it can happen to any of us at any time. At the same time, don’t naturally assume your drop in Google rankings is something you did. It might be a glitch. Google is very good at what they do, but not infallible. They can make a mistake also.
Continue reading “Google Rankings Drop – What To Do Next?” »
PageRank updated this weekend, according to multiple sources. Frankly, I won’t even bother confirming. All told I have 51 websites that make money. They range from small websites that earn only a few hundred dollars a year, to several large websites that make much, much more. When I add up all the revenues, I’m making enough to pay my business expenses and draw a paycheck.
Continue reading “PageRank Update Still Exciting To Some” »
Nofollow was a stupid idea from the beginning, and I’m sure most webmasters would agree with that. It was intended to put a bandage on a gaping wound. Nofollow was invented in order to tell search engines “this link was probably spammed so don’t trust it.” It was meant to wipe out comment and forum spam. It hasn’t accomplished that task at all, and now he Nofollow tag has basically screwed up the flow of PageRank on the entire internet.
After seeing how much attention Cuil.com got for the launch of their basically shitty search engine, you realize just how much interest there would be in an alternative. I’m not sure what the numbers would translate into, but the target audience would be huge. People have been dealing with Google for years, and not all of them have had pleasant experiences, so they’re certainly ready to jump on the band wagon of anyone who comes along.
But frankly, Google’s success is for such a simple reason that people sometimes miss it. Google is so successful because their search engine generally finds the “right” results. Plus they do it often enough that people have become totally used to the system. Further, Google has tied all of us into so many sophisticated programs that their volume of traffic is just enormous. Could someone beat them? Theoretically, but they’ll have their work cut out for them. Besides, if Google realizes another company is making progress they’ll probably buy them out quickly.
Really, anyone who plans on beating Google has to do it by providing better results. And that’s going to be tough to do, especially when you consider that Google almost always:
The real key to their success is that they do this billions of times a month and rarely “choke” on a single search. They’re the undisputed leaders in scale and sophistication and any start-up is a long way away from catching up.
There are a lot of ways you can fail in getting search engine traffic, but one way stands out as a trap that many webmasters fall into. If you want to fail, just devote your time to what others are doing. Worse yet, try and copy the strategies of others instead of being original. If you do that, you’re bound to go down the drain. Let’s look at some of the reasons that imitating others is almost always a bad idea.
An example is the number of cloned web directory sites you’ll see on the internet. Even though they use different “skins”, they all have the same basic category structure. If you’ve ever submitted to even five of these in a row, you’ll quickly bog down in the sheer monotony in your task.
Sure, it takes longer to be original, but it’s worth it. Of course you don’t have to be 100% original. Everyone is influenced by websites that are popular, so it’s understandable you’ll have some of the same flavor as others. But the key is offering something totally unique that gives your site a personality. If you do that, the issue of branding will be that much easier.
Google has done a bit of a “Google Dance” in the last 48 hours. A few of my websites which have been basically greatly reduced in traffic made a rip-snorting comeback. I’ve also noticed a few strange errors in Google Webmaster Tools that haven’t been there before. I’ve been expecting a relatively “big” update from Google for the last few weeks.
Google doesn’t “dance” in the way it did a few years ago, but there are periods of seismic shifting that happen every now and again. This seems to be one of those times. I suspect that Google is using more and more data from their personalization arsenal to help rank sites. I can’t prove it, but it would explain some of the types of changes I’m seeing.
It seems I’m in sync with Google these days, at least for the moment. I’ve been emphasizing content production all else for quite some time, and it seems to be paying off. Google is a fast system these days. It’s not uncommon for me to have traffic at my blogs within 5 seconds of publishing! That’s the type of response time I love.
I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing a PR update soon, as well. It seems a spike in traffic tends to precede a PR update, so we’ll see if that theory holds true.
All in all, this latest Google update seems like it’s been kind to me. How about you?
Frankly, I’d say Google is doing a nice job these days. They seem to have placed a great emphasis on fresh content, and that’s useful for most surfers, IMHO. Comprehensiveness and freshness are the main reason Google always seems to retain their crown as Search King.
Google recently introduced “Friend Connect”. The service queries the databases of several popular social networking APIs and introduces an easy to manage interface for webmasters to add social networking features to their websites.
Here, Google explains it all quite clearly in this Video
As usual with Google products, the launch of Friend Connect has not been without controversy. Facebook has already blocked access by Friend Connect due to privacy issues.
Make sure to read up on all of the potential privacy concerns before installing Friend Connect on your website.
The question: “Am I Banned in Google?” is one that’s asked a lot, especially these day. Luckily, it appears that Google has a quick way for you to learn if your site has been banned.
# Verify that your site ranks for your domain name
Do a Google search for www.[yourdomain].com. If your site doesn’t appear in the results, or if it ranks poorly in the results, this is a sign that your site may be penalized for violations of the webmaster guidelines. If we find certain problems with your site – for example, malware – we’ll let you know via the Message Center You should also review your site against the webmaster guidelines and, submit a reconsideration request.
Voila! Simple as that. If you aren’t sure if your website has been banned by Google or not, just enter a generic search for the domain. If you see results, your website has not been banned.
Now there’s no reason for speculation if you think your website has been dropped due to penalties.
