Google, Updates, Upgrades, Penalties And Filters

My site dropped from no.1 spot to nowhere. Google tech people replied to my email telling me I must have hidden text or used some kind of 'illegal technique'! Why don't they just admit it's their mistake?

Standard reply
It's a standard reply, nothing else. I would imagine that 9 times out of ten when Google get an email about a site that has dropped into oblivion it has something to do with using techniques that go against their webmaster guidelines. It may not be the case with you but from their perspective I should think it a reasonable reply in the circumstances.

There seems to be some confusion about 'penalty'
A 'penalty' is applied to sites using tricks and sneaky stuff to boost their rankings in Google. A good recent example would be BMW who were using one page for the search engines and another for the web visitor. Since this was contrary to Google's guidelines, BMW were removed from the index entirely -- they were penalised (http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/ramping-up-on-international-webspam/).

Filtered
Another type of 'penalty' although it really is a purely an algorithm filter, is a webmaster using things like hidden text or keyword-stuffing, for example. This gets aggressively filtered (assuming the site is not removed from the index) by the application of the filter(s) which then causes the site to drop down the search engine rankings. It may seem like a penalty but it is the result of filtering, not penalty.

Penalty is different from 'ignoring' links
When links are ignored, there is no penalty being applied, the links simply don't count. The site itself is not penalised, it is merely the case that some of the links into that site are not counted. This measure not only filters out link farms and spam techniques but also prevents a competitor from acting against another site by spamming in order to attempt to incur aggressive filtering.

Google does not owe you a living
Google does not owe any webmaster a living! I must mention this as many webmasters seem to forget at times, that it is up to them to keep their sites filled with visitors, not Google, or for that matter, any search engine.

If Google are busy with rebuilding their infrastructure, their database, their spiders, their algorithms or for that matter, the breakfast bar at Googleplex, and it adversely affects your website, then it's just too bad!

Complaining to Google that your website isn't at the #1 spot any more is like complaining to the bestseller booklist that you should still be at the top of the bestseller list even though your book isn't selling as well! If your site no longer meets the current market requirements then you need a new product. The market isn't going to change to suit you.

Panic, Florida and Big Daddy
Now is definitely NOT the time to panic. Google are upgrading. Things will be all over the place for a while yet. If you take drastic measures for what was up until recently a highly placed site, you run the risk of completely ruining your placements.

During the infamous 'Florida update', many webmasters panicked and began changing, tweaking and altering things that had no bearing on their ultimate placement. However, thanks to the 'adjustments' made in haste, they did manage to bring problems on themselves that took months to recover from once the dust had settled and everyone had a much better understanding of what had occurred.

Steady at the wheel, Captain!

Google, Paranoia or a Cause for Concern?

Copyright 2006 Sharon Housley

Anti-Google sentiment is on the rise. Web pundits have tossed around monopoly theories and privacy advocates have warned of a day of reckoning. While Google has made friends on Wallstreet, it has disappointed the technical evangelists who were once its fiercest followers. Google has grown into a big scary company and web watchers are expressing their concerns about the information Google gleans from their various services.

Google Analytics is free, no one can beat the price, but what is the real cost? The cost is your data. While not terribly important when analyzed alone, when aggregated with other information Google has access to, it could be damaging. Data mining has made the collection of data meaningful. It has become easier to find patterns and trends in large volumes of data.

While any of that information independent of other data, might be non-threatening or irrelevant to someone doing analysis, when combined with other data Google has access to, it can paint a very clear picture of how, not only individual companies are performing, but the aggregate data could possibly paint a picture of how entire business sectors or industries are performing.

The big question is how will Google use this information? Will it affect search engine ranking? Will it influence keyword costs?

Paranoia? Lauren Weinstein doesn't seem to think so, her blog post entitled "The Dark Side of Google" http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000108.html , paints a very clear picture of the danger of a single entity possessing all of the data.

According to a recent USA Today article "In just seven years, Google has emerged as one off the most influential companies of the 21st century, a multinational whose recent forays into classified ads, book publishing, video, Wi-Fi and telecom make its data empire ever more powerful." The article goes on further to quote Jeff Chester, head of the digital Center for Digital Democracy saying "Google could easily become the poster child for a national public movement to regulate data collection".

Lets take a look at Google's new analytics tool. As a reporting tool, Google Analytics offers good features and functionality. Google Analytics tells publishers who their website referrers are, what pages visitors are viewing, the length of the visitor stay, what items are purchased. Google Analytics data can be used to develop new technologies, and optimize pay per term influence ranking.

Google wants to make money, and like it or not, data is a commodity. Google will likely use the data from their various ventures to develop new technologies and personalize content. Conspiracy theorists believe that the Google's aggregate data will also be used to optimize the fees charged for pay-per-click, influence organic ranking or worse yet sold.

Unbeknownst to many users, privacy advocates say that Google's technology give Google the ability to collect enormous amounts of data about interests and online habits of web surfers. That said, Google's growth will continue to motivate privacy advocates and those in the technology field behind the Attention Truste movement to work together, to improve how personal information and subscription information is used online. I expect we will see a lot of energy and effort in this arena.

Lets face it, Google wants to make money; no, now that they are public they *need* to make money and like it or not, data is a commodity. Whether Google will use your data or not is still to be determined, but the fact remains they can if they choose to. Google's storage capacity, is as deep as its pockets, meaning that it is far ahead of competitors. All of this has motivated privacy advocates and eyes are on and will continue to be focused on Google and the type of data they are capable of collecting.

Why Internet Marketing Is Essential For A New Business Website

Marketing is the lifeblood of any business. Marketing builds awareness. Awareness lets potential customers find out about your product or service. Just as with a bricks and mortar business, marketing is essential in order to let people know your business offer exists.

Although the World Wide Web can be thought of as a media channel where prospects will see your copy day after day, the truth is that unless you attract those prospects to your website first then your efforts are in vain.

The term 'World Wide Web' should really have a fourth word, 'Wilderness', because that's where any website begins and stays if no efforts are made to attract visitors.

Any business that builds a store, for example, must make efforts to attract custom in order to succeed. The very same principle applies online and just as in the offline world, the amount of benefits reaped is proportional to the amount of effort put in.

In order to maintain any kind of competitive advantage, sustained efforts must be made with a long term plan in mind.

Compared to traditional offline methods of marketing, one of the distinct advantages of marketing online is the speed at which new marketing strategies can be put to test. For example, a pay per click campaign could be launched and the results analysed all in a single day. Such campaigns can promote the smallest businesses amongst the largest industry relevant websites viewed by thousands of qualified prospects.

One of the greatest Internet marketing fallacies is those services offering automated submission to hundreds of search engines as an effective means of search engine promotion. When 80% of all search engine usage is carried out using the three largest search engines (Google, Yahoo! and MSN), the only others worth being included in are those that are highly relevant and/or localised. This means that automated submission services such as these can offer limited benefit and then only to those websites that don't already appear in a search engine's listings.

The effectiveness of these types of automated and unspecific services quickly becomes diluted when they are made readily available to all.

For an effective Internet marketing that delivers significant and measurable results, there is no substitute for a well-structured, customised approach making the best possible use of the technologies available.

Building a successful Internet business starts with building a website and continues with effective marketing.

Nascar Races: Hot Tips to Car Racing

What to Look For While Betting on NASCAR

Auto racing such as Formula One and other races such as the Indy 2000 are big hits internationally. Millions of fans crowd stadiums to watch the different cars race by. The screech of burning tires as they spin by you is an experience that very few forget.

NASCAR is one of the largest racing organizations in the USA. With millions of fans around the country, and some of the most expensive race cars and teams put together you can see how NASCAR and betting go together like peas in a pod. But today we are going to talk about the teams crews.

The great thing about NASCAR is that it is an individual sport and a team sport at the same time. So when we start talking about sports betting, or race betting, the options that we have are spread out and full of potential, although we are going to focus on the teams part today.

Now on any given day a NASCAR driver can come back from last place and win a long and tough race. Certain things must happen for a gambler to win his bet just like certain things must happen for a circumstance like this to take place. This is where the team comes into play.

Sports betting and betting on NASCAR is and around the clock job; the teams mechanics are working on the cars days in a row to get ready for the start time, changing fuel capacities, and tuning up the engines due to weather conditions as well as fitting the correct tires to the surface. A teams crew can make all the difference on race day whether that driver will win or lose. If the car is not running at full capacity due to some over looked object that needed tweaking, the driver may lose serious horsepower from his engine and lose valuable seconds here and there on the track.

Now again in NASCAR there is so much telemetry and science that go into these cars; that the teams will drive a car all the way to the finish line burning off fumes to maybe win the race, or have the race blown because the car ran out of fuel after the last turn. The amount of gas they carry in the car determines weight, how fast the car will move under certain conditions and for how long the car will travel without needing to refuel.

This is what can make betting on NASCAR races so interesting is the amount of variables and how they change minutely due to a change in air temperature or how the sun is beating down upon the asphalt or what wind speeds from which direction.

I hope that this article helps you understand better the ins and outs of car racing in general and NASCAR races in particular. If you are not a fan, try and visit one of the tracks while a race is in progress. It will astound you. If you wish to learn more about auto racing or about the NASCAR race circuit visit http://www.gambling-portal.com/auto-racing.html and have a ball.

Free Ebook Shows The Simplicity Of Surging To The Top Of Google

No one needs to know all of the ranking criteria in order to get to the top of search engine lists. In fact, even if you were extremely good at it, Google could and will change algorithms at anytime. The game of getting to the first page can be complicated, but doesn't need to be. "PJ" is prepared to explain in his free report, just how easy it can be. "This information is very helpful to both the novice setting out to sell his or her product for the very first time, or perhaps the more experienced Internet salesperson who is frustrated with the costs of the high profile SEO professionals".

"It will take perseverance, patience and the willingness to trust in the methods that have been proven time and time again," PJ says. "Also, although you won't advance to the top overnight, it's going to be much quicker than you think".

Paying for the top position rarely works - the most popular search engine doesn't allow it, and users ignore the paid-for listings anyway (just like they ignore banner ads). Beautiful graphics and stunning animations usually reduce your search engine ranking! Massive lists of repetitive keywords don't work - search engines use natural language syntax checking and frequency analysis to eliminate such pages from consideration.

PJ resides in a Eden Prairie, Minnesota which is an upscale suburb just outside of Minneapolis. He has been interested in Search Engine placement for quite some time. Now , finally he says he is prepared to "spill all the beans" to those interested in his years of research. "Be ready", he says, "You're going to be surprised to see just how simple it is". For a FREE EBOOK detailing the fastest way to the top of the search engine, visit:
http://www.ride-to-the-top.com and
http://www.1stepsystem-premier.com

Article Optimization - Directory Submission 101

It is a pleasurable challenge writing to Ezine and Article publishing Directories.  This is the "sandbox" that most writers are contributing to today.  More articles are written and show up as an entry to Google, Yahoo, MSN, AltaVist and other search engines than their are websites.  Some websites are articles in themselves.  It is much easier to write an article than it is to build a new website for most of us.  The common person may not be able to do build their own website, but he or she may have the talent to be a successful writer. Think of the competition though!  Thousands of writers writing about their content, promoting their website, and sharing their ideas.  The numbers are overwhelming!  There are a number of things that a writer needs to be aware of when submitting articles to develop a mass readership. 

<b>Article Optimization</b> - If you want your article to show up on page number one of Google, it has to be optimized.  Optimization is done by following some of the simple rules called "Search Engine Optimization". 

Choose a <b>high quality article directory</b> to submit to.  This will contribute a great deal to getting the article close to the number one spot.  You can determine the <i>article directories PR rating</i> in Google ·by installing the Google task bar on you browser and going to the article directory website.  Contributing your article to the directory is a very simple thing.  You will have to provide personal information, possibly a pen name, your website url if you have one, and the category you will be writing about.

Use <b>keyword rich content</b> in the title, teaser, and body of the article.  You have to do some keyword research and plug them in to your article every chance that you can.  A good example in this article would be the keyword "<u>article directory</u>".  It has to make sense when you use it.  Once every paragraph or two and your readers will not get bored with the article and keep reading until the end of the article.

Use bold, italic, and underline when it seems appropriate with your keywords.  Using Google, go look up some of your favorite keywords.  You will notice in the list of Google links that the keywords you put in are in bold.  Google picks up on the keywords.  Let me repeat that, Google picks up on the keywords.  In SEO Made Easy, the author indicates that not only does Google pick up on keywords, but Google picks up on keywords that are in bold, italic, and underlined.

Article Directories will let you place one to three incidents of anchor text in the body of the article.  This is an excellent way to <i>get a link back to your website</i>!  Google takes a while to do this, but eventually it will index the article and register the link.  You can work in your keywords in clever fashion this way.  If you have a website, and you are promoting your website in the article, this is the opportunity to use the keywords from your website.  If the article directory allows the technique, html anchor text entries can be made in the body of the article as well as the bio.  The reader would not normally know that html was being used.  Of course the Article Dircetory has to accept html code for this to work.

<b>Use anchor text</b> in the article writers bio.  <i>Most Article Directories</i> accept three, others will only allow you one.  This is the sales pitch.  If you have interesting content in the article, and have succeeded in convincing your reader that your contribution is worth investigating some more, they will want to go to your website and look some more!  This is the author's sincere wish most of all, to gain trust and repore with his or her readers and to start a continuing business relationship.  It can be done with a proper close to the article asking for the reader to "come on in, the water is fine!"

<b>Article Writing</b> - If you want your article to be read from start to finish, <i>choose keywords and content that will make sense to the reader</i>.  Don't try to write about nuclear physics to a business crowd. 

<b>Determine your audience</b>.  This is done easily by entering your keywords into Google.  Look at the number of entries returned.  An article will be successful if you choose an audience that is not to large that you cannot compete against and not so small that you will only expose the article too few times to too few readers.  When starting, it is a good idea to start with keywords that are getting about 30 hits a day at Overture.  Normally there would also be less than ten million entries returned from the Google keyword search for your topic.  Work on the larger populations when you get this down.  You will find innumerable targets and keywords that you can do this with.  There is no end to topics available on the internet.  What a rich source of information!

<b>Use original content</b> when submitting to <u>Article Directories</u>.  They have a way of finding out if your content is not original.  Article directory submission guidelines always require you have exclusive license allows your name to be associated with the articles produced for you or by you.  So don't do it.  You will get caught!

Enjoy your writing!  The world is open to to your ideas and more than willing to accept what you have to offer, if it is done the right way!