SEO On Page and Off Page Factor

8/3/2019 SEO On Page and Off Page Factor

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Google Ranking Factors - SEO Checklist

.

Google Ranking Factor Checklist

1. Positive ON-Page SEO Factors

2. Negative ON-Page SEO Factors

3. Positive OFF-Page SEO Factors

4. Negative OFF-Page SEO Factors

Notes for the Above Fac tors

Brief Google Update List - Panda

The Sand Box

Sources

Vaughn's Summaries

SEO Optimization

Google Summaries

AdSense Targeting Diagram

AdWords-AdSense Diagram

Google AdSense Penalties

Google AdSense Stop Words

Google AdSense Targeting

Google AdSense Tips

Google Certified Ad Networks

Google Heat Map 2

Google Ranking Factors - SEO

Google Top-Paying AdWords

Google Webmaster Forums

There are "over 200 SEO factors" that Google uses to rank pages in the Google search results (SERPs).

What are the search engine optimization rules?

Here is the speculation - educated guesses by SEO webmasters on top webmaster forums. Should you

wish to achieve a high ranking, the various c onfirmed and suspected Google Search Engine Optimization

(SEO) Rules are listed below.
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The SEO R ules listed be low are NOT listed by weight, and not by any presum ed relevance - THAT exe rcise is left up to the

reader!

20 458 768 10 280

top of page

1. AllegedPOSITIVE ON-Page SEO Google Ranking Factors (38)(Keeping in mind the converse, of course, that when violated, some of these factors

immediately jump into the NEGATIVE On-Page Ranking Factors domain.)

The term "Keyword" below refers to the "Keyword Phrase", which can be one word or more.Green rows confirmed byGoogle patentof Aug. 10, 2006

Note -PatentClaim

#

Factor

#

POSITIVEON-Page SEO Factors Brief Note

50 KEYWORDSGoogle patent Topic extractionFor keyword selection,

tryGoogle Ad Words Google Trends

HOT 1 Keyword in URL First word is best, second is second best, etc.

HOT 2 Keyword in Domain name Same as in page name with hyphens

Keywords - Header

Keyword in Title tag close to beginning
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HOT 3 Keyword in Title tag Title tag 10 60 characters, no specialcharacters.

4 Keyword in Description meta tagShows theme less than 200 chars.Google no longer "relies" upon this tag, but willoften use it.

5 Keyword in Keyword metatag Shows theme less than 10 words.Every word in this tag MUST appearsomewhere in the body text. If not, it can bepenalized for irrelevance.No single word should appear more thantwice.If not, it may be considered spam. Googlepurportedly no longer uses this tag, but others

do.

Keywords - Body

6 Keyword density in body text 5 20% (all keywords/ total words)Some report topic sensitivity the keywordspamming threshold % varies with the topic.

7 Individual keyword density 1 6% (each keyword/ total words)

HOT 8 Keyword in H1, H2 and H3 Use Hx font style tags appropriately

9 Keyword font size"Strong is treated the same as bold, italic istreated the same as emphasis" . . . Matt CuttsJuly 2006
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10

keywords)Directly adjacent is best

11 Keyword phrase orderDoes word order in the page match wordorder in the query?Try to anticipate query, and match word order.

12Keyword prominence (how early inpage/tag)

Can be important at top of page, in bold, inlarge font

Keywords - Other

13 Keyword in alt text Should describe graphic Do NOT fill withspam(Was part of Google Florida OOP tripped athreshold may still be in effect to some

degree as a red flag, when summed with allother on page optimization total pageoptimization score TPOS).

14Keyword in links to site pages(anchor text)

Links out anchor text use keyword?

NAVIGATION - INTERNAL LINKS

SITE 15 To internal pages keywords? Link should contain keywords.The filename "linked to" should contain thekeywords.Use hyphenated filenames, but not long ones two or three hyphens only.

Validate all links to all pages on site.


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Use a free link checker. I like this one.

SITE 17 Efficient treelike structureTRY FOR two clicks to any page no pagedeeper than 4 clicks

SITE 18 Intrasite linking Appropriate links between lowerlevel pages

54 NAVIGATION - OUTGOING LINKS

55 19 To external pages keywords? Google patent Link only to good sites. Donot link to link farms. CAREFUL Links canand do go bad, resulting in site demotion.Unfortunately, you must devote the timenecessary to police your outgoing links theyare your responsibility.

56 20 Outgoing link Anchor TextGoogle patent Should be on topic,descriptive

61,

6221 Link stability over time Google patent Avoid "Link Churn"

22 All External links valid? Validate all links periodically.

23 Less than 100 links out total Google says limit to 100,but readily accepts 2 3 times that number. ref2k

121(added)

Linking to Authority Some say this gives a boost -Others say that is absurd. However, it certainlyis the opposite of linking to trash, which WILLhurt you.
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OTHER ON-Page Factors

24 Domain Name ExtensionTop Level Domain TLD

.gov sites seem to be the highest status

.edu sites seem to be given a high status

.org sites seem to be given a high status

.com sites excel in encompassing all the

spam/ crud sites, resulting in the need for thehighest scrutiny/ action by Google.Perhaps one would do well with the new .infodomain class. Nope. Spammersjumped all over it no safe haven there. Not somuch, now .info sites can rank highly.

25 File Size Try not to exceed 100K page size (however,

some subject matter, such as this page,requires larger file sizes).Smaller files are preferred


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,Change

27 29 Freshness of Links Google patent May be good or badExcellent for high trust sitesMay not be so good for newer, low trust sites

30 Frequency of UpdatesFrequent updates = frequent spidering =

newer cache

31 Page Theming Page exhibit theme? General consistency?

32 Keyword stemmingStem, stems, stemmed, stemmer,stemming, stemmist, stemification

33 Applied Semantics Synonyms, CIRCA white paper

34 LSI Latent Semantic Indexing Speculation, noproof

35 URL lengthKeep it minimized use somewhat less thanthe 2,000 characters allowed by IE less than100 is good, less is even better

OTHER ON-SITE Factors

5 36 Site Size Google likes big sites Larger sites are presumed to be better funded,better organized, better constructed, andtherefore better sites. Google likes LARGEsites, for various reasons, not all positive. Thishas resulted in the advent of machine generated 10,000 page spam sites size forthe sake of size. Google has caught on and
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dumped millions of pages, or made themsupplemental.

4 37 Site Age Google patent - Old is best. Old is Golden.

3 38 Age of page vs. age of siteAge of page vs. age of other pages on siteNewer pages on an older site will get faster

recognition.

Note: For ALL the POSITIVE On-Page factors listed above,PAGE RANK can OVERRIDE them all. So can Google-Bombing.

top of page

2. Alleged Negative ON-Page SEO Google Ranking Factors (24)

Note

Factor

#

NEGATIVEON-Page SEO Factors Brief Note

BAD 39

Text presented in graphics formonlyNo ACTUAL body text on the

page

Text represented graphically is invisible tosearch engines.

BAD 40 Affiliate site? The Florida update went after affiliates with avengeance flower and travel affiliates were hit
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hard cookie cutter sites with massive inter linking, but little unique content. Subsequentupdates have also targeted affiliates.

BAD 41 Over optimization penalty (OOP) Penalty for over compliance with well established, accepted web optimizationpractices. Too high keyword repetition

(keyword stuffing) may get you the OOP.Overuse of H1 tags has been mentioned.Meta tag stuffing.

BAD 42 Link to a bad neighborhood Don't link to link farms, FFAs (Free For All's)Also, don't forget to check the Google status ofEVERYONE you link to periodically. A site maygo "bad", and you can end up being penalized,

even though you did nothing. For instance,some failed real estate sites have beenswitched to p0rn by unscrupulous webmasters,for the traffic. This is not good for you, if you arelinking to the originally legitimate URL.

BAD 43 Redirect thru refresh metatagsDon't immediatelysend your visitor to anotherpage other than the one he/ she clicked on,

using meta refresh.

BAD 44 Vile language - ethnic slur Including the George Carlin 7 bad words youcan't say on TV, plus the 150 or so thatfollowed. Don't shoot yourself right straight inthe foot. Also, avoid combinations of normalwords, which when used together, becomesomething else entirely such as the word
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juice, and the word l0ve. See why I wrote thatzero? I don't even want to get a proximitypenalty, either. Paranoia, or caution? Youdecide. I always want to try to put my "best footforward".

BAD 45 Poison words The word "Links" in a title tag has been

suggested to be a bad idea. Here is my list ofPoison Words for Adsense. This penalty hasbeen loosened many of these words nowappear in normal context, with no problems.But watch your step.

BAD 46 Excessive cross-linking within the same C block (IP=xxx.xxx.CCC.xxx)If you have many sites (>10, author's guess)

with the same web host, prolific cross linkingcan indicate more of a single entity, and less ofdemocratic web voting. Easy to spot, easy topenalize."This does not apply to a small number ofsites" .. (this author guesses the number 10,JAWG) . . . "hosted on a local server". . MattCutts July 2006

BAD 47 Stealing images/ text blocksfrom another domain

Copyright violation Google responds stronglyif you are reported. ref egolFile Google DMCA

BAD 48 Keyword stuffing threshold In body, meta tags, alt text, etc. = demotion

?? 49 Keyword dilution Targeting too many unrelated keywords on a
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page, which would detract from theming, andreduce the importance of your REALLYimportant keywords.

?? 50 Page edit can reduce consistency Google patent -Google is now switching between a "newer"cache, and several "older" caches, frequently

drawing from BOTH at the same time.This was possibly implemented to frustrateSERP manipulators. Did your last editsubstantially alter your keywords, or theme?Expect noticeable SERP bouncing.

6 - 7 51 Frequency of Content Change Google patent Too frequent = bad

32,33 52 Freshness of Anchor Text Google patent Too frequent = bad

?? 53 Dynamic PagesProblematic know pitfalls shorten URLs,reduce variables (". . no more than 2 or 3",M.Cutts July 2006), lose the session IDs

?? 54 Excessive Javascript Don't use for redirects, or hiding links

?? 55 Flash page NOT Most (all?) SE spiders can't read FlashcontentProvide an HTML alternative, or experiencelower SERP positioning.

?? 56 Use of Frames Spidering Problems with Frames STILL

57 Robot exclusion "no index" tag Intentional selfexclusion
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58 Single pixel links A red flag one reason only a sneaky link.

59 Invisible text OK - No penalty - Google advises againstthis.All over the place but nothing is ever done.(The text is the same color as the background,

and hence cannot be seen by the viewer, butcan be visible to the search engine spiders.) Ibelieve Google does penalize for hidden text,since it is an attempt to manipulate rank.Although they don't catch everyone.

60 Gateway, doorway page

(I see changes here not only doesthe doorway page disappear, butthe main page gets pushed down,

as well this is a welcome fix.)

OK No penalty - Google advises againstthis.

Google used to reward these pages.Multiple entrance pages in the top ten SERPs I see it daily. There they are at #2, with theirtwin at #5 6 months now. Reported numeroustimes.

61 Duplicate content (YOUR'S)Duplicate content (THEIR'S) below

(Highjack)

OK - No penalty - Google advises againstthis.

Google picks one (usually the oldest), andshoves it to the top, and pushes the secondchoice down. This has been a big issue withstolen content the thief usurps your formerposition with YOUR OWN content.

62 HTML code violations(The big G does not even use

Doesn't matter - Google advises against

this.
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13/35df di b PRO i

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

DOCTYPE declarations, requiredfor W3C validation.)

Unless of course, the page is totally FUBAR.Simple HTML verification is NOT required (butadvised, since it could contribute to your pagequality factor PQF).

Since the above 4 items are socontroversial, I would like to add

this comment:There are many things that Googlewould LIKE to have webmastersdo, but that they simply cannotcontrol, due to logisticalconsiderations. Their onlyalternative is to foment fear anddoubt by implying that any violation

of their "suggestions" will result inswift and fierce demotion.(This is somewhat dated G isfixing these things.)

IN GENERAL, this works pretty well to keepwebmasters in line. The fallacy of this is that

attentive webmasters can readily observecontinuing, blatant exceptions to these officialpronouncements.

There are many anecdotes about Goggle"taking care" of a problem. Google states thatthey do not provide hand tweaked "boosts", butare silent about hand tweaked demotions.

They occur, for sure. To believe otherwise isnaive. Wouldn't YOU swat the most obnoxiousflies? I would.

It is becoming easier to determine the bestthing to do. Try to avoid any Google penaltiesor demotions.

119(added)

Phrase based ranking , filters,penalties

Feb. 2007 Google patent granted. Do not usephrases that have been associated andcorrelated with known spamming techniques,or you will be penalized. What phrases? Ahh,you tell me.

122 Poor spelling and grammar Pages that are higher quality and more

( dd d) bl (i hi h k) d
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14/35df di b PRO iAre you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

(added) reputable (i.e. higher PageRank) tend to usebetter spelling and grammar. Demotion for badspelling is highly logical.

top of page

3. Alleged POSITIVE OFF-Page SEO Google Ranking Factors (43)

Note

Factor

#

POSITIVEOFF-Page SEO Factors Brief Note

INCOMING LINKS :

HOT 63 Page Rank Based on the Number and Quality of links toyouGoogle link reporting continues to display just aSMALL fraction of your actual backlinks, andthey are NOT just greater than PR4 they are

mixed.64 Total incoming links

("backlinks")Historically, FAST counted best(www.alltheweb.com).No more Yahoo (parent) broke it.

In Yahoo search, type in:linksite:www.domain name.com

li kd i d i
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15/35df di b PRO iAre you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

linkdomain:www.domainname.com

Try MSN http://beta.search.msn.comUse link:www.domainname.com

Current TYPICAL Backlink Reporting Ratios

Google 30 linksMSN 1,000 linksYahoo 3,000 links

65 Incoming links from highrankingpages

In 2004, Google used to count (report) the linksfrom all PR4+ pages that linked to you. In 2005 2006, Google reported only a small fraction ofthe links, in what seemed like an almost

random manner. In Feb. 2007, Googlemarkedly upgraded (increased) the number oflinks that they report.

66 Acceleration of link popularity(". . . used to be a good thing" ...Martha)

Google patentLink acquisition speed boost speculativeToo fast = artificial? Cause of 30 penalty?Sandbox penalty imposed if new site?

FOR EACH INCOMING LINK :

67 Page rank of the referring page Based on the quality of links to you

HOT 68 Anchor text ofinbound link to you

Contains keyword, key phrase?#1 result in SERP does NOT EVEN need tohave the keyword(s) on the page,

ANYWHERE!!! What does that tell you?
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Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

ANYWHERE!!! What does that tell you?(Enables Google bombing search for"miserable failure")

69 Age of link Google patent Old = Good.

70Frequency of change of anchor

text

Google patent Not good. Why would you do

that?

71 Popularity of referring page Popularity = desirability, respect

72# of outgoing links on referrer

pageFewer is better makes yours more important

73 Position of link on referrer page Early in HTML is best

74 Keyword density on referringpage

For search keyword(s)

75 HTML title of referrer page Same subject/ theme?

28 76 Link from "Expert" site? Google patent Big time boost ( HilltopAlgorithm)Recently reported to give a big boost !

77 Referrer page Same theme From the same or related theme? BETTER

78 Referrer page Different theme From different or unrelated theme? WORSE

79 Image map link? Problematic?

80 Javascript link? Problematic attempt to hide link?

DIRECTORIES :
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pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

DIRECTORIES :

- 81 Site listed in DMOZ Directory?

The "Secret Hand" DMOZIssues1. Legitimate sites CAN'T GET

IN2. No Accountability3. Corrupt Editors4. Competitive Sites Barred5. Dirty Tricks Employed6. Rude dmoz editors

Flawed concept communism

doesn't workFree editing? Nothing is free.DMOZ Sucks DiscussionsDMOZ Problems Discussions

The Google Directory isproduced by an unknown,ungoverned, unpoliced, ill

intentioned, retaliatory,monopoly enterprise, consistingof profiteering power egoeditors feathering their ownnests the ODP. AOL is makingmillions, and needs to police it's

This is a tough one.Google's directory comes STRAIGHT from theDMOZ directory. You should try to get intodmoz.But you can't.

Be careful whom you approach with the oldspondulix Formal DMOZ Bribe Instructions.It is almost impossible to get into DMOZ. Thissite cannot get in, after waiting over 2

YEARS (33 months). Not even in the

lowest, most insignificant category,

"Personal Pages".I guess I just don't"measure up" to the other 20,000+ sites in thepersonal category.I'm not the suck up type I kissed them off longago. What a waste of time!

UPDATE: This page (not site) finally gotindexed in June 2007, thanks to a legitimate

editor. No money was paid.

Google needs to DO SOMETHING about

populating its own directory with theskewed, incomplete, poorly determined

results from the dysfunctional Open

Directory Project - the ODP!

.Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
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already!Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

82 DMOZ category? Theme fit category?General or geographic category? Both arepossible, and acceptable.

HOT 83 Site listed in Yahoo Directory?

Big boost You can get in by paying $299 each

year.Many swear it is worth it many swear it isn't.

84Site listed in LookSmart

Directory?Boost? Another great vote for your site.

85 Site listed in inktomi? Inktomi has been absorbed internally by Yahoo.

86 Site listed in other directories(About, BOTW, etc.)

Directory listing boost (If other RESPECTEDdirectories link to you, this must be positive.)

87Expert site? (Hilltop orCondensed Hilltop)

Large sized site, quality incoming links

HOT 88 Site Age - Old showsstability

Google patent

Boost for long established sites, new pagesindexed easily

The opposite of the sand box.

89 Site Age Very New BoostTemporary boost for very new sites I estimatethat this boost lasts from 1 week to 3 weeks Yahoo does it too.

Influences SERPs logical, consistent,

conventional
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conventional

91 Site Map and more site map Complete keywords in anchor text

92 Site Size Previously, many pages preferred conferredauthority upon site, thus page. Bigger sites =better SERPs

Now, fewer pages preferred, due toproliferation of computer generated pages.Google has been dropping pages like crazy.

93 Site Theming Site exhibit theme? Use many related terms?Have you used a keyword suggestion tool?A thesaurus?

PAGE METRICS - USER

BEHAVIOR:

Currently implemented through the Google

tool bar?

34, 35 94 Page traffic Google patent # of visitors, trend

15,16,21 95 Page Selection Rate CTRGoogle patent How often is a page clickedon?

36, 37 96 Time spent on pageGoogle patent Relatively long time =

indicates relevance hit

45, 46 97 Did user Bookmark page? Google patent - Bookmark = Good

47 98Bookmark add/ removal

frequencyGoogle patent Recent = Good?

99 How they left, where they went Back button, link clicked, etc.

SITE METRICS USER Currently implemented through the Google
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SITE METRICS - USER

BEHAVIOR :

Currently implemented through the Google

tool bar?

34, 35 100 Site TrafficGoogle patent # of visitors, increasing trend= good

101 Referrer Authoritative referrer?

102 Keyword Keyword searches used to find you

103 Time spent on domain Relatively long time = indicates relevance hitAdd brownie points.

38 DOMAIN OWNER BEHAVIOR :

40 104 Domain Registration Time Google patent - Domain Expiration Date

Register for 5 years, Google knows you areserious.Register for 1 year, is it a throw away domain?

39 105Are associated sites

legitimate?Google patent No spam, ownership, etc.

top of page

4. Alleged NEGATIVE OFF-Page SEO Google Ranking Factors (13)

NEGATIVE
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Note

Factor

#

NEGATIVEOFF-Page SEO Factors Brief Note

120(added)

Traffic Buying Have you paid a company for web traffic? It isprobably low quality traffic, with a zero conversionrate. Some providers of traffic for traffic's sakemay be considered "bad neighborhoods". Can

Google discount your traffic (for true popularity),because they know it's mostly phony?Have you read about Traffic Power?

22-29

106 Temporal Link Analysis In a nut shell, old links are valued, new links arenot.This is intended to thwart rapid incoming linkaccumulation, accomplished through the tactic of

link buying.Just one of the sandbox factors.

18 107 Change of MeaningsQuery meaning changes over time, due to currentevents

BAD 108 Zero links to you You MUST have at least 1 (one) incoming link(back link) from some website somewhere, that

Google is aware of, to REMAIN in the index.

BAD 109 Link-buying

(Very good IF you don't getcaught,

but don't do it when caught, the penalty isn't

Google patent Google hates link buying,because it corrupts their PR model in the worstway possible.1. Does your page have links it really doesn'tmerit?2. Did you get tons of links in a short time

worth it.)

period?
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) period?3. Do you have links from high PR, unrelatedsites?

41,

42110 Prior Site Ranking Google patent High = Good

BAD 111 Cloaking Google promises to Ban! (Presenting onewebpage to the search engine spider, andanother webpage to everybody else.)

?? 112 Links from bad neighborhoods,affiliates

Google says that incoming links from bad sitescan't hurt you, because you can't control them.Ideally, this would be true.However, some speculate otherwise, esp., when

other associated factors are thrown into the mix,such as web rings.

BAD 113 Penalties resulting fromDomain Hijacking(work with Google to fix)

Should result in IMPRISONMENT, forthwith!Grand Theft, mandatory minimum sentence.The criminal COPIES your entire website, andHOSTS it elsewhere, with . . . a few changes.

114 Penalty Google TOS violation WMG is the worst offender gobbles up tons of

Google server time by nervous Nelliewebmasters. Google even mentions them byname. I think that Google will spank you when youcross the threshold, of say, 100 queries per dayfor the same term, from the same IP. Google canblock your IP. Get a Google API.

?? 115 Server Reliability S/B >99.9% What is your uptime? Ever notice a daily time
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y y p ywhen your server is unavailable, like about 1:30AM? How diligent must Googlebot be? This isthe worst reason to get dropped you just aren'tthere! An ISP maintenance interruption cancause delisting..

116 No more roomPages being dropped from largesites

The 232 problem Google has hit the 4.3Gigabyte address space wall. Bull! Google nowhas over 8 Gigs of indexed pages.Thousands of pages are disappearing fromvarious huge websites, but I think that it is G justcleaning house, by dumping computer generatedpages.

117 Rank Manipulation byCompetitor Attack

(1. Content theft causing you toget a duplicate content penalty,even though your content is theoriginal Google has problems

tracking original authorship.

People are still stealing mycontent, but nobody trumps me

(in Google) with my own content hats off to Google.)

Examples -Site-Wide Link Attack

Impossible by Google definition (except for a fewnasty tricks, like making your competition appearto be link spammers)Ideally, there SHOULD be nothing that yourcompetition can do to directly hurt your rankings.

However, an astute observer noticed that Googlechanged their website to read :

Old verbiage = "There is nothing a competitorcan do to harm your ranking ..."New verbiage = "There is ALMOST nothing acompetitor can do ..."An obvious concession that Google thinks that atleast some dirty tricks work!

and Of course, there will always be new ones!
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302 Redirect AttackandHijacker Attack

118 Bouncing Ball Algorithm At least 2, and often 3 identifiable Google SearchAlgos are currently in use, alternating pseudo

randomly through the data centers.G has moved to a daily dance. Multiplechanging factors are applied daily. GOOD

LUCK NOW on trying to figure things out!

IN ADDITION, some the above factors are being"tweaked" daily. Not only are the "weights" of thefactors changed, but the formula itself changes.Change is the only constant.

An algo change can boost or demote your site. Iput this in the negative factors section, becauseyour position is never secure, unless of course,you are huge (PR=7 or greater). If you simplycannot achieve top position, your only alternative

to first page SERP exposure may be Google AdWords (you pay for exposure).

Today, I searched for an extremely competitive"2 word term", and I found that NOT ONE of thetop ten Google SERPs had even one of thewords on the page.

YOWSA!
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Today's theory when it doesn't matter, anybodycan get #1 in a second, if they know the on pagerules. BUT, after a certain "commercialcompetitive level", the "semantic analysis" algokicks in, and less becomes more. The keyworddensity rules are flipped upon their noggins. I

think that we are witnessing the evolution ofsearch engine anti seo sophistication, rightbefore our very eyes. Fun stuff.

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Notes to the Above 122 Google Ranking Factors

1 I have tried to summarize the best opinions of many webmaster forum posters.

2 There are no published rules this is my continuously changing compilation ofSEO chatter. This is my semi annual, one way technical Google ranking blog, if youwill.

3 If your keywords are Rare and Unique, then Page Rank doesn't matter.

4 If your keywords are very Competitive, then Page Rank becomes very important.

5 The fewer incoming links that you have, the more important on page factors are, fornoncompetitive terms.

6 There are a million ifs, ors, buts . . . I am attempting a concise summary.

Exceptions to EACH of the POSITIVE ON-Page factors are frequent and many.


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However, I feel that it is important to score highly on as many factors as possible,since factor weight and even factor consideration are changing constantlyCYA. Not to mention the other SEs.

7 A few words about the LANGUAGE used on the Google site in a phrase "soft spoken". We see it everywhere these days.

I am referring to understatement, sometimes even to the point of confusion."significant", "may", etc.For example, when Google states that maybe it might not be a good idea to do aparticular thing, what they SOMETIMES really mean is "If you do it, you are history".Some Google suggestions are actually commands (STRONG HINTS) in disguise.At some point, you begin to realize this.Google just can't tell us everything, literally. Sooooooo, take the hints.

8 Become religious. Seek the light. It's there, but you gotta look.LISTEN UP! Read the rules. Read between the lines. Carefully.Differentiate. Project. Carefully analyze your own situation.

Webmaster Guidelineshttp://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769

How does Google rank pages?http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=34432

Google Facts and Fictionhttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22google+facts+and+fiction%22

Search Engine Optimizershttp://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35291
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Recent Updates

The "Panda" Update of February 23, 2011(AKA "Farmer" Update, "Farm" Update)

Much is being said about the Google "Content Farm" update. Opinions and counter opinions are rampant. Here

are some theories and conclusions that have been advanced, by webmasters at Webmaster World.

Site Problem Suggested Solution

1. Determine which of your pages were hardesthit.2. "Thin" content is being hit hard.3. "Article sites" are being hit hard.4. "Copied content" is being hit hard.5. "Duplicate content" is being hit hard.6. Sites with high ad to content ratios are beinghit hard.7. Sites using AdSense are NOT being hit ashard (eHow).

1. Immediately drop all your "hardest hit" pages.2. Add more original content to your pages.3. Get out of the "article submission" business.4. Eliminate all scraped, spun, and "copied content".5. Use only "unique content" on EVERY page.6. Reduce the number of ads, especially at the top of thepage.7. Use AdSense on all your pages it certainly won'thurt.

The Huge Dichotomy - Google Search vs. Google AdSense


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Whatcha Gunna Do?

To RANK WELL (in the Panda update),Google Search wants to see

VERY FEW ADS,especially at the top of a page.

USER EXPERIENCE is paramount.

To MAKE MONEY,Google AdSense wants you to use 3 ad units, 3 linkunits,and 2 search units on every page.

Elevendy seven ads aren't going to help you, if yourpage doesn't rank, because it has TOO MANY ADS!

REVENUE MAXIMIZATION is paramount.

The other dichotomy Google Webmaster Tools strongly advices

to speed up page load time,by eliminating javascript and "lookups".

USER EXPERIENCE is paramount.

Google AdSense advises placing 3 ad units, 3 linkunits,

and 2 search units on every page.Google also advises using Google Analytics.This advice conflicts with Google Webmaster Tools.

REVENUE MAXIMIZATION is paramount.

It remains to be seen, just how Google is going to resolve these profound conflicts of interest.For every question, I always use the "logic test".

Would it be logical for Google,to rank websites near the top,

if those websites are serving AdSense ads?

eHow, an AdSense prominent content farm, has

Are they doing it now? Most certainly, for eHow,which makes Google millions.Will they do it for others in the future?

If revenue maximization is paramount,

not only escaped Panda, they have beenrewarded

is this not inevitable, at some point?It would be "common sense" if maximizing shareholder
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rewarded.eHow is owned by Demand Media,

who have been accused of creatingthe ultimate MFA (Made For AdSense)

websites.

It would be common sense , if maximizing shareholdervalue is the primary objective.

Is AdSense money corrupting the Internet, just aslobbyist money has completely corrupted our congress?Are we going to end up with only mega MFA sites

on page one of the SERPs?

Would it be logical for Google,to rank websites near the top,

if those websites are NOT serving AdSenseads?

No.On the other hand, it would be logical to avoid thisaccusation, which is easily measurable.BUT, there is no money in it.Is Google going to populate the top of their SERPswith websites that run Bing ads exclusively?

Now, THAT is not logical. It would be dumb.

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Historical UpdatesBrief, Partial Google Algorithm Update List

2007 2007

Daily ranking.30 lt ti d 350 lt ti d 950 lt ti d


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30 penalty noticed, 350 penalty noticed, 950 penalty noticed

2006 2006Nov.Unnatural links are anathema to Google SEO minus 30 SERP

positions penalty

Aug.Everflux is the rule of the day many small updates.Sandbox (aging delay) alive and wellJuly 27th updateBig Daddy

2006 July July 27 update, plus quality landing page update2006 Feb. Big Daddy update

2005 2005Novem. 5 - Jagger 3 UpdateNov.10 all done settling out.

October 26 - Jagger 2 UpdateMore SERPs churning OLD is highly valued.

October 17 - Jagger 1 UpdateRecent Links, Recent Sites = SERP TurmoilGoogle has declared war on phony (low grade) links

Devaluation of reciprocal from unrelated subject pagesDevaluation of links from "link houses"


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Devaluation of links from "link houses"Devaluation of purchased linksBig allinanchor changesLarge companies thrust to the top of the SERPsSandbox update

Lowering of sandbox threshold re sandboxingToo fast link accumulation links acquired too quicklyDeeper sandbox (longer over 6 months)Some suggest that one's site really had to be online beforeJanuary 2004,in order to avoid all ramifications of the sandbox.

2005 Sept. the "False" Update (Sep.22 Big update, manychanges)2005 May Bourbon Update2005 Febr. AllegraUpdate Feb.17, 2005, Some sitesreleased from the sandbox, but many remain.

2004 2004 Feb. Brandy Update2004 Jan. Austin Update

2003 2003 Nov. FloridaUpdate2003 June EsmeraldaUpdate2003 May Dominic Update2003 Apr. CassandraUpdate2003 Mar. Boston Update

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The Google Sandbox -

The Single-Biggest SEO Ranking Factor for New SitesGoogle is clearly fighting spam by sacrificing SERP newness for higher SERP quality.

March 2004

Edited August 2006

THE GOOGLE SANDBOXThe sandbox is alive and well.In March 2004, Googleimplemented a new filter, nowreferred to as "The Sandbox".This new "effect" took months

to notice and quantify.

The sandbox is also referred toas an "aging delay". Two agingdelays have been suggested one for link weight, and one forcompetitive term ranking.

HOW IT WORKS

If you subscribe to the spamreduction theory, Google'sthinking was, NO NEW SITESget good ranking, until theyprove themselves.Spammers generatethousands of new pages daily,along with millions of new links

to go with them. This penalty isnew site based. Long standingsites have no trouble rankingnew pages.

Link Weight Aging Delay

Google WITHHOLDS "link

SOLUTIONS

Two methods are currentlybeing used to get around theSandbox penalty for new sites.

One method is to join theGoogle Ad Words or Adsenseprogram, in which case yourpages get spidered in

MINUTES. Your site will bechecked initially with an algo orhuman "smell test". If you smellgood, you're in. Good rankingswill follow (provided of course,that you have good on pageSEO, and a few good

The sand box only applies to

juice" on new sites, bydeprecating the new links, for

backlinks).


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The sand box only applies tohighly COMPETITIVE terms,revolving around money, suchas the words attorney, loans,viagra, real estate, etc. Themore lucrative the keyword, the

longer the wait.

Yahoo has a sandbox, as well.Opinion seems to indicate thatthe Yahoo aging delay is notquite as long as the GoogleAging Delay.Yahoo does seem to provide

an initial boost, that willdisappear after about 4 weeks.

MSN appears to have nosandbox. New sites with newpages, targeting competitiveterms, can rank well veryquickly (weeks) for those terms.

p g2 8 months. If the domain andbacklinks have existed for acertain length of time (6months?), then maybe you areOK, and escape from the

sandbox.Over time, the newly generatedlinks are given weight, andeventually the sandbox effect islifted.

Competitive Term Aging Delay

Google WITHHOLDS high

ranking ability on new sites, forhighly commercial keywords,such as loans, real estate,viagra, etc.Eventually, the new site willrank well for the competitivekeywords, and the sandboxeffect is lifted. Six months is

mentioned most frequently.

I speculate that if you are aGoogle partner ("approved"),then you are not going to bepenalized, unless yousubsequently "go bad".

The second method is to buyan old domain, just for it'slongevity, and old backlinks.Many have bought up olddomain names for thispurpose. This may work rightnow, but the rules will soon

change again. They always do.Good luck!

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Sources"These optimization opinions are too strong

Too much speculation I wanna see your SEO data! ". . . OK. Here it is

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DisclaimerThis is NOT A Google, Inc. SiteIn no way, did this data come directly from Google, Inc.

This page consists of a compilation of public information, commonly available onthe Internet, at multiple sites, as well as public webmaster forums, and found byperforming simple manual tests, using an Internet browser.The opinions stated above are merely the often misguided personal opinions of theauthor.I am not privy to any inside information.This information is continually changing, and may not be relevant when you read it.Although the author makes every effort to verify the information on this page, no

information on this page is guaranteed to be correct, and any data contained hereinmay be erroneous.

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Vaughn's Summaries

2004 2011 www.vaughns 1 pagers.com

Google search engine optimization (SEO) information

This is Vaughns Google search engine SERP Ranking Factors SEO Checklist.Portions of this page were last updated on 2011 10 12.
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Documents

SEO On Page and Off Page Factor