SEO On Page and Off Page Factor

GoogleRankingFactors-SEOChecklist
Vaughn's Summaries
. GoogleRankingFactorChecklist 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 Factors Brief Google Update List - Panda The Sand Box Sources SEO Optimization Google Summaries AdSenseTargetingDiagram AdWords-AdSenseDiagram GoogleAdSensePenalties GoogleAdSenseStopWords GoogleAdSenseTargeting GoogleAdSenseTips GoogleCertifiedAdNetworks GoogleHeatMap2 GoogleRankingFactors-SEO GoogleTop-PayingAdWords GoogleWebmasterForums
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 confirmed and suspected Google Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Rules are listed below.
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The SEO R ule s liste d be low are NO T liste d by we ight, and not by any pre sum e d re le vance - THAT e x e rcise is le ft up to the re ade r!
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top of page 1.Alleged POSITIVEON-PageSEOGoogleRankingFactors(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.
GreenrowsconfirmedbyGooglepatentof Aug. 10, 2006 Note Patent Claim #
Factor #
POSITIVE
ON-PageSEOFactors
BriefNote
Google patent Topic extraction For keyword selection, try Google Ad Words Google Trends First word is best, second is second best, etc. Same as in pagenamewithhyphens
50 HOT HOT
1 2
KEYWORDS
Keyword in URL Keyword in Domain name
Keywords - Header
Keyword in Title tag close to beginning
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HOT
Keyword in Title tag
Title tag 10 60 characters, no special characters. Shows theme less than 200 chars. Google no longer "relies" upon this tag, but will often use it. Shows theme less than 10 words. Every word in this tag MUST appear somewhere in the body text. If not, it can be penalized for irrelevance. No single word should appear more than twice. If not, it may be considered spam. Google purportedly no longer uses this tag, but others do.
4 5
Keyword in Description meta tag Keyword in Keyword metatag
Keywords - Body
Keyword density in body text 5 20% (all keywords/ total words) Some report topic sensitivity the keyword spamming threshold % varies with the topic.
HOT
7 8 9
Individual keyword density 1 6% (each keyword/ total words) Keyword in H1, H2 and H3 Keyword font size Keyword proximity (for 2+ Use Hx font style tags appropriately "Strong is treated the same as bold, italic is treated the same as emphasis" . . . Matt Cutts July 2006
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Keyword proximity (for 2+ keywords) Keyword phrase order Keyword prominence (how early in page/tag)
Directly adjacent is best Does word order in the page match word order in the query? Try to anticipate query, and match word order. Can be important at top of page, in bold, in large font
11
12
Keywords - Other
13 Keyword in alt text Should describe graphic Do NOT fill with spam (Was part of Google Florida OOP tripped a threshold may still be in effect to some degree as a red flag, when summed with all other onpage optimization total page optimization score TPOS). Links out anchor text use keyword?
SITE
14
Keyword in links to site pages (anchor text)
NAVIGATION - INTERNAL LINKS

15 To internal pages keywords? Link should contain keywords. The filename "linked to" should contain the keywords. Use hyphenated filenames, but not long ones two or three hyphens only. Validate all links to all pages on site.
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SITE
16
All Internal links valid?

SITE SITE SITE 54 55
16 17 18
All Internal links valid? Efficient treelike structure Intrasite linking NAVIGATION - OUTGOING LINKS 19 To external pages keywords?
Use a free link checker. I like this one. TRY FOR two clicks to any page no page deeper than 4 clicks Appropriate links between lowerlevel pages
Google patent Link only to good sites. Do not link to link farms. CAREFUL Links can and do go bad, resulting in site demotion. Unfortunately, you must devote the time necessary to police your outgoing links they are your responsibility. Google patent Should be on topic, descriptive Google patent Avoid "Link Churn"
56 61, 62 22 23
20 Outgoing link Anchor Text 21 Link stability over time
All External links valid? Validate all links periodically. Less than 100 links out total Google says limit to 100, but readily accepts 23 times that number. ref 2k Some say this gives a boost Others say that is absurd. However, it certainly is the opposite of linking to trash, which WILL hurt you.
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121 Linking to Authority (added)
24
OTHER ON-Page Factors

Domain Name Extension Top 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 the highest scrutiny/ action by Google. Perhaps one would do well with the new .info domain class.<update> Nope. Spammers jumped all over it no safe haven there. Not so much, now .info sites can rank highly. Try not to exceed 100K page size (however, some subject matter, such as this page, requires larger file sizes). Smaller files are preferred <40K (lots of them). Preferred method for indicating a space, where there can be no actual space One or two= excellent for separating keywords (i.e., petsmart, petsmart) Four or more= BAD, starts to look spammy Ten = Spammer for sure, demotion probable? Google patent - Changes over time Newer the better if news, retail or auction! Google likes fresh pages. So do I. New pages Ratio of old pages to new pages
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File Size
26
Hyphens in URL
6, 7 12, 13 8, 9
27 Freshness of Pages
28
Freshness Amount of Content
8, 9 27
28
Change
New pages Ratio of old pages to new pages Google patent May be good or bad Excellent for hightrust sites May not be so good for newer, lowtrust sites Frequent updates = frequent spidering = newer cache Page exhibit theme? General consistency? Keyword stemming Stem, stems, stemmed, stemmer, stemming, stemmist, stemification
29 Freshness of Links
30 31 32 33 34
Frequency of Updates Page Theming
Applied Semantics Synonyms, CIRCA white paper LSI Latent Semantic Indexing Speculation, no proof Keep it minimized use somewhat less than the 2,000 characters allowed by IE less than 100 is good, less is even better
35
URL length OTHER ON-SITE Factors 36 Site Size Google likes big sites
Larger sites are presumed to be better funded, better organized, better constructed, and therefore better sites. Google likes LARGE sites, for various reasons, not all positive. This has resulted in the advent of machine generated 10,000page spam sites size for the sake of size. Google has caught on and
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dumped millions of pages, or made them supplemental. 4 3 37 Site Age 38 Age of page vs. age of site Google patent - Old is best. Old is Golden. Age of page vs. age of other pages on site Newer 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.AllegedNegativeON-PageSEOGoogleRankingFactors(24)

Factor #
NEGATIVE
ON-PageSEOFactors
Note
BriefNote
BAD
39
Text presented in graphics form only Text represented graphically is invisible to No ACTUAL body text on the search engines. page Affiliate site?
BAD
40
The Florida update went after affiliates with a vengeance flower and travel affiliates were hit
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hard cookiecutter sites with massive inter linking, but little unique content. Subsequent updates have also targeted affiliates. BAD 41 Over optimization penalty (OOP) Penalty for overcompliance with well established, accepted web optimization practices. Too high keyword repetition (keyword stuffing) may get you the OOP. Overuse of H1 tags has been mentioned. Metatag stuffing. 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 of EVERYONE you link to periodically. A site may go "bad", and you can end up being penalized, even though you did nothing. For instance, some failed real estate sites have been switched to p0rn by unscrupulous webmasters, for the traffic. This is not good for you, if you are linking to the originally legitimate URL. Don't immediately send your visitor to another page other than the one he/ she clicked on, using meta refresh. Including the George Carlin 7 bad words you can't say on TV, plus the 150 or so that followed. Don't shoot yourself right straight in the foot. Also, avoid combinations of normal words, which when used together, become something else entirely such as the word
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BAD
42
BAD BAD
43 44
Redirect thru refresh metatags Vile language - ethnic slur
juice, and the word l0ve. See why I wrote that zero? I don't even want to get a proximity penalty, either. Paranoia, or caution? You decide. I always want to try to put my "best foot forward". BAD 45 Poison words The word "Links" in a title tag has been suggested to be a bad idea. Here is my list of Poison Words for Adsense. This penalty has been loosened many of these words now appear in normal context, with no problems. But watch your step. 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 crosslinking can indicate more of a single entity, and less of democratic web voting. Easy to spot, easy to penalize. "This does not apply to a small number of sites" .. (this author guesses the number 10, JAWG) . . . "hosted on a local server". . Matt Cutts July 2006 Copyright violation Google responds strongly if you are reported. ref egol File Google DMCA In body, meta tags, alt text, etc. = demotion Targeting too many unrelated keywords on a
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BAD
46
Excessive cross-linking
BAD
47
Stealing images/ text blocks from another domain Keyword stuffing threshold Keyword dilution
BAD ??
48 49
page, which would detract from theming, and reduce the importance of your REALLY important 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 frustrate SERP manipulators. Did your last edit substantially alter your keywords, or theme? Expect noticeable SERP bouncing. 51 Frequency of Content Change 52 Freshness of Anchor Text Google patent Too frequent = bad Google patent Too frequent = bad Problematic know pitfalls shorten URLs, reduce variables (". . no more than 2 or 3", M.Cutts July 2006), lose the session IDs Don't use for redirects, or hiding links Most (all?) SE spiders can't read Flash content Provide an HTML alternative, or experience lower SERP positioning. Spidering Problems with Frames STILL Intentional selfexclusion
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6-7 32, 33 ?? ?? ?? 53 54 55
Dynamic Pages Excessive Javascript Flash page NOT
??
56 57
Use of Frames Robot exclusion "no index" tag

58 59
Single pixel links
A red flag one reason only a sneaky link. Invisible text OK - No penalty - Google advises against this. 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, but can be visible to the search engine spiders.) I believe Google does penalize for hidden text, since it is an attempt to manipulate rank. Although they don't catch everyone.
60
Gateway, doorway page OK No penalty - Google advises against this. (I see changes here not only does Google used to reward these pages. the doorway page disappear, but Multiple entrance pages in the top ten SERPs the main page gets pushed down, I see it daily. There they are at #2, with their as well this is a welcome fix.) twin at #5 6 months now. Reported numerous times. Duplicate content (YOUR'S) OK - No penalty - Google advises against Duplicate content (THEIR'S) below this. (Highjack) Google picks one (usually the oldest), and shoves it to the top, and pushes the second choice down. This has been a big issue with stolen content the thief usurps your former position with YOUR OWN content. HTML code violations Doesn't matter - Google advises against (The big G does not even use this.
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DOCTYPE declarations, required Unless of course, the page is totally FUBAR. for W3C validation.) Simple HTML verification is NOT required (but advised, since it could contribute to your page quality factor PQF). Since the above 4 items are so controversial, I would like to add this comment: There are many things that Google would LIKE to have webmasters do, but that they simply cannot control, due to logistical considerations. Their only alternative is to foment fear and doubt by implying that any violation of their "suggestions" will result in swift and fierce demotion. (This is somewhat dated G is fixing these things.) IN GENERAL, this works pretty well to keep webmasters in line. The fallacy of this is that attentive webmasters can readily observe continuing, blatant exceptions to these official pronouncements. There are many anecdotes about Goggle "taking care" of a problem. Google states that they do not provide handtweaked "boosts", but are silent about handtweaked demotions. They occur, for sure. To believe otherwise is naive. Wouldn't YOU swat the most obnoxious flies? I would. It is becoming easier to determine the best thing to do. Try to avoid any Google penalties or demotions. Phrasebased ranking, filters, 119 penalties (added) Feb. 2007 Google patent granted. Do not use phrases that have been associated and correlated with known spamming techniques, or you will be penalized. What phrases? Ahh, you tell me. Pages that are higher quality and more
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Poor spelling and grammar

(added)
reputable (i.e. higher PageRank) tend to use better spelling and grammar. Demotion for bad spelling is highly logical.
top of page 3.AllegedPOSITIVEOFF-PageSEOGoogleRankingFactors(43)

Factor #
POSITIVE
OFF-PageSEOFactors INCOMING LINKS :
Note
BriefNote
HOT 63
Page Rank
Based on the Number and Quality of links to you Google link reporting continues to display just a SMALL fraction of your actual backlinks, and they are NOT just greater than PR4 they are mixed.
64
Total incoming links Historically, FAST counted best ("backlinks") (www.alltheweb.com). No more Yahoo (parent) broke it. In Yahoo search, type in: linksite:www.domainname.com
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linkdomain:www.domainname.com Try MSN http://beta.search.msn.com Use link:www.domainname.com Current TYPICAL Backlink Reporting Ratios Google 30 links MSN 1,000 links Yahoo 3,000 links 65 Incoming links from highranking In 2004, Google used to count (report) the links pages from all PR4+ pages that linked to you. In 2005 2006, Google reported only a small fraction of the links, in what seemed like an almost random manner. In Feb. 2007, Google markedly upgraded (increased) the number of links that they report. Google patent Link acquisition speed boost speculative Too fast = artificial? Cause of 30 penalty? Sandbox penalty imposed if new site?
66 Acceleration of link popularity (". . . used to be a good thing" ... Martha) FOR EACH INCOMING LINK : 67 68
HOT
Page rank of the referring page Based on the quality of links to you
Anchor text of Contains keyword, key phrase? inbound link to you #1 result in SERP does NOT EVEN need to
have the keyword(s) on the page,
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ANYWHERE!!! What does that tell you? (Enables Googlebombing search for "miserable failure") 28 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 Age of link Google patent Old = Good. Frequency of change of anchor Google patent Not good. Why would you do text that? Popularity of referring page Popularity = desirability, respect # of outgoing links on referrer Fewer is better makes yours more important page Position of link on referrer page Early in HTML is best Keyword density on referring For search keyword(s) page HTML title of referrer page Same subject/ theme?
Link from "Expert" site? Google patent Big time boost (Hilltop
Algorithm) Recently reported to give a big boost !
77 78 79 80
Referrer page Same theme From the same or related theme? BETTER Referrer page Different theme From different or unrelated theme? WORSE Image map link? Problematic? Javascript link? Problematic attempt to hide link?
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DIRECTORIES : Site listed in DMOZ Directory? The "Secret Hand" DMOZ Issues 1. Legitimate sites CAN'T GET IN 2. No Accountability 3. Corrupt Editors 4. Competitive Sites Barred 5. Dirty Tricks Employed 6. Rude dmoz editors Flawed concept communism doesn't work Free editing? Nothing is free. DMOZ Sucks Discussions DMOZ Problems Discussions The Google Directory is produced by an unknown, ungoverned, unpoliced, ill intentioned, retaliatory, monopoly enterprise, consisting of profiteering powerego editors feathering their own nests the ODP. AOL is making millions, and needs to police it's runamok entity. Enough This is a tough one. Google's directory comes STRAIGHT from the DMOZ directory. You should try to get into dmoz. But you can't. Be careful whom you approach with the old spondulix Formal DMOZ Bribe Instructions. It is almost impossible to get into DMOZ. This site 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 the personal category. I'm not the suckup type I kissed them off long ago. What a waste of time! UPDATE: This page (not site) finally got indexed in June 2007, thanks to a legitimate editor. No money was paid. Google needs to DO SOMETHING about populating its own directory with the skewed, incomplete, poorly determined results from the dysfunctional Open Directory Project - the ODP!
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runamok entity. Enough already! 82
Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
DMOZ category? Theme fit category? General or geographic category? Both are possible, and acceptable. Big boost You can get in by paying $299 each Site listed in Yahoo Directory? year. Many swear it is worth it many swear it isn't. Site listed in LookSmart Boost? Another great vote for your site. Directory? Site listed in inktomi? Inktomi has been absorbed internally by Yahoo. Site listed in other directories Directory listing boost (If other RESPECTED (About, BOTW, etc.) directories link to you, this must be positive.) Expert site? (Hilltop or Condensed Hilltop) Largesized site, quality incoming links Google patent Boost for longestablished sites, new pages indexed easily The opposite of the sand box. Temporary boost for very new sites I estimate that this boost lasts from 1 week to 3 weeks Yahoo does it too. Influences SERPs logical, consistent,
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HOT
83
84 85 86
HOT
87
88 Site Age - Old shows
stability
89
Site Age Very New Boost
90
Site Directory Tree Structure
90 91 92
Site Directory Tree Structure Site Map and more site map Site Size
conventional Complete keywords in anchor text Previously, many pages preferred conferred authority upon site, thus page. Bigger sites = better SERPs Now, fewer pages preferred, due to proliferation of computergenerated pages. Google has been dropping pages like crazy. Site exhibit theme? Use many related terms? Have you used a keyword suggestion tool? A thesaurus? Currently implemented through the Google tool bar?
93
Site Theming
34, 35 15,16,21 36, 37 45, 46 47 94 95 96 97 98 99
PAGE METRICS - USER BEHAVIOR:
Page traffic Google patent # of visitors, trend Page Selection Rate CTR Time spent on page Google patent How often is a page clicked on? Google patent Relatively long time = indicates relevance hit
Did user Bookmark page? Google patent - Bookmark = Good Bookmark add/ removal Google patent Recent = Good? frequency How they left, where they went Back button, link clicked, etc.
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34, 35 38 40 100 101 102 103 104
SITE METRICS - USER BEHAVIOR : Site Traffic
Currently implemented through the Google tool bar? Google patent # of visitors, increasing trend = good
Referrer Authoritative referrer? Keyword Keyword searches used to find you Time spent on domain Relatively long time = indicates relevance hit Add brownie points. DOMAIN OWNER BEHAVIOR : Domain Registration Time Google patent - Domain Expiration Date Register for 5 years, Google knows you are serious. Register for 1 year, is it a throwaway domain? Are associated sites Google patent No spam, ownership, etc. legitimate?
39
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top of page 4.AllegedNEGATIVEOFF-PageSEOGoogleRankingFactors(13)

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Note
Factor #
NEGATIVE
OFF-PageSEOFactors
BriefNote
Have you paid a company for web traffic? It is probably low quality traffic, with a zero conversion rate. Some providers of traffic for traffic's sake may 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? In a nut shell, old links are valued, new links are not. This is intended to thwart rapid incoming link accumulation, accomplished through the tactic of link buying. Just one of the sandbox factors. Query meaning changes over time, due to current events 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. Google patent Google hates linkbuying, because it corrupts their PR model in the worst way possible. 1. Does your page have links it really doesn't merit? 2. Did you get tons of links in a short time
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120 Traffic Buying (added)
2229
106 Temporal Link Analysis
18 BAD
107 Change of Meanings 108 Zero links to you
BAD
109 Link-buying (Very good IF you don't get caught, but don't do it when caught, the penalty isn't
2. Did you get tons of links in a short time worth it.) period? 3. Do you have links from highPR, unrelated sites? 41, 42 BAD 110 Prior Site Ranking 111 Cloaking Google patent High = Good Google promises to Ban! (Presenting one webpage to the search engine spider, and another webpage to everybody else.) Google says that incoming links from bad sites can'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. Should result in IMPRISONMENT, forthwith! Grand Theft, mandatory minimum sentence. The criminal COPIES your entire website, and HOSTS it elsewhere, with . . . a few changes. WMG is the worst offender gobbles up tons of Google server time by nervous Nellie webmasters. Google even mentions them by name. I think that Google will spank you when you cross the threshold, of say, 100 queries per day for the same term, from the same IP. Google can block your IP. Get a Google API.
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??
112
Links from bad neighborhoods, affiliates
BAD
113
Penalties resulting from Domain Hijacking (work with Google to fix) Penalty Google TOS violation
114
??
115
Server Reliability S/B >99.9%
What is your uptime? Ever notice a daily time when your server is unavailable, like about 1:30 AM? How diligent must Googlebot be? This is the worst reason to get dropped you just aren't there! An ISP maintenance interruption can cause delisting.. The 232 problem Google has hit the 4.3 Gigabyte address space wall. Bull! Google now has over 8 Gigs of indexed pages. Thousands of pages are disappearing from various huge websites, but I think that it is G just cleaning house, by dumping computergenerated pages.
116
No more room Pages being dropped from large sites
117
Rank Manipulation by Competitor Attack
Impossible by Google definition (except for a few nasty tricks, like making your competition appear to be link spammers) (1. Content theft causing you to Ideally, there SHOULD be nothing that your get a duplicate content penalty, competition can do to directly hurt your rankings. even though your content is the original Google has problems However, an astute observer noticed that Google tracking original authorship. changed their website to read : People are still stealing my Old verbiage = "There is nothing a competitor content, but nobody trumps me can do to harm your ranking ..." (in Google) with my own content New verbiage = "There is ALMOST nothing a hats off to Google.) competitor can do ..." An obvious concession that Google thinks that at Examples least some dirty tricks work!
Site-Wide Link Attack

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Site-Wide Link Attack and 302 Redirect Attack and Hijacker Attack
118 Bouncing Ball Algorithm
Of course, there will always be new ones!
At least 2, and often 3 identifiable Google Search Algos are currently in use, alternating pseudo randomly through the data centers. G has moved to a daily dance. Multiple changing 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 the factors changed, but the formula itself changes. Change is the only constant. An algo change can boost or demote your site. I put this in the negative factors section, because your position is never secure, unless of course, you are huge (PR=7 or greater). If you simply cannot achieve top position, your only alternative to first page SERP exposure may be Google Ad Words (you pay for exposure). Today, I searched for an extremely competitive "2word term", and I found that NOT ONE of the top ten Google SERPs had even one of the words on the page.
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YOWSA! Today's theory when it doesn't matter, anybody can get #1 in a second, if they know the onpage rules. BUT, after a certain "commercial competitive level", the "semantic analysis" algo kicks in, and less becomes more. The keyword density rules are flipped upon their noggins. I think that we are witnessing the evolution of search engine antiseo sophistication, right before our very eyes. Fun stuff.
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NotestotheAbove122GoogleRankingFactors
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 of SEO chatter. This is my semiannual, oneway technical Google ranking blog, if you will. 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 onpage factors are, for noncompetitive terms. 6 There are a million ifs, ors, buts . . . I am attempting a concise summary.
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Exceptions to EACH of the POSITIVE ON-Page factors are frequent and many. 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 constantly CYA. 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 a particular 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 Guidelines http://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 Fiction http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22google+facts+and+fiction%22 Search Engine Optimizers http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35291
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RecentUpdates
The"Panda"UpdateofFebruary23,2011
(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
1. Determine which of your pages were hardest hit. 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 adtocontent ratios are being hit hard. 7. Sites using AdSense are NOT being hit as hard (eHow).
Suggested Solution
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 the page. 7. Use AdSense on all your pages it certainly won't hurt.
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TheHugeDichotomy-GoogleSearchvs.GoogleAdSense WhatchaGunnaDo? To RANK WELL (in the Panda update), Google Search wants to see VERY FEW ADS, especially at the top of a page. To MAKE MONEY, Google AdSense wants you to use 3 ad units, 3 link units, and 2 search units on every page. Elevendyseven ads aren't going to help you, if your page doesn't rank, because it has TOO MANY ADS!
USER EXPERIENCE is paramount.

The other dichotomy Google Webmaster Tools strongly advices to speed up page load time, by eliminating javascript and "lookups".
REVENUE MAXIMIZATION is paramount.

Google AdSense advises placing 3 ad units, 3 link units, and 2 search units on every page. Google also advises using Google Analytics. This advice conflicts with Google Webmaster Tools.
USER EXPERIENCE is paramount.
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 AdSenseprominent 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,
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not only escaped Panda, they have been rewarded. eHow is owned by Demand Media, who have been accused of creating the ultimate MFA (MadeForAdSense) websites.
is this not inevitable, at some point? It would be "common sense", if maximizing shareholder value is the primary objective. Is AdSense money corrupting the Internet, just as lobbyist money has completely corrupted our congress? Are we going to end up with only megaMFA sites on page one of the SERPs? No. On the other hand, it would be logical to avoid this accusation, which is easily measurable. BUT, there is no money in it. Is Google going to populate the top of their SERPs with websites that run Bing ads exclusively? Now, THAT is not logical. It would be dumb. 400
Would it be logical for Google, to rank websites near the top, if those websites are NOT serving AdSense ads?
350
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HistoricalUpdates
Brief, Partial Google Algorithm Update List 2007
2007
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Daily ranking. 30 penalty noticed, 350 penalty noticed, 950 penalty noticed 2006 2006 Nov. 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 well July 27th update Big Daddy 2006 July July 27 update, plus quality landing page update 2006 Feb. Big Daddy update 2005 2005 Novem. 5 - Jagger 3 Update Nov.10 all done settling out. October 26 - Jagger 2 Update More SERPs churning OLD is highly valued. October 17 - Jagger 1 Update Recent Links, Recent Sites = SERP Turmoil Google has declared war on phony (lowgrade) links
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Devaluation of reciprocal from unrelatedsubject pages Devaluation of links from "link houses" Devaluation of purchased links Big allinanchor changes Large companies thrust to the top of the SERPs Sandbox update Lowering of sandbox threshold resandboxing Too fast link accumulation links acquired too quickly Deeper sandbox (longer over 6 months) Some suggest that one's site really had to be online before January 2004, in order to avoid all ramifications of the sandbox. 2005 Sept. the "False" Update (Sep.22 Big update, many changes) 2005 May Bourbon Update 2005 Febr. Allegra Update Feb.17, 2005, Some sites released from the sandbox, but many remain. 2004 2003 2004 Feb. Brandy Update 2004 Jan. Austin Update 2003 Nov. Florida Update 2003 June Esmeralda Update 2003 May Dominic Update 2003 Apr. Cassandra Update 2003 Mar. Boston Update
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top of page TheGoogleSandboxTheSingle-BiggestSEORankingFactorforNewSites Google is clearly fighting spam by sacrificing SERP newness for higher SERP quality.
March 2004 Edited August 2006 THE GOOGLE SANDBOX The sandbox is alive and well. In March 2004, Google implemented a new filter, now referred to as "The Sandbox". This new "effect" took months to notice and quantify. The sandbox is also referred to as an "aging delay". Two aging delays have been suggested one for link weight, and one for competitive term ranking.
HOW IT WORKS If you subscribe to the spam reduction theory, Google's thinking was, NO NEW SITES get good ranking, until they prove themselves. Spammers generate thousands of new pages daily, along with millions of new links to go with them. This penalty is newsite based. Longstanding sites have no trouble ranking new pages.
Link Weight Aging Delay
SOLUTIONS Two methods are currently being used to get around the Sandbox penalty for new sites. One method is to join the Google Ad Words or Adsense program, in which case your pages get spidered in MINUTES. Your site will be checked initially with an algo or human "smell test". If you smell good, you're in. Good rankings will follow (provided of course, that you have good onpage SEO, and a few good
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Google WITHHOLDS "link juice" on new sites, by Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
The sand box only applies to highly COMPETITIVE terms, revolving around money, such as the words attorney, loans, viagra, real estate, etc. The more lucrative the keyword, the longer the wait. Yahoo has a sandbox, as well. Opinion seems to indicate that the Yahoo aging delay is not quite as long as the Google Aging Delay. Yahoo does seem to provide an initial boost, that will disappear after about 4 weeks. MSN appears to have no sandbox. New sites with new pages, targeting competitive terms, can rank well very quickly (weeks) for those terms.
juice" on new sites, by deprecating the new links, for 28 months. If the domain and backlinks have existed for a certain length of time (6 months?), then maybe you are OK, and escape from the sandbox. Over time, the newly generated links are given weight, and eventually the sandbox effect is lifted.
Competitive Term Aging Delay
backlinks). I speculate that if you are a Google partner ("approved"), then you are not going to be penalized, unless you subsequently "go bad". The second method is to buy an old domain, just for it's longevity, and old backlinks. Many have bought up old domain names for this purpose. This may work right now, but the rules will soon change again. They always do. Good luck!
Google WITHHOLDS high ranking ability on new sites, for highly commercial keywords, such as loans, real estate, viagra, etc. Eventually, the new site will rank well for the competitive keywords, and the sandbox effect is lifted. Six months is mentioned most frequently.
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Sources
"These optimization opinions are too strong
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Too much speculation I wanna see your SEO data! ". . . OK. Here it is
Google Webmaster Forums

Disclaimer This is NOT A Google, Inc. Site
In no way, did this data come directly from Google, Inc. This page consists of a compilation of public information, commonly available on the Internet, at multiple sites, as well as public webmaster forums, and found by performing simple manual tests, using an Internet browser. The opinions stated above are merely the often misguided personal opinions of the author. 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 herein may be erroneous.
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Vaughn'sSummaries 2004 2011 www.vaughns1pagers.com
Google search engine optimization (SEO) information

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This is Vaughns Google search engine SERP Ranking Factors SEO Checklist. Portions of this page were last updated on 20111012.
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SEO On Page and Off Page Factor

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GoogleRankingFactors-SEOChecklist

top of page 1.Alleged POSITIVEON-PageSEOGoogleRankingFactors(38)

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Keyword in Title tag

Keyword in Description meta tag Keyword in Keyword metatag

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Keyword in links to site pages (anchor text)

NAVIGATION - INTERNAL LINKS

All Internal links valid?

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SITE SITE SITE 54 55

20 Outgoing link Anchor Text 21 Link stability over time

121 Linking to Authority (added)

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OTHER ON-Page Factors

Freshness Amount of Content

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Frequency of Updates Page Theming

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top of page 2.AllegedNegativeON-PageSEOGoogleRankingFactors(24)

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Redirect thru refresh metatags Vile language - ethnic slur

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Dynamic Pages Excessive Javascript Flash page NOT

Use of Frames Robot exclusion "no index" tag

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Single pixel links

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Poor spelling and grammar

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top of page 3.AllegedPOSITIVEOFF-PageSEOGoogleRankingFactors(43)

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runamok entity. Enough already! 82

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

88 Site Age - Old shows

Site Age Very New Boost

Site Directory Tree Structure

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34, 35 15,16,21 36, 37 45, 46 47 94 95 96 97 98 99

PAGE METRICS - USER BEHAVIOR:

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34, 35 38 40 100 101 102 103 104

SITE METRICS - USER BEHAVIOR : Site Traffic

top of page 4.AllegedNEGATIVEOFF-PageSEOGoogleRankingFactors(13)

120 Traffic Buying (added)

106 Temporal Link Analysis

107 Change of Meanings 108 Zero links to you

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