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Google has made it it’s business to clean up the internet and they have been doing a very good job of it.
Their mission is clear: in exchange for you providing original, high quality content that people find useful, they will deliver those people to your website. Some call it making a bargain with the devil, other people call it good business practices. But how can you make Google love you?
How did Google become the boss of us?
It’s hard to remember a time when Google didn’t exist, but it was only 1996 when Larry Page and Sergey Brin were at Stanford and began working on a search engine algorithm called BackRub. The name was later changed to Google, which is a riff on the mathematical term googol, which is the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes. This represented the infinite amount of information they intended to organize. Google has continuously focused on user experience (oh, hi Bing… and you too Yahoo, because you use Bing to power your searches), they don’t suck like Internet Explorer, they have great tech, and they figured out a way to monetize and still be relevant (Google AdWords was a breakthrough).
Google’s mission
Google’s mission statement is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” That’s a tall order. The ‘useful‘ part is what web page owners need to focus on. As users, we want web pages served fast because our time is valuable, we want web pages that aren’t spammy or trying to steal our information, and we want the information we find to be accurate, truthful, and interesting. Oh, and we want it on our TV, our cellphone, our desktop, our tablet, and in our car.
How does Google work?
Remember, Google ranks WEBPAGES, not WEBSITES. Google searches the webpages with software called spiders or crawlers to discover publicly available web pages. The spiders build an index of the webpages they find, called a Search Engine Index. As of last year, Google has a giant database of 130 trillion of websites in it’s index.
Google RANKS the information by the KEYWORDS that it finds. Overall search return page ranking is determined by, among other things, how TRUSTWORTHY it believes the site to be. How does Google gauge trustworthiness? By SIGNALS.
What does Google think are good signals?
Google won’t come out and say it, but analysis has shown that there are several signals Google values. Among them are having an established domain name, good links, a secure server, and fresh and unique content. These things say your web page has integrity and is useful.
How does Google punish bad signals?
Google has at least two specific tools it uses to make sure the web page you’re serving is something people will value.
Panda (2011): Google Panda
Google invented Panda to reward unique and interesting content providers and reduce the spammy, low-quality and content-thin content farms that were flooding the web to scam Google. The expressed purpose of Panda was as stated: “To reduce rankings for low-quality sites—sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful. At the same time, it will provide better rankings for high-quality sites—sites with original content and information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on.”
Rankings are determined by asking a series of 23 human-like questions that can be boiled down to:
- Would you trust the information presented on this page?
- Is this information written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature?
- Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?
- Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?
- Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors? Is it edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
- Does this web page have an excessive amount of ads?
- Are the web pages produced with great care and attention to detail?
Google Penguin (2012): Google then decided that the quality of the websites that link to your site are a valuable indicator of the quality of your site, so they implemented Penguin. Penguin only deals with a site’s incoming links. Your rankings rise as you get more high-quality sites to link to your website.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]How can we prove to Google that we are worthy of it’s love?
Read on.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]
Go to Academy Resource page (Password: fowled)
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Have a question? Comment? Suggestion?
Email me at marina@marinareznor.com
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_color=”#a37a5b” scene_position=”center” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ font_color=”#ffffff” column_shadow=”small_depth” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]THIS MONTH’S HOW-TO: How To Make Google Love You: Do’s and Don’ts[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/4″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”1327″ alignment=”” animation=”None” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”3/4″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Google Do’s:
- Be reputable:
- Have a domain name for a long time (2+ years seems to work). Make the WHOIS public and use a real address.
- Make sure your website has an HTTPS to show you’re encrypted and take security seriously.
- Serve your pages relatively quickly by buying faster hosting. This is one added expense that will pay off.
- Make it easy for Google to index you by including a site map.
- Be trustworthy:
- Have good internal (pointing out) and external (pointing in) links to reputable sites.
- Link to your social media accounts like big brands do. Spammy sites do not have a social media presence.
- Have a Privacy Page, Notice, and Terms. This also shows GDPR compliance.
- Don’t have 404’s (missing pages). You can see if you do using this tool.
- Be an authority:
- Rock your brand. Google is very big on brands. Don’t skimp on your About page. Act like you are a major brand.
- Google watches how happy users are when they click on your page. Do visitors drop in and leave quickly? Make sure your content keeps them stuck to your pages like superglue.
- Offer answers. Voice search is the next big thing – think of all those Alexa’s and Google Home’s being sold.
- Keep your content topics narrow, it makes it easier to demonstrate you’re an expert.
- Get YoastSEO to help you determine keywords and analyze your content.
- Put up fresh, unique, and high-quality content regularly. You can also refresh any dated information.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/4″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”1328″ alignment=”” animation=”None” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”3/4″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Google Don’ts:
- Stale, average content. Google does check the metadata to see when webpages and posts were published and last updated.
- Broken internal links that lead to a 404 error message. Correct all of them by using a 301 re-direct.
- Slow loading websites. Correct his by using compression on images and paying for a faster server.
- Difficult navigation. Users will leave quickly if they can’t find what they want.
- Make sure your website is not being blocked by anyone. Check the blacklists here.
- Don’t stuff your website with ads.
- Avoid using Flash (a site animator) or a lot of site animation in general. Google wants words.
- Duplicate content. Google wants to add original and unique information to it’s database and any hint of duplication is a red flag.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_color=”#a37a5b” scene_position=”center” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ font_color=”#ffffff” column_shadow=”small_depth” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]YOU SHOULD READ THIS NOW[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-3-percent” column_padding_position=”right” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”1329″ alignment=”” animation=”None” img_link_target=”_blank” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%” img_link=”https://stratabeat.com/6-methods-to-emotionally-reward-your-site-visitors/?mc_cid=1bf37d33bf&mc_eid=52cb9c72d6″][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”2/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Six Methods to Emotionally Reward Your Site Visitors – by Stratabeat
Stratabeat is one of the best branding and web design firms I know, and this article clearly lays out the subtle content magic that will keep your visitors glued to your webpages. Which will make Google very, very happy.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_color=”#a37a5b” scene_position=”center” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ font_color=”#ffffff” column_shadow=”small_depth” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]TECH IS NOT INFALLABLE[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-3-percent” column_padding_position=”right” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”1330″ alignment=”” animation=”None” img_link_target=”_blank” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%” img_link=”https://digiday.com/media/go90-never-shot/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=digidaydis&utm_source=daily&utm_content=180702″][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”2/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Verizon pulls the plug on G090
Verizon hasn’t made it a secret it will be pulling the plug on it’s free streaming service Go90, sinking a $1.2 billion dollar investment in becoming a media company. This is an expensive lesson in providing services your audience doesn’t want. Here’s a great review from Digiday that details what went wrong.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_color=”#a37a5b” scene_position=”center” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ font_color=”#ffffff” column_shadow=”small_depth” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]GOOGLE DID WARN EVERYONE[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-3-percent” column_padding_position=”right” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”1331″ alignment=”” animation=”None” img_link_target=”_blank” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%” img_link=”https://wptavern.com/google-chrome-rolls-out-not-secure-warning-for-plain-http-sites”][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”2/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Google Chrome now warning ‘Not Secure’ on plain HTTP sites
In a move they have been announcing for several years, the most current release of the Chrome browser (Chrome 68) will now include a prominent warning that a site with a plain HTTP connection is not a secure site. The reasons for this are very interesting. Is your site getting flagged? Read here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”3″ divider_color=”extra-color-3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_color=”#ececec” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_position=”right” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1533043710896{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”]My name is Marina Reznor, and I am a romance author by night and a web developer by day. I’ve been hanging around the internet for a long time, and enjoy sharing the information I come across*.
Have questions? Comments? Let’s be friends.
*I am not paid to recommend or advertise any tool or service, and if I was I would clearly disclose the fact.
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