How can I improve my natural listing position on Google?

There are of course huge numbers of people claiming to be experts in SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), the largest Search Engine of all of course being Google.


However, the only real Google Experts, are those that actually work for Google right now.  They're constantly trying to improve their search results, making them more intuitive to humans, and more like human rankings.


People will often find little loopholes on how to artificially improve your ranking position, with 'black art' techniques (things that will typically get your website blacklisted from Google, and therefore hidden entirely from view for at least 3 months).  So as I've mentioned before, do the things primarily for the human user.. and Google will follow.


So assuming that your website is already accessible to people with visual challenges (and therefore search engines can read it more easily too).. you've already made sure all your images have 'alt' text.. and of course you have lots of good readable text on each page (especially the homepage), etc.


Google likes a few key things in particular:

• Old websites (so you must therefore be an 'established' business)
• Websites with lots of good real content, related to the search terms (so you have something worth looking at, when the visitor gets there), especially content that's updated, and added to regularly.
• Lots of links to your website from other websites (meaning lots of people like it enough, to want to share it with other people)

So what is your speciality area?  If your business is about hair extensions, talk about it through your integrated blog.  Also, if you're a geographically based business (ie in Reading), then talk about things going on locally too.


Typically, the more often you update your website, the more often Google (and others) will think it's worth looking at, which means the higher up the natural search rankings you'll appear.

So, for example, write about things related to hair extensions, or even anything to do with  hair!  i.e. your thoughts on the Royal wedding, any celebrities you see or know about with hair extensions in the press.. or even “if you’d like to have hair like ‘xxxx’ we have just the hair extensions for you”...  It doesn’t really matter what you blog about, just blog more!

If you can get your website talked about on related web forums (ie the types of forums your clients might read.. ie young mothers’ forums, rock, grunge, tattoo, etc..), with links back to your website, that will help too (try to keep it natural though, when mentioning your website).

You could also reply back on other people’s related blogs, with genuine comments (and links back to your website in the signature).  Any links through newspaper article websites, or the BBC would of course be very good for your natural search ranking.

Having a Facebook Group for your business, that people can 'like' is of course also a very popular choice these days, with links back to your website (and photos on your Facebook page too of course).

You could also try shooting a video of you doing what you do best.  Put this on YouTube.. and this can then also help a lot with rankings too (as Google owns YouTube, and seems to really like links from popular videos back to related websites).

All of the above should essentially be free!

Why you can't believe what you read in spam!

Had another one passed through today, from a company claiming to offer financial reports of the top 600 companies in that particular business sector, which included the client company they were emailing.

However, although this particular client has a limited company in the trading name, all of their trading actually went through a different company entirely, so the company details listed in the email, who was apparently performing in the top 600 of that industry (totalling tens of thousands across the UK), actually has the equivalent of a dormant company!

Would you think it'd be appropriate to provide money to a company starting off with this false information?

--

This is why it's so important to not share your primary email addresses with mailing lists (or anyone who subsequently makes a mailing list out of your details).  Once you're on the spammer's list, there's no escape from junk like the one above (apart from shutting the email address down entirely).

Web Designing - spam email

Although I run Parlour Design, I'm also involved with a number of other businesses too.  One of these businesses has a generic info@ email address (which will get spam, regardless of how well the email address is encrypted on your website).  I've advised the client to remove all traces of it, but historically it is still used by some genuine clients.

They've ensured that everywhere the email address was published, is now changed, including the main client website.  However, I do also know that this info@ email address appears on a number of spam mailing lists people can buy into.  It was therefore humorous to receive the following email today:

info@client-domain-hidden.com

Hi

Hope you are well.

My Name is Joy, and I am a web consultant with a website design/development firm with offices in the US/UK, and development center in India.

I was browsing websites from your domain and came across “www.client-domain-hidden.com“. From what I could notice, your current website does not have an appealing design that visually caters to your client demographic.

One of the great things about the Internet is that it has leveled the playing field when it comes to competing with the big boys. You have one shot at making a good first impression. With a well- designed site, your little operation can project the image and professionalism of a much larger company. The inverse is also true. I've seen many big company websites that were so badly designed and hard to navigate that they completely lacked professionalism and credibility. Good for you, too bad for them.

Do let me know if you are willing to discuss a possible redesigning of your website, to make it more appealing and comply with the International web standards. In fact, it would be best if you could send in your phone number, location (city) and a convenient time for you to speak.

Before I end, I thought it may help for you to know that our pricing packages start at USD 199 with no monthly fee and that, we have delivered more than 5000 websites over the past 6 years.

I look forward to your mail and to speak with you.

Kind Regards

Joy

Email: joy@spamming-site.info

PS A call now could get you our inaugural discounts.

Disclaimer: The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) establishes requirements for those who send commercial email, spells out penalties for spammers and companies whose products are advertised in spam if they violate the law, and gives consumers the right to ask emailers to stop spamming them. The above mail spammers-email@gmail.com  and we ensure you will not receive any such mails

So, apparently, Joy has had a look at the website, and now wishes to help us make it more appealing to web design standards (even though the site has been completely redesigned, optimised, made accessible, etc. in the last two months).

However, even though she's apparently 'seen' the website, she didn't use any of the contact details from the website (as the email address she contacted the client on, isn't listed anywhere on the website), similarly, all the other questions are also answered clearly on the contact page!

I thought I'd do a quick check on how many times this email has been sent out.. (by taking a copy of a big bulk of text, and putting it in quote marks into Google)... however, rather than finding websites showing this email, I actually found 14 web design companies from around the world, using the same exact words on their own website!  I doubt all these web design companies are the offices mentioned in the email.

So these guys apparently redesign websites around 1,000 times a year, but they don't look at them first but want you to contact them with your own details so they can sell you things.  It's true that the gist of their email is correct.  But for them to claim to be part of the CAN-SPAM movement, send spam themselves, and not actually read anything of the people they contact (just send a generic email to people on a spammers list).. doesn't give me the impression of an honourable business, just yet more people out to make money on the internet from people who don't know any better!