How to Improve Your Search Engine Ranking on Google

This article updates the Google search engine promotion tips given in that issue and extends it with new Google search engine positioning tips.

Background: Google's Page Ranking Algorithm

As many of you are probably already aware, Google ranks a page according to the number and quality of links leading to that page. For example, if your page has 100 quality links leading to it, it will rank higher than another page that has only 20 links pointing at it. Quality links come from pages that are themselves "important" (Google's own terminology).

Note that this is not a secret. Google actually publishes information about their ranking algorithm on their website. You can read it for yourself at http://www.google.com/technology/.

Improving Your Page Rank on Google

There are numerous tips floating around in webmaster circles about how to improve your ranking in search engine results on Google.

Get Those Inbound Links

Since Google ranks your pages according to the number of links pointing at your page, it stands to reason that you should try to get as many links pointing at your pages as possible. This is so obvious that I'm only mentioning it for completeness sake.

Your Title Tag

Google seems to give weight to the title of your page. By title, I mean the text that is sandwiched between the HTML <TITLE> tags in the <HEAD> section of your web page. If you use a Web editor that automatically inserts a title like "New Page", remember to change it to some meaningful text with your keywords inside to reap the benefit of this feature.

Content-Laden Pages (Keyword Density)

It has often been observed that Google considers keyword density a large factor in ranking pages in search engine results, more so than many other search engines. You can read more about keyword density and how you can improve it on your pages from my other article, Improving Your Keyword Density for Search Engine Positioning, at http://sunshinecoastdomains.com/keyword.html

Keyword-laden Links?

According to a paper published by one of Google's founders, if the links pointing to your page has the relevant keyword text in them, it will cause your page to be ranked higher in search engine results. For example, a link with the text "Cheap Shoe Store" pointing at your site will cause your site to be listed earlier if a visitor searches for "cheap shoe store" than if the link simply said "click here". You can find a copy of the paper online at The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine.

Other Google Tips

Will Disabling Caching of Your Page Affect Your Page Rank?

Some time ago, it was claimed that Google would penalise pages that forbade it from caching their pages. As you know, Google caches the pages it indexes unless otherwise instructed. To avoid problems with people who feel that this is a copyright infringement (and other reasons), they allow sites to instruct the Google spider not to cache those pages using various means. One such method is outlined in my article on using META tags to manage the search engine spiders and listings, at http://sunshinecoastdomains.com/metatags.html

Google has apparently publicly denied that disabling caching would affect the page's ranking in any way. I tend to believe their claim.

Dynamic Pages and Google

Unlike some other search engines, Google is able to index dynamically generated pages, so long as a link exist to those pages somewhere. For example, a page like "http://example.com/showstuff.php?page=19" can be indexed by Google.

So if you have a dynamically generated page that you think should be indexed, make sure you put a link to it somewhere on your site.

ALT tags on Images

If you have been placing images on your website without bothering to place ALT tags, now is a good time to add ALT tags. Google apparently indexes the text given in the ALT tags of images.

META Keywords Tag is Ignored

Google ignores the META keywords tag, so, the optimization of this tag is not going to help you any with Google.

The Google Toolbar

The Google Toolbar can be obtained free of charge for Firefox and Internet Explorer. It gives you an idea of how important Google thinks your site is (in general) by showing the Page Rank of any page that you visit.

Unfortunately, to obtain the page rank of the pages you visit, thetoolbar actually transmits information about the pages you visit to Google. Thus if you are worried about people tracking your Internet activity, you might want to restrict its use to times when you check your site's ranking. You can easily enable or disable the Page Rank feature from its Options menu.

Sunshine Coast Domains

Gregory The Geek on the beautiful Sunshine Coast of BC, Canada. For all your computer needs.

How to improve your search engine Google Ranking
Learn how to use Meta Tags
How important are Meta Tags?
Anatomy of a web search engine.
More tips on Google Search Engine Placement
Keyword density in search engine ranking.

Back to Sunshine Coast Domains

Submit Your Website to Over 1500 Directories For Free!

Links Directory - SEO Friendly
TheRobot Directory
TXTlinks Directory
Popular Sites Directory
Worthful.Info
Cheap Advertising
Directory Wire - Premium Web Directory
Dot Directory
Free East Web Directory
The official fish directory
General Seo Directory
Skype Media Web Directory
Xland Web Directory
After 5 Web Design Deep Link Directory
EastMedia Web Services
K-Links Directory
Sanory Directory
Ask-A-Link Games: Play to win
Free Web Directory - Add Your Link
Popular Directory Pop-Net.org
A Big Dir
Pblake Directory
SEOBoot.Net Web Directory
Add Your Site for Free
YooFindit.com: Search Directory
Deshiweb Directory
Add Link Suggest | Suggest URL | Submit URL
Submit2Dir
AddDir.info Web link Directory
The Linking Pro
LinkPedia Web Directory
GoSearchShopping Web Directory
Submit2Dir
WebsLink Directory
Yay Directory
Website & Service Hosting listings from the Elite Sites Web Directory
Annuaire SEO Web Directory .com
antique
The Forgotten Links
Free SEO Directory
Euro India Directory
96Main.net WebDirectory
Submit Web Directory For Free
Household Chemical
Free Directory, SEO Helper Webmaster Resource

mylinkhub.com
DirGate Web Directory
MagDalyns Online
FX Directory
LinksPremium.com mylinkhub.com
DirGate Web Directory
MagDalyns Online
FX Directory
LinksPremium.com
Bizyads.com
7si.Org Human Edited Web Directory
BLACKABSOLUTE.COM
FBKZ.com Free Web Directory
Live Web Directory
All Amazing Links
Tremble Online
Directory Core
LinksUnlimited
Share A URL Free Directory
Silly Pickle Links
Big Mega Directory
Seo Range Directory
Final Fantasy Directory
Seo Friendly Link Directory
The Missing Link - Free SEO Directory
Directory Quality Web sites
Manual Directory Submission Services
A 1 Directory
WhyNotLink.com - SEO Friendly Link Directory
Link Surplus
Directory Blue
A Link Suggest - Suggest URL - Add Link Directory
free link exchanges :: LinkOK.NeT
ManagerBiz
SEO friendly free link submission directory
Web Directory XYZ
FVXE Free Web Directory
izDirectory - Free Website Directory
Link-Star
Searchnsearch.com
StepMind.com
Call Buster Web Directory
Big Umbrella Web Directory
WebSmartAds.com - free internet directory network by royalatlantisgroup.com
Discover General Web Directory
WL - WebLinks Directory
SSE LINK
Achrd.org directory

Wholesale Swimwear
Free Directory For Webmaster with Malaysiawm.com
Monster Link Directory
OMGLINKS.COM
Free Link Directory
Submit Some Links
Site Directory
mainostoimistot.info-seo web directory
eXtreme-Directory.net
Global Web Directory
Directory Now
For Links Directory
TheGeneralDirectory
Link Directory Site
SubSeo
Speedy Directory
Welcome Links
www.SeoSubmissionDirectory.inf
Business Directory
agriculture attorneys
MESTONE.COM
KAVAINT.COM
Micro Directory
Directory Syndicate
Free link submit directory - web directory book general search engine
Junior Link Directory
Inside Directory
W3C Software Directory
The Most Popular Website Directory
Advance Directory
SEO Friendly Directory4u
Interactive Directory
Fever Links
Engine Directory
COUNTERDEAL.COM
PLAINSTONE.COM
Directory Orbit
Directory Dr General Website Directory
Link Ads Work – Free Web Directory
Actual Directory
Great Directory
Shrater Alliance Web Directory
In Web Link Directory Web Directory - Search Engine Submission Free - Add Your Url
Bakersfield Webring
Mortgage Application
MiniDirectory.info, Your Free Website Directory
Free Submit Url