The search engines love simplicity, so give it to them. When the search engines send their spiders out to index your website they crawl through each page of code. If your code is full of Java script or inline styles and other junky coad bloat they could leave your page without fully indexing it.
When your designing your web pages make sure you pull all of those files out into external files that are then called in by a link from the main web page where they are to be used.
Two ways you can cut down on code bloat is by using CSS (cascading style sheets) or by creating a simplified version of your site with out all the bells and whistles.
CSS is a great way to get rid of unwanted code bloat. Code bloat is when you use inline and on page styling and java scripting instead of putting it in an external style sheet. If your web site has too much in the way of code bloat then you may loose points from an SEO standpoint.
More than likely code bloat is not that big of a deal from an SEO standpoint. It probably holds about as much weight as the keyword meta tag does.
However, if you have a competitive site that needs to rank for competitive keywords, you want to make sure you hit as many of those 60 on-site page elements that you need to do to fully optimize your site as possible.
Remember, every little bit helps.
Duplicate Content Problem Solved?
Blessings upon us, only last week the major search engines announced that they have agreed upon a way to reduce duplicate content and make things easier for everyone. Like trademarking an invention, or signing a painting, original webpages will have the ability to claim their work. This solution… the new canonical tag!
Now a web masters can rest easier knowing that this tag will drastically reduce flagging for duplicate content.
Duplicate content comes in many different forms, one of the most popular being the use of multiple URLs pointing to the same page. This happens for lots of reasons. An online store may have various pages for multiple products sorted by different sizes, prices and so on. Another example could be a company’s affiliates using the codes at the end of the URL so they can track their own sales.
I always use “/?src=seoqueen” at the end of the URLs I’m linking to in order for the websites I’m linking to know I passed them a link. So now my website that had only 50 pages could now have 10 different URLs pointing to those pages I linked to; causing the search engine spiders to index 500 pages!
This can be a problem for a couple of reasons.
So how do we use the new canonical tag?
You simply add this <link> tag to specify your preferred version of the url:
<link rel=”canonical” href=”http://www.example.com/product.php?item=dog-collars” />
inside the <head> section of the duplicate content URLs:
http://www.example.com/product.php?item=dogcollars-dog&category=designercollars
http://www.example.com/product.php?item=dogcollars&trackingid=1234&sessionid=5678
and Google will understand that the duplicates all refer to the canonical URL: http://www.example.com/product.php?item=dog-collars. Additional URL properties, like PageRank and related signals, are transferred as well.
Good luck and have fun adding the new canonical tag to your pages.
Did you know Google likes faster-loading pages! Are your pages loading fast enough?
Well, it’s true, in web-based business, less is more. If you’re a business owner with a website, it’s likely you are unaware of the way Google ranks your site. Does your page take a long time to load? Have you been waiting desperately for a page to load only to find that suddenly you have grandchildren? Many business owners do not know that the longer it takes a page to load, the higher the user turnover, and thus the lower ranking.
We all know from experience that eternal-loads kill the initial desire of the customer. It has also been scientifically shown that slow loading webpage can hurt your visitor experience. Avoid having your pages loaded with Flash. Cut down on the bells and whistles. If your pages have lots of graphics, or your server is regularly down or slow, then you have a major customer attraction and ultimately retention problem.
No one benefits from visitors promptly leaving a site. You want to keep your pages lean and mean so as to cut down on load time and keep your business pages indexed. The longer the load time, the longer it can take the search engine spiders to index them or, of course, they may not index them at all. It’s up to you to keep your pages efficient.
Slow load times is one of the 200 signals that Google uses to algorithmically rank a specific page and site within in its index. When a page loads slowly it causes Google to penalize your website thus making you go down in the rankings.
The slower your webpage loads the higher your bounce rate is going to be. The ‘bounce rate’ is determined by how many visitors come to your site and leave right away. A high bounce rate is a sign of poor page quality; most likely load time. According to Search Engine News, this policy is already in effect in Google Adwords. They state, “…site and page load times have been a factor for determining quality page scores for Adwords advertisers since March, 2008.”
It make sense then, that if Google is doing this in Adwords, they are also judging organic listings. For example, let’s apply this to a situation where a consumer is looking for dog beds. After clicking on a listing for dog beds in the organic search results, he or she sees an ad ranking at the top of the SERP’s (search engine results pages) but that URL is loading so slow time seems to stop. It happens all the time. What do you think that web surfer is going to do? Think about what YOU would do. You’re either going to get a load of laundry done (if you are patient) or like most of us you will find a page that loads right away.
When it comes down to the bottom line, load times and consumer ease of use are what makes or breaks an online venture. Google has provided a distinct advantage by allowing businesses to update, customize, and tailor their pages to the consumers, the end result is a local search engine that is accurate, easy to use, and provides the fastest, most qualified results to its audience at all times. Should you capitalize on the tools available with Google, you will receive more phone traffic and online orders.
Mr Jones will end up finding Fido’s new dog bed somewhere. You want that somewhere to be your site. Unless your page is stream-lined and fast, it will eventually drop in rankings and your competitors will jump in to provide Mr Jones with that bed and maybe even a brand new doghouse too.
To keep the Mr Joneses of the world shopping at your site, try to keep your load time down to four seconds. Every item of importance you wish to display should be up and visible with in 4 to 6 seconds of the user clicking on your webpage. If you are unsure about your page load times you can check your load time using this free tool. If you are coming up slow, you’re going to want to either optimize your pages and graphics or get a better server.
Remember! Google has lots of tools to make the most of your business. Every little bit of time you spend spiffing up your online advertising, you are investing in the future of your company. Like most good things, it works if you work it. The more you are willing to do the more you will be rewarded. There is an old adage that states Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to.
What are you willing to do to succeed?
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Google is making things easier for small businesses to get found once again.
Prior to the technological revolution in computing, a business relied primarily on sign-based advertising such as those ubiquitous billboards lining the drive down I-4 to Orlando or books such as the Yellow Pages. These old-fashioned volumes used to be the fastest way to get your business noticed. As customers began to embrace the ease of use of computer assisted searches, many businesses realized that listing on the Web was a wonderful way to not only bolster income but also to increase thier client base.
As more and more businesses began listing on the internet, the search engines that originally got their data from the yellow pages and other data collection companies realized that collecting business data for local search was a long and inefficient process which needed to be much more stream-lined. In response, the answer they came up with was brilliant. They created a local listing center where businesses could log in, customize their business listings, and keep their business information up to date.
This detailed business index is called Google Local Business Center. What makes Google Local Business Center so convenient is that you can type your search term followed by a location, for example: Hospitals Tampa. Google can then pull up a listing showing you a map of your local area and 10 small listings next to the map. This is what is called the Google 10 Box. It lists the local businesses in the area according to the keywords you previously entered into the search box, dramatically narrowing your search results, and saving you time.
Google 10 Box for local business listings
Google Local Business Center is free for both companies and for the people they serve, making it accessable and accurate. Because Google automatically adds your business to it’s page once they find you through national data centers that hold this information, your name and service are out there. Many people stop here. With Google, you can take it one step farther. While being listed online is important, to truly make the most of your listing, you must take advantage of the features Google has created to optimize and customize your company profile.
Create a Google account (also free) or sign into the one you already have (you can just sign into your G-mail) and claim your business listing now, or it’s likely someone else will. Your name is your signature.
Another good idea is to help your venture succeed with Google Local Business Center is that you need to add information that corresponds to the query entered by the potential client. You can correctly optimize your profile by using researched keywords. This gives your business a much higher chance of showing up in those top 10 coveted listings that show up next to the map.
That’s where web design and seo firm” href=”http://www.group5web.com” target=”_blank”>Group 5 Web comes in. By professionally analyzing your target market, local competition, and customer demographics, we can make sure your company is set up for optimal success. With Internet-based technologies and communications changing at an exponential pace, it is imperative to make sure your business not only is found by a potential customer, but that you have the advantage of leading the pack. With the personalizations in your ad allowed by Google, you can finally get that market share your business has been mising. Shipping to Taiwan or delivering in the neighborhood, the best way for your company to get it’s message out there easily and accurately to people across the street or across the country is Google Local Business Center.
We hope this information has helped you understand the importance of being everywhere you can on the internet. If you have questions we are always available to help.
