I found this excellent article by Bill Platt (Links and Traffic) and thought that it fit in very well with my previous article, and in the overall Internet Marketing niche. Please take a moment after you read this to check out his website. Enjoy!

Masters Of The Google Universe: How To Achieve Top Google Rankings

For years, it has been well known that Google’s search algorithm is driven by the number and quality of links pointing to a particular URL. And as a result, it was all the rage for some time to buy links on web pages that had a high Google PageRank (PR).

But in March of 2007, Google’s mouthpiece Matt Cutts declared that Google was going to fight back against Paid Links. Google put a shot across the bow of many online marketers, letting them know that the days of easily buying links from high PageRank pages in order to influence a website’s ranking in Google were over.

The Shot Heard Around The World

With Matt Cutts declaration, a world full of online marketers began to cry foul. It was said that “They can’t do that!”

But the truth was and is that the Google Search Algorithm is Google’s intellectual property, and therefore, Google can do anything they want within their algorithms – no matter who those changes might hurt or help.

By the end of the Summer of 2007, the people crying foul had quieted down a bit and got back to the business of trying to find new ways to manipulate their website’s rankings inside of the Google search results. That is the way it has always been and always will be.

The summer of 2007 was just such an oddity… For me, it has always been exciting to challenge the brains at Google to get my websites to rank well within Google’s search algorithms. But for some reason, at that moment in time, many of those who held the top rankings in Google felt as if it was their God-given right to be at the top of Google’s search results, and how dare Google oppose God’s decree in this matter.

Yep, I know I am going to catch flak for that statement – comparing a few webmasters to religious zealots – but that is how I roll sometimes.

For me, Matt Cutts was telling people to work harder to actually “earn” what they have been given. For me, it was a chance to re-dedicate myself to the goal of ranking well in Google for competitive keywords. I did not have to change anything I was already doing, because I have never gained a single ranking in Google by paying for a link from any web page. (wink)

Google’s Search Engineers Are Not Foolish

Matt Cutts has said time and again that Google does not want to attack any problem in their search algorithms by manually deleting any participant in the Google search ranking game.

Instead, Google in every case wants to program a solution to address a particular bad practice.

I guess it might be easier for me to understand since I am also a computer programmer. It is a hobby I really enjoy, and I exercise my mind with computer programming anytime I want to improve my own websites or to build a new website. I keep my brain sharp by solving problems in computer code.

So, whenever I see Google making moves in one direction or another, I try to visualize how I would solve their algorithm problems in computer code.

In my mind, solving the paid links issue was a super-easy solution. Just look at the pages linking to a particular website, and then do a cross-comparison of the PageRank of all of those linking pages. If all of the pages linking to a particular URL have a PageRank of Four or higher, then chances are that those links were artificially created, through some kind of paid linking system.

Let me explain this in an example, where all of the sample web pages have 100 inbound links each:

If Site A has all of its 100 links on pages that have a PageRank of 4 or higher, then that is unnatural and therefore suspect.

If Site B has all of its 100 links on pages that have a PageRank of 0, then those links offer no value to the Internet community as a whole, and therefore Site B should not measured as a quality search result.

If Site C has a mix of PageRank 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 links, then that is more natural in its structure and it also shows that some of the links are considered to have value in the Internet community as a whole. Therefore, Site C has proven itself worthy above Site A and Site B in Google’s search results.

This example should show in no uncertain terms how easy it was for Google to properly address the issue of paid links and to put a stop to people using paid links to manipulate their websites’ ranking in Google’s search algorithms.

Publication Standards

A couple years back, I wrote another article discussing this concept in relationship to article marketing. You can read that article with third-party commentary from Chris McElroy, aka NameCritic, on the Article Content Provider Blog.

In a nutshell, I was discussing the role of article directories in the article marketing industry. Again, this solution came to me from my programming mind. The simple way for Google to have dealt with all of the junk articles that have been written for the purpose of building links to a website is to look at the article in the context of where that article is published.

The article marketing carpet bombers send their articles to hundreds of article directories to get hundreds of links pointing to their website. But the role of the article directory has always been to be a repository where newsletter publishers and webmasters could go to find articles that they would like to reprint in their own newsletters and on their own websites.

Some article directory managers bring a commitment to providing publishers with only quality articles. Other article directory managers approve anything and everything sent to them.

Through computer programming, it is relatively easy to identify which websites are article directories and which ones are not.

If an article is of good quality, then niche website publishers will find the article and put it on their own website. If the article is a crap article, then the only websites that will accept it are those article directories that publish anything and everything given to them.

As a result, it is easy for Google to look at the Linking Portfolio (list of publishing websites) of a single article and to see which articles were considered worthy of reprint by human reviewers. If the article only exists on article directory websites, then the article must not provide any real value to other people. But if the article is of good quality, the article will be able to be located on article directories AND on niche websites.

This concept very elegantly feeds into Google’s overall strategy of determining which web pages people recommend to others. After all, if you look at Google’s PageRank, it is very simply a system which measures how many people have voted on the quality or value of a particular web page.

Expanding On Google’s PageRank Formula

Google loves any system that they can conceive to measure how much value the overall Internet community gives to a particular web page.

Google naturally treats links found in the Yahoo! Business Directory and the Open Directory as higher value links, because the search engineers at Google understand that links in these directories are all approved by a human being.

Google also gives extra value to social bookmarking websites, because the concept behind social bookmarking is that individuals “bookmark” a web page when they find that web page to offer good value to its readers.

Google openly dislikes paid links and can easily identify those paid links, without having to jump through too many hoops. (This should not be confused with paying for a service that will help you increase your rankings in Google. Paying a service provider to provide services to you is very different than just paying for links on high PageRank web pages.)

Google also appreciates reprint articles that have a Linking Portfolio beyond the article directories. Once again, Google appreciates reprint articles that are shown to provide real value to individuals in the greater Internet community.

When you take a close look at the original premise of Google’s PageRank, it has always been about creating systems that measure the value of a web pages to find which web pages will best answer a searcher’s question. Rightfully so, Google believes that the best way to ensure that they are able to give their users good quality search results is to look at what web pages others have already deemed useful.

Herein rests the secret to ranking well in Google’s search results. If you can create content that people will find useful, interesting, and valuable to others, then Google’s search algorithms will look favorably upon your website.

Author’s Note – This article was originally published at: karmaseo.com

About The Author

Bill Platt has written about SEO and article marketing for a number of years. As the owner of (LinksAndTraffic.com Bill has also been providing search engine optimization services to his clients for a number of years. If you are currently spending at least $1000 per month on pay-per-click search advertising, you owe it to yourself to review and consider Bill’s Performance Based SEO Service at: linksandtraffic.com/seo-services/search-marketing.html

Trust me, despite the ongoing financial upheaval, there has not ever been a better time to create online income.

Despite this fact, it looks like many beginning Internet marketers are finding it hard to break through and acheive the traffic numbers they want. When I first started out, I thought there must be some secret technique that would instantly increase my traffic, if only I could find that ONE successful method! While there may be hundreds of ways to get visitors to your site – I’ve selected the techniques that have worked best for me. They can work for you, as well.

You see, there IS a secret to traffic success, and it’s this: Do not rely on just ONE technique to drive traffic. Get acquainted with, and use several of them. It’s better to have numerous traffic tactics going to your website, rather than just one. It’s surprising how many Internet marketers disregard the basics. One of those basic ways to increase your traffic is to be utterly certain that your site is listed in the search engines. Don’t just trust that the search engine spiders will do your work for you. All of the major search engines have elaborate and easy-to-follow instructions on submitting your site as well as how to produce and submit proper site-maps.

Then, there is the power of blogging. The search engines LOVE blogs. The SE “spiders” thrive on freshness and change, so if you post a new entry to your blog every day, or every other day, the search engines will see what’s going on and start to rank your blog higher than those websites that don’t change their content from month to month. A higher ranking means one thing: visitors to your site.

Another method is to place your website link in your signature when posting to online forums and discussion groups. This is especially good if your product is in a specific niche. You know that there are hard-core and pertinent online communities and groups who want to hear from you. The ever popular weight loss niche, for example, has hundreds of forums and discussion groups you could be posting to with your link in your signature. Just make sure that is allowed by their rules first, so as not to get into grief with the site admins. Your forum signature can be an absolute goldmine once you have figured out the best way of showing your product’s best features so that the readers will find your website irresistible.

One of the best ways to get visitors to your websites is to write an ebook. Remember, we’re not talking about the Great American Novel here. We’re not even talking more than 30 pages or so, double spaced, and using size 12 font. The fact is your ebook will bring in visitors to your website. Whether you are selling it or giving it away doesn’t matter really, though giving away a smallish ebook based on your niche (with giveaway rights) with your website link in it will definitely get you that targeted traffic you’ve been wanting. Later on, you can set up your paid eBook to affiliates so that they’ll be sending visitors to your site too! If you’re more into audio than just writing stuff, then create a podcast. If you are a video kind of person, then create a video and pop it up on YouTube and any of the other free video sharing services. See, everyone loves information but not everyone finds the printed word the best way to get it. Provide that same information where it can be listened to on an iPod, a mobile phone, or can be seen in a video, and you’re offering a much higher value product. Look, you have the reports and ebooks that you’ve written on your harddrive and you can add value to it by converting it into an .mp3 or a video. There’s even free applications that will help you do this, so money doesn’t have to be a stopping point for you.

How about getting your website seen by ten million people in ten minutes? Well, it sounds bizarre, but it’s very possible, if you do it right. Google Adwords, also known as Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, can get you instant and massive exposure, but you’ve got to be careful with it. People tend to go a little insane getting their ads absolutely perfect. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just understandable, and eye catching. Be sure to read the small print, or you could end up with your budget depleted very quickly. Follow the guidelines, budget sensibly and you could easily attract many hundreds of visitors, even on a daily basis.

This one is not new, but it is overlooked by many. It’s eBay. You don’t want to ignore eBay simply because the digital rules have changed. Selling physical products on eBay is still extremely viable for getting visitors to your site. If you would have normally sent a buyer a digital link to download your eBook, simply send them a CD instead. The possibilities for driving traffic here are endless. You can include all kinds of things on the CD along with whatever it is you are selling, such as your website address (to remind them of it again), your email address, which should be based off your domain name, a link to a help desk at your website, if they have questions about what they’ve purchased, etc. You get the idea.

How about Ezines and Newsletters? Well, they work! Many Internet Marketers bring in a ton of traffic using this method. If you like to write, or have someone that writes well that you can outsource to, then be sure to include this as a definite means to boost your traffic. If you love your niche, and you love your product, then obviously you’ll have alot to say about both, and there are people out there who want to hear what you have to say. You can build a huge subscriber base with a good Newsletter.

One of the basic items that is sometimes overlooked on a website is your meta tags. A “meta tag” is a tag that is used by the search engines. It allows them to accurately list your site in their indexes based on the tags they find. Your meta tags need to be relevent to your site. You don’t want to have a meta tag in your page header for “dieting” when you’re site is about dog training. These tags work most of the time, but you have to remember the search engines are always changing their methods, and they don’t all use meta tags the same way. You don’t want to ignore this technique, no matter who is using what algorithm, as the main ones still use them to categorize sites.

Leaving testimonials on other people’s sites, and commenting on niche related blog posts is another very easy way of getting your link noticed by others that will definitely get you more traffic. This doesn’t take long to do, but your website link will be visible for a very long time. Make sure that you write your comments so that they are understandable, and that they fit in with the post and the niche.

I hope this list has given you a few good ideas on how to increase traffic to your website. Remember, the idea is to not just focus on one method, but to incorporate, in all practicality, as many as you can, so that you are utilizing as much of the vast range of the internet as possible.

Wishing you great success,

Ross “The Pit Boss”

Before you can begin to utilize any SEO on your site, you have to decide what your page is going to be about. This may seem unneccesary at first, but if you just throw up a bunch of topics and niches onto the site, it’s not going to do well at all with the search engines, and you’ll not get nearly the amount of traffic you want to see.

So, you’ll have to decide what topics you are interested in writing about, then also decide which of those topics you’ve got some knowledge on. This second is not mandatory, but it certainly helps your writing, and in setting up your site, if you know something about the subject at hand. Sure, you can look the information up, or have it ghost-written, but then it’s not coming from you. It won’t have your “flavor” and character on it. Let’s use myself as an example. I was in the casino business for 8 years as a dealer and as a Pitboss, so I know what I’m talking about if I write about gaming, gambling, casinos, living in Las Vegas, etc. I’ve been there and done that and have alot of valuable experience. (And the T-Shirt!)

The idea here is that I’m coming from a place of understanding and experience. I can answer any questions anyone has about that topic. Again, while it’s not mandatory that you have as much experience in your chosen niche as I do in Gambling, it certainly helps quite a bit when you are trying to get a point across, or when you are trying to sell something. After all, my assumption is you are here to learn how to use SEO techniques in order to improve your traffic to get more sales.

Unless you are strictly into a niche that does not have a product (is there really such a thing??), and you just want the increased traffic to get more visitors commenting on your site, then your focus needs to be on what you know about the niche you are selling in, OR where you can get this information. Let’s talk about that second one for a moment. Back in the day, I used to work for a large chain grocery store as a “courtesy clerk” (read – bagger, stocker and cart retriever). When I first started working there, of course I was not familiar with the layout of the store and where everything was. So a customer would ask, “Where’s the pickles?” and I’d say that I wasn’t sure, but let me find out for you. I’d then go get another employee, and ask what aisle are the pickles on, get the info and go back to the customer and take them to that aisle and show them the pickles.

Now this did a couple of things. First, I made a great impression with the customer, because I didn’t brush them off, or shovel them off to someone else, and I learned what aisle the pickles were on and by taking them there myself, I saw what else was on that aisle. You see, it’s all about knowledge and information. If you have these things in your niche, people will come to you for that, and more importantly, they’ll buy from you because you’ve built up their trust in you that you know what you’re doing and/or talking about. Remember that one. It’s important.

Once you’ve decided what niche you are going to pursue, you need to make a decision as to how you are going to accomplish this. Basically, you have two choices. One is to create your own webpage, with all the html/php/asp/java code involved and sort out the table structure, page layout, etc. For some of you, that’s not a big deal. For the rest of you… well the term “nightmare” comes to mind. I’ve done it myself, so I know fully what’s involved, which is why I chose option 2. Install a Wordpress site. Wordpress makes life a whole lot simpler when it comes to building your own site. You still have to know some tech stuff like how to use FTP and how to set up MySQL on your server, but it’s not nearly the chore building it from scratch is.

Of course, if you are a total non-geek (my sincere condolences) you can always hire someone to create the site for you based on your specs. For myself, I like getting into things and knowing how it all works, so I don’t have a problem going either route, but using Wordpress is fast and easy, comparatively speaking.

In my next post, I’ll talk further about setting up and designing your site around your niche, and in particular, how using Wordpress is to your best SEO advantage.