Archive for April 1st, 2007

April
1

Getting Top Rankings in Google

Today is April Fool’s Day. Don’t fall for any “big tips” today to get your site better rankings. My favorite so far has been that if you change the color of your body text to match the Google logo (multiple colors) you will get higher rankings. There have been actual webmasters who fell for this and changed their sites. And to clear the air, I will NEVER send an April Fool’s Joke. I don’t think they have any place in business.

From time to time it is good to get back to basics … so, let’s discuss what it takes to get a top ranking in Google and clear up any “myths” out there at the same time.

1. Non-competitive Phrases – PageRank doesn’t matter.
2. Competitive Phrases – PageRank is vital.
3. For non-competitive phrases, links are as vital and on-page factors are more important.
4. Adding relevant pages to your site and getting links to both your home page and sub pages is the best consistent method to constantly increase your traffic levels in Google.
5. There are always exceptions – remember that.

There you go – a quick five tips … the last one I feel is most important as there will always be exceptions. So if you can’t figure out how a competitor is #1, it could be just one of those things. Concentrate on doing things better than them on all levels and I believe eventually you will overtake them. The key is consistent warfare.

April
1

Definitive Directory Guide

The directory list that has been very popular with our members when we first released it last summer has been completely updated. Over 68 hours of staff time went into updating and verifying the information, but about 200 more went into the testing of passing of PageRank. We went through each directory individually, and the top 70 or so paid directories we a part of the before mentioned test. Here are some features of the list:

* File is created in MS Excel and is in its native format
* You can sort the columns as you wish
* URL of directory is listed
* We went through each of these by hand and noted any redirection that occurred
* Alexa ranking – this number is updated every three days, so chances are the numbers have changed since we did the document
* PageRank of home page
* PageRank of subpages – as requested by members, we looked at several subpages, and give you a range of the subpages
* Does the directory pass PageRank?
* Directory Type – most will be General
* Any fees are listed and the time frames they cover
* We also gave a grade to the top directories based on factors such as: PageRank pass through, Traffic, Subpage PageRank, Navigation, Design, Ease of Use, Number of Years the Directory has existed, etc.
* We also listed comments based on our observations
* The spreadsheet is sorted by PageRank, Alexa Rank, and if the site passes PageRank

There were numerous directories that were removed from the list we did previously in July. The primary reason for the removal is these directories were sold to private companies and affiliate or product based sites are now in their place. In short, the overall quality of the directories is falling, as there are just a handful now that provide good, solid links.

How to Use This List: If you have a set budget, you can easily spot which directories you should submit to in order to get the biggest “bang” for your buck. Start with the “As” and move your way down. If your site doesn’t have a budget, look for the free directories that graded out in the B to C+ range. Those are solid indicators of a good choice in a directory. Because what you need is a directory that will be around – not one that will be sold in a few months.

The most upsetting issue with this list is the number of directories who were either placing “nofollow” tags in the links, or creating suspicious types of links which did not pass PageRank, but they are charging solid fees for their listings.

To download the list you must be a member of the SEO Revolution.

Clarification on the Directory List: Just because Google shows the director as a link in the backlinks list doesn’t mean that Google counts it and that the directory link passed PageRank. In our testing we saw many directories that were listed in the backlinks list, but did not pass PageRank. What we looked for was whether or not the listing in the SERPs was increased and other factors to ensure PageRank increased.