Your Host: Jill Whalen [jill@highrankings.com]
________________________________________________________
~~~IN TODAY'S ADVISOR~~~
*Search Engine Marketing:
----> Blogs and SEO
----> All-graphical Home Page
*High Rankings Happenings:
----> Recession Buster SEO Website Review
----> SEO Full-day Training Classes
*Advanced SEO Forum Thread of the Week:
----> Embedded YouTube Video Vs. Self-hosting – SEO Benefits?
*Advisor Wrap-up:
----> FoxNews Interview (No, it's not me!)
________________________________________________________
~~~Introductory Comments~~~
Hey everyone!
Today we have 2 SEO questions/answers that came in over the past few weeks, including some follow-up questions that I also answered.
Enjoy! – Jill
~~~Search Engine Marketing Issues~~~
++Blogs and SEO++
Hi Jill,
I am a long-time reader of your newsletter and really enjoy it (I learn something new each time).
I have a question regarding blogs. I want to add a blog to my site as a tool to keep my customers updated. I also want to use it to improve my ranking and show that my site is an active one. I am currently using Google's Blogger to test the water and haven't connected it to my site yet.
My question is: How does Google know that the blog is part of my website if the address isn't under my website address or hosted by my server? It isn't under www.mysite.com but is mysite.blogspot.com.
Your input is much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Lisa
++Jill's Response++
Hi Lisa,
Glad you enjoy the newsletter!
In reference to your question, Google doesn't know that your blog is part of your website, because it isn't. But don't worry, Google isn't supposed to know stuff like that. All they know how to do is follow links and determine relevancy. They don't attempt to determine ownership because that's not important.
Hope this helps!
Jill
++Follow-up Question++
Jill,
Thanks for getting back to me. That makes sense, but does it then help my site ranking in any way, or am I better off just creating a static html archive and adding to it on a regular basis?
Lisa
++Jill's Response++
Hi Lisa,
I think you're perhaps confused by having heard some old myths that blogs and fresh content somehow magically help rankings. Nothing helps your "site" ranking as a whole. Every page is judged on its own merits. Adding new content to a website doesn't provide you with any special rankings boost, it just keeps the search engine spiders coming around often so they can index the new stuff.
This question comes up so often that it's been part of our SEO FAQ for years:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-WazHB.RxNqfoU%404160317-bgq.9XuzcF9gM
This is not to say that a blog isn't helpful. If you create one as a helpful resource for your site visitors, it can also help for SEO purposes because you can link from your blog posts to other pages on your site – thus helping those pages' link popularity – and perhaps ultimately their rankings. But even better than using your blog to link to your own stuff, if you write amazing content on your blog and get the word out about it, other bloggers are apt to link to your posts.
Those links will further increase your blog's link popularity, which in turn increases the amount of "link juice" (PageRank) that your blog can pass when you link to pages (your own and other people's) from your posts. The key is to write about aspects of your industry that others haven't covered yet, in an easy-to-read, thought-provoking manner. If you're not a writer yourself, I suspect there may be a number of out-of-work journalists who would be happy to write for you.
Make sense?
Jill
Share your comments and thoughts here:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-c4fDal8e5ngR2%404160318-c0wrFOGLEXTDw
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__________________________________________________
++All-Graphical Home Page++
Dear Jill:
I realize that Google picks up Alt text data (aka Alt tags), especially if the graphic acts as a link; however, I am a bit puzzled on how Google ranked a particular site.
I performed a search for [a phrase + Michigan] and this site is #1 on Google. I viewed the text-only version of the home page from Google's cache and performed a search for that particular keyword phrase, and Michigan does not appear anywhere.
Does this mean that Google can determine the location of a given site without indicating the state locale in the visible content or Alt text?
Note: I personally would not recommend relying solely on the use of Alt text…but please, what's your take on this?
Best,
Rene
++Jill's Response++
Hi Rene,
Google will use all the info they know about a site to help determine its relevancy. Because the inner pages do have the address on them, Google knows the company is located in Michigan. The website may also be listed in Google's local search directory, which would help. Plus, other sites may be linking to the home page and using the word "Michigan" in their anchor text.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Jill
++Follow-up Question++
Jill:
Thanks for the feedback; I thought the same thing, but I just needed confirmation. But what are your thoughts on relying solely on Alt text on the home page of the site? The reason I ask is that a lot of folks don't want a lot of text on the home page of their sites, because visually it is not appealing; however, you and I both know the importance of text.
I hope you can afford the time to answer that question for me.
Best,
Rene
++Jill's Response++
Hi Rene,
Personally, I think it's silly to have an all-graphical home page. I just remembered that this question is in our SEO FAQ as well:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-qm9SdQ0k9vMg.%404160320-XBMHnw.wqZm5U
Jill
++Additional Follow-up++
Jill:
I agree with you 100%. It's unfortunate that my clients do not feel the same way. I have attempted to explain to them the importance of using more text than graphics, to attempt some type of balance in the site's architecture, but they just don't get it, and it is extremely frustrating.
What do you tell people and how do you cope with difficult clients that just don't get it?
Rene
++Jill's Response++
Hi Rene,
Typically, I don't take the client in the first place if they don't understand exactly what will need to be done, and have already agreed to it. It's extremely important to discuss these types of things before they actually become a client. I always ask them if they understand that the content on their pages will likely be changing, and whether they are okay with that.
That said, you should be able to optimize their inner pages, even if the home page is less than desirable.
Good luck!
Jill
Share your comments and thoughts here:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-BmFVcAr0WoOV.%404160321-DC2QiaREdqJKg
P.S. If anyone would like to republish the above Q&A articles, please email me your request and where it will reside, and I'll send you a short bio you can use with it for your site.
________________High Rankings SEO Training_________________
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_______________________________________________________
~~~Advanced SEO Forum Thread of the Week~~~
++Embedded YouTube Video Vs. Self-hosting – SEO benefits?++
Forum member "cswilliams" wonders if hosting your videos on your own server rather than on YouTube would provide any SEO benefits. See the entire post and responses here:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-WazHB.RxNqfoU%404160323-rJgSQ5cYvvVOQ
~~~Advisor Wrap-up~~~
That's all for today!
What an exciting few weeks it's been. On the business front, we've had a great response so far to our "recession buster SEO site review" offer. We're taking orders at the special rate until April 30, so let me know if you'd like me to personally review your website.
In addition, our 2-day SEO workshops went off without a hitch. There's no rest for the weary, however, as we have our 1-day class this Friday. (We still have openings for the June and July classes if you're interested.) Phew. I think I need a vacation! Of course I have a pile of SEO website reviews ahead of me when this week's class is finished. Luckily, there's nothing I'd rather be doing than reviewing websites, so all is well.
On the home front, my amazing oldest "kid" (Corie) was interviewed on FoxNews! She's one of the organizers of the tax day Boston tea party protest, so Fox contacted her to be interviewed. Quite a feat at the tender age of 22! You can see her portion of the interview here:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-3.aKvj/fhTYP2%404160324-R9BlN.hT2s62%2e
Hot off the presses! I just learned that today she is featured in a Boston Herald article about the tax tea parties:
http://m1e.net/c?86763832-ohSxIhTIyCbkM%404160325-lGXXaxCCe7d/E
She's doing all this in the midst of finishing up her senior year of college and seeking a full-time job for when she graduates. She doesn't get her energy from me, that's for sure! (As an aside, if you are at a Boston law firm and are looking for a legal assistant, let me know and I'll forward her the info.)
Catch you in 2 weeks! – Jill
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