Axandra news archive: 9 October 2007

This week, we're taking a look at search engine optimization for new web sites.

In the news: selling links can hurt your Google rankings, an interview with Google's Matt Cutts, a small German company seems to rival Google and more.

Table of contents:

• Facts of the week
• Search engine news of the week
• Articles of the week
• Recommended resources
• Previous articles

It's easier to get high rankings on Google with older websites than it is with new websites. Why is this so and what can you do to get high rankings on Google if you have a brand new website?

Why is it easier to get high rankings with older websites?

Brand new domain names are often used by spammers to make a quick buck. These spammers buy hundreds of domains, fill them with automatically created scraper content and hope to make some money with the ads that appear on these sites.

In addition, some webmasters use new domains to test new search engine spamming techniques.

As it is difficult for Google to find out whether a new domain can be trusted or not, Google invented a set of filters that downranks new websites until Google thinks that they can be trusted.

What can you do to overcome Google's filters for new websites?

It's very difficult to get high rankings before Google trusts your website. For that reason, do things that make your website trustworthy:

1. Start with the right keywords
   
   It's not possible to get a top 10 ranking for highly competitive general search term such as "cars" for a new website. However, it is possible to get high rankings for terms such as "used car dealer atlanta".
   
   It's not just easier to get high rankings for more specific search terms, these terms are also much more likely to convert to sales. Take some time to find the right keywords for your site.
   
   
2. Get links to your website
   
   It is not possible to get high rankings on Google without good incoming links. Try to get as many links from related websites as possible. If the right websites link to your site then Google will trust your website more quickly.
   
   
3. Optimize your web pages
   
   While more links to your website greatly increase your chance of getting high search engine rankings, you must also tell search engines for which search terms you want to have high rankings. Optimize the content of your web pages to make sure that Google lists your website for the right search terms.
   
   Search engines should be able to parse the content of your web pages easily. Consider this when creating a new website from scratch.
   
   
4. Wait
   
   A website that has been online for several years is much less likely to game Google's ranking algorithms than newer sites. For that reason, your Google rankings will also increase just by waiting (given that you followed the steps 1 to 3).

If you do it correctly, getting high search engine rankings for brand new websites is possible. It's important that you do the right things in the right order.

Take a look at our free SEO eBook that will guide you through the complete search engine optimization process from finding the right keywords to checking the results.

Official: selling paid links can hurt your PageRank or rankings on Google

"Google says that most people hit with a PageRank decrease will likely notice this, and then they can request a review. [...] If Google traffic is important to you, don't sell links."

"I wouldn't really worry about spam sites hurting your ranking by linking to you, as we understand that you can't (for the most part) control who links to your sites. However, there is some action you can take if you come across spam in Google's index."

Internet advertising revenues continue to soar

"Internet advertising revenues (U.S.) for the first six months of 2007 were nearly $10 billion, setting yet another new record and representing a nearly 27 percent increase over the first half of 2006. Internet advertising revenue totaled nearly $5.1 billion for the second quarter of 2007, exceeding the $5 billion mark for the first time in a quarter, a 25.4 percent increase over the same period in 2006."

• Ask.com pushes into TV show integrations.
• Yahoo! result pages embed API RSS feed.
• Public transit directions in Google Maps.
• Google Desktop beta 5.5 is available.
• AdWords Ads: what's your location?
• Bernstein's Yahoo break-up plan: search, display, subscriptions

"Our website has gone from not being seen on Google to the #2 spot ."

I am so excited because of your optimization program our website has gone from not being seen on Google to the #2 spot for our main key word. It has taken some time (10 months) but with your suggestions it worked. I deeply appreciate all you have done for us. [...]

I really appreciate your news letters. It was in one of those you mentioned duplicate web pages. I had made duplicate pages changing the URL's without deleting the old pages. This by itself kept our web page at about the #8 position for a long time. As soon as I deleted the duplicate pages we went to #4 and the #2. I'm now gunning for #1. "
Mike Bieganski, www.pilotvials.com

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• The most important factor for successful SEO (hint: it's not inbound links)
• The perfect incoming link for high search engine rankings
• Four tips to increase your sales by creating a trustworthy website
• Top 3 tips to get indexed on Google within 48 hours
• The effect of unnatural linking patterns on your search engine rankings
• How to fake PageRank and how find websites with faked PR
• Search engine market shares in Europe
• View all past issues...