The Rank Magic Blog

Latest Search Engine Usage Stats

May 26, 2008 ::: Google gets nearly half of all US searches performed on the Internet so you can bet that's at the top of our SEO to do líst. Here are the exact numbers as provided by the "comScore for searchenginewatch.com" survey:

Your Web Site's SEO X-Ray

May 20, 2008 ::: How does Google see your web site? Well, if you're not getting the rankings you believe you deserve in Google, take a Google X-ray to see what your web site looks like to the Google spider.

The text cache is different than the "full cache" that you normally see as a link on the last line of your listing in Google. The text cache strips out all graphics and anything else that Google doesn't actually read or index. Google's full cache is similar to a photo of your website, while the text cache is more like an x-ray.

To see your text cache, enter this in your browser address window (substituting the URL of the web page you want to see for "www.example.com":

http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:http://www.example.com/&hl=en&lr=&strip=1

For a description of what to look for and what it means, see a recent article at Search Engine Land.

Web Designers versus SEO Consultants

May 13, 2008 ::: Although I have designed more than a few web sites, I'm always sure to tell clients that SEO consultants like me tend to make lousy web designers. (Which is why I usually work from a professionally designed template.) By the same token, web designers tend to make lousy SEO consultants.

Notice I said "tend to", because I'll admit there may well be a few exceptions. But I've concluded that the necessary skill sets are conflicting. Good SEO requires linear thinking, attention to detail, and a little creativity. Good web design requires high levels of creativity, somewhat less attention to detail, and non-linear thinking.

A recent article in Search Engine Watch explains this somewhat better than I do. Before relying on a web designer or hosting company that says they can "do" your SEO, please read this article

Do You Need Fresh Content to Maintain Rankings?

May 8, 2008 ::: This is a contentious issue. Do you need to add new content to your site to keep your rankings from sliding? My experience has been "no". Just do a Google search on the phrase NJ tutors and see where my wife's web site, www.APlusTutor.net shows up. That site hasn't had new content added in about 8 years.

With that said, a very good argument can be made that adding new content (not changing existing content) can give you new opportunities to use and be ranked for additional search phrases. And one excellent approach to that is to have a blog. (Like the one you're reading now.)

However, there are as many opinions on the subject as there are web site owners, it seems. For a good selection of prevailing views and opinion see this forum thread at Web Pro World.

Top 10 Ways to Raise Your Site in Google

May 3, 2008 ::: There are lots of ways to increase your visibility in Google and the other search engines. Unless you're in the business of SEO (search engine optimization) it's easy to get lost in the myriad details and all the nuances.

But optimization isn't really arcane and mysterious. There are a number of common sense things you can do to improve your rankings in Google, Yahoo, MSN/Live, Ask, and so forth. And the discussion of these at Web Pro News is about as good as they get. The list below is just the teaser: go to the article for the full details.