Search Engine Optimization

This week Google decided to share SEO tips in a Google Docs presentation titled Search Engine Optimization. In it Google shares information on how to optimize your website and become leader in the field. Here are some key points from the presentation:

• Your goal is to be the authority on your issue.
• Understand what users are looking for in your issue area based on the keywords they’re typing
• Increase your use of these keywords (without going off the deep end) and fill in content gaps
• Increase the number and quality of links to your site
• Targets for optimization:
  • Titles
  • Page content and section headings
  • URL anchor text
  • Video tags and descriptions
  • Page meta descriptions
  • Image ALT tags and filenames
  • URL pathways and “vanity” URLs
• Your site’s reputation can be affected by who you link to

There’s nothing new that Google shares in the presentation, however SEO beginners may find it useful and authoritative, since Google itself is giving out the tips.

Matt Cutts Share Search Engine Optimization Tips

Is over-optimization bad for a website?

Can the excessive use of nofollow get your website penalized? According to Matt Cutts no, however if you cram too many keywords on the page Google may flag the site together with spam, so be sure to keep in mind keyword density. It is always best to write natural and put in keywords where they fit.

What are some best practices for moving to a new CMS?

• Try not change URL structure
• Do things one a time and avoid making big changes

Also keep Title Tags and content in tact as you do the changes. The goal is to change the back-end without affecting the user-end of the website. If you can keep URL structure, content and Titles in tact, there should be minimum fluctuations in search rankings.

Which is more important: content or links?

In the video Matt explains that the 2 correlate together very closely. If the content is mediocre, then it tends to attract mediocre links or no links at all. On the other hand if the content is exceptionally helpful and authoritative, than it attracts lots of quality links from all over the web. This is what Google tries to mirror. If the web considers a website important (many websites link to it) then Google would want to show that website as an important source and feature it high on search results.

How much does a domain’s age affect its ranking?

I found the answer from Matt blurry on the issue. He does not deny that it can be a ranking factor, nor does he confirm it. The answer reminds me of a politician, who cannot say too much, but has to say something for the camera. Matt’s advice is to focus on content and not worry about the domain age. On the other hand, what if you get your hands on 10 year domain vs a 1 year domain. There’s no difference at all? I think 10 year old domain wins.