Is Google going add their own links to your website content?
Is Google going to add their own links to your web pages? A recent patent application of Google indicates that this might be coming. The name of the patent is "Enhanced document browsing with automatically generated links to relevant information". It is an update of the patent application that Google filed in 2006.
What is Google's patent application about?
Here's the official abstract:
"Additional documents are automatically located that are relevant to an original document, such as a document being read by a user, and also potentially relevant to personal information of the user.
The additional documents may be located based on descriptive information that includes personal information of the user and content information of the document being read.
The additional documents, or links to the additional documents, may be incorporated into the document being read. In some implementations, the additional documents may be presented in-line with the document being read, such as through an in-link link or text snippet. The user can thus be efficiently presented with additional information that is relevant to the original document being read."
In other words: Google wants to read the contents of your web pages and then might insert their own links on your web pages.
According to the patent application, the links will be based on the personal search history and the geographic location of the web surfer as well as on the contents of the page on which Google will insert the links.
How can Google change the content of your web pages (technically)?
Changing the content of your web pages is easy if the web surfer has Google's toolbar installed.
Google's toolbar does not only send information about every page that you visit to Google, it also allows Google to change the content of each page that you visit through the document object model.
If you use Google's toolbar then Google can add any content to the web pages that you visit and you wouldn't notice that the original content has changed. Note that Google could do this. That does not mean that Google actually does this.
What type of content would Google insert on your web pages?
Google might enter simple text links on your pages, they might link existing content or they might add whole new paragraphs on your web pages. Technically, all of this is possible. It's not clear what Google will do with the methods described in the patent.
However, since there are several documents about this topic, it seems that they are serious about this.
Google knows a lot about you and they control a lot of the information that we get on the Internet. Will they also change the content of your web pages in the near future?
Being listed on Google's first result page is becoming more important than before. Google can only recommend your website as a link if they know your site. To optimize your website for Google, use the top 10 optimizer in IBP.
Steps for Creating a Social Media Strategy
Social media is all about engaging with people whether it be clients, friends, or relatives. As Li Evans of Serengeti Communications explains, “Everybody likes to share, and they like to share a story.”
She goes on to tell WebProNews that businesses are just now grasping how they can use social media. If they create valuable content, she says people will share it, which will expand their reach.
Contrary to some beliefs, effective social media marketing is a lot more than simply having a Facebook page. Evans says businesses need to, first of all, understand where their audience is. Although Facebook and Twitter have exploded in popularity, it doesn’t mean that your audience is there. If this is the case, these platforms will not be effective for your business.
It could be that message boards and forums are where your audience is. Although these areas have been around since before the term social media was even coined, Evans believes they are still very powerful, have a large reach, and rank in search engines. Other effective platforms include ratings and review services and location-based sites.
Secondly, businesses need to understand what their resources are. It is important to realize what you are capable of doing before you jump in. Otherwise, you could quickly get overwhelmed, which could lead to failure.
Thirdly, businesses have to listen to what their audience is saying. Just as businesses need to understand their resources before embracing social, they need to do a lot of listening too. If not, Evans says it could be compared to petting a shark. Businesses should know what is acceptable and what is not before they embark on a social media campaign.
Once a business applies these 3 steps, she says it can build a social media strategy.
Does Google show the right Sitelinks type for your website?
When Google displays Sitelinks below your website listing in the search results, it's very likely that your website will get more clicks and more visitors. The majority of searchers click on the top 3 results. For that reason, getting more links in the top three results increases the number of clicks that your website will get.
Unfortunately, Google does not always display the right Sitelinks. This article explains how to check your Sitelinks and how to make sure that Google displays the right Sitelinks for your website.
How to check which Sitelinks Google displays for your website
It seems that Google only return Sitelinks when they are confident that the search query is looking for a specific site.
If you want to see the Sitelinks for your website, search Google for your domain name without the .com or for any other keyword for which your website is listed on the first position.
For example, if your domain name is "cebuads.info", search Google for "cebuads".
Which type of Sitelinks does Google display for your website?
If you search Google as explained above, Google will display one of the following Sitelinks below your listing:
- Google shows up to eight text links that are identical to your website navigation links. If you see these links, the navigation of your website can be parsed by Google and it divides your website into separate categories. This is good.
- Sitelinks that go to random pages on your website. If you get these links, the navigation of your website probably can't be parsed by Google and Google took the pages with the most backlinks for the Sitelinks. This is not so good.
- Google does not display any Sitelinks. If Google does not display any Sitelinks for your website then it's very likely that your website is not search engine friendly and that your pages cannot be parsed correctly. This is bad.
How to get better Sitelinks
Google generates the Sitelinks for your website based on your website navigation and based on the links that point to your website.
If Google shows the wrong Sitelinks or no Sitelinks at all for your website then you should work on your website navigation:
- Avoid JavaScript and Flash navigation and try to use regular links as often as possible.
- If you use images for your website navigation, make sure that the images contain alternative texts that allow Google to categorize your links.
If your website has a clear navigation, it will be much easier to get Sitelinks for your website.
SEO - Learn how to get more traffic
Now let's get back to search engine optimization. Many of us started out with a simple free blog, from Blogspot or a similar site, and then wanted to grow. The next step is to buy your own domain. So how do you switch over your content to the new domain and web host without risking a duplicate content penalty and the lost of all that link juice? Check out the two-part series we ran this week on SEO Chat for the details. If you're just getting ready to do SEO on your site or wondering why it isn't working as well as you think it should the article we ran on Monday may answer your questions. It covers what you need to do to prepare your site for SEO.
Once you've been doing SEO for a while, you may decide that you want to try to grab more than one spot at the top of the SERPs for your keyword. Is that best done with one site or several sites? This week's thread considers the question of whether three sites are better than one. Why not stop by the thread and add your experience?
And while you're checking out our sites and forums, you might enjoy paying a visit to Tutorialized. You'd find tons of content related to website design and development, including more than 120 tutorials on SEO. Learn how to get more traffic, how to recover a fallen ranking in the search engines, how to do keyword research, and much more. If you're feeling generous and want to share your expertise, it's easy to submit your own tutorial.
Our Spotlight, just for readers of our newsletter, ponders what is more important: onsite SEO or offsite SEO. The answer might surprise you. Scroll down to the Spotlight to find out.
. As always, thanks for reading.
Until next time,
SEO Chat Staff
