SE-optimization Updates

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.

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:

1. 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.
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. 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.

Do not use too many navigation links and make it easy for web surfers and search engines to find out which pages of your website are the most important pages. The better a web page is linked, the more likely it is that it will appear in the Sitelinks.