| The web pages actually at the top of Google | | | | 4. One page had a PageRank of 0. Of course, this |
| have only one thing clearly in common: good | | | | might simply be yet another demonstration that |
| writing. Don't get so caught up in the usual SEO | | | | the little PageRank number you get in your |
| sacred cows and bugbears, such as PageRank, | | | | browser window is not what Google's algo is using. |
| frames, and JavaScript, that you forget your | | | | But if you're one of those people who attaches |
| site's content. I was recently struck by the fact | | | | an overriding value to that little number, this is |
| that the top-ranking web pages on Google are | | | | food for thought. * Frames. The top two web |
| consistently much better written than the vast | | | | pages listed for the most searched-on keyword |
| majority of what one reads on the web. | | | | employ frames. Frames may still be a bad web |
| The web pages actually at the top of Google | | | | design idea from a usability standpoint, and they |
| have only one thing clearly in common: good | | | | may ruin your search engine rankings if your site's |
| writing. Don't get so caught up in the usual SEO | | | | linking system depends on them. But there are |
| sacred cows and bugbears, such as PageRank, | | | | worse ways you could shoot yourself in the foot. |
| frames, and JavaScript, that you forget your | | | | * JavaScript-formatted internal links. Most of the |
| site's content. I was recently struck by the fact | | | | websites use JavaScript for their internal page |
| that the top-ranking web pages on Google are | | | | links. Again, that's not the best web design |
| consistently much better written than the vast | | | | practice, but there are worse things you could do. |
| majority of what one reads on the web. Of | | | | * Links: Most of the web pages contained ten or |
| course, that shouldn't be a surprise, considering | | | | more links; many contain over 30, in defiance of |
| how often officials at Google proclaim the | | | | the SEO bugbears about "link popularity bleeding." |
| importance of good content. Yet traditional SEO | | | | Moreover, nearly all the pages contained a |
| wisdom has little to say about good writing. Does | | | | significant number of non-relevant links. On many |
| Google, the world's wealthiest media company, | | | | pages, non-relevant links outnumbered relevant |
| really ignore traditional standards of quality in the | | | | ones. Of course, it's not clear what benefit the |
| publishing world? Does Google, like so many | | | | website owners hope to get from placing |
| website owners, really get so caught up in the | | | | irrelevant links on pages. It has been a proven |
| process of the algorithm that it misses the whole | | | | way of lowering conversion rates and losing |
| point? Apparently not. Most Common On-the-Page | | | | visitors. But Google doesn't seem to care if your |
| Website Content Success Features Whatever the | | | | website makes money. * Originality: a significant |
| technical mechanism, Google is doing a pretty | | | | number of pages contained content copied from |
| good job of identifying websites with good | | | | other websites. In all cases, the content was |
| content and rewarding them with high rankings. I | | | | professionally written content apparently |
| looked at Google's top five pages for the five | | | | distributed on a free-reprint basis. Note: the reprint |
| most searched-on keywords, as identified by | | | | content did not consist of content feeds. |
| WordTracker on June 27, 2005. Typically, the top | | | | However, no website consisted solely of |
| five pages receive an overwhelming majority of | | | | free-reprint content. There was always at least a |
| the traffic delivered by Google. The web pages | | | | significant portion of original content, usually the |
| that contained written content (a small but | | | | majority of the page. Recommendations * Make |
| significant portion were image galleries) all shared | | | | sure a professional writer, or at least someone |
| the following features: * Updating: frequent | | | | who can tell good writing from bad, is creating |
| updating of content, at least once every few | | | | your site's content, particularly in the case of a |
| weeks, and more often, once a week or more. * | | | | search-engine optimization campaign. If you are an |
| Spelling and grammar: few or no errors. No page | | | | SEO, make sure you get a pro to do the content. |
| had more than three misspelled words or four | | | | A shocking number of SEOs write incredibly badly. |
| grammatical errors. Note: spelling and grammar | | | | I've even had clients whose websites got fewer |
| errors were identified by using Microsoft Word's | | | | conversions or page views after their SEOs got |
| check feature, and then ruling out words marked | | | | through with them, even when they got a sharp |
| as misspellings that are either proper names or | | | | uptick in unique visitors. Most visitors simply hit the |
| new words that are simply not in the dictionary. | | | | "back" button when confronted with the |
| Does Google use SpellCheck? I can already hear | | | | unpalatable text, so the increased traffic is just |
| the scoffing on the other side of this computer | | | | wasted bandwidth. * If you write your own |
| screen. Before you dismiss the idea completely, | | | | content, make sure that it passes through the |
| keep in mind that no one really does know what | | | | hands of a skilled copyeditor or writer before |
| the 100 factors in Google's algorithm are. But | | | | going online. * Update your content often. It's |
| whether the mechanism is SpellCheck or a better | | | | important both to add new pages and update |
| shot at link popularity thanks to great credibility, | | | | existing pages. If you can't afford original content, |
| or something else entirely, the results remain the | | | | use free-reprint content. * Distribute your content |
| same. * Paragraphs: primarily brief (1-4 | | | | to other websites on a free-reprint basis. This will |
| sentences). Few or no long blocks of text. * Lists: | | | | help your website get links in exchange for the |
| both bulleted and numbered, form a large part of | | | | right to publish the content. It will also help spread |
| the text. * Sentence length: mostly brief (10 | | | | your message and enhance your visibility. Fears of |
| words or fewer). Medium-length and long | | | | a "duplicate content penalty" for free-reprint |
| sentences are sprinkled throughout the text | | | | content (as opposed to duplication of content |
| rather than clumped together. * Contextual | | | | within a single website) are unjustified. In short, if |
| relevance: text contains numerous terms related | | | | you have a mature website that is already |
| to the keyword, as well as stem variations of the | | | | indexed and getting traffic, you should consider |
| keyword. SEO Bugbears and Sacred Cows A hard | | | | making sure the bulk of your investment in your |
| look at the results shows that, practically | | | | website is devoted to its content, rather than |
| speaking, a number of SEO bugbears and sacred | | | | graphic design, old-school search-engine |
| cows may matter less to ranking than good | | | | optimization, or linking campaigns. |
| content. * PageRank. The median PageRank was | | | | |