Tuesday, January 24, 2006

SEM Podcast

By Susanne Svette, IdeaStar Search Engine Specialist

The world of search engine marketing (SEM) is always growing and changing. I recently returned from the Search Engine Strategies Conference in Chicago with a lot of fresh information. I wrapped up a few important areas, including Successful Site Architecture and SEM Best Practices, in a presentation to our IdeaStar staff. So press the button below and sit back and listen. And keep in mind, I’m always happy to answer your questions.

Click here to download Susanne's podcast (27.8 MB)

Copyright © 2006 Susanne Svette
All rights reserved.

Friday, January 20, 2006

What is the Google Sandbox?

By Susanne Svette, IdeaStar Search Engine Specialist

If you have a new web site which you built according to Google's optimization policies and yet aren't even showing in the results page for your company name, don't worry. You are not doing anything wrong. Google has put you in the Google sandbox.

Google's sandbox is a filter that appeared to be put in place back in March of 2004. The sandbox filter seems to affect nearly all new Web sites placing them on an initial "probation" status. The filter prevents new Web sites from having immediate success in the search engine result pages. Brand-new web sites with new domain names can take 6 - 8 months to get top rankings on Google.

Google indexes new Web sites, lists them for some less important keywords and then the Web pages drop from the search engine result pages for several months.

Why? Search engine spammers would setup Web sites that were in clear violation of Google's policies with the knowledge that eventually their Web site would be banned from the listings.

If a search engine spammer could get their Web site to rank well in Google for even one month, the profits they could make from that one month would justify the cost of building the site in the first place. All they needed to do in the future was to rebuild their spam Web sites with different domains and slightly different content.

Is there a way to get out of the sandbox? Yes, wait. The sandbox filter is not permanent and is only intended to reduce search engine spam. It isn't intended to hold you from succeeding. Eventually, if you continue to build your site as it should be built, you will leave the sandbox and join the other established Web sites.

In the meantime, to ensure your web site is visible for your important keywords, consider participating in Google's pay-per-click program AdWords.

Postscript: There is much debate on whether there really is a "sandbox." Google won't admit to it, but they do say Google's algorithm requires some historical data regarding a Web site.

Copyright © 2006 IdeaStar
All rights reserved.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Taking the Web with You

This is cool. As the Web world gets bigger and bigger, the related tools get smaller and smaller.

Major search company Google announced today its entry into the mobile phone search market, Google Mobile Personalized Home. This cell phone friendly version of Google’s popular search engine allows users to preview Gmail, read news headlines, get weather forecasts, stock quotes and movie show times, and choose from a variety of RSS and ATOM feeds. According to the Google Blog, the service offers your Google home page to go. I think I’ll give it a try. The blog post includes a link to let them know we like it. No signs of advertisements yet, but I’m sure they aren’t far behind.

Copyright © 2006 IdeaStar
All rights reserved.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Google Doodle Result

In case you missed the Google Doodle in it's completion check out Google Doodle

I hope you had a very nice holiday and a happy new year!


Copyright © 2006 Susanne Svette
All rights reserved.