Search Engine Basics 101 – Part II

Last months column focused on “How do Search Engines, (a.k.a. Google) work”? We said that there were two factors which influence how Google finds and ranks your website: Content and Link Analysis and discussed the Content part of the equation. (To read last months column go to www.peninsulawebdesign.com and click Blog.) This month’s column will focus on the second part of the equation, Link Analysis.

A website’s ranking in Google is based partly on the websites that link to it. Both the quantity and quality of websites which link to your website influence your website’s ranking in Google. Google counts the number of links a website receives as part of its ranking assessment, interpreting a link from website A to website B as a vote by website A for website B. Votes cast by websites that are considered important weigh more heavily. [1] For example, a link from the Wall Street Journal’s website to your website would count very heavily towards you website’s ranking.

Google’s algorithms can distinguish natural links from unnatural links. Natural links to your website develop as part of the dynamic nature of the web when other websites find your content valuable and think it would be helpful to their visitors. Unnatural links to your website are placed their specifically to make your website look more popular to the search engines. Examples of unnatural links are links schemes that promise to increase your website’s rank, services that submit automatic queries to Google to boost your website’s rank or any other form of trickery designed to artificially promote you website. A good rule of thumb is would I feel good explaining what I have done to someone else. Another useful test is to ask, “Does this help my visitors?” [1]

There are several ways to find out who is linking to your website. Type “link:www.yourwebsite.com” in the Google’s search textbox or “link:http://www.yourwebsite.com” in the Yahoo’s search textbox. I personally found that Yahoo provided more accurate information.

Don’t wait for the Search Engines to find you, go to them and tell them about your website.
The Big Three: Google, Yahoo, and MSN do provide submission forms for website owners to submit their website for inclusion. It can take some time for the search engines to include your website in their index. If they haven’t indexed your website within a month, try resubmitting your website again.

Search Engines are a very complicated topic. Google and the other major players are constantly tweaking their algorithms to improve service and stay ahead of all the computer hacks who are trying to trick their way to the top of the listings. It is a classic game of cat and mouse. Their algorithms are a closely guarded secret for good reason.

[1] www.google.com/support/webmasters