Google Indexing Criteria ~ What is Seo-Seo World Updates

When it comes to search, Google is, hands down, the king! Google is now much more than a household name, and everyone, who is just about anyone, knows about Google and has used Google. Indeed, Google get more than 3 billion (yes, billion with a ‘B’!) unique search queries in a single day!

It is hence quite obvious from a website-owner’s perspective to do well on Google. This actually means ranking on top of the SERPs for all your keywords, or in simple terms, ranking as high up as possible – ideally on the first couple of pages – on Google.

Websites which adopt and adhere to what Google defines as ‘best practices’ generally tend do to very well, especially after last year’s update to Google’s search engine indexing algorithm, dubbed the ‘Google Panda’. These websites are industry leaders in terms of high SERPs, as well as how quickly their pages get indexed (or added to Google’s directory).

So what exactly are some of the best practices you can adopt in order to rank high up the SERP, and have the pages and posts in your website or blog get indexed within seconds? The following is a list of Google’s search engine indexing criteria, with most of the information coming straight from Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, as well as from my own experience as an SEO.

1. Website Design

A few important pointers about your website’s design:

Hierarchy is important. Google’s webmaster guidelines clearly state that a site should have a clear hierarchy on your website, and that it should be organized into different sections, or pages.
All pages should be properly named. Furthermore, every page should be reachable from at least one static link on your website.
All tabs, buttons and items on your website should have proper title attributes, however these should be short and precise.
Sitemaps are important

2. Website Content

A few content guidelines to consider for your website:

The content of the website should be useful, informative, unique, not copied or spun or duplicate content. Avoiding duplication in content and pages is important. ‘Unique’ content is the key word here.
It is imperative that all posts are accompanied with complete and full title and meta description, as this is what Google looks for.
The content on the website should be there with the aim of providing users with information, rather than with the intention of attaining better search engine ranking. For instance even if you’re running an affiliate business, Google says that your site should provide value, and should have unique content.
Refrain from putting too many links on any single page or post, and especially avoid putting too many links pointing to the same page.
Make sure to include your keyword(s) as often as possible in your pages and posts. Your keyword(s) would ideally be words or phrases that people would search for in Google to reach your website.
Make sure there are no broken links anywhere on your website. Check across your website for this – pages, posts , everywhere! Use tools for this purpose.
Optimize images for Google as well – properly name your images, for starters. Add caption and description for any and all images on your website under the ‘Alt’ attribute. Make sure to include your keyword(s) here as well, at least once.

3. Website Quality

Ask yourself one simple question: “would I be doing this if search engines didn’t exist?”
Once again, design your pages, post, content and your website in general with the purpose of providing useful and quality information to visitors, rather than attaining better search engine rankings.
Refrain from ‘cloaking’ – a technique whereby you would give different content to search engines than what you’re giving to your users.
Link schemes should generally be avoided, and it can be particularly harmful for your website if you start getting linked from low-quality or spam websites. This can usually result in your website falling down the rankings or getting completely de-indexed by Google.
Here’s one that should be pretty obvious: refrain from having malicious content on your website – trojans, viruses, adware, phishing content or any other malware.

4. Stuff that Google Probably Won’t Tell You (At least Directly)

Inbound links matter. If you’re getting inbound links from websites an’/or blogs that are already very high up Google’s rankings (known as high-PR or high-authority links), you will probably see yourself climb up Google’s rankings pretty quickly. High-PR or authority websites include social networks such as Facebook.
Google asks you to stay away from link exchange programs, but these are usually a good way to get your website indexed quickly. Just make sure to be smart about it – choose your partners carefully, and check if your sources of referral traffic are legit. But don’t build backlinks too fast.
Link diversity is important. Getting inbound links from different places like blogs, websites, reviews, forums, videos, images, etc. and from a diverse geographic location set counts as well.
Maintain a 2-5% keyword density in your content – this means that every hundred words on your website should mention your keyword at least a minimum of 2 times and a maximum of 5.

Concluding Words

So that just a few pointers on what to do (and what not to do) with your website in order to have it indexed by Google and indexed quickly, for that matter. Both on-site and off-site factors matter and are taken into account by Google to determine where your website ends up on the SERPs.

Once you think your website adheres to the best practices defined by Google, you can submit it to Google for indexing.

Also Read:

What is Seo-Seo World Updates

Friday 14 June 2013