Okay Google what gives? First Matt Cutts tells me Google absolutely, positively does not read meta data from your website.
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/keywords-meta-tag-in-web-search/
Today I was reading the Google SEO reportcard and the report says they do read meta data from websites.
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2010/03/googles-seo-report-card.html
So who do I believe? Wouldn’t it be great if Google published a rule book for search ranking so we would know exactly what to do and didn’t have to rely on internet rumors? Of course they have the Google Webmaster Central which gives us some tips but it doesn’t give us all of the answers. They speak in general terms and don’t get into the technical details that webmasters really need to understand how Google works (plus Google isn’t willing to share how their search algorithm works).
For those who are just getting into search engine optimization, the search engines used to rank websites based on the meta tags you placed in your HTML code. Some examples of meta tags include meta title, meta description, and meta keywords. By placing your target keyword phrases in these meta tags you could rank highly in the search engines. Today the search engines use many other factors in your search ranking because everyone caught on to the meta tag trick and there are many more websites competing for the top ranking.
Well after digging deeper into the ongoing debate about whether or not meta tags are used by the search engines here is what I’ve concluded. I can’t tell you with 100% certainty that this is what the search engines do because none of them are willing to come out and just say “we do use meta tags in your search ranking” or “we do not use meta tags in your search rankings”.
1. Google does read the meta tags (meta title and meta description) in your website but they do not affect your search ranking
2. Google does not read the meta keyword tag in your website (Matt Cutts discusse this in his video)
3. Google uses the keywords in your meta title as one of their search ranking factors
4. Google uses the meta description in the display of the search results for your website
5. Yahoo and Bing still read your meta data and they use it to rank your website. They also use many other factors to rank your website which can be found in their respective webmaster guidelines.
Search engine optimization is a moving target so you have to keep up with the latest trends. The Bing/Yahoo venture will change the search landscape soon and the emergence of Facebook as the most popular internet website may change the way we search in the future.
Subscribe to my blog updates and I’ll share the latest search engine news as it evolves. Also please comment on this post and share your take on the use of meta tags.
Until next time,
Ted
Sphere: Related ContentTo create a successful blog, unique content is always a good thing – Google loves it and so do readers. The quality of the writing however is open to interpretation. If you want regular readers who Stumble your site to come back every time you post then you will need articles or posts that people enjoy reading. You want them to go away saying ‘Hey that was a fantastic idea/post/joke” and they will bookmark your blog or sign up for an RSS feed’. The content for your blog should normally be something you’ve either written yourself or you’ve paid a ghost writer to write and post on your behalf.
I won’t explain what a blog is and what it’s used for in this article. I’ll just concentrate on ways you can make money with your blog. There are five main categories we’ll look at to make money with your blog.
- Selling advertising
- Selling other peoples products
- Soliciting contributions
- Marketing your services or products and
- Deepening your customer relationships.
If I was to ask anyone to name a company that was synonymous with the word ‘web’ or ‘internet’ I bet they would say Google. The big G is by far the biggest advertising company in the world. Lots of people would say “But they are a search engine aren’t they?” – to tell the truth not really. They only really show you the content they want you to see. They index every page they come across and then choose what sites to show you when “Google” a keyword phrase. They show you the best sites related to that keyword phrase and they attach ads that are relevant to those keywords. What they do well is sell advertising in addition to providing high quality search results.
Advertising by using contextual ads on a blog is by far the most common means of making money off your blog. You place a simple bit of code on your site (after signing up to the advertiser’s service) and it will show ads that fit your content. So if you were writing about televisions your ads would show ads for televisions and so on. People click on the link in the ad and you get paid. Mostly pennies but they all add up.
Affiliate programs are also a really good way of making money with your blog. Let’s think if you were talking about the latest album from a top singer on your blog, you could easily put up a link or picture that would take them to either Amazon or CD Baby and you would make money when they buy the CD.
Using an old cap in hand trick – you could easily put a quick button on your blog asking for donations. Paypal can help you with this and you would be pleasantly surprised how many people donate.
If you have a product or you offer a service – keep a blog about it, tell people what you sell or that you will make a bespoke website for them – again a very direct way of making money from your blog.
Something most people don’t think about – a blog can also be a way of keeping your customers ‘in the loop’ of the happenings of your company. Keep them informed, give them a chance to comment and they will stay a customer for years to come!
Sphere: Related ContentThe deadline passed on Saturday for Yahoo’s response to Microsoft’s bid to merge the two internet giants. Microsoft feels that they need to join forces with Yahoo for both companies to survive the Google onslaught. Alone Microsoft or Yahoo doesn’t stand a chance. Marc Andreessen has a great analysis of the deal in his blog at:
http://blog.pmarca.com/2008/04/if-microsoft-go.html
The Wall Street Journal also has their take on the deal at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120928269478947675.html?mod=technology_main_whats_news
Meanwhile Yahoo is busy making paid search deals with Google and has approached other companies like AOL/Time Warner about merging. It looks like Yahoo will try anything to avoid merging with Microsoft. There was no word today from Yahoo or Microsoft so stay tuned. Are they working out a deal or are they just avoiding each other. Something big is going to happen before this ends whether it’s a new company called MicroHoo or Yahoo will jump in bed with someone else to avoid the hostile takeover bid.
I’ll keep you posted!
Sphere: Related Content
Web 2.0 websites
www.blogrush.com
Social Bookmarking sites
del.icio.us
ma.gnolia.com
Social networking sites
News/Article submission sites
www.bloglines.com
Video/slide submission sites
Podcasting sites
www.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/On_the_Web/Podcasts/Directories
podcasts.yahoo.com
Miscellaneous sites
