Understanding the Google Patent: Part II - SEO Strategies Made Simple

This is a continuation of our discussion on the Google Patent Application and how it affects the ranking of the pages on your website. If you have not yet read “Understanding the Google Patent Part I” be sure to read that article as well.

Basic Concepts Stated Within the Google Patent Application-Continued

1.  Anchor text

The Google patent states that Google is monitoring the text used in your anchors and the age of your anchor links. In other words, Google is looking at whether or not your anchor text is consistent with your site’s keywords and key phrases. They are also looking at the age of your anchor texts in comparison to the age of the rest of your site and monitoring the click-through rate of your anchor texts.

What this means for your site: Since Google is monitoring both the age and the behavior of your links it is important to make sure that your older anchor text is still getting action. If they are getting action, this shows that they are still relevant and that their age gives them seniority. At the same time, since Google is looking at keyword relevance as well as the text used in your anchors it is safe to assume that your anchors should be keyword relevant.

For the best overall result, it’s a good idea to make sure that you are using your anchor texts to link back to the most important pages on your site. For example, the more anchor links that you have going back to your home page from the other pages of your site, the more important your home page is going to be considered by the search engines. It’s also important to make sure that your anchor texts are always working and that they are linked to relevant documents.

2. Domain Registration

The Google Patent Application states that Google is checking your domain registration to see whether it is public or private. They are also looking at the expiration date of your domain to see how far out the expiration date is.

What this means for your site: It’s obvious that Google is making sure that your website is something you are planning to have up for a while. There are a lot of “fly by night” websites on the internet and so the more time that you have your domain registered for, the more credible your site is considered to be. This means you want to make sure that you are buying your domains for as much time as possible.

In regards to the public or private registration, it’s not clear in the Patent as to which is more preferable but it is likely that being public is better since shady site owners are more likely to be private.

3. Ranking Direction/Volatility

The Patent states that Google is looking at your shifts in ranking and watching whether you are steadily climbing, falling, or bouncing all over the place.

What this means for your site: Steady climbing is going to be the best thing for your site when it comes to volatility and direction. You need to be watching your page ranking on a regular basis, and it would be best to keep a record of your site’s movement. Make it a habit to always be looking for ways to improve your page ranking using measurement techniques. Remember that if your site takes a sudden drop in the rankings, Google is more likely to keep you there because of the drop. Dramatic fluctuations are not good either since they show that your ranking quality is inconsistent.

4. Bookmarking and Favorites

The language in this part of the Google Patent is pretty thick, but it states that they are able to see and are keeping track of your favorites, your bookmarks, temporary internet files, and cache. Of course, this is made possible by means of the Google desktop software that many people are using.

What this means for your site: While it is a bit unclear as to why Google is looking at this information, it is a safe bet that you can follow the same basic principles of SEO when it comes to your bookmarking and favorites. In other words, Google is looking at relevancy in regards to the sites that you are linking to and so it’s probably safe to assume that the more relevant your bookmarks and favorites are to your site’s theme, the better.

Practical Strategies for Applying the Information in the Google Patent Application

Now that you have a better idea of what Google is actually looking at, there are a few things which you can do to make sure you are staying ahead of the game in regards to your site’s ranking.

Fresh Content is key

The first and most important thing you can do is to be creating new and relevant content for your website on a consistent basis. Posting between one and five articles or blog posts per week is a good habit to get into. The more natural that this content creation appears, the better off you are going to be. A little bit of consistency is better than a lot of inconsistency.

Measure and Improve Consistently

Keep track of what your customers are doing on your site and keep an eye on your page ranking to make sure that you are consistently improving. For best results, be proactive and follow a daily or weekly plan to consistently measure and improve your ranking and customer behaviors. Also, be sure that you remove any dead links or anchor texts and work on consistently building relevant inbound links.

Keep Your Keywords Relevant

Make sure that as you are adding new content that it is consistently relevant to your keywords and that your anchor text is also consistent with your keywords. Also, be sure that you are using your anchors to link back to the most important pages within your site.

As you are applying these strategies, it’s important to treat search engine optimization just like any other marketing strategy. This means that you regard it as an ongoing process rather than a project that will someday be completed. Focus on progress and on consistency rather than getting hung up on getting it perfect. With a little perseverance, you can get the things done that will make your site a great success.