Georgetown Online Web and Graphic Design Blog - Website and Graphic Design Blog

By: Shilpa Singh (Wilson)

Page Rank (often denoted by PR) is Google’s ranking software that calculates the relevance of a webpage with its content. Page Rank is a quantity (between 0 and 10) defined by Google that provides a rough estimate of the overall importance of a web page.

 Page Rank is displayed as a green bar to the left of a webpage listing in the Google Directory, and also in the Google toolbar

The basic factor behind defining a page rank is the keywords

• If your keywords are Rare and Unique, then Page Rank doesn’t matter.
• If your keywords are very Competitive, then Page Rank becomes very important

 There are “over 200 SEO factors” that Google uses to rank pages in the Google search results (SERPs). There are certain google search engine optimization rules which effects the page rank they are

 1. Positive ON-Page SEO Factors.

2. Negative ON-Page SEO Factors.

3. Positive OFF-Page SEO Factors.

4. Negative OFF-Page SEO Factors.

 

Some of these factors are listed below:

POSITIVE ON-Page SEO Factors:

• KEYWORD
  • Keyword in URL: First word is best, second is second best, etc
  • Keyword in domain name: Same as in page-name-with-hyphens
  • Keyword in title tag: Title tag 10 – 60 characters, no special characters.
  • Keyword in description meta tag: less than 200 chars. Google no longer “relies” upon this tag, but will often use it.
  • Keyword in keyword meta tag: less than 10 words. Every word in this tag MUST appear somewhere in the body text. If not, it can be penalized for irrelevance. No single word should appear more than twice.
    If not, it may be considered spam. Google purportedly no longer uses this tag, but others do.
  • Keyword density in body text:5- 20% – (all keywords/ total words)
  • Individual keyword density: 1 – 6% – (each keyword/ total words)
  • Keyword in H1, H2 and H3: Use Hx font style tags appropriately
  • Keyword font size: “Strong is treated the same as bold, italic is treated the same as emphasis”.
  • Keyword in alt text: Should describe graphic – Do NOT fill with spam
  • Keyword in links to site pages (anchor text): Links out anchor text use keyword

 

• NAVIGATION – INTERNAL LINKS
  • Link should contain keywords.
  • Use hyphenated filenames, but not long ones – two or three hyphens only.
  • Check that all Internal links are valid or not.

 

• NAVIGATION – OUTGOING LINKS
  • External link: Link only to good sites
  • Validate all links periodically
  • Less than 100 links out total
  • Avoid “Link Churn”
  • Outgoing link Anchor Text : Should be on topic, descriptive

 

• OTHER ON-Page Factors
  • Smaller files are preferred, Try not to exceed 100K page size
  • Use Hyphens in URL
  • Freshness of Pages: Changes over time, Newer the better – Google likes fresh pages.
  • Freshness of Links: Excellent for high-trust sites, May not be so good for newer, low-trust sites
  • Frequency of Updates: Frequent updates are equal to frequent spidering that generates newer cache.
  • URL length: Keep it minimized – use somewhat less than the 2,000 characters allowed by IE – less than 100 is good, less is even better

 

• OTHER ON-SITE Factors
  • Site Age:  Old is the best
  • Site Size – Google likes big sites
  • Age of page vs. age of site: Newer pages on an older site will get faster recognition

 

Negative ON-Page SEO Google Ranking Factors

• Text represented graphically is invisible to search engines.
• Too high keyword repetition (keyword stuffing) may get you the Over Optimization Penalty.
• Redirect through refresh metatags:  Don’t immediately send your visitor to another page other than the one he/ she clicked on, using meta refresh.
• Keyword dilution: Targeting too many unrelated keywords on a page, which would detract from theming, and reduce the importance of your REALLY important keywords. 
• Flash page : Most SE spiders can’t read Flash content Provide an HTML alternative, or experience lower SERP positioning.
• Use of frames should be avoided as SE has problems with frames.
• Excessive JavaScript should not be used.
• Invisible text Google advises against this.
• Gateway, doorway page Google advises against this.
• Duplicate content Google advises against this
• HTML code violations Google advises against this

POSITIVE OFF-Page SEO Google Ranking Factors

Incoming links :

• Based on the Number and Quality of links to you Google link reporting continues to display just a SMALL fraction of your actual backlinks, and they are NOT just greater than PR4 – they are mixed.
• Incoming links from high-ranking pages are better.
• Site Age – Old shows stability.
• Site Directory – Tree Structure.
• Complete – keywords in anchor text.
• PAGE METRICS – USER BEHAVIOR:
• Page traffic: trend of number of visitors.
• CTR: how often is the page clicked on.
• Time spent on page: Relatively long time, indicates relevance hit.
• If your website pages are bookmarked by user it is good for you.
• SITE METRICS- USER BEHAVIOR
• Site traffic: number of visitors are more its better.
• Time spent on domain: relatively long time indicates relevance hit.
• DOMAIN OWNER BEHAVIOR :
• Domain Registration Time: Register for 5 years, Google knows you are serious, register for 1 year, is it a throw-away domain?

 NEGATIVE OFF-Page SEO Google Ranking Factors

• Traffic Buying is not suggested
• Old links are valued, new links are not.
• Zero links to you: You MUST have at least 1 (one) incoming link (back link) from some website somewhere, that Google is aware of, to REMAIN in the index.
• Google hates link-buying, because it corrupts their PR model in the worst way possible. Please check all these points before creating links:
  1. Does your page have links it really doesn’t merit?
  2. Did you get tons of links in a short time period?
  3. Do you have links from high-PR, unrelated sites?
• Cloaking (practice of presenting different content or URLs to users and search engines.) should be avoided as Serving up different results based on user agent may cause your site to be perceived as deceptive and removed from the Google index.
• Links from bad neighborhoods: Google says that incoming links from bad sites can’t hurt you, because you can’t control them.

So we can say that the page rank is the function of page,

• Strong on page gives better page rank and strong off page is added advantage
• If off page is very strong and on page is bad then page rank will be very poor
• If on page is strong and off page is poor, then PR will not be that badly affected

 

About the Author

Shilpa Singh, Director Himshilp- Internet Marketing Consultants handling SEO, SEM, website designing and website promotional stratagises.

http://www.himshilp.com

(ArticlesBase SC #876940)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Importance of Page rank for website

Filed under:

• SEO

Tags: google, page rank, search engine optimization, SEO

A content management system (CMS) is a special type of software installed on a website server to power a website that can allow multiple contributers to publish information to internet from virtually anywhere in the world where there is an connection.

The contributers require no knowledge of HTML (website scripting language), or other technical skills. Information is entered into a custom user-interface, minimizing the potential for problems or inconsistencies to be introduced into the publishing process.

Once a CMS is implemented, the headache of site maintenance disappear. Routine tasks like updating the sitemap will be done automatically without the need for custom programming. A wide range of plug-ins such as forums, shopping carts, and picture galleries can be easily added.

The visual presentation of the site rests with the multiplicity of templates which are available for installation and tweaking by the web designer.

The only barrier to CMS implementation may be the support for dynamic content by some web hosting company.

The number of CMS programs available is growing, but the most popular ones are Joomla, Mambo and Drupal.

Filed under:

• Website Developmment

Tags: cms, content management system, Drupal, Joomla, Mambo

When you hear the term “light weight website”, it refers to a website that has relatively fewer media (images, audio, video or flash files) or media with extremely small file sizes embedded in the pages. It also refers to websites using tableless designs, or website designed with div tags. The benefits of a light weight website are considered here:

1. Faster Loading Time – Depending on your internet connection speed, there is a maximum rate at which data can be delivered to your website browser when a page is requested. This is referred to as the bandwidth. It therefore follows that the smaller the files, or the lower the number of files embedded in each webpage, the faster it will load.

2. Search Engine Friendly – Websites designed without the use of tables enables easy reading by search engines. When tables are replaced by div tags, the associated style sheets – commonly referred to as “Cascading Style Sheets” or “CSS” – allow the web design of the site to be independent of data.

3. Cleaner Code – Websites using div tags and CSS inherently generates cleaner code. This cleaner code permits crawlers of search engines to read the actual content.

4. Less Bandwidth Consumption – For those hosting plans which come with limited bandwidth consumption, there will be savings in this area. Once the maximum bandwidth is exceeded, you will be charged by the web hosting company.

5. Higher Google Ranking – Google will soon (January 2010) factor faster loading websites into their search robots algorithms. This means that a lighter website will rank higher that it’s competition.

6. Lower Bounce Rate – How long do you stick around for a webpage to load? Perhaps the most notable benefit of a lighter website is a lower bounce rate. Visitors tend to leave websites (for good) when it takes long to load.

Web visitors deserve quality experience which includes fast loading websites. If marketing your products and services are important to you, consider redesigning your website with these factors in mind.

Filed under:

• Website Design

Tags: clean code, div tags, light weight website

Here’s a fact when it comes to web surfing: People do not read, they scan and click. Once a a visitor gets to your homepage, if there isn’t an immediate call to order to go deeper into your website, that visitor will be lost to your competitors forever. It literally takes just a few seconds.

With that in mind, here are a few steps that must be taken in order to keep web surfers at your site.

1. Define the website’s primary purpose. You must be specific about what you are trying to achieve with your website. Is it an open a channel of communications that will lead to a business relationship? Are you trying to attract potential customers to your office or brick and mortar store? Offer a public service or in-depth information? Solicit donations to a charity? Sell goods and services online? These are some of the goals websites can have, and once defined, everything included in your homepage should lead towards the attainment of your goals.

2. Offer a clear call to action. Each goal requires a different approach. What action do you want  visitors to take when they land on your homepage? If a visitor has to stop and wonder where to go next, you’ve already lost him.

Do you want site visitors to go to your office or store? Then, display your business hours, address, phone number and a map on the home page. Say, “Visit us!” Want them to sign up for a newsletter to start an ongoing relationship? Offer a sign-up form on the home page with words like: “Sign up for our newsletter!” Selling stuff online? Display a few key products on the homepage with “Buy now” and “View catalog” buttons.

Redundancy helps. The call to action should be offered in multiple places such as the main menu, within the text, on the images, and at the bottom of the page. Saturate the visitor with multiple options to go deeper into your site.

3. Eliminate distractions. A rule of thumb in web designing is “if it doesn’t help, it hurts”. If your text or images does not support the call to action and reinforce the purpose of the site, remove them. A flash movie showing the portfolio of an artist’s work may be perfect for his homepage, but subjecting a visitor to lets say a plumbing supplies website can be a nightmare. Offering an index of the products available with instructions on how to order them would be far more useful.

Try to view your site from your target audience’s perspective. Offer the services your customers want, and then make sure they’re easily obtainable. Your visitors will thank you!

Filed under:

• Website Developmment

Choosing a domain name for your website may be a little overwhelming for persons now venturing into the online game, so here are a few points to consider when confronted with this dilemma.

1. The Name. Domain names can be of any length up to 67 characters, but try to keep the name short and simple so that people can remember it and type it into the browser address bar with ease. Try using the name of your business so that people can identify with it. If your domain name is your business’ name, people will automatically know where to go. For example, when people think of Best Buy, they don’t have to wonder what URL to type into their browser to get there. The name of the business is also the URL.

2. The Domain Extension – Dot What? There are many different extensions available to choose from. I recommend the .com extension as the first choice for businesses since it is the most popular and people tend to remember that more readily. If your budget is not too tight, it is recommended that you also acquire the .net, .info, .org, .mobi and your country’s top level domain (.gy for Guyana) to protect your brand. The .mobi extension will come in handy when you decide to develop a mobile version of your website for mobile users.

3. Character Type. Domain names can only use letters, numbers, and hyphens (dashes). Spaces and symbols are not allowed, and domain names are not case sensitive. I warn against hyphenated names since people tend to forget the hyphens, and may end up at your competitor’s website. When the non-hyphenated domain name for your business is not available, you may however be forced to acquire the hyphenated version just to get the domain name you want.

4. Register Your Domain NOW. You may just be starting you business now and did not budget for a website, but you can register your domain now and develop the website at a later stage. Domain names are being snatched up like hot cakes, so delaying this task may leave you with “the-domain-name-that-no-one-wanted.net”. Just get out there and register before you loose the opportunity to get the name you really want, or be forced to pay a premium price after it’s taken, or try to retrofit your domain name to your business.

Click here to start the process of registering your Domain Name.

Filed under:

• Domain Name

Tags: .com, Domain Name, top level domain

I’ve had my fair share of requests from clients for the incorporation of different elements into their website projects, however I write here to warn against the use of some of these. While these elements may look cool, they may actually cause harm to the website and drive visitors away.

1. Welcome page. Do not waste your potential visitors time by subjecting them to some flash movie or introductory text before they can enter your main page. Upon entering a website, there must be a clear call to order, otherwise, you may loose visitors. Welcome pages have very little value when it comes to search engine optimization, and flash movies if used take long to load.

2. Audio. Audio embedded in web pages can startle a visitor when the file is fully loaded and begins to play without any warning. If audio is used, it should include controls which give the user the choice of playing it if they so choose.

3. Banner Ads. Unless you are an advertiser, banner ads or link ads can drive potential customers away if they over populate a web page. These should be used sparingly since you do not want to divert your visitors’ attention from your site. When used, banner ads links should be opened in a pop-up  window ensuring that visitors still have your window open.

4. Graphics. Unless the website is used to sell many different products, avoid using multiple images which can slow down the page load. A slow loading page drives visitors away. When used, images should be relevant to the text included in the page.

5. Colour. Colour used on web pages should be consistent throughout the website. Too much colour competes for attention, and in the case of text, it may be hard to read if not in contrast with the background.

6. Fonts. Avoid using colorful fonts, use of many fonts or use of unreadable fonts. A pleasant outlook keeps the visitors hooked on your site.

7. Copy. Avoid the temptation to place a wall of text on any given webpage. Text should be broken down into digestible chunks, and if necessary, spread over several pages. On the converse, too little text is not good for search engine optimization. A balance should be struck here. All said, the content MUST be relevant.

Filed under:

• Website Developmment

Tags: audio, banner ads, colour, copy, fonts, graphics

“Why do I need a website?” is a very popular question that is asked by businessmen that are not quite internet savvy, but I usually answer that with another question “why do you need a telephone?”

A website is perhaps the most powerful tool for communicating with both your existing and potential customers in a way that any other medium is yet to match. It is available to millions of people, 24 hours a day in any corner of the globe where internet services are available. Imagine a compelling photo or video with a description of your product and a “buy now” button dazzling the eyes of web surfers. Get the picture?

While you and your staff are devoting your attention to running your business, the website can offer information on your goods and services, answers to frequently asked questions, provide product support, offer a forum for product review and solicit customer feedback, to name a few possibilities. An e-commerce website extends your business’ ability to sell your goods and services both within and beyond your local geographic area of operation, even while you brick and mortar store is closed for the night.

By offering useful information on the website about your goods and services, you can build a dedicated community of consumers who will not only trust you, but buy your products as well. For every business that do not have a website, there’s another with a website that is stealing your potential customers and maybe a few existing ones.

A website adds to the legitimacy of a business and re-enforces your brand. People expect businesses to have websites so that they can make informed decisions about products prior to making a purchase from the comfort of their home or office.

The survival of any business requires the investment in a website to first of all maintain your current stock of customers, and secondly, to attract new ones. You may be lucky if your competitors do not already have websites, but not for long. Get on the band wagon today if you want to keep up or get ahead of the field. What you put into your business is directly proportional to what you will gain from it. Develop your website today.

Filed under:

• Website Developmment

Tags: website development

Welcome to Georgetown Online Web and Graphic Design Blog. After six years in business, I’m only now getting around to blogging about my trade. As the Chinese say, “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but the second best time is now.” So I’m off to a late start, but better late than never.

Here I’ll blog about my experiences and share tips on web and graphic design. Dive right in and contribute to the discussion as you see fit. Peace!

Filed under:

• General