Search Engine Optimization Tips Blog

Google offers unique tools that allow webmasters to track the progress of their website called Google Webmaster Tools. Apart from allowing webmasters to track the progress of their websites, Google Webmaster Tools are also a great way to control the way Google indexes and caches pages. To better understand how Google Webmaster Tools can be used, lets take a look at the services offered:

Content Analysis

Every webmaster knows content is king, and Google’s webmaster tools allow webmasters to identify potential indexing and caching issues that might be occurring due to improper content. Popular content related problems include:
Title problems: Repetition of page titles and improper page titles can cause Google bots not to index or cache pages.
Meta description problems: Improper Meta tags, repeated Meta tags or meaningless Meta tags can result in non-indexing of content.

Non-indexable content:

Pages that contain Flash content or other non-indexable media extensions are not indexed by Google.
It is important to regularly check the Content Analysis section to look for pages that are not being indexed by Google. In a nutshell, webmasters can make sure their website content is being indexed by Google.

Web Crawl

The web crawl section allows a webmaster to keep close tabs on pages that are not being indexed by Google. Sometimes certain URLs report non-indexing and ‘page not found’ errors to Google bot. Regular monitoring of the Web Crawl section allows a webmaster to search for potential indexing and caching problems. It is always a good idea to upload a site map on Google Webmasters to allow Google bots to index and cache pages much faster.

The Links Section

Link building is still an important part of search engine optimization, and webmasters have to keep close tabs on which links are relevant as per Google. The Links section in Google Webmaster Tools allows a webmaster to know exactly how many incoming link his/her website is receiving. In addition, a webmaster can also carry out a close analysis of the internal linking of his/her website to get a better idea of how the PageRank of his website is being distributed.

Set Crawl Rate

The ‘Set Crawl Rate’ option is available under the Tools link and allows a webmaster to decide how frequently Google bots crawl and download web pages. Apart from offering a lucid graph that mentions the amount of data that is being downloaded from a website, the Set Crawl Rate option also allows a webmaster to decide how often Google bots crawl and download data. It is important to keep in mind that the ‘Faster’ option is only available to websites where Google has decided that a faster crawl rate will make a difference.

Remove URLs

Sometimes webmasters do not want Google to index and cache certain pages, and it is possible to remove a URL from Google’s site index using the Remove URL section in Google Webmasters (even after a page has been indexed by Google).

Rishi Modi is a certified SEO professional, and a leading search engine optimization expert. Rishi is also the CEO of www.submitedge.com.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) has been ignored by search engine optimizers for some time now; the fact that RSS feeds were not indexed and cached by search engines earlier had meant that SEO experts chose to ignore RSS feeds for search engine optimization. With time, search engines like Google have started indexing and caching content from RSS feeds and it is now possible to harness the power of RSS for search engine optimization. Search engine optimizers have already woken up to the reality that web content needs to be refreshed regularly to maintain high search engine rankings and the dynamic nature of RSS ensures that content is refreshed.

RSS feeds are easy to make and are available on every imaginable topic. Having multiple RSS feeds increases the chances of incoming traffic, and allows webmasters to attract greater incoming traffic. The most popular technique employed by search engine optimizers is including RSS feeds for popular search phrases. A webmaster can easily add a RSS feed that displays top search engine results for targeted keywords. Contrary to popular belief, popular search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN offer RSS feeds that can be easily added to a website. It is important that a webmaster checks if the RSS feeds can be used on his/her website, as most search engine feeds are designed for non-commercial websites.

Placing a search engine RSS feed allows a webmaster to increase the keyword density of target keywords and also helps improve the dynamic content on a website. In addition, inserting new RSS feeds is a fantastic means of ensuring that content on a website is generated more frequently and fresh content is generated regularly. News RSS feeds are the best way to ensure fresh content is added to the website and there are sufficient topics to work with. Newer software like RSSmix allow blending of multiple RSS feeds to create a single site feed, and webmasters have started using software like RSSmix to make the most of RSS feeds.

Another vital thing to keep in mind while implementing an RSS feed on a website is that JavaScript based RSS solutions are not indexed easily by search engines, and webmasters are better off avoiding JavaScript based RSS feeds. There is no denying that JavaScript based RSS solutions are easy to implement, but they offer very little in terms of search engine optimization. ASP, PHP, and HTML alternatives for RSS are readily available and are a viable alternative to JavaScript RSS feeds.

In conclusion, RSS feeds are the hottest phenomenon when it comes to search engine optimization and the number of webmasters looking to RSS feeds is ever increasing. Newer technologies like RSS 2.0 are expected to offer increased value to search engine optimizers, and the number of webmasters using RSS feeds to add dynamic and easily indexable content to their website is on the rise. As mentioned earlier, it is best to use a RSS feed technology that is easily indexable.

Rishi Modi is a certified SEO professional, and a leading search engine optimization expert. Rishi is also the CEO of www.submitedge.com

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