Do any of you guys study the google agorith when working out your strategy? If so, what conclusions have you come to?
I've read most appropriate white papers and other articles researching the many variables involved. #1 conclusion: Build quality content and the rest follows almost automatically.
Seriously, TOPS is correct...as per usual (bum)! I've been adding content like a madman lately to some older sites. And my SERP positions have been climbing steadily. I try to add about 5-10 pages /week.
Because they will almost come automatically. A quality website has the potential to grow useful IBLs faster naturally than anyone can artificially (buying/swapping/other means). But yes, they are the #1 factor when it comes to ranking on Google once out of the sand pit.
Perhaps that is true of information type sites, but it is not the case if you have a retail type site.
McDar is right by the way. But even a retail site needs good content to do well. A combination of both is useful. Didn't you know links were a secret
I run 5 retail sites and 4 of them (5th is only new) have more natural IBLs than from my linking efforts. And they rank pretty well. I use the Co-op at times in addition to push certain phrases. I highly doubt that a dozen directory entries equal the value of a true recommendation from a page with just one or two OBLs. The OP asked a way too general question and yes, I answered with a way over-generalized answer. But in real short, all the above are my quick conclusions. It's impossible to address 'the Google Algorithm' in posts of the magnitude displayed above.
Links are the foundation of the internet. Every search engine relies on links. You can quite literally have the best website in the world but never get good placement on any of the major search engines, with out links. Caryl
I would also add that all SEO's are taking the Algo into consideration even if they have no idea what it is. Anytime you do something and your site moves up (or down for that matter) you are figuring out the Algo in relation to your site. I constantly tweak my titles and on site as well as my anchor text based on what I have found works for me. T0PS is right though that it is a VERY broad question and a difficult one to even address with any type of clarity
I dont know about other types of sites, but I do study sites as it relates to google and real estate. What I have found which may be common knowledge is that the age of the site and its links are the two most important factors I can see in relation to google and its algo for real estate sites. One other note of interest. I have a new site that was indexed by google in less than a week. I have no high PR sites pointing to it and the only resources I have pointed to it is from blogger. Maybe it was just luck cause this is the only site I have done this with but I was surprised when it was indexed in that short a period.
Cheers guys. I really appreciate all that info. By the way, does anyone use the future prediction tool at rustybrick? I've typed in some of my URL's on my BuddhaBrilliant site and it's giving me a PR jump from PR4 to PR10. Surely this can't be true? Even the BBC home page only manages a 9?
i only see a pr of 4.as many of the post have said for google, links are the most important item in getting to page 1 for all key words.
What I have been finding is that once you are out of the sandbox links matter - a lot. The PR of the linker matters and so does the actual server the link is from. Because I am working on a blog I get a lot of links from other blogs...However, links from non-Blogspotblogs seem to have really helped page rank... But, that said, keeping quality content is vital. Frequent updates help too. Plus, mentioning a celebrity by name does not seem to hurt...
Most likely this is a copy of Rusty Bricks Tool which would mean it was just for fun. (.ie Its not true) I had a few sites that were showing a Prediction from 4 to 10 for several months but went to a 5 in the last update
Data is Information, Information is Knowledge, Knowledge is Power, but none of the above... ...is action. I stay as up to date with info on the google algo as possible, but find I'm my own worst enemy. Given what I know now, my sites are well overdue for a page by page review and page by page link building campaign. I know the stuff, I've just got to go and re-visit my past work and implement the new knowledge. And for those who say great content attracts links - unless you are doing enough other things right in the first place to be found by anyone in the first place... noone is going to read your wonderful content and want to link to it. My tip for the day on google is, get away from your homepage and focus on the internal pages... adding new content, getting links to them, optimizing them properly etc.
Discussion seems to move around the central theme of backlinks or links. I am wondering why so much importance to links ? Why the number of pages, and quality of content on its own should not get any ranking? Google needs to think of these lines also.