Google really is a challenge. I've ranked pages in the top ten in Yahoo and others no problem. But Google remains elusive. I'm really working the backlinks hard for a particular site. We'll see how that affects its Google ranking.
One other factor that I think is substantial is 'time'. It seems to take a considerable amount of time (6 months or more) for a new site to obtain a position in the first 100 or so. I think that GG needs to see a consistent, reliable site with increasing relevant popularity, regularly updated pages and expanding content. If all of this happens, I think the site begins to obtain GG’s ‘trust’. This approach to rankings would of course weed out flash-in-the-pan sites that are in for the kill, and gone within 5 weeks. That of course, would be the objective.