Online Shopping Guide

Is Your Site in the Google Sandbox

The Widget Corporation is a highly successful business that specializes in designing and manufacturing office widgets, namely customized stress balls and ergonomically designed footrests.

The owner Jason Widget collaborated with a web design company to create a beautiful web site with strong content, numerous incoming links, an online catalog and ordering system.

Even after the site was featured in the industry’s most popular trade publication six weeks after the site launch, Mr. Widget was confounded when he went to Google and searched for his web site using intuitive keyword combinations, including ”Widget Corporation,” ”office widgets,” ”custom stress balls,” etc.

Nothing.

His searches kept yielding pages of results, but the Widget Corp’s site was nowhere to be found in the first two pages of listings.

Then he typed in the keyword combo ”ergonomic footrests,” and his site popped up #1.

Sound familiar?

Mr. Widget’s web site, although optimized well for search engines, is likely one of the many web sites launched after March 2004 that are experiencing the Google Sandbox effect. While the existence of the Sandbox as a new site filter is a subject of debate among search engine experts, Google has reportedly all but admitted that the Sandbox filter is real.

What exactly is the Google Sandbox?

According to Wayne Hurlbert, a contributor to Blog Business World for successful entrepreneurs, the Sandbox ”is very similar to a new web site being placed on probation, and kept lower than expected in searches, prior to being given full value for its incoming links and content.”

With the onslaught of spam-related web sites coming online, the Sandbox theoretically weeds out from results pages those spammers who supplement weak content with purchased links to garner high rankings and sales before getting banned.

If a new web site has strong, relevant content, abundant incoming links, favorable search results for secondary keyword phrases and yet does not appear for the most important searches, then it has probably been earmarked to do its obligatory Sandbox time. Time in the Sandbox can range from one to six months, but the average duration is three to four months.

A site’s duration in the Sandbox is directly proportionate to the competitiveness of the keywords and key phrases it targets. The more competitive the site’s search terms, the longer the site stays buried in the Sandbox.

While time is the only real solution to getting out of the Sandbox, Hurlbert offers some helpful tips for making the best out of the unavoidable:

1. Register a domain, set up hosting and publish a web site prior to official launch time to start the clock ticking on the Sandbox duration period 2. Continue to add as many incoming links as possible 3. Keep building relevant content to your site 4. Consider buying an already existing domain

Hurlbert claims that proper time management can help a site avoid the Sandbox altogether. Even if you’re not ready to build a web site just yet, procure a domain name and put up a splash page at the very least.

Contact staff@vulcancreative.com to get started today and avoid the Sandbox. Your widget sales just might skyrocket.

Read Hurlbert’s entire blog entry on the Sandbox here: http://blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com/2005/04/google-sandbox-theo ry-validated-by.html. Send your comments or questions to jeannette@vulcancreative.com

Is Your Site in the Google Sandbox / Jeannette Balleza

Jeannette Balleza is Co-Owner of Vulcan Creative, a creative agency specializing in identity with integrity. Vulcan Creative consults with clients on communication strategy and concept development and refinement for graphic design and web site development projects. Go to http://www.vulcancreative.com for more information and to request a free initial consultation.

Supplementing Spiders

We, as webmasters or website owners, are always looking for ways to supplement the search engine spiders. I call it’supplementing spiders’.

What we are trying to do is encourage these ‘spiders’ to come feed on the keywords and ‘content’ of our websites, in hopes of getting a higher positioning in the search page ranking. It is like trying to put your head above the crowd and be noticed.

The experiment began with a new site that has been online a little more than a month [from the time of this writing]. What was decided was to create the best atmosphere for attracting Googlebot. A plan would be needed to attract Google and save the time, effort and outlay of cash for a Yahoo! listing. Google was also needed to build a page rank. Starting from zero we had to have a game plan.

The conclusion was reached that the time spent now would pay off ten-fold down the road. The new site is a free cross content article directory for websites, ezines and a learning portal. Keyword search was preformed on every search term imaginable. Every site that could be found that remotely related to articles and article directories was reviewed. Some of these sites were exclusive to articles while some only had a directory of articles on site in a subdirectory. What they had in common was that all had a front page or top 10 ranking in Google and/or Yahoo! for ‘articles’.

Note: there were also 417,000,000 other sites listed for “articles” that were indexed that have never seen the fringes of the front page much less the top 100. With that goal set, our task lay before us. The plan follows: 1.] A decision made on the look and feel of the site. This is important not for the spiders [Google & Yahoo!] but for the site’s future visitors. Reason? What good is it to have a site that no one will come back to because it is unpleasant or because of visual or navigation problems. The robots.txt file was set up so that it would invite the spiders to crawl among the selected pages and directories of the site.

2.] The index page was designed making sure it had an accessible navigation plan based on the suggestions of www.lighthouse.org and www.accessify.com/default.asp. These improvements continue to be added throughout the site. Every link led to content using keywords in the links and text anchors where possible. Optimized the site using a selection of keywords that were relevant to the site’s theme using Good Keywords and Overture. We were fortunate as we were building an article and content directory and we all know articles make excellent spider supplements. Like vitamins for the body…

3.] A Site Map was created and linked from the front page that provided the visitor and spiders with a road map of the site. Using www.netroglycerine.com/sitemap.html, as we did you can easily generate a full sitemap for your website. Enter your URL in the space provided, hit enter on your keyboard and wait for the links to be displayed. Save the page from the File menu and edit the links to suit your requirements.

4.] Next we brought together a collection of articles and content that would provide a rich array of information for both spider and visitor. This was accomplished by adding articles personally written and some hand selected content to fit the site’s topics and categories. These included a wide variety of subjects like short stories, tutorials on uses of herbs to R.S.S and how to use email.

5.] A thorough check of all links was done checking for “title” tags. Links not working were replaced or repaired. Images were checked for appropriate “alt” description tags and made sure all were described in a manner that best suited them using keywords where possible.

6.] Knowing the site was relatively new, articles were submitted to other directories with links back to the site. We also blogged the site and pinged the post and trackback URL and left links where possible to lead back to the site.

7.] Once everything had received one last thorough check, we took a break and then waited for Googlebot to call. We started to watch the server logs for our visitor.

8.] It only took a few days before the first index. We began to check the search terms that had been targeted and a few days later began to see the site in the search results. Checked with Yahoo! and there was no mention. Back to work we went. Polished and reworked the keywords that were targeted and tweaked the description. Made another trip around various article directories and submitted another article with links back to the site and again blogged the site and pinged the post and trackback URL’s from it. We were re-indexed within a few days. This time as we check for search terms we began to see more of the site’s content and URL’s appearing in the search results. Only this time it was not just one or two, but several different articles that had been placed as content in the categories and topics of the sites.

9.] Googlebot has been fairly regular for the past two weeks with re-index approximately every three days. After each visit the keyword and search terms are checked in the search results to see where we stand in the listing. Also checked are the server logs for specific keywords searched and evaluation of the traffic. We then go back to the site, tweak it, and get ready for another visit.

10.] This is only the beginning. This little exercise will continue even after reaching the goal. A routine has been established that includes periodically checking the server logs for the always, welcomed visitor. Making the adjustments where they are needed and preparing thewebbpage.com for another index.

The site is not listed No.1 with all of the keywords or search terms but thewebbpage.com is appearing on the first page for many. It is rewarding to know that without a single search engine submission, a brand new website can be indexed within a few weeks of launch, raise it’s head above the crowd and be noticed. A site that now has the potential to make it.

Supplementing the spiders was, is, and will be well worth the effort. It has been an interesting exercise requiring, in the grand scheme, very little research and time. The best news is the same search terms that are showing up with Google search results are now appearing in Yahoo! results. Now that is what I call ‘Supplementing Spiders’. The spider even picked up the tab for the Yahoo!’s inclusion.

Supplementing Spiders / Judy Webb

Judy Webb is editor and Webmaster of www.thewebbpage.com. She is the author of several articles relating to Internet marketing and promotion. She can be contacted at here. This article can be reprinted or published as long as this resource box remains attached.

Competing with the Big Names

If you have ever been in an industry with long established, big name companies then you know it is hard to beat them in the search engine rankings. So you go to their pages to see how they are ranking so high, but they are not using the techniques you were told to use. Furthermore, they only have the word you searched for displayed once in their body text, not in their title tag, heading or meta tags. This can’t be right! However, it is. The only possible way to compete with the big names is with links, frequently updated content and name recognition.

The long established sites have received so many links over the years they don’t have to plaster their pages with certain keywords for high rankings.

Links can be hard to come by, especially if your site is new. There are countless ways to get them, but here are a few that will get you high quality links: * Writing articles * Reciprocal linking to relevant sites * Participating in forums * Frequently updating content * Creating free tools * Submitting to directories * Buying text links

Frequently updated content will generate a large number of one-way links, if people know about it. For people to find your compelling content, you have to get your site name out there. If no one knows about your content, how will you get links? To get you name out there you have to: * Become the leader in your industry * Write press releases, articles and free ebooks * Use paid advertising * Start a newsletter/e-zine and a blog. * Target the right keywords

Beating the leading names may be difficult, but it is achievable. Gaining links and getting your name out there will be key in competing with these powerful sites. You will get to the top of the rankings in the search engines with time and hard work

Competing with the Big Names / Derek Croote

Derek Croote is a SEO, web design and usability enthusiast. Derek is the webmaster of http://www.saratogalakesideacresassociation.org/, a small homeowners association. You can reach him at dcroote@gmail.com.

10 Ways To Indirectly Get To The Top Of Search Engines

There are millions of web sites trying to get listed in the top 20 spots of the major search engines. That amounts to a lot of competition! I say if you can’t get listed at the top, indirectly get to the top.

How do you do this? Look up the top 20 web sites on the major search engines under the keywords and phrases people would find your web site. The key would be to then advertise on those web sites.

The most expensive way would be to buy ad space on those web sites. If you don’t want to spend any money, you could use the ten strategies below. These strategies may not apply to every web site.

1. Participate on their discussion boards. You could post questions, answer other peoples questions, and join in on conversations. Just include your signature file and link at the end of your messages.

2. Ask the web site owner if they would like a free ebook to giveaway to their visitors. You could have them link to your web site or include your ad in the free ebook.

3. Submit content to their web site. You could write articles for their web site and include your resource box and link at the end of the article. If they publish it, you’ll indirectly be at the top of the search engines.

4. Write an excellent article review of their web site, products or services. Then publish the review on your web site. E-mail the web site owner and tell him or her about it. They may link to your web site so their visitors read it.

5. Ask the owner of the web site if they would want to trade advertising. If you don’t get as much traffic as they do, you could throw in some extra incentives.

6. Propose a cross promotion deal with the web site. You both could promote each others products or services together in one package deal. This means a mention and link back to your web site.

7. Give the web site a testimonial for their product or service. Include a little text link for your web site with the testimonial. You never know; it could end up on their ad copy.

8. Post your advertisement on their free classified ad section on their web site. You want to be sure you have an attractive headline so they will read your ad.

9. Post your text link on their free-for-all links page. You want to go back and post your link regularly so it stays towards the top.

10. Sign their guest books. You could leave a short compliment about their web site on their guest book. Just include your signature file and link at the end of your message.

I Hope That This Article Has Helped You

Sincerely,

Anton Cheranev

Resource Box:

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Can You Afford to Lose 200,000 Potential Customers Every Month? How Easily to Get Over 200,000 Potential Customers (Every Month) From All Chief Search Engines Similarly Google, Yahoo and MSN! Using a “Little-Known Robot”! If You Think I’m Kidding, You Might Like To Know That This Is Something That Has Been Tested and Proven To Work! Check up it Here —> http://www.atargetedvisitors.com/cgi-bin/tk.cgi?ezine1

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10 Ways To Indirectly Get To The Top Of Search Engines / Anton Cheranev

 

How to Supercharge your Business with Drop Shipping!

While you develop your business, building and original concept and driving market demand will take most of your attention. As your business grows and you start to look more strategically at your business plan, drop shipping can be a useful tool. Drop shipping will provide many opportunities to build and develop your business more effectively. Success in this high-tech environment depends on having an excellent relationship with your supplier, a fluid and continually growing catalog of products and, of course, your profit margin.

Solidifying the relationship with your drop shipping supplier is of the greatest importance, helping you find ways to constantly improve your business. You can benefit from many new and exciting offers if you take the time to prove your sales and gain the trust of your drop ship supplier. Making your product a success online requires the awareness to find wholesale price breaks, opportunities to promote your product and other exclusive deals to impact the bottom line in sales, profits and points. Your suppliers can give you important information from other merchants on which products are skyrocketing and which products are falling. Creating a list of your top sellers can direct your marketing campaign more effectively, aiming for those products that can increase your sales and keep up to date with the most fashionable trends.
Drop shipping can help you create an incredibly expansive product catalog, which can then become an essential piece of your business model. If you’ve taken the time to fortify your drop ship supplier relationships, the outcome will be an extensive and profitable product line. Having such a large, organized product line will lead to larger order sizes, greater conversion rates, and overall higher sales. Another benefit to having a trusted associate carry inventory for you means you have the ability to change your online catalog whenever you choose, allowing greater flexibility. This way, you can add best selling SKU’s whenever you choose instead of waiting for bulk deliveries to arrive. Such flexibility and availability will appeal your catalog to more and larger audiences.

Drop shipping will allow you to test new products and ideas without spending more valuable resources and saving you time and money. With all that extra time and money, you will have the resources to develop a brand new idea or product that can skyrocket your business! With a trustworthy drop ship supplier handling the tracking, packaging and shipping of your products, the possibility of, for example, establishing satellite offices becomes available. Drop shipping can drastically reduce your overhead, allowing for many more opportunities.

Your profits will explode when you utilize the drop shipping of your products. And instead of a single supplier, try to build a web of drop shipping suppliers to expand your catalog even more, and widen the scope of your audiences. Reducing overhead also comes with the added benefit of testing out new initiatives that will keep your business on the rise. If you plan to keep your business steadily growing and your product catalog huge, drop shipping should be the first thing on your mind.

How to Supercharge your Business with Drop Shipping! / JamesThomas

Author Bio: WholesaleNewsletter.com News and Sources for Wholesale Drop Shipping and Online Products Sourcing. Discover Drop Shipper Tips to Wholesale Marketing, and Finding Profitable Merchandise for Resell.