Denver SEO Blog: Web Development, SEO & Marketing

I recently say another analysis showing that bidding for the number 3 spot  is the best use of money. Brandt Dainow, CEO of ThinkMetrics, after reviewed three years worth(1500 keyword sets!) of click-through trends and found the click-through rates (CTR) were virtually identical between ad positions 1-3 in his campaigns.

Others disagree, but in our testing (limited, not 1500 keyword sets!) we have found the same result: positions 3 and 4 are your best use of money. (In most cases. Your mileage may vary. Other standard disclaimers here. Banned where prohibited.)

Tags: seo, search engine optimization, website development, website design

The phenomenon known as “Googlebombing” has been defused by Google. It used to be that if enough sites linked to a site using certain words, that site would quickly rise in rank for that keyphrase. The result? You could search Google for “miserable failure” and see the White House is number 1, with Micheal Moore only slightly behind. Political viewpoints were being communicated, and we all understood a little more about the “Google Algorithm”.

With a recent change at google, this “Googlebombing” technique is no more. What technique lies ahead? What is Google’s new strategy for ranking? We’ve seen positive results for many of our clients in this last Google update, but it will be interesting to see what techniques will be found with Google’s latest changes!

More coverage on slashdot…

And at Google’s webmaster blog

Tags: seo, website design, website development, search engine optimization

Each of the search engines have their own unique criteria for relevancy. Google is no exception, and is usually the most mystical. In our tests, msn and Yahoo respond very quickly to SEO efforts, but Google take a little more time and finesse. And every once in a while, you see something in Google’s search results that makes no sense.

Over at Intrapromote, Erik noticed recently that a search for 2007 Ford Explorer is yielding some very confusing results. He noticed that one text link was getting a site into Google’s top 10 for this competitive keyword. No giant SEO campaign, no link popularity project, and no compelling, fresh content. Just a single link. Compare the power this link has - this lame site is being ranked above relevant content in yahoo auto’s, about.com and auto magazine. Surely this content is more helpful to potential visitors?!
And so, where is this illustrious link from? The Google DataCenter? Or perhaps Sergey Brin’s blog? Nope. The link is from a page almost as lame: www.egateway.us/elist.html This link should also have no real weight, either. Erik points out that the egateway page has pretty much nothing but junk links pointing to it.

Didn’t Google tell us this wouldn’t work any more? That fresh, relevant content and popular, themed links are the only way to get to the top of Google? If Matt Cutts were dead, he’d roll over in his grave. Thankfully, he is alive and - hopefully - well. Matt, what the heck is going on here? Please wave your mighty spam wand at the site - Google only wants good sites in their SERPs, right? (But please tell us how to achieve the same result with RELEVANT content before you do!)

I’m interested to see Erik’s analysis, and will keep poking around in these links to see what the secret could be!

Tags: website development, search engine optimization, website design, seo