10 Important Questions Answered By Google On Paid Links

If you have been around here for some days, you might have noticed that there's a lot of talk going on about paid links on different platforms; social media, forums, etc. Even Google Webmaster Central blog repeatedly covered it, which makes us believe that Google might be working on a new algorithm or an update which will enhance the accuracy of search results more by shunning paid links even further down the drain. Anyhow, in our previous posts, we talked a lot about paid-links - indeed, we made a whole series out of it. So in this post, we won't be going into much detail. Instead, we'll just look at some important questions answered by Google about paid links, and then we'll try rounding up all our posts on paid links.

Important questions answered by Google

1. Why do paid-links violate Google's guidelines?

Google owns more than 2/3rd of the search game. This points to the fact that most users trust Google's results, since they are more relevant. Paid-links provide websites with an unfair advantage, and help them get higher search positions. This effects the accuracy of search results, something which Google cannot afford, what with such a large user-base.

2. So do paid-links effect other search engines as well?

Of course they do! Just like Google, other search engines also want to maintain their user-base by keeping their accuracy in check. Like Google, they too roll out updates to ensure that such practises are kept at bay.

3. Do paid links impact PageRank of a website?

Without a doubt. A high PR means that Google trusts a website. But paid-links aren't looked upon with favor. They reduce a website's trust ratings, since it is getting unfair advantages. So such practises will undoubtedly impact your trust, and ultimately your PR.

4. How come Google decides what webmasters should do with their sites?

Actually, this isn't a matter of who controls whom. Google isn't controlling what webmasters can and can't do with their websites. Google reserves the right to restrict any site that tries to pass PageRank and manipulate search results. Such sites are against Google's interest, and can be penalized. Webmasters can do whatever they like. But if they want to stay in good favor with Google, they need to abide by the quality guidelines.

5. What to do if your PageRank gets effected?

If you were selling links, and your PR got effected, don't panic. Remove all your paid links, or disavow them. Then, file a reconsideration report so that Google will review your site again. If it still doesn't work, then work on building your PR again. The following posts might help.

6. Is Google trying to snuff out other forms of advertising?

Not really. Google isn't against advertising. In fact, it supports various third-party advertising networks. As Matt Cutts pointed out, Google doesn't have a problem with paid-links used for getting targeted traffic. Google just wants you to tell it when a link is an ad (see the answer below).

7. How are paid-links different from paid ads?

Well, for one, ads are usually accompanied with a rel="nofollow" tag, whereas paid-links are dofollow. Also, paid-links attempt to manipulate search results, whereas ads don't. Ads only attempt at raising awareness, increasing traffic, reaching out to more people, and so on.

8. How does Google know when a link is paid or not?

We discussed this at some length in our previous post (Part 3 of this series), so I will just brush over this topic. Google tells them apart through keywords and relevancy. Paid-links usually aren't relevant to the content they're linked to or from.

9. Reporting paid-links

If you think a website is selling or buying paid links, you can report it to Google. Check out this Google Webmaster Central blog's entry on reporting links to Google. Google will review your report, and take due action. This feedback also helps Google improve its algorithm.

10. Where to go for more information?

If you need to know more, you can always join the Webmaster Help Group, and ask questions there. Additionally, you can check out some more information as discussed by Matt Cutts on his site. If you still have confusions, you can directly ask us for help in the comments below. We'd be glad to help. Cheers :)

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Quality Over Quantity, but Quantities of Quality Wins

In a way I feel sorry for somebody just starting out with their blogging career. One source tells them they need to publish a post every day, another tells them they need to publish less frequently but make it better quality, and out there in left field is some guy that says you can do whatever the heck you want, it’s all about promotion. What’s a new blogger to do? The answer might surprise you.

There Are No Absolutes

The first thing you need to understand is that there are no absolutes in the world of blogging. So anytime someone tells you you “have” to do something, take it with a grain of salt. Every blog is different, every blogger is different, every blogger develops his own unique marketing approach and every blogger has different goals. All of these “differences” will have an effect on how frequently you need to publish your blog posts and it’s something only you can decide.
That said, let’s take a look at the “Publish Everyday” concept because it does have its merits.
Most new visitors will arrive on your homepage, which means the first thing they’re going to see is your most recent post. And since people are so busy these days, in many cases that’s the only post they’ll read during that initial visit. If they like it, they’ll be back, and that’s why it’s so important that you post frequently.
If that new visitor comes back tomorrow and sees a completely new post – and if he likes this one, too – he’ll be more likely at that point to subscribe to your blog, or he’ll at least bookmark it so he can find it again the next day. Now he’s hooked and he’ll be back.
On the other hand, if he sees the same post he saw the day before, he may not be quite so excited about finding you again the next day. In fact, he’ll probably trip over another interesting blog since you didn’t have anything new to say and he’ll forget all about you.
Now, let’s take a look at that “Quality vs. Quantity” thing…
Let’s say you do publish a new post every day and that second post he sees is poor quality because you’re burned out from writing blog posts every day. That second post is your hook and in this case the bait doesn’t look very tasty. You’ve just lost what could have been a long-term repeat visitor who might have shared your content with his thousands of followers.
Now, the idea that you “should” decrease your frequency and put a stronger focus on content has one major drawback: Too many bloggers take this as an absolute. If you’re blogging in a niche like Celebrities, you may have to publish multiple posts each day just to keep up with all the celebrity news. Back off to three posts a week and you might as well hang up your bloggin’ shoes no matter how great your posts are.
The other drawback to decreasing your frequency is that too many bloggers take this as a license to slack off. “Well, so-and-so said I only need to publish three times a week, so I guess I’ll go to the beach today.” Again, there are no absolutes, but if your goal is to build a successful blogging business then this probably isn’t the best way to do it.

What’s The Best Posting Frequency?

The best posting frequency is the one that works best for you and your business. Here are some questions you should ask yourself:
How frequently can you publish top-notch content indefinitely? You’re going to be blogging for a very long time and you’re going to have a lot more to do than just write blog posts. As your business grows, so does your work load. As you learn more about your niche and your audience top-quality posts might be quite involved and take you hours or even days to produce.
How frequently do you need to publish to be competitive? The celebrity niche is a perfect example. Watch sites like Celebuzz.com or GoFugYourself.com and you’ll see they publish sometimes a dozen or more posts each day. If you don’t want to publish that frequently, or you can’t for whatever reason, then you’ll need to find some other way to be competitive.
How frequently will your audience expect you to publish? If you’re blogging about string theory you may only need to publish one in-depth post a week to satisfy your readers. However, it’s going to have to be one heck of a post to keep your readers satisfied until you publish again. I’ve seen bloggers who only publish once a month and their blogs do just fine. In this case, it helps to let your visitors know when they can expect your next post. Better yet, tell them to subscribe so they don’t miss it.
What is your goal for your blog? Is your blog going to be your only source of online income or are you just using it to promote your main website? I know a freelance writer who only publishes a post about every six weeks because she uses her blog mainly for writing samples.
How fast do you want to grow your business? If your goal is to grow your business as fast as possible then the only way to do it is to publish top-quality content frequently. And by “frequently” I mean you may have to publish a blog post every day, a guest blog post three or four times a week, submit articles to directories, and create offsite properties weekly.
It’s just a fact: Quantities of quality content is what it takes to build a good, solid business. But remember – the decision is up to you.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

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3 Beginner SEO Tips To Succeed

If you freak out every time you hear the term “search engine optimization” don’t worry. It’s not something you have to learn all at once. In fact, seasoned bloggers are constantly tweaking their blogs to make them rank better with the search engines, so it’s an ongoing process that continues for the life of your blog. To help you get started, here are three beginner SEO tips to make your blog more successful.

Update Your Keywords

When you first set up your blog you probably entered some keywords that help define your blog for the search engines. Typically, this is done somewhere on your blog’s dashboard in the Settings menu. If you haven’t done this, you need to do it now. If you have, it’s time to take a look and maybe freshen it up.
Keywords often go through changes or trends. For example, one person might call them thumb drives, another person calls them USB drives and someone else calls them portable drives. You should include all of these keywords in your description so no matter what someone calls them the search engines will know they can find the information on your blog.

Blog Structure

You can quickly improve your search engine rankings by making a few structural changes on your blog. Your site’s load time is one of the key metrics Google uses to determine ranking. The following changes will help improve your load time:
Resize images: When you upload full-size images that are too large for your blog your blogging platform has to adjust the size internally. If you have a lot of images on your blog this can seriously affect your load time. Use an image editor to resize your images to the proper size before you upload them to your blog.
Minimize image use: Some blogs just naturally need a lot of images and that’s fine. But if your doesn’t, then delete those you don’t really need. Unless you’re posting screen shots for a How-To article the most you should need is one image per post, and sometimes that’s not even necessary.
Eliminate flash elements: Flash videos and images will seriously cut into your load time and they’re not visible on a lot of mobile devices, which is an important consideration these days.
Navigation: Are your sidebars free of clutter? Can your visitors easily see and read your navigation bar, and the various menus in your sidebar? Are you using keywords for titles and categories so the search engines can easily identify your content?
Internal linking structure: The search engines give high marks to sites that have a strong internal linking structure. Include deep links to relevant content on your blog to lead the search engines and keep visitors on your blog longer.

Content Formatting

It’s also important to use some formatting within each blog post. This makes your content easier to read for both the search engines and y our visitors.
Use Sub-Headings: Use the H1 and H2 tags to highlight sub-headings. This larger font draws the reader’s eye and it indicates to the search engines that this is something important.
Keywords: Use a keyword in your title, headings and sub-headings.
Bullet Points/Numbered Lists: Bullet points and numbered lists also make it easier for your visitors to get your complete message and the search engines like it when you take care of your readers.
Bold/Italics: The search engines recognize that bold or italic fonts indicate something you want to highlight. However, use them sparingly. Too much and the search engines just think you’re being spammy, and it can make it difficult for the visitor to read your post.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

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