Hi, Clarence1234 ...
You have asked an interesting interesting issue in your questions.
A lot of people wonder if there is any connection between a high
placement in search engine results and purchasing advertising in
AdWords.
==============================================
AdWords and Search
Engine Results Placement - Any Relationship?
==============================================
Advertising on Google using AdWords DOES NOT have any affect on
Google's search engine placement results. The two areas are completely
separate.
Consider this information from Google's "Getting Listed - The Basics"
"Google does not accept payment for inclusion of sites in
our index, nor for improving the rank of sites in our
results. We do offer advertising opportunities adjacent
to our results, which are always clearly labeled
"Sponsored Links." ...
which continues by explaining the technology of its search engine technology:
"The method by which we find pages and rank them as search
results is determined by the PageRank technology developed
by our founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin."
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/1.html#A1
Also consider this from Google's "Google Information for Webmasters -
Facts and Fiction"
"Fiction: Advertising on Google affects my rankings in the
search results.
Fact: Advertising with Google neither helps (nor hurts!)
a site's rankings on Google."
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/facts.html
From a discussion on Webmaster World, "Adwords URL's added to
Googlebot queue?", Googleguy (a search engineer from Google who
occasionally posts to the discussions) stated
"Nope nope nope. No connection between advertising (either
pro or con) and getting crawled."
- http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum81/149.htm
Lastly, I would suggest that you take a look at "GOOGLE TODAY", but
the philosophy and practices espoused have kept Google the number one
search engine, and it's only trying to get better.
I direct you to the last paragraph under "6) You can make money
without doing evil.":
"Advertising on Google is always clearly identified as a
"Sponsored Link." It is a core value for Google that
there be no compromising of the integrity of our results.
We never manipulate rankings to put our partners higher in
our search results. No one can buy better PageRank. Our
users trust Google's objectivity and no short-term gain
could ever justify breaching that trust."
- ://www.google.com/corporate/today.html
It only makes good business sense to keep its AdWords advertising
campaign totally removed for any kind of placement advantage in its
search engine results. To do otherwise would indeed cost Google far
more than it could ever gain.
=============================================
How to get listed and place well in Google
=============================================
Google explains how to get listed and place well in its Webmaster information:
"The best way to ensure Google finds your site is for your
page to be linked from lots of pages on other sites.
Google's robots jump from page to page on the Web via
hyperlinks, so the more sites that link to you, the more
likely it is that we'll find you quickly."
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/1.html#A2
and offers suggestions on how to design a page to ensure inclusion and
placement in its Design and Content Guidelines:
"* Make a site with a clear hierarchy and text links.
Every page should be reachable from at least one static
text link.
* Offer a site map to your users with links that point to
the important parts of your site. If the site map is
larger than 100 or so links, you may want to break the
site map into separate pages.
* Create a useful, information-rich site and write pages
that clearly and accurately describe your content.
* Think about the words users would type to find your pages,
and make sure that your site actually includes those
words within it.
* Try to use text instead of images to display important
names, content, or links. The Google crawler doesn't
recognize text contained in images.
* Make sure that your TITLE and ALT tags are descriptive
and accurate.
* Check for broken links and correct HTML...
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html
==================================
So What About Yamba Real Estate?
==================================
1. Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) Placement
--------------------------------------------------
Your firm places 16th in a search of Google Australia,
://www.google.com.au/, for the search term "Yamba real estate".
2. Links TO the Yamba Real Estate Site
-----------------------------------------
Using Google's link:tool (typing link:www.yambarealestate.com.au in
Google's search bar) shows the following results:
"Your search - link:www.yambarealestate.com.au - did not
match any documents"
- ://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=link%3Awww.yambarealestate.com.au+&btnG=Google+Search&meta=cr%3DcountryAU
3. Comparison with higher placed results
------------------------------------------
I took a look at the 15 listings above yours to give you some kind of
a comparison of your own site to the others.
1.) Mike McQueen
- www.macqueenfn.com.au
Links to: 2
Contain the term: About 53
2.) Same as above
3.) Clarence Coast Yamba Real Estate
- clarencecoast.info/yambare
Links to: 0
Contain the term: 1
4.) Clarence Coast Yamba Real Estate
- clarencecoast.info/realestate
Links to: 0
Contain the term: 1
5.) Yamba & Tweed Heads Holiday accommodation and Real estate
- www.holidayaccommodationaus.com.au
Links to: 1
Contain the term: 2
6.) Different page, same as above
7.) Elders Real Estate Yamba
- www.yamba-bay.com.au/Holiday/
Links to: 1
Contain the Term: About 61
8.) Same as above
- www.yamba-bay.com.au
Links to: same
Contain the term: About 61
9.) Real Estate Yamba, Elders Property Sales
- www.realestateyamba.com.au
Links to: 0
Contain the term: About 8
10.) Real Estate Yamba Elders about us
same as 7 & 8 above
11.) Yamba Business Links
- www.nnsw.com.au
Links to: About 44
Contain the term: About 7,060
12.) Real Estate Brochure, YAMBA DISTRICT
- www.wda.net
Links to: 0
Contain the term: About 70
13.) Yamba Real Estate - Yamba - www.realestate.com.au
- www.realestate.com.au
Links to: About 15,000
Contain the term: About 3,800
14.) Graham Hinde Yamba
- www.yamba-vacations.com.au
Links to: 0
Contain the term: About 19
15.) Same site as above, a different page
16.) Your site, Yamba Real Estate
- www.yambarealestate.com.au
Links to: 0
Contain the term: 1
Note: Some of the above sites inherit "links to" and "contain the
term" from the main page of the site - and results are not necessarily
those for the particular page.
So why do other sites, which in some cases seem to present little, if
any, relevant information about "Yamba" or "Yamba real estate" place
higher than yours?
================
Content
================
You have to look to the content. Every one of those pages have text
content to be indexed, and every one of those pages contain the term
"Yamba real estate" or "Yamba" within the content of the page.
Your site, however, has two graphic images, with no ALT tags,
"logo_frnt.gif" and "MAIN.gif". In addition there are a lot of
"_blank.gif" images (for spacers?) - but Google cannot read nor index
images. Without ALT tags, there is virtually nothing there to index.
The only content on your landing page is
"Click here to see our properties for sale"
and
"Email: mac@yambarealestate.com.au
Phone: +61 2 66 45 8880
Office: 17 Coldstream Street Yamba 2464 Australia"
That is what Google has to index. That is also why, despite your DNS
name, "www.yambarealestate.com.au", you do not appear higher on SERPs.
You have more information inside, but that's not your main page - it's
not what the Google crawler "sees" to index your site.
In order to place higher, you need relevant content, you need to
provide a TEXT menu to other pages on your site so the Google crawler
can index them, and you definitely need relevant links TO your site to
increase your PageRank.
=============================
Some other specific changes
=============================
1.) Your first "inside" page has more content and text links, I would
be replace the current "landing page" with this page:
- http://www.yambarealestate.com.au/index.htm
2.) Put your TITLE and ALT tags to work for you. Use those terms that
you want to be found under which gives search engines something to
crawl and index.
3.) Unless there are pages you specifically do NOT want crawled,
remove these tags from your header:
<meta name="robots" content="all">
and
<meta name="revisit-after" content="21 days">
Don't place restrictions on either search engines or visitors sessions
while visiting your site.
4.) DOCTYPES are essential to the proper rendering and functioning of
web documents in compliant browsers. It is also essential for the
search engines to understand and follow the coding contained on your
pages.
DOCTYPE is explained and discussed further in "A List Apart",
- http://www.alistapart.com/stories/doctype/
and in Web Design Group's article, "Choosing a DOCtype",
- http://www.htmlhelp.com/tools/validator/doctype.html
You do not have a DOCTYPE Declaration and you should add one to every
page on your site.
==========================================
Important Google Links For Your Reference
==========================================
Here are some important links from Google's Webmaster Information and
Webmaster Guidelines. Webmasters who follow the guidelines and avoid
Google's "Thou shalt nots" usually have no problem getting listed and
showing up under the search terms they desire.
* How Do I Get My Site Listed on Google?
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/1.html
* My Web Pages Are Not Currently Listed (a good 'primer'
on how and why Google works so well)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/2.html
* PageRank Information (covers both Google's PageRank and
SERPS)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/4.html
* Webmaster Guidelines (contains both the dos and don'ts)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html
* Google Facts & Fiction (can you buy your way to a
high ranking in Google?)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/facts.html
* Search Engine Optimizers (some good advice on what to look
for if you're going to hire a Search Engine Optimizer)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/seo.html
* Frequently Asked Questions (pretty much what it says, but
definitely worth wading through)
- ://www.google.com/webmasters/faq.html
================================
Other Sources of Information
================================
There is also good information from many of the top search engine
optimization experts, such as
* Detlev Johnson, Search Engine Guide
- http://www.searchengineguide.com/detlev/
* Danny Sullivan, Search Engine Watch
- http://www.searchenginewatch.com/
* Jill Whalen, High Rankings
- http://www.highrankings.com/
* Shari Thurow, Web Pro News (and quoted all over the Internet)
- www.webpronews.com/
who all have columns or newsletters to which you can subscribe and
keep abreast of the best way to use good content for better
positioning in search engine results.
In addition, Webmaster World - http://www.webmasterworld.com/ - has
discussion boards on most of the search engines. While some of the
discussions are anecdotal and/or questions for information, there is
usually enough discussion to keep abreast of what seems to be
happening.
There is an entire section devoted to Google at:
- http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/
It never hurts to keep track among these discussions, but remember,
trying to optimize for search engines only is like trying to hit a
moving target. You'll notice among the more experienced contributors
to the discussions - plus the SEO experts listed above - that there
really is no substitute for content, relevant links and good HTML.
============
Summary
============
I am sure I provided more information than you expected, but it helps
to understand how to rank well in SERPs.
As you can see from the above, the fact that you have purchased
AdWords does NOT affect placement in Google's search engine placement.
The two are completely independent of each other, as it should be.
Searchers want relevant information, and no one should be able to buy
placement.
Your site doesn't rank as well as other, seemingly less relevant
pages, but it is because there are defects in your site's design and
content which need to be changed to meet the basic recommendations,
suggestions and guidelines that Google requires.
And remember, trying to design for search engine placement is like
trying to hit a moving target. Google's responsibility is to deliver
relevant content to the searcher, and in striving to improve at it, it
is constantly changing its algorithms. Without the basics, you can't
maintain any kind of decent SERPs.
Search strategies -
Besides the specific searches performed as listed above, I relied on
bookmarks and information used almost daily.
If you make the changes and improvements as suggested above, I have no
doubt you will be much happier with your search engine results
placement.
Best wishes,
Serenata
Google Answers Researcher |
