I have being listed on the first page of Google search for union jack 
for the past 3 years, usually the third position down, but from today,
the site http://www.unionjackwear.co.uk appears on the bottom of the 
fourth page in the search cirteria for union jack. Would there be any
reason for this, how how can I get the ranking back to where it was ?


Kind Regards
Graham Johnson
Union Jack Wear
http://www.unionjackwear.co.uk

---

Request for Question Clarification by larre-ga on 20 Nov 2003 15:23 PST

Graham,

The latest Google Dance is still in progress, things haven't quite
shaken out from this update yet. You might want to delay asking until
the Google Dance is complete and the results have stabalized. In the
meantime, here's a bit of "light reading" ;-) that might offer both
camraderie and insight:

WebmasterWorld Forums - Florida Update
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/18346.htm
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/18402-1-15.htm
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/18388.htm

If, after skimming these resource threads, you'd still like an
analysis, just let us know.

---larre

---

Clarification of Question by ujwear-ga on 21 Nov 2003 13:12 PST

Thanks for the answer, could you let me know what you mean by " Google
Dance is still in progress, things haven't quite shaken out from this
update yet. I am obviosuly quite worried that the position of the web
site, being on page 4 of the Google search list for search term Union
Jack, will affect the business tremendously . I'm,  still not sure why
this has happened, as I have being on the first page of the search for
the past 3 years, and it as suddenly dropped overnight . Thank you
again for your time, and looking into this .
Kind Regards

Graham

---

Clarification of Question by ujwear-ga on 21 Nov 2003 13:13 PST

sorry also meant to ask, how do I get an analysis?

---

Request for Question Clarification by larre-ga on 21 Nov 2003 14:25 PST

The "Google Dance" is a reordering or reshuffling of the entire Google
index of webpages (i.e. their database of webpage URLs, page titles,
page descriptions) in accordance with new refinements of the Google
PageRank system. The Google database is stored on a number of
webservers, or datacenters. The datacenters all have to be
synchronized so that the same search results are returned for the same
search every time. The process also involves changes to the worldwide
DNS (Domain Name Server) system, which is responsible for
coordination, or directing traffic, between browsers and website URL.
The process isn't like an automatic step 1, step 2 method, the updates
vary a bit for each datacenter. The "dance" continues until all the
datacenters get it right and the copies of the database matches across
all those servers. More than 10,000 servers - and that number is
growing.

So... this means that while the Google Dance is in progress, it's
impossible to determine why (other than the update itself) your site
might be dancing in and out of the search results in different
positions. Each time you (or anybody) performs a Google search, it can
be "served up" from any number of the datacenters, thus accounting for
the various rankings.

Analyzing your site -- Once the Google Dance is complete, the changes
to the search engine results can be analyzed, and site that have
dropped compared to those that have risen in the rankings. But until
the update is complete, there's absolutely no telling whether changes
in position are due to process or to something in the site. There's
nothing to either analyse or 'correct' until the Google Dance is over,
and the placement of the site is the same at all datacenters.

These pages provide further information about the Google Dance and
"tools" that can be used to see whether the current Dance is complete:

The Google Dance
http://dance.efactory.de/

Google Dance Explained
http://www.webrankinfo.com/english/pagerank/update.php

What is the Google Dance?
http://www.google-dance-tool.com/what_is_google_dance.html

---l

Thank you for your patience, Graham.  

The most recent Google Dance has ended. Now we can take an objective
look at what's happened to the Google search engine results. Your site
first appears in position #36 for the terms: union jack or "union
jack".

After looking at many, many different sites that lost some degree of
ranking during this latest update, it appears that commercial and
eCommerce sites have been hardest hit, and have seen their rankings
move downward. As with any retail business, the solution is adapting
as quickly as possible to the new conditions.

Google's goal, as always with these updates, is to present the best
possible results for the searcher, not necessarily for the sites
listed in the database. This is done via an automated ranking
algorithm -- Google has not targeted -your- site personally.

Beyond the general "what's happening" let's now take a look at Union
Jack Wear, and see what can be done to sort things out.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Domain Names
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I notice three different variations on the domain name in use. If this
is confusing to me as a human user, imagine its effect on the more
literal minded search engine robot. They're "taught" to see a shop as
a domain. Spreading out the products over several domains will dilute
the importance of the main one. Use www.unionjackwear.co.uk as the
subdomain of www.gwcc.uk.com/. I should never see
http://www.unionjackwear.bucks.net/ in the location bar. Use your
.htaccess file to redirect all pages to display your main url,
www.unionjackwear.co.uk.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Links
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tie your site together with internal linking to your home page. Every
page should probably have at least two links to your home page (again,
http://www.unionjackwear.co.uk), each labeled "Home". Not only does
this help your visitors navigate the site, this strategy also helps
concentrate PageRank in your homepage, which in turn will return
higher ranking in the search for the general terms: union jack.


----------------------------------------------------------------------Keyword
Density
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Though the standards seem to have moved a bit over the course of this
update, the following rules of thumb for keyword or keyphrase
deployment are still valid. Post-Florida update, we're now seeing that
the use of keywords and key phrases in the text portion of your
content is given greater weight than when used in link text.

Use keywords/keyphrase:

Once in the Title
Once in the URL or filename
Once in the Description
Once in <H1>
Once high in the page text
Additionally, 5-20% keyword density of the entire text of the page.

The archive collection of RankWrite.com can help you learn the
techniques of writing pursuasive sales copy that is also search engine
friendly.

RankWrite Archives
http://www.highrankings.com/archives/archives.htm


----------------------------------------------------------------------
The New Order
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The most important factor is now -how useful- your site/pages are
perceived to be to your users. Human usable content is weighted much
more heavily than anything done specifically for the search engines.

These items include:

-- Links from -independent- sites in related areas with equal or
   higher PageRank than your own.

-- Content, content, content. And more content. Structure your site
   around your visitors, and you can't go wrong. As search engines
   get smarter, this -is- the only long term solution to good rank
   survival. The search engines are moving toward identification of
   sites that are supremely useful/helpful to their visitors. Add 
   new, helpful content daily, whether it's a new item for purchase,
   or a better item description, or a modification that makes it
   easier for visitors to navigate through your site. Just as you
   might spend an hour a day on display and maintenance in a bricks
   'n mortar storefront, devote an hour a day to website improvement.

-- Make it stylish, but simple! The Google Webmaster Guidelines
   advise that you should take a look at your site using Lynx or
   other text based browser. It should be clear and easy to navigate
   and use without graphics. Fast loading is still the best strategy.

   Lynx Text-based Browser
   http://lynx.browser.org/

   Google Information for Webmasters
   ://www.google.com/webmasters/


Further Resources
----------------------------------------------------------------------

High Rankings Advisor
http://www.highrankings.com/advisor.htm

Google News at WebmasterWorld
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/

WebmasterWorld Google Threads with .co.uk Applicability
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/20048.htm
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum7/952.htm

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Should you have any questions about the material or links provided,
please, feel free to ask.

---larre


Answer Strategy
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal bookmarks
SEO knowledge and experience