Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Apple Computer's SEO ranking - funny story

For years SEO experts including myself have used the keyword computers as an example when teaching classes about search engine optimization. Apple's title tag was just Apple and they were # 1 on Google for the keyword computers.

This is an example to use to show how powerful text links and PageRank are. Not having the keyword in the title tag and still being #1 for such a competive keyword. Then about 6-12 months ago I saw Apple drop down to #2 or #3.

Meanwhile Google has been adding multiple title tags for web sites in their search engine. They do this for HTPcompany.com also. I can find our true title tag showing in the Google index sometimes and the one Google assigned us for other searches. Now Google is doing the same thing for Apple. Search for computers on Google to see what I mean. So now Apple is #1 for computers on a Google search.

The funny part to me is that when you search for computers and click on the first listing (Apple), you do not see anything about computers, it is all about selling you an ipod.

It seems like Google should also question why is our #1 listing for computers, not about computers, however it is all about selling you an ipod :) .

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Can one link still make your site a PR9 ?

Google is currently doing a PageRank (PR) update. I found some very interesting data from this current PR update. Google has blocked so many web sites from passing on link juice (see post below); that I wondered if it would even be possible to get a PR10 or PR9 link that even worked today.

First there are not many PR9 or PR10 sites. Most of which would not give out any links to anyone. E.g. try to get a link on www.msn.com ...etc.

Then there are all the high PR blocked sites like counter sites, weather sites, newspaper sites, television sites, etc. that have been blocked from working by Google for years. Look at www.webstat.com as an example of a site that has been blocked for years. If you see the 20 footer links at the bottom, you see just how many people do not know what they are doing and are just wasting their money buying worthless text links.

Back to the title question - Can one link still make your site a PR9 ?

Yes.

I have seen people purchase ads on a web designer site in the past and I track thousands of sites long term to see how they are doing. This site just went from a PR7 to a PR9. Extremely unusual and rare today. So I studied the sites backlinks and found a PR10 site linking to this web designer site making it a PR9 and 5 other sites a PR9. Wow, a PR10 link that works. Now we will track it and see how long it works. We also noticed one of the newly created PR9 sites can also pass PR and make a sponsored office products and photocopier sites PR8 home pages. Finding this is to an SEO, is like an archeologist finding a rare fossil, a true feeling of excitement.

Now we will track and report back to you about how this plays out. The PR9 site is for sale if anyone is interested let me know. The site was a PR7 site until this recent update and it is a nice site with thousands of natural links, not just the PR10 link.