What Google is REALLY looking for - and why we often look so foolish
I hear so much about SEO, backlinking, and on and on ...
Do these tips bring in the money? Yes. Are they necessary? Maybe not ...
First off, we need to understand how Google works. When some person in Kansas Googles something, Google wants the best match to pop up in the top five. That's why they rank pages.
Now, if we want to be in the top five, we need to write an article that will be seen as one of the top articles for content on this subject.
And why does Google want this? Because they profit from advertising and advertisers want their ads on those top pages - and are willing to pay top dollar for this.
Of course, some keywords pay more than others, which is why our focus should be on those keywords people Google the most and the ones advertisers are willing to pay for.
As such, keyword research should be at the top of any hubbers list who wants to make money with hubpages.
Number two is the content. I know ... I know ... I have seen so many SEOs say that content doesn't matter. It's all about backlinks and keyword density. If you want to get to the top of the first page, their right. If you want to stay on the first page, they're dead wrong.
The reason is simple. Google's algorithms are designed to sniff out poor content and will in time devalue pages written poorly. Of course, you could produce more backlinks to counter this, but it's better to write more articles than constantly backlink the poorly written ones. In Google's eyes, content is everything, and great content will always bubble to the top.
To prove my point, I wrote a hub and used NONE (that's right - NONE) of the SEO tricks. Currently, I'm watching it bubble up the ladder and it has already made page 2.
My secret? I picked a topic of high interest, wrote my heart out about it, and now I am seeing the proceeds beginning to dribble in ... and as they say in SEO, a small profit grows bigger over time.
So, for those who want to write gimpy articles in the hopes that content doesn't matter, I say this ... I luvs ya ... as you're a whole lot easier to step over in the Google rankings than those who are pushing out the high-quality material.
And I want to note ... this is not an anti-SEO rant, as there are many SEOs out there who combine quality with SEO methods. I salute them for their efforts, and their filled pockets are a testament to their hard work.
Instead, I point this at those who would chose to think quality doesn't matter, then complain later when the money never comes rolling in.
So, this rant is to tell everyone that there are no silver dollars unless you write well. Just like when you write short stories, you get paid well only when you publish quality stories.
And for the inevitable few that will say they have been publishing articles of 'less than stellar' quality for years and been making good money off of it, take a look again at what you wrote ... You'll find that you write far better than the average hack and research your articles very quickly. As such, telling others content doesn't matter is a ruse, as your articles are loaded with good content, and you've conditioned yourselves to believe it doesn't matter.
Think I'm wrong? I challenge any hubber to make a profit from a severely poorly written article - you pick the subject. Then, use any SEO method you want - (white hat or black hat) and see where it goes.
Content really does matter. You already know this, or you wouldn't be profiting from what you have already written. You say it doesn't matter because you look down upon your own writing abilities (as many writers do); because you want to believe it doesn't matter, so anyone can do it; or because you want to make everyone believe they can do it, so they see you as a guru.
So, the Reader's Digest version:
Look up good keywords, publish great content that's relative, and wait several weeks for your traffic to pick up.
- Ghost32posted 14 years ago
0 It's always good to practice seo , no arguments here. I'm sooooo glad we can always adjust
lolWe're not allowed to place links in the forums, but you can google 'review for the LG enV Touch' without the quotes. If you google it *with* the quotes I'm number one on the page, but that's an unfair assessment, as googlers don't tend to do this. It's currently on the top of page 3 (I just checked) but it seems to be dancing between the bottom of page 2 and the top of page 3. Given time, it will rise higher.
Also, it's a review on the LG enV Touch, so it's easy to find in my profile if you want to look at it there.
The hub is existed for only about a month and I can't wait to see how it does three months from now.
I also just wrote a Windows 7 hub last night (using the same techniques) and I'm interested in seeing how it does.
One thing I forgot to mention ... and perhaps I should have ... I do place some of my articles in Digg, but I don't see much response from there. Why do I do this? Only because it helps me get indexed by Google quicker.
This is an excellent tip for users looking to get indexed quicker, but use it with caution, for if you spam Digg or categorize your article in the wrong place you might get it buried, which tends to have the opposite effect of what you are looking for.
And Mark is absolutely correct ... Some big money makers won't make you squat and you won't rise to the top of all lists.
This is the reason you need to write a lot of hubs over time to insure income. Some will be money makers and some will be duds. However, you'll know a money maker when you find one, and writing great content around keywords that pay well and have lots of hits set you on the proper path.
Actually, Google penalizes people for keyword stuffing nowadays - heavily. However, if one is careful they can rise a bit more by repeating their keyword, so long as they don't overstuff their hub. Google wants a density as low as 1% but will often accept up to 3%.
Also, Google uses page bounce as a decider on who pushes upwards. If you have a lot of people bouncing out of your page right away, it will rank lower - and on the converse - it will rise if people stay on your page longer.
Again, the key to understanding Google ranking is understanding their mission ... to put the pages on top most likely to fulfill what one wants to seek. As such, SEOs try to fiddle with the methodology to bump themselves on top and Google keeps finding ways to push them back down.
All-in-all, Google wants the readers to decide who is on top, though this is often a tricky bag all and in itself.
Also, I don't write pages with a certain keyword i nmind. I hit on several keywords in my hubs, keeping a mixture so I can get hits on different phrases. Most of my hits (finally) are outside hits, so the hubs are definitely visual in searches ... but I also understand that the top of page one gives a person the best chance at being clicked upon.
Still, this page was down many pages when I first ranked it - let's see if it grows legs and makes it to page one in the next month without any tampering. It will never make top, as the competition is really tough up there (high PRs) but I can see where it might squeeze in towards the bottom of page 1.I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. It's poised above a PR4 page and has a keyword density of ... .001%
So, does keyword density count? Maybe if you want to be on top of the heap, but evidently not to get on page one, nor does content seem to count.
No wonder we all go crazy figuring it all out!
Sunforged ... Understand that my very first statement was as follows ...
"I hear so much about SEO, backlinking, and on and on ...
Do these tips bring in the money? Yes. Are they necessary? Maybe not ..."
Analyzing what I said ... I DO say that SEO techniques bring in money. I can't argue with the fact that many SEOs are profiting. To do so would be to turn a blind eye.
What I am relating is that a person can still make a profit without doing anything more than writing well-researched articles.
I also related what Google is looking for at the top of the page ... articles that answer reader's searches ... and that's definitely the Google mission as that's what keeps people going to Google more than other searches.
What I do have a problem with is spammers that just throw keywords all over pages and have no real content ... and no ... I don't currently see that happening here ... especially from the SEOs, as they already know such black hat techniques will bubble you to the top and then bury you permanently to the bottom when Google deindexes the page permanently.
So, while you might have perceived what I wrote as an attack on those using SEO techniques, I was in fact relating that a person without such expertise and knowledge could make extra money by writing well-researched and presented articles.
As for Mark's question ... Should he spend more time writing, researching keywords, or optimizing pages ... it all depends on the level of income you are looking for.
Those who just write well will find themselves with a moderate extra income, but not enough to make a living. For most here, that's the goal, as they aren't looking to quit their day jobs and become fulltime authors.
Those who research keywords will hit the target more and have a fair shake at bringing home a couple hundred a week.
Those who optimize their pages stand the chance to work at home, but optimization pays best when the author is writing good quality pages, researching keywords hard, and watching their keyword density so they aren't seen as a spammer.
For most, the optimization route is too much work for the free time they have available, and it's a great risk for one to quit their job to become a full timer, when there is no real promise it will happen for everyone.
Also, the keyword density quote comes from an article I read that spoke of upcoming changes in Google standards. To tell people they could go with a higher density when I know of the upcoming change would be irresponsible. And no, 3% is not a firm number yet ... it's what they are throwing around and I think it's a bit low. I hope they go with 5%.
Please understand that I have two months here on Hubpages, but plenty of time elsewhere. Having watched the different ages go by and sites burn down from PR6s to PR0s, I felt it necessary to throw out the caution signal here before seeing it happen all over again.
Check the PR for www.hubpages.com - it's a 6. Now, check the PR for www.squidoo.com - it doesn't rank anymore. That means lenses on Squidoo don't get that extra push anymore, which is why I beleive many SEOs have moved over to Hubpages (though that is pure speculation).
I never played in the Squidoo park, but I definitely enjoy the page rank here, and I do believe it gives hubs a push on the Google ladder. As such, you can understand why I have urged caution to keep this a good park for those looking to profit and those looking to become recognized for their writing.
I'm not here to attack anyone who is here to profit, as Hubpages is built with that purpose in mind. Instead, I am asking that those who know little about SEO and are practicing what they see use a bit of caution, so as not to accidentally tank the site.
As they say ... it's not the ones who play the game that are dangerous, but those who fail to learn all of the rules before participating.
And the reason I say that ... I see a lot of good advice given out here, but all out of order, with snippets here and snippets there. I think those who know SEO are already aware good content is important and good keyword research is highly important too - beyond that, it's all about pushing up the ladder.
However, I see so much talk about optimization that I failed to see anyone stressing the importance of these two issues, and I wanted to see that message given in a language all could understand.
To educate the masses is good ... to give them a few ideas and send them off into the rain is bad ... and no one is to fault for that, as everyone is trying to help one another, but some aren't remembering to focus on the things we all learned first and have long forgotten ... as they have become a part of us that we just accept.
So, again, I am not saying that SEO techniques don't work, that SEOs are evil, or that SEOs have it all wrong. Instead, I am offering the message that content and keyword research must come first, and if a person learns just that much, then they stand a good chance at starting to earn some decent adsense (oh, and they need to write more than just a few hubs, and they need to wait some time to have their hubs climb up the Google indexes).
Also, the example I offered was to show that a plain vanilla page can rise up, without using SEO techniques, not that it could become number one. I know it takes more to be number one, and one cannot teach that all in one forum posting. Instead, the best one can do is give everyone a first step in the right direction, which I believe I have aptly done. I simply wanted to show how much of a push Hubpages can give to a page, using no SEO techniques. Anything added from that point forward pushes the page upward.
So, I am not the enemy of the SEOs. I'm just one of those who hasn't progressed enough through the woods that I have forgotten where I entered, which I'm afraid makes me feel responsible for seeing to it the others are led safely through the trees.
Well to be frank ,I know Google are doing a helluva better than me with payouts
I made nothing yesterday
29c the day before. Chump change most days.
My keywords seem to be ok and the adverts good (cept for Scientolgy crap) but I changed catergories ,so that should help.
I just wish I could figure out the whole Google accounts thing ,how to understand it.
Why dont they have a 'Dummies for Google"
How to find where my topic is ranked or best topics to write about?
ThankyouPoint well made, Darkside. Keyword research definitely is an SEO trick and one of the first we learn (and tend to forget we are using once it becomes a part of our normal behavior).
On another note, anyone figured out Bing yet? From what I've seen they appear to be placing a heay weight on any page placed within the Microsoft network of websites (which is to be expected), but I can't confirm that yet.
Maybe we could create a (friendly) hub challenge to see who can rank high on Bing. I thought I had the cookie the other day, but got flustered when one of my test pages (outside of Hubpages) binged upward, wobbled, and then bonged back down within a day.
My theory is that understanding the mindset of what they deem important helps one advance their own goal of moving up toward the top.
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