Google PageRank downgrade and the curse of the 666
October 25, 2007
Is Google evil?
At the same time Google (GOOG)’s stock price eerily struck the $666.66 level (see screenshot), webmasters and blog publishers are abuzz with the recent PageRank update, where several popular sites were apparently slapped by Google with a PR downgrade.
PageRank or PR is Google’s own algorithm that analyzes link structure to indicate the value of an individual page. A higher PR generally means that a page is more “important” relative to other pages with lower PR.
The recent PR update showed that a lot of sites, mostly popular ones, were penalized with a -2 PageRank reduction.
Read more to see a list of local and international sites that got a PR downgrade and discover for yourself what might be its cause.
Of immortality, keyword stuffing, and Google search results
August 2, 2007
Has Google found a threatening nemesis to world domination to the point that it would not let the website of one guy appear in any of its search results?
That's what Alex Chiu, owner of a site that sells products believed to "allow humans to stay physically young forever," wants us to believe. Chiu's eponymous site — www.alexchiu.com — is currently "banned" in Google, which means, the site does not appear in any of Google's SERPs or search engine results pages.
Survey of SEO experts on Google SERPs and site ranking
April 8, 2007
Search engine optimization (SEO) company SEOmoz.org recently released the follow-up to its first series on "Search Engine Ranking Factors" initially published on August 2005. The new report, dubbed Search Engine Ranking Factors Version 2, documented the opinion of 37 recognized leaders in organic search engine optimization. The report included a survey of these SEO all-stars on their thoughts about sites' ranking in Google's SERP or search engine results pages.
Their answers to the survey questions after the jump.
Google’s MentalPlex, Romance, TiSP and other April Fool’s jokes
April 2, 2007
Don't tell me you fell for PMT's own April Fool's joke? LOL.
It's ok. Even Google has punked a lot of people worldwide, thanks to their annually hilarious April Fool's hoaxes. Here's a rundown of Google's April Fool's jokes.
2007
Google TiSP - a free broadband service that would make use of a standard toilet and sewage lines to provide free Internet connectivity.
Pimp your Google!
March 21, 2007
Tired of the dull, all-white Google search homepage? Then pimp your Google!
A few hours ago, Google added "Themes" to personalized homepages, enabling users to adopt a theme for their own pages. Look, the themes also change depending on your location!
Wanna try it yourself? Log on to your "Personalized Home" in Google and click the "Select Theme" link at the upper-right corner.
Screenshots of Google's new colored themes after the jump.
Google and the mystery of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
January 23, 2007
Google is weird and funny at the same time.
For a long time now, webmasters have accepted the fact that Google's search engine logarithms are so well-guarded no one can exactly figure out how or where a site can land in Google's SERP (search engine results page). There are explanations and hunches everywhere, but no one is sure if it's really about PageRank, site traffic, inbound links, or something else.
For one, it is weird that PinoyMoneyTalk.com (PMT) ranks 9th in the Google.com SERP for the keyword sex pinoys (results differ depending on the Google server you are using; in Google.com.ph, the site ranks 14th).
PMT is definitely not an authority in the subject, although an article was previously published about more Pinoys looking for sex than money — in Google search. Still, that's just one article among several hundred investing- and money-related articles in the site, and it wasn't even as explicit as the title suggests.
Pugad.com, search result #15, deserves to be in that position more especially since they stuffed their pages with keywords such as "sex, filipina nude, filipina sex, pinoy joke, nude filipina, philippine girl, philippine sex, philippine chat" — which, by the way, is a direct violation of Google's Webmaster Guidelines, so expect this site to be banned in Google anytime soon.
I am also ready to yield the slot to search result #16, Tigasin.com. Judging by its domain name, there is no doubt the site is more relevant to the "sex pinoys" keyword than PMT.
Pinoy Money Talk (PMT) and “Ituloy AngSulong”
December 20, 2006
Just FYI, PMT is not competing and does not intend to compete in the Php300,000 Ituloy AngSulong contest. We are not submitting this site as an entry and are not planning to meet the contest requirements (i.e., sponsor linkbacks, etc.).
The use of the phrase “Ituloy AngSulong” as a category title is actually a search engine optimization (SEO) experiment on how high (or low) this site will rank in search engines without actively optimizing the site for that keyword and through mere posting of articles that contain that phrase.
With only one article in the PMT Blog that mentions “Ituloy AngSulong”, PinoyMoneyTalk.com was able to reach the 99th rank in Google.com before falling back to the x-hundredth place. We’ll see whether the ranking will improve now that this second “Ituloy AngSulong” article has been published.
Google Custom Search: My search, my results
December 19, 2006
Wouldn't it be great to use a search engine that shows results tailored to what you want and what you need? Something customizable to fit your site but still powerful enough to give relevant results? And wouldn't it be awesome to earn money from the search results?
The good news is Google's Custom Search Engine (CSE) is exactly that. In October this year, Google launched CSE that lets site owners and members use a customized Google-powered search engine that prioritizes or restricts results based on what they want.
Think Google Search and digg combined. Site owners can invite their friends and trusted members of the community to add to and help build the search engine. Search results are then based on what these people find relevant.
Read more
Search Engine Pessimization (SEP) aka How NOT to get indexed by search engines
December 8, 2006
Pessimal: adj.
[Latin-based antonym for optimal] Maximally bad. Example: "This is a pessimal situation."
Also pessimize vt., To make as bad as possible.
* * * * * * * * * *
Search Engine Pessimization (SEP) vs Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
It was amusing to read an article in the HYIPDiscussion newsletter regarding ways for a site NOT to be indexed by search engines. In a time when most webmasters would kill for anything that would make search engine bots regularly and immediately spider their site, there probably are very, very few webmasters who would wish search engine spiders don't visit their site.
Without a doubt this would include HYIP or autosurf sites whose admins know that sooner or later the program will inevitably end up as scam. So in order to get rid of the program's "online track", these admins would prefer that their sites don't end up as a search engine result page (SERP) in Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. (Of course, when the program is still fluorishing they'd prefer that people find their program in whatever way possible; but once the program has collapsed they'd prefer that their personal information, IP adds, email adds, etc. associated with the site do not appear as a search result.)
The Php300,000 “Ituloy AngSulong” search engine optimization contest
November 3, 2006
If you have a website, decent traffic, and basic knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO), join the Ituloy AngSulong contest and win cash and other prizes. The Php300,000 "Ituloy AngSulong" SEO contest is a project of SEOPhilippines, an organization dedicated to the growth of the search marketing industry in the country.
Contest Mechanics
Optimize your website to rank high in the search results of Google (www.google.com), Yahoo (http://search.yahoo.com) and MSN (http://search.msn.com) for the contest keyword "Ituloy AngSulong." Contest starts October 28, 2006 8:00 PM and ends February 23, 2007 8:00 PM. You need to register in www.macalua.com/2006/10/29/philippine-seo-contest/ in order to be eligible to win.
Contest Prizes
Triple Jackpot Prize
- Php60,000 for the site entry with the highest cumulative rank
- Php35,000 for the site entry with the second highest cumulative rank
- Php15,000 for the site entry with the third highest cumulative rank
Consolation Prizes
- Best in Design Award - A final winner will be selected from a pre-selected list of three finalists via on-the-spot poll during the awarding ceremonies. Awardee receives Php10,000.
- Google Bonus Prize - Php1,000 each for sites ranked 11th to 40th in Google
Ituloy AngSulong and help advance the Philippine internet marketing industry.
[tags]ituloy angsulong, seo philippines, search engine optimization, seo contest[/tags]
