Jordan Hardy

The Google Factory Tour was a very interesting event, covering everything from Google search, to health to maps. Some of the topics discussed:

• Search Innovation at Google
• Google Search Media Types
• Image Search by Google, Face Recognition on Advanced Search
• Google Maps and Earth
• Google Core Search Quality
• New Google Products
• Google Health, Privacy Policies
• Go for Good campaign with the Cleveland Clinic
• Walk for Good iGoogle Gadget

This is the slideshow of the event.

This is over 5 hours of an excellent video.

This is the Google factory tour page. 

This is the page about The Google Factory Tour on The Google Blog.

The Google Sandbox

The Google Sandbox Effect can apply to new Websites, Websites with frequent nameserver changes or Websites that have previously displayed spam. The Google Sandbox places a filter on Websites as if the Website is on probation, assigning keyword related URL rankings in Google on partial hold. Even strong sustained SEO cannot erase the sandbox effect. It can take a number of weeks up to a number of months to be removed from The Google Sandbox. I have heard of some Websites that had issues took more than a few months to get removed from the sandbox. Some Websites I have worked with have been included in Google within hours, others within days, once in a while I have seen Websites take weeks, and on very rare occasion I have seen a Website take more than a month.

New Websites generally get listed in Yahoo, MSN and many other search engines faster than Google due to The Google Sandbox Effect.

How to Get Removed From The Google Sandbox

To be removed from the sandbox and displayed with regular priority, a Website needs to prove itself. This is done by demonstrating that your site is genuine, growing and not engaging in spam practices. Good balanced SEO helps quite a bit.  Ensure after initially going live with an acceptable site that you have submitted your URL to Google and waited up to two months. To see if you have been indexed in Google, search site:yourwebsite.com.

What if Your Website is Still in the Google Sandbox and it Has Been Months

Do a Google Search with site:yourwebsite.com and ensure no URLs are indexed. If none are included and you submitted your URL up to two months ago, file a Google Reconsideration Request here: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35843

Can You Over SEO?

Yes.

If you cross the line of having SEO on your Website just to pack pages with search engine optimization, that can be an issue. Loading pages with keywords that are and are not particularly related to what is on your Website and those pages, can detract.

Ideally you code a Website clearly with SEO strategy  done to help search engines and people find everything. I feel it is important, as I have seen keyword stuffing done often, not to pack pages with lists of keywords everywhere possible. Things should not get to a point where they are not done intuitively.

In my opinion, it is necessary to use techniques prior to Search Engine Optimization to build a strong foundation to eventually rank a Website high on search engines.

Search engine optimization is never my first priority when working with a Website I want to rank a Website high on search engines. Above all of the huge growing number of useful SEO techniques, it is important to have a Website that is built for users first and search engines second. To build this kind of Website with a strong foundation for Search Engines, I recommend first building a Website for users:

• With a purpose.
• With a niche.
• With an audience.
• That is coded well.
• That is updated frequently.
• That evolves depending on what happens with user comments, metrics and competition.

With these items above mentioned, here are my Search Engine Optimization priorities. I feel the best online marketing categories to focus on for SEO are, in order of priority:

1. On Website Face Items
   When I say face, I mean items that are visible to users in their browser without viewing source code. This includes Website UI / architecture, branding, design, congent, updates, new rollouts and SEO items.
2. On Website Coding Items
   Code well for fast loading pages and strategy for search engines.
3. Off Website Items
   These include links, articles, pages and reviews linking in to your Website from other Websites.

About Jordan Hardy.