Getting in Google Index, in Just Days

From Re-launch to Google Index in less than 7 days!

How I moved existing content to a new url - and lived to tell about it.

I like to think I have a fairly common sense approach to SEO. I believe in creating websites for the search-er, not the search-e(ngine). I try to implement proven, tried-and-true White Hat techniques, and I don’t try to game the system. I consider myself more of an ongoing ‘student’ of SEO rather than an ‘expert’ as it were, and I believe my prices reflect this philosophy. However - I must be doing something right - to date I have had good success in achieving positive search results for the sites utilizing my services.

Most recently, I completed a project for a long-time client which involved relocating existing content from one url to another (can you say Duplicate Content), and so far there have been prompt, positive effects to the new url, and no ill effects to the old one. Here’s a quick look at some of the things I did. Remember, this is just what I did - your approach may vary.

Start with a New-ish Design.

I knew from the start that - rightly or not - there could be some duplicate content issues to contend with. I could have forgone the design side entirely and simply copied the original with minimal fuss, but the client also had new graphics to be used. So the first logical step was a new design. But not too new mind you. This was existing content after all, and I felt that some familiarity was required to address the needs and expectations of regular returning visitors.

Keep website Search-ability in mind.

Now was not the time to go out on a limb. I tried to make use of proven best Search Optimization practices and apply appropriate search engine rules and guidelines. This did not happen overnight - it was a process of analyzing, editing, and tweaking for readability and search-ability throughout the life of the project.

Purposeful Page Titles and Friendly File Names.

Browsers display page titles to viewers, and search engines use page titles in a variety of ways. It makes sense to develop meaningful title verbiage that serves a purpose for both the reader and the search engine. For this site, a reverse breadcrumb effect was used, which proves to be effective, coordinating with the file names and page content.

Another one of the most ’missed’ search optimization opportunities is file names. Some of this can still be be attributed to CMS systems and Blog applications - some may still fall short in this area - but progress is being made. Ideally, file names should reflect their topic and/or content, and use hyphens instead of underscores.

No-nonsense Navigation Text

The text a website uses for navigation deserves more than a cursory glance, and this one was no different. I do still see sites using the standard ‘Products’, ‘Services’ etc., but in most cases this is just too general to be of any value. Navigation text should be brief, but should also be descriptive enough to be clearly understood by the sites viewers.

Appropriate ALT, Heading, and Link Text

Including IMG ALT text has long been a recommended practice for cross-browser usability which was utilized for this site wherever possible. Appropriately used image Alt text can contain descriptive verbiage, keywords, even common keyword misspellings. But take care - keyword stuffing is still a ‘punishable’ offense which could be penalized by search engines.

Heading and Link text also offer search engine optimization opportunities when used effectively. While the H1 heading is the only one of any importance to search engines - headings should still be descriptive, and used in logical sequence on a page. And as with other sites I manage, this site strives to use meaningful, relevant link text - you won’t find many links that say ‘Click Here’

Tell Search Bots Where to Go

Or where NOT to go, as is the case with this website. I firmly believe in telling search engine crawlers, spiders and bots where to go - nicely of course. ;) I do this with a Robots.txt file. Technically you don’t NEED one, but a robots.txt file is THE first thing a search bot or spider looks for when crawling a url. To me it just makes sense to use this tool.

Duplicate Content. Duplicate Content.

Per Google instructions, I used 301 redirects and the URL Removal tool as applicable. Since some of the new urls content came from now deleted pages on the old url - it was important to implement 301’s and removal requests appropriately - lest one or both urls get the much talked about ‘Duplicate Content’ treatment.

Map the Site in .xml.

This site has just a single sitemap.xml file at present. It’s small enough that there is no need to use a sitemapindex file yet, as I often do with larger websites that I have worked on. I started using xml Sitemaps earlier than some, and soon began creating sitemaps by default for every website I worked on. Granted, this was a bit of a chore at first - with multiple protocols and no real standard. Now, all the major engines support the same Sitemaps.org protocol and it’s much more convenient.

These were just some high points. There’s lots of other details, and other search engines of course, but perhaps this is of some use.

--DLPerry
www.dlperry.com
Website Design, Maintenance, SEO, Software