Google Gets Revealed During Latest Q&A Session

A group of Google employees, including blogger Matt Cutts, sat down on October 22nd in a live chat and fielded questions from some Google users. There were many highlights of the Q&A session, most notably:

- Rank checking software doesn't make much sense anymore (not to mention that they're against our Terms of Service and could result in us blocking your IP address). We use a lot of personalization and geotargeting in our search results - so what ranks high for one user might not rank high for others.

- That being said, Google might be considering releasing its own rank checking software to eliminate all the automated applications such as WebCeO and AdvancedWebRanking)

- On a question of mass article marketing... If you're thinking of boosting your reputation and getting to be well-known, I might not start as the very first thing with an article directory. Sometimes it's nice to get to be known a little better before jumping in and submitting a ton of articles as the first thing.

- None of the search engines penalize duplicate content -- they just ignore the duplicates.

Below are some questions and answers that stood out to me and I have added my own commentary underneath.

What weight does the age of a site and the amount of time a domain is registered for have on it's search placement?

Matt Cutts says: In the majority of cases, it actually doesn't matter--we want to return the best information, not just the oldest information. Especially if you're a mom/pop site, we try to find ways to rank your site even if your site is newer or doesn't have many links. I think it is fair for Google to use that as a signal in some circumstances, and I try never to rule a signal out completely, but I wouldn't obsess about it.

Verdict: The Google algorithm takes domain/web site age into consideration along with hundreds of other factors.

Recently, you removed this suggestion: "Submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open Directory Project and Yahoo!" from your guidelines. Is there any chance that you will be discounting these kinds of links for ranking value in future?

Matt Cutts says: There's always the chance that we'll discount directory links in the future. What we were seeing was quite a few novice people would see the "directory" recommendation and go out and just try to submit to a ton of directories, even if some of the directories were lower-quality or even fly-by-night directories that weren't great for users. Right now we haven't changed how we're weighting directory links--we've only removed the directory suggestion from the webmaster guidelines.

Verdict: Continue to submit to high quality directories (I can't stress the 'quality' enough). Nothing's changed with how Google ranks sites regarding directory backlinks.

Since Google is against using ranking software (ie:WebCeO) to monitor SERP rankings, is there any plans on Google creating an approved, in-house rank check application that webmasters can use?

Matt Cutts says: It's something that we've talked about. My concern is that sometimes people get too worried with paying attention to their "trophy phrase" and want to rank for that even if that's not the best phrase for them, or concentrating on one phrase to the exclusion of all the other stuff they rank for isn't the best idea. I think paying attention to server logs or analytics data gets you a really nice array of keywords that are practical to work on. But this is feedback that we've heard, and personally I think it would be nice if we offered this for some reasonable size of keywords.

Verdict: Very cool. Even though Matt's right in that visitor data and conversions count for far more than rankings, clients continue to swoon over where they show up for keywords. Software straight from Google would be a welcomed sight.

Are .gov and .edu back links still considered more "link juice" than the common back link?

Matt Cutts says: This is a common misconception--you don't get any PageRank boost from having an .edu link or .gov link automatically. If you get an .edu link and no one is linking to that .edu page, you're not going to get any PageRank at all because that .edu page doesn't have any PageRank.

Verdict: Makes sense. There are .edu or .gov sites that don't have much authority or value so why should they count for more than a .com on TLD alone?

Recently went through a rebranding of our company name. The old domain name was successful in page ranking, however the new domain name has terrible page ranking. Do 301 redirects transfer the site equity from the old domain to new domain?

Answer: This is a pretty common question, so we actually did a blog post about it recently. In short, 301's are the best way to retain users and search engine traffic when moving domains.

Verdict: For instructions on how to implement 301 redirects in multiple programming languages, visit our SEO tools section at the FreshPromo web site.

Some blackhat linked to my blog from 300+ adult splogs as revenge for calling him out. My blog had #1 ranking for it's keywords, now it is on the second page at best. Can mass amounts of links from "bad neighborhoods" cause a drop in site ranking?

Nathan J says: We work hard to make sure a site can't have a negative effect on another site. Feel free to report spam if you think you find some - https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/spamreport

Verdict: Yikes. If it's true that the site in question did nothing on its own then this is a real shame to see ranking sabotage still working on Google.

Any chance of Google favouring sites with valid markup anytime soon? On the principle that if the webmaster has taken the trouble to write valid markup, it's less likely to be a spammy site?

JohnMu says: Since less than 5% of the pages out there actually validate according to study done by Opera, it wouldn't make much sense for us to give the other 95% of the pages any trouble. You can find the study at http://dev.opera.com/articles/view/mama-markup-validation-report/

Verdict: This makes sense, as most validation errors don't even result in a difference of what the user sees on a web page. When invalid markup does hurt, however, is when it results in search engine robots not being able to follow links or index content.

Given, the incoming links are intact and there is no link buying/selling. Can there be any other reason for a drop in Page Rank?

JohnMu says: Assuming the number of links stays the same, it's always possible that some links change with regards to the way they pass PageRank.

Verdict: Wow, how ambiguous was that answer! Let me translate: Can there be another reason for PR drop? Yes. Nothing happens in Google without a reason. My best guess in this specific situation is that the links that link to the direct incoming links to your site have changed (ie. Site A is linked to from Site B; Site B is linked to from Site C, and so forth). Of course the impact is diluted as you move back each link level, but just think of it as a family tree -- how many generations (ie. links) came before you? They all, indirectly, have an impact on how your PageRank is calculated.

How does Google view content that is placed in divs that are hidden/display none until a user does something? These are also good places to stuff SEO content that a user may never see. What is best practise from Google's point of view?

Wysz says: I've addressed this question in the Google Webmaster Help Group here: http://groups.google.com/group/Google_Webmaster_Help-Indexing/browse_thread/thread/b2d09046ab4d5ed/And here: http://groups.google.com/group/Google_Webmaster_Help-Indexing/browse_thread/thread/5d31cc395fe20b64/What is boils down to is intent: If it's there for the user, you're probably safe. If you're trying to deceive search engines... that's risky. :)

I have reported sites that clearly have paid links (e.g. the backlink page says "Advertising" above the link), but Google does not seem to take action. Why would that be the case? These are .orgs who are clearly selling their .org juice.

Kaspar aka Guglarz says: While paid links and spam reports are being taken very seriously by Google, the results may not be seen immediately for users or even not at all. This does not mean no action is being taken on the offending sites. Also, the TLD of the sites should not be a factor being taken into account. For this reason reporting both, web spam and PageRank passing link selling makes sense and contributes in an important way to the quality of Google's index.

Verdict: I wonder under what circumstances the results from reporting paid links "would not be seen at all"... the only scenario I can think of is if two sites pay for advertising on each other. Would that be considered a link exchange, albeit with money exchanging hands?

How many times a year do you update a site PageRanking?

Matt Cutts says: PageRank is re-computed all the time (different PageRanks every day). But we update the toolbar PageRank 3-4 times/year.

About IP addresses, you always used to hear that you don't want to share because you could get punished if you share with a bad site. I'm guessing that's not a concern anymore -- true or false?

JohnMu says: You're right, I wouldn't worry about that anymore. The situations where it would matter are when the server is overloaded (can't respond to your visitors) and when it's incorrectly configured (not returning your site to your visitors).

Verdict: Makes sense. Not everyone can afford dedicated hosting so it wouldn't make sense to penalize those sites who have the misfortune of being hosted on the same IP as spammers.

Is it true that the fewer the links FROM your website, the more influence they have on the sites receiving those links?

JohnMu says: PageRank is split up over the links from a page, but I would recommend not concentrating on this (as you won't be able to "measure" and act upon it anyway) and instead making your site as usable as possible for your visitors.

Verdict: If you wish to pass more PageRank from your own site to another, the fewer external links you have, the better. Your site holds a maximum amount of PageRank at any one time and outbound PageRank is divided amongst all your external links.

John Metzler has held executive positions in the search engine marketing industry since 2001. He is the Founder of FreshPromo, a Toronto-based SEO firm and updates his blog regularly.

Google Now Indexing Image Text

Google is now indexing scanned documents in search results. In other words if you scan a page of text , save it as a jpg or gif image and post it to the web, it will be treated like an actual page of text rather than an image. In a post on the Official Google Blog, Product Manager Erin Levey reveals a little bit on what Google's doing:

"In the past, scanned documents were rarely included in search results as we couldn't be sure of their content. We had occasional clues from references to the document-- so you might get a search result with a title but no snippet highlighting your query. Today, that changes. We are now able to perform OCR on any scanned documents that we find stored in Adobe's PDF format. This Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology lets us convert a picture (of a thousand words) into a thousand words -- words that can be searched and indexed, so that these valuable documents are more easily found. This is a small but important step forward in our mission of making all the world's information accessible and useful.

While we've indexed documents saved as PDFs for some time now, scanned documents are a lot more difficult for a computer to read. Scanning is the reverse of printing. Printing turns digital words into text on paper, while scanning makes a digital picture of the physical paper (and text) so you can store and view it on a computer. The scanned picture of the text is not quite the same as the original digital words, however -- it is a picture of the printed words. Often you can see telltale signs: the ring of a coffee cup, ink smudges, or even fold creases in the pages".

This information could save a lot of time spent re-tying documents for web pages. A scanned document on your website can now be optimised for the search engines in the same way as any other website text would be.

For further information with regards to seo and internet marketing

How to Get Satellite TV on Your PC - Need to Know Before Checking Reviews

Want to know how to get "Satellite TV on your PC"? The process is very simple but the choosing of which service to go with can be difficult. I have been with several different satellite tv for pc services and filtered through them for you, leaving only the top two. Before you check out my review link at the bottom it is important that you know what you are looking for in a service.

You want value.
How many channels are you getting for the money and how good is the quality?

You want reliability.
A service that doesn't go down every other day. Something you can count on being there day after day 24/7.

You want extras.
By extras I mean channels that are not typically provided by these services. Both that I have reviewed are very good in this area.

What do you need to get Satellite TV on your PC?
All you need is an internet connection and basic computer knowledge. Since you were capable of finding this page you have sufficient computer knowledge.

Satellite tv for the pc is the future of television viewing. There are no recurring fees and the quality is excellent. All you need is a good video card and an hdmi cable for your computer and you can hook up your computers streaming channels to any television. This can save you around 500 dollars a year!

Why do you need Satellite TV on Your PC?
Satellite TV on your laptop is great for people on the go. If you purchase a satellite card for your laptop with a provider such as Verizon you can access unlimited internet anywhere. If you would rather keep it in places that have internet provided you can save money. This is really the best option for people who like versatility with what they watch and when they watch it. You can be anywhere in the world and still watch your shows with Satellite TV for the PC

So since you wanted to see a PC Satellite TV Review, just view my page below. I have compared two of the best services. Good luck with your search and I hope I helped you decide which service is right for you

Click Here to check out my Satellite Tv For Pc Reviews

Ryan Rigney is a tech enthusiast that love writing, reading and learning anything the internet has to offer. He has written a review page for Satellite TV on the PC products which is located here

Useful Tips For American Idol Auditions

The Fox networks television show is an American version of the U.K. show called Pop Idol. American Idol is produced by Ken Warwick and Simon Fuller, the very same U.K. producers of Pop Idol. The American Idol TV show made its U.S. debut on June 11, 2002. The shows first television season was enthusiastically received by record television viewers from across America. By way of doing a nationwide search for talented singers, the TV show aims to discover the best unknown singing talent in the country. The contestants are selected from the American Idol auditions which are usually held in six to seven U.S. cities every season.

From American Idol Auditions To The Finals
During these tryouts, the contestants are culled from thousands of singers into a few hundred. The judges will whittle down the remaining contestants even further still during the Hollywood round. In the end, from the thousands of hopeful singers who signed up for the tryouts with dreams of being acclaimed the American Idol winner, only 24 contestants, 12 males and 12 females, go to the semifinals.

The survivors of the semifinal round, 12 contestants in all, will then go on to give it their all in the final round. To make it all the way from the tryouts into the final round takes a great deal of talent. In the final rounds, one singer will be eliminated from the bottom three contestants each week until the final episode of the season where there are only two singers remaining from which the winner and runner up are then selected. Too bad the name is already being used by another popular TV show because it should be more aptly named "Survivor".

What It Takes To Become An American Idol Winner
Getting a break on the TV show is what many novice singers can only dream about. They hope that some day the results will have their name as the winner. After seeing the successful careers of past contestants, many singers are also trying very hard to get a tryout. While some contestants fail and some come out on top, we need to realize that there can be only winner at the end of each season and not every singer performing on the show can wear the crown. Singing talent alone is not enough to make you a winner. A beautiful voice may get you through the American Idol auditions, but you also need to have a special personality to have a chance at winning the competition. I is important to have the rhythm and command over different tunes in addition to having a beautiful singing voice. Knowing how to dance along with your singing is a talent that is sure to give you a huge advantage over other competitors who can't dance a lick.

The American Idol Official Website
If you are planning to tryout for an American Idol audition you need to be prepared. It's a good idea to head over to Fox television's official American Idol website and read and memorize all of the helpful information provided there. You will find plenty of frequently asked questions and answers on their website. If you have any misconceptions about trying out for the auditions and/or competition, you can clear many of them up by reading the information provided. A couple of the eligibility requirements to get into the competition are: You should be a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. and You should be between the ages of 16 and 29.

Tips To Make You An American Idol Winner
Some helpful advice for aspiring contestants from previous winners of the TV show competition are:

1) It is imperative that you rehearse the songs you choose over and over again until you have got it perfect. Then, make sure you sing that same song in front of the judges with full confidence. If you do it right, you will capture their attention and imagination and leave them wanting to hear more form you.

2) You really need to put everything you can into the song you are singing.

3) You should feel the lyrics when you are singing a song. When you do it right, the expressions should show on your face.

4) Remember to focus all of your attention on getting though the audition or current round. Each time you make it into next round you have an extra chance to show your talent and you are that much closer to the crown.

5) Always treat the judges with respect. Be completely honest and truthful at all times.

6) American Idol judges often like contestants who dedicate songs to their family members and friends.

7) If you are asked about your role models, try to come up with at least two or three names. When you describe them, you need to fine tune your verbiage and if at all possible try to come up with some interesting words to describe those personalities, but only if you are comfortable doing so. If you feel uncomfortable doing so, then do not use it because you could only end up getting embarrassed.

8) Be prepared to tell about yourself succinctly. Make sure that you dress well. It's important to dress fashionable, but never be under dressed or too overdressed.

9) It never hurts to train. By taking a few voice-training classes you will greatly increases your chances of making it past auditions.

Are You The Next American Idol Winner?
By following the tips discussed above you can only enhance your chances of making it past the American Idol audition. Who knows, with your talent and my tips there should be no stopping you. I look forward to seeing you on the next TV show. Heck, who knows, the next results may have as the next American Idol winner!

Neil Gerstein writes informative articles on various subjects like American Idol Auditions when he isn't busy building and promoting his own websites. He currently have several websites that are great for content. At Movies, Music, Games & More he reviews the best unlimited free download sites for movies, music, games, zune, psp and iphone.