My 3 part series on how to optimize for google (part 1, part 2, part 3) were recently published over at SiteProNews, and I have been seeing a number of people commenting and asking questions. Here is a post to address all the comments thus far.
Do you think the keyword density formula will change soon?
A: The Keyword Density factor changes all the time. This is something that used to play a big role with rankings, and now is quite subtle. I find that for most phrases, if you check the top 20 or 30, and analyze the density for a given phrase (as well as where it is located (titles, h tags, etc), you will often find a common thread or pattern. Many times, following that pattern will help your rankings out.
It was stated by John, that a 301 redirect is great for transferring to a new domain, what are your thoughts on this?
A: When it comes to 301 redirects, if you need to change your domain, often times your rankings will follow. If I have a site with top rankings however, unless a domain change is essential, I would avoid it. I would not personally recommend changing the domain just to get a few keyword’s in it if you already have good rankings. BUT the 301 is essential if you do the switch.
Regarding synonyms, while finding related words in Google, they are not the same as in synonyms.com Is there an update from Google about accepting words from synonyms.com as same in ~ operator?
A: Synonyms.com focuses more on the official language, where as Google plays by more of its own rules. For instance, “travel” is not technically a synonym for “hotels”, yet in Google’s eyes it is related. For the purposes of SEO, I would go by what Google believes to be related.
I cannot seem to advance from a “0? Google page rank…
A: Don’t focus too much on Google Page Rank, it is, well, largely meaningless. BUT if you do want to work on increasing it, the #1 best thing you can do is increase your quality inbound links.
If you have any questions about the 3 part “How to Optimize for Google” series, please drop us a comment and I will be more than happy to answer you!