We're Number One

Some guys from my old team needed a little help with some Oracle database programming. They were confused by the syntax of some C coding. Luckily I had dealt with this issue before, and could point them in the correct direction.

I did a Google search for the phrase EXEC SQL AT. Wouldn't you know it? A blog post I had written a year and a half ago is sitting on Page 1 of the SERP. In fact, I am in position number 2. Woo hoo.

Now here comes the good stuff. If you enclose EXEC SQL AT in quotes, then a Google search puts me at number 1 on Page 1. Yes. Perhaps this is a niche search query. But I love that I am on top. It just so happens that my page explains the background needed by a developer to get busy with understanding the concept. I am glad Google has rewarded me with the honor of being at the top.

Site Silos

When you set up the link structure for your site, you want to maximize the flow of page rank flowed between your pages. One way is to set up a number of site silos. A silo is a bunch of pages that are related by content. The key is arranging the links between the pages.

You have one main home page. However each silo should have its own main page. Point links from your main home page to each of the silo main pages. Every page in your silo should link back to the silo main page.

The goal is to funnel the link authority to your silo main pages. Try not to link to other pages. This allows the silo main page link to contain all the juice. Personally I only link out to other pages when a great page warrants it. Otherwise I try to link to my own pages on my site. A silo strategy is a way to organize the links to maximize the result.

Getting Links

There is always work to get additional links to your website. So how do you do this? You can issue a press release. That might get you noticed by other sites. Classified ads are a cheaper alternative. This can be online using Craigslist, or older media like local papers. Online videos are the primary way to go viral really quickly.

You need to produce some worthwhile information to start. Then you can submit it to article directories such as EzineArticles. If you can get your info into Google Knol, there will be a big advantage since the links from Knol are follow.

No follow links don’t pass any page rank to you. They are therefore of little use. In the past I heard you should try to get the same anchor text in all the links that point to you. However you should also try to mix the anchor text up a bit to make it seem more natural. Be sure to get links from a variety of IP addresses.

Top Social Networking Sites

I like to see the rankings of various web sites. My data normally comes from Website magazine. Some of the top rankings surprised me.

The top spot is taken by Facebook. I have an account on Facebook. But I really don’t use it or update it. Nobody knows I am on Facebook either.

The number two position is held by Youtube. This is a site owned by Google. I used to watch Youtube videos every day. However a web site redesign made me go elsewhere.

Myspace comes in at number three. I also have an account on Myspace. But I don’t use it at all. It was just a test to see what Myspace was all about.

Twitter is number four. Just like the others, I got a Twitter account. But I don’t use it. I do hear a lot of buzz about famous people tweeting.

If you want to improve you SEO ranking, you are going to want to use these social networking winners to your advantage.