Tips for making your Web site stand out I wrote in last week’s E-Business Secrets that Google.com, one of the Web’s most popular search engines, is enhancing its ability to lower the ranking of so-called doorway pages and other tricks that Webmasters use to “improve” their rankings. Doorway pages are Web pages that have been “optimized” to rank high for a single search term, but lead to a different page that may or may not be the best source of information about that topic. Matt Cutts, a senior software engineer at Google, explained in an interview that “doorways are just one aspect of the problem” that Google and other search engines face in trying to rank the most relevant pages. Some of the suggestions he has for Webmasters include the following: 1. Don’t try to create “1,000 different pages all optimized for different search engines,” as he’s seen on the Web. “Just make your site the best source of information.” 2. Don’t use hidden text or hidden links, which are formatted in the same color as the background color. These pieces of fake content — invisible to readers — supposedly fool search engines, but the engines detect tricks like this and downgrade such sites’ rankings instead. 3. Don’t use cloaking techniques or redirects to trick readers into visiting your site. “We’re definitely improving our detection of cloaking and improving our detection of sneaky redirects,” Cutts says. Cloaking is a method of showing different content to search engines than a surfer would ordinarily see. “Sneaky” redirects, as Cutts defines them, include using Javascript to send readers from one page to a completely different one. And having redirects from “10 or even 100 different domains is sneaky,” Cutts adds. 4. Don’t run automated rank-checking software against Google’s listings very often. Cutts is more absolutist: “You should not send automatic queries to Google to check your rankings.” About 4 percent to 5 percent of Google’s server capacity is soaked up by automated queries, Cutts says. Spending an extra 4 percent or 5 percent on overhead would concern any business, and Google has blocked the IP addresses of businesses that were checking hundreds of search terms per day. “If you want to check 50 terms by hand, that’s fine,” Cutts says. My view? Analyze your log files instead, or query your rankings only once a month, because rankings are unlikely to change more often than that. To put Google’s concerns into perspective, I asked Danny Sullivan, editor of the Search Engine Watch newsletter, for his thoughts. “Most of these [search engine optimization] programs, when used out of the box, are going to make fairly text-and-content-poor pages, which the search engines aren’t going to favor over content-rich pages — especially if those content-rich pages also have good inbound links pointing at them,” Sullivan said. “Using the programs probably won’t get you banned, but they also probably won’t get you the results you may be expecting, unless you apply their advice to existing pages with good content,” Sullivan continued. “In addition, they could get you banned if you create hundreds of near-identical pages and try to get all of those submitted.” Anthony Muller, president of the search engine optimization consulting firm ZenHits.com, says, “Using any kind of a program to generate a page that would rank high in search engines, called doorway pages, is very discouraged.” He said that, to his knowledge, “Google does not allow any doorway pages to be in their index. This kind of page can get your site down-rated or eliminated from an index entirely.” Meanwhile, Brent Winters, who was quoted last week discussing his company’s WebPosition Gold software, objected to the overall tone of that column. “There’s nothing in WebPosition that says you should create junk pages,” Winters wrote in response. “Since our advice comes from the elements already included on the pages ranking in the top 10, the criteria for what goes into a good ‘doorway page’ is ultimately decided by the engine itself, not WebPosition. We just do the research and tell you what the engine wants to see.” Winters has made a longer response available on the Web. Readers can find it by clicking the link below. Response from WebPosition to doorway pages article: https://www.webposition.com@n6.be/?4e4c Search Engine Watch article on the Google “police”: https://searchenginewatch.com@isbn.at/?61d4 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – E-BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: PROPER DOCUMENT SHREDDING In light of the controversy over the shredding of documents related to Enron, the largest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history, I’d like to bring to your attention the high-tech expertise of the National Association for Information Destruction. The NAID is an excellent source of information on proper shredding techniques and offers its new “Shredding is Good” press release. I swear I’m not making this up. National Association for Information Destruction: https://www.naidonline.org@54.vg/?755c – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – LIVINGSTON’S TOP 10 NEWS PICKS O’ THE WEEK 1. Beyond.com is beyond hope, files Chapter 11 https://www.ecommercetimes.com@a2.tc/?414 2. Is shared Web hosting hazardous to your e-business? https://www.webhostdir.com@th.gs/?7fc 3. Bezos tells how Amazon made its 4th quarter profit https://www.businessweek.com@5a0.tc/?be4 4. Retailers using Web to lure customers into stores https://www.time.com@31.dk/?fcc 5. Vivisimo recommended as alternative to NorthernLight https://www.llrx.com@e.la/?13b4 6. Web affiliates find out how easy it is to turn pro https://www.clickz.com@836.as/?179c 7. Quick! I need reviews of Web hosts less than $10/month https://hotwired.lycos.com@a6r.ms/?1b84 8. Not too productive? Maybe you’re addicted to TV https://www.scientificamerican.com@3n.be/?1f6c 9. HTML tips: Pop-ups that boost your subscription rate https://www.webmasterbase.com@54.vg/?2354 10. Be a part of history: Bid on Olympic torches at eBay https://www.business2.com@1c.to/?273c – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – WACKY WEB WEEK: MICROSOFT MAY SPLIT IN TWO AFTER ALL A news site recently reported a shocking story: Microsoft had finally agreed to split into two companies. One would continue to write operating systems, browsers, and server software. The other, “potentially larger company,” would make patches for Microsoft operating systems, browsers, and server software. It made perfect sense until I noticed that the story was from SatireWire, a notorious put-on site. The rest of the tale is much funnier than I can, um, do justice to. You’ll just have to check it out. My thanks to Mark Yde, who’ll receive a gift certificate for a book, CD, or DVD of his choice for being the first to send me this tip. MICROSOFT AND ITS NEW SPINOFF, PATCHSOFT: https://www.satirewire.com@n6.be/?c37c – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – READERS WHO VOTED FOR “OTHER” SPEAK OUT The breaking news last week about Google’s plans for filtering content pushed aside a section I’d planned. That section was the “Management vs. Development” survey comments from those readers who chose “Other.” The 16 percent of you who made this selection want me to continue writing about both management AND development news — with the wacky side of the Web thrown in occasionally, too. Here’s a sampling of what you said: “What I’ve always liked about your columns does not fall into subject matter categories, but into a ‘style’ category you called Secrets. By this I mean pithy (i.e., short) items of information not generally known elsewhere. Your technique of posing the problem and providing the answer is so good, I do not care (very much) what the subject matter is. So I vote for your continuing to range across the serious to the humorous, the business to the technical, but focusing on the pithy problem, the clever, not well-known, solution-style of presentation.” –Roland J. Cole, executive director, Software Patent Institute “I think you’ve provided a good mix of management and technical links. There are times I need technical information, there are times I prefer management information, and there are times (as I think your click-count results demonstrate) when the business and my job have pushed me to the edge, and what I really need is a laugh or a diversion (like bubble gum for the overstressed brain). Thanks for providing a good mix of all three.” — Carol Lapp, gedas USA “I like getting a mix of Web development and Web management info, but the ‘Wacky Web Week’ newsletter you facetiously suggested has strong appeal for me, as well. I’m not a Web developer, nor do I play one on TV. However, I like keeping up with the technology topics you address. I find that having the wacky items included, though, makes me more inclined to read YOUR newsletter/column over other technology newsletters/columns that are completely serious. The Web is a bit wacky (sometimes it’s a LOT wacky!), and it never hurts to include items that make people laugh or smile. I guess it’s the ‘cloak the medicine in goodies’ theory of giving people something that’s good for them. It just goes down easier with something fun.” — Jill Werts, accenture.com “For my purposes, the current mix is fine. I am not interested in additional material on Web development. I would not sign up for a ‘Wacky Sites’ e-mail — it would be a waste of my time. If you feel a site is SO wacky or interesting that it deserves some space in a more serious e-mail, then I might look at it, since in general the sites you’ve highlighted in the past have been worth a look (especially the ‘monkey boy video’ — if I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have believed it).” –Richard J. Sullivan, Consultant, iso.com – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – E-BUSINESS SECRETS: Our mission is to bring you such useful and thought-provoking information about the Web that you actually look forward to reading your e-mail. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: E-Business Secrets is written by InfoWorld Contributing Editor Brian Livingston (http://SecretsPro.com). Research director is Ben Livingston (no relation). Brian has published 10 books, including: Windows Me Secrets: https://www.amazon.com@isbn.at/?0764534939 Windows 2000 Secrets: https://www.amazon.com@isbn.at/?0764534130 Win a gift certificate good for a book, CD, or DVD of your choice if you’re the first to send a tip Brian prints: mailto:Brian@SecretsPro.com Technology Industry