Where there was once a myriad of ways to confuse and manipulate Google, one thing is now becoming apparent. The aim of Google is to present a fair and unbiased return for your efforts, genuinely rewarded whether large or small, wealthy or poor. The aim is to eradicate any form of cheating and manipulation, in favour of pure results which reflect genuine attempts to put your infant website on adult web.

By and large, and much to Googles credit, this goal is being achieved, step by step, yard by yard. Meta tags are now all but redundant, multiple repetition becoming useless. We all know scams and tricks, and we all know they are becoming less effective.

I was a systems programmer for many years, quite a few of which were in designing and building efficient indexes for huge concerns. Armed with this perspective it is easier for me to see where Google is headed in long run, their ultimate goal being a real index for real people with real websites, I think a very laudable concept in a very monetary world, where they are no doubt deluged with offers of remuneration for consideration.

The good news for all of us out here with a semblance left of fair play and level playing fields is that ultimately this should lead to two factors becoming predominant. The first will be content, pure and simple, so if you can take time to actually write about what it is you sell, enjoy doing, wish you were doing etc, then chances are you will be heard. The more interested you are in your subject, longer missive, and more likely it is you will be judged as a real and actual site rather than a manufactured effort to manipulate ether in your favour. Content will be practically all, and that is how it should be in my book, so if your website strays off your said concept to include a can of worms on many other subjects thrown in, expect no mercy.

Metrics Matter!! If you don't know what's happening with your Website visitors, where they go, what they're looking for, what they respond to, and what turns them off about your site, you can't possibly make most of your online potential. Your Web traffic reports offer unprecedented opportunities to analyze these relationships on a one-to-one basis.

Here are some examples of using your metrics to ask intelligent questions and make informed adjustments to your site:

Tracking your Promotional Efforts

There are many ways to promote your site, both online and offline. Some are free and some, while not costing money, do take up time and effort. It's important to know marketing options that generate best return on investment for all your resources.

Joyce Weiss works with her public relations consultants to analyze immediate impact of her radio appearances on her Website traffic (at http://www.joyceweiss.com). She said "This way we can decide if Website needs to be tweaked for radio shows, or if I need to say something different on shows to get people to sign up."

Following links to your site (called "refering URL's in reports) can be very useful in creating good professional relationships. Often, site owners won't tell you that they've quoted you so it's important to check that reference is appropriate.

And, it's important to say thank you. I once followed a link to my site and found that one of my articles was required reading for a course at University of Southern Oregon. When I dropped a note to Professor telling him how honored I was, he replied "Not at all, I really like your ideas - and by way, we're looking for a speaker for our next conference . . ."

Dave Paradi does this too: "I do check out those sites that link to mine. One time I found that link was to an old page, so I wrote to them and suggested that they update link. I was also able to mention my other articles that would benefit their visitors."

If you're paying for traffic, make sure that keywords you've selected, or sites that you're advertising on are generating good quality leads. Abby Marks-Beale told me how she does this:

"I've set up separate portal pages for those who come to me from my pay-per-click program through Overture. This way I can see if program is really working."