by Rick Hendershot, Marketing Bites
A recent Google patent application has
SEO community buzzing. At a bare minimum this document reveals
direction Google is taking its future search criteria. Changes in
way Google will be evaluating pages for search rankings are intended to address two major problems:
- Search engine spam, and - Ensuring that "fresh" documents score higher than "stale" ones
Here is a summary of some of
general principles outlined in
document. Most SEO specialists agree these are reasonable principles, and it is only a matter of time before they are adopted.
1. Anchor text of links is still very important. Focus on your anchor text. It should contain your most important keyword.
2. Google expects that anchor texts will vary. A lot of identical anchor text suggests an "unnatural" linking pattern. Anchor texts should vary, but contain related phrases.
3. Google will record when specific links were first discovered, and watch how they change over time. Links with a long life span are considered more valuable than links with a short life span. This adds support to
link delay theory -- that links do not start "counting" until they have been in place for a few months. So get working on those links right now, but don't expect immediate gratification from Google.
4. If a new website gets a flood of new inbound links, this will be an indicator of possible spam activity. Links should be introduced gradually and according to a consistent pattern.