Message Boards
Today's Active Topics Today's Active Cases Browse Forum Categories My Recent Activity My Messages Private Groups My Marked Threads My Subscriptions
Today's Active Images Today's Active Polls Most Active Topics Global Townie Map Advanced Message Board Search Message Board Terms of Use

Social Media Focus: The Buzz on Google “Caffeine” Jason Lipscomb, DDS

Start Discussion More by this author (4)

The Buzz on Google "Caffeine"

Why the search engine giant's newest algorithm update can make
or break your Web site

by Jason Lipscomb, DDS

Every few years Google decides to shake up the Internet by making changes to its
famous algorithm. Many Web developers remember when Google released an update
in 2003 named "Florida" that wreaked havoc on the Internet. Sites that were in top positions
disappeared completely or were buried pages deep, while others instantly climbed to the top.

Now, Google has released its newest update – "Caffeine." The good thing is, Google tested Caffeine over a long period of time, and slowly integrated the changes. The main reason Google released Caffeine was to improve its performance as a search engine. Google serves more than 25 billion Web pages, and handles more than 400 million queries per day. Google's new algorithm will reward sites with better search index rankings if they follow some simple rules.

A quick breakdown of Caffeine shows it will focus on the following elements: Web site speed, domain age, domain trust and authority, site content, real time feeds, speedier search results and domain names. Imagine Google's search engine algorithm as a series of points. For each element you implement, you are rewarded with a point. The more points, the higher your ranking. For example, if you increase the speed of your page, Google will reward you. Here are seven new rules that will enable you to optimize your current site for Google Caffeine.

Seven New Rules to Follow
1. Web site Speed: How long does your page take to load? Is your site over-run with graphics or fancy flash loaders? Is your site hosted on a slow server or bogged down with a lot of unnecessary text? Speed will play a part in your site's rankings. Tell your Web designer you want to make sure your images are optimized for fast loading. Limit the amount of Flash and other elements that bloat your pages. A flashy banner or site header may be distracting to visitors of your page, especially when all they are looking for is good content and easy navigation.

2. Domain Age: When was your domain name registered? If you just bought or registered your domain, you will most likely have to work harder to get to the top. The most beneficial domain names will list your business and your location.

3. Domain Trust and Authority: Domain trust is showing Google and other search engines your Web site consistently provides relevant information without resorting to trickery. Google will look at who is linking to your site. If you site is linked to link farms or duplicate information sites, Google may penalize you for being a spam site. Make sure you work to establish links from respected sites. Also, you should establish good internal linking as well, using appropriate keywords. Good resources for dentists are popular blogs, news sites and editorial sites.

4. Site Content: Now, more than ever, Google is paying attention to the quality of the content on your Web site. If you overuse keywords or have repetitive phrases, this will count against you.

5. Real Time Feeds: Google is giving more attention to live feeds from Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. Integration can help provide links to your Web site. Twitter and Facebook also offer APIs (Application Programming Interface) or widgets, which allow you to add live feeds into your pages. You will get the best results by posting keyword-rich Tweets on Twitter and posts on Facebook with links to your Web site.

6. Speedier Search Results: Search results with Caffeine will return pages nearly a quarter of a second faster. Make sure you incorporate good keywords with good content to be found easily.

7. Domain Names: Caffeine is paying more attention to domain names that actually include the search phrase. For example, if you search for Vermont Dentists, http://www.vermont-dentist.com will rank higher than http://www.dentistvermont.com. The dash also lets Google know there are two separate words in the domain name.

Bonus Tips
There are a few other additions that you can make that are simply good SEO (search engine optimization) practice.

Add a Site map: Make sure you ask your Web designer to implement a site map for your Web site. Site maps help Google crawl through your pages more easily. A free generator for site maps can be found at: http://www.xml-sitemaps.com

Create Less Overhead and More CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): Here is the magic of CSS. If you have a Web site that has 50 pages, and you want to change the text formatting on your site, you have to update each page, and each HTML page will have to have unnecessary code. The more code, the longer a page takes to load. CSS enables you to create one file that allows you to manage the look and feel of your entire Web site. You simply include a line of code in your Web pages that points to the external style sheet and when you make a change to the CSS the entire Web site automatically gets updated. Ask your Web developer if he or she is using CSS. It can help your Web site to limit page bulk.

By implementing these changes you will be well on the way to higher search rankings with Google Caffeine.
Dentaltown Magazine
April 2024
Dentaltown Magazine April 2024 Read Current Issue Read Archived Issues
Sponsors
Townie Perks
Townie® Poll
Have you ever switched practice management platforms for your practice?
  
Site Menu
Message Boards Magazine Continuing Education Podcasts Blogs Classifieds News Events Townie® Poll Ebooks Townie Choice Awards
Company Info
Contact Us Advertise With Us Howard Farran DDS, MBA Policies and Agreements
Site Help
Sally Gross, Member Services Specialist
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
©2024 Dentaltown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450