Here are a couple quick tips to getting indexed by Google on the rush. Whether it’s for a new site, new pages, fresh content or because you can’t get enough pages about blue widgets, these couple steps can quickly alert Google to send their spiders your way.
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Add your URL: http://www.google.com/addurl
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Create a sitemap
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Submit that sitemap via Webmaster Tools
Give me your ideas and I’ll compile a top 10 list of what you think. Everyone has their preferences and best practices, let’s share!
Yesterday I reviewed my daily Google Alerts and came across an interesting article featuring two of our university’s student interns. As usual, I forward useful links on to our Marketing Department (actually, my wife) and this was no exception. In fact, this article directly related to an upcoming feature of the university.
To my surprise, 4 cupcakes similar to those on the left appeared in my office. A thank you from the vice president over marketing. Paired with a Mountain Dew, my breakfast was complete.
Seriously though, I’ll be sending all my colleagues in the Marketing/Communications a walk-through to setup their own Google Alerts. Why? Because I’m the Manager of Web Services and the SEO guy. It’s not my job, but I do love seeing what it picks up.
There are plenty of free tools out there, and Google Alerts is only the start for managing your online reputation. It’s useful to know where people are talking about you, but more importantly, it’s useful to know where people are talking bad about you. Finding blogs that complain about your brand or forums where opinions are less then stellar, gives the opportunity to follow up and improve those relations.
Sign-up, it’s free. It’s useful. And you never know what might show up on your desk tomorrow morning.
Reports from the Google Groups point fingers at Google for a lack of Google Analytics data for March 10th, 2008. I have also noticed a lack of graphical data in my own Analytics accounts. Some Analytics subscribers have been put out by the lack of visual data due to new implementations and publishing viral content. Continue reading ‘Google: Is Free Better?’