Optimize My Search

The Google Sandbox Theory

Am I in the Google Sandbox?

If you have been to any webmaster forums you will see a lot of threads about this. The reality is that the Google sandbox is just a theory. There is no official Google confirmation or any real concrete proof from outside sources that it exists at all. The theory has been around a few years now but really seemed to gain in popularity after a major Google index update in early 2005.

What is the Google Sandbox Theory?

There are several theories but what started to happen was that webmasters began to notice that new sites optimized and with back links, were not ranking well for the keywords they were using. More commonly, sites were being listed in the search engine results (SERPS) for a few weeks and then either being dropped from the index all together or ranking extremely low for their respected keywords. Eventually this phenomenon was tracked to websites that the domain names were bought around March of 2004. Thus, all the websites created around or after March 2004 were said to be “in the sandbox”.

The sandbox theory took on new life in February 2005 with the Google update names “Allegra”. Varying degrees of fluctuation was being found in the SERPS from different websites. High ranking websites were loosing positions and low ranking websites were gaining. This was a major Google algorithm update and had a big effect on how you ranked and webmasters had to adjust.

To add to the conspiracy theory of the sandbox though, was the “apparent” release of websites from the Google sandbox. This was the strongest evidence that an actual sandbox existed and allowed experts to better understand the Sandbox effect.

If you ask in webmaster forums or do a search you will find plenty advice on how to compensate for the Google Sandbox effect. The reality is that since there is only speculative proof it even exists, there is no real steps to be taken to minimize or even avoid this effect. Build your site and always keep it updated and if you are “in the sandbox” you will come out strong and hit the SERPS running.

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Thursday ~ May 05, 2007 by OMS Posted in General SEO | 1 Comment

Title Tag Importance

It is well documented that Meta tags have had a diminishing roll in their importance to the major search engines. I would like to point out that the title tag is not a Meta tag and it is extremely important to the search engines. The text used in your title tag is a top factor in how search engines decide to rank your web page. Also, all major crawlers will use the text in your title tag as the title in their search engine. Let’s not forget, the first impression is a lasting impression and your title tag is often the first impression your visitors have about your website.

The title tag (the text that is between <title> and </title>on top of every page in the html) will appear in the browser when a visitor has the page open. If you are viewing this from OMS home page it would say Optimize My Search on the top left of your browser. Also when a visitor goes to add your site to their favorites or bookmarks, it is the title tag that is used as the text. So for a visitor is a mini advertisement of your site and should be given some thought as to what it should say.

Here is some basic information you should know about title tags and their importance:

Title Tag Length

There are two things to consider when deciding the optimal title tag length. Google ends the title display with the last complete word before its limit of 66 characters is up. Yahoo title limit is 120 characters but will promptly cut off your title at 120 characters whether the word is complete or not. MSN comes in the middle at 70 characters. I would keep my titles under 66 characters just to make sure it is displaying in all search engines.

Title Tags Content

The title tag should include two keywords or phrases at the minimum. Don’t go overboard; it still must convey what the page is about. A title stuffed with keywords can actually have a negative effect on your ranking due to it being considered spam.The title of the web page should be able to clearly tell the visitor what the page is about. You must give your visitor perspective so when they see your site in their favorites or bookmarks they will know what your site is about.

Title Tag General Information

Your title should be typed in the proper case, capitalized where it should be. This is probably the most overlooked error on the internet.Every page of your site should have a unique title.

The title tag is what many search engines look at first when considering web site rankings and is usually the must overlooked part of many webmasters websites. Title tags equate to free advertising. When you add that to the importance search engines place on title tags doesn’t it make sense to take a moment an optimized your title tags for maximum effectiveness?