SEO Facts - Straight from Google

Summary of Google SEO

I've always wondered how SEO professionals got their facts since search engines don't exactly publicize how to get a #1 ranking.  It's especially suspicious when these SEO experts conflict each other.  Anyway, I wanted to know how these guys got their facts so I did a quick search on Google.  Not surprisingly I found a document and a blog by Google about how to make your site SEO friendly.

This post will attempt to summarize the facts and only the facts given by Google.  Their blog post is dated 3/15/2012 and their PDF document is dated 2010.

Google SEO Facts

In summary, the best SEO practice will always be to make your website easier and useful for the user both visually and in navigation.  This is because 1) you get penalized for sneaky SEO practices and 2) Google is continually improving their engine to match what users would find useful.  There are tons of things you shouldn't do so I will just be stating the facts of what you should do.

Titles - Each page on your website should have a unique title describing what the page is about.  It should be a brief, but descriptive title.
Description - Each page on your website should have a unique, accurate, summary of what the page is about.
URL - Your URLs should be simple to understand and easy to read.  You should use words (instead of ids or complex alpha-numeric parameters) and have a simple directory structure.
Navigation - Your site should be easy to navigate.  Use breadcrumbs so users can easily navigate back to where they came from.  Use mostly Text for navigation.
Site maps - You should have a site map for your users and also a site map in XML for search engines.  This will allow search engines to find all pages you want indexed.
Content - Stay on one topic and stay away from grammatical and spelling errors.  Create fresh and unique content.
Anchor Text - Anchor text is the clickable text that users will click on .  This should be descriptive of the page that it is linking to. (ie. "click here" is a bad example).  It should be concise and easy to spot visually.
Images - When using images use the "alt" attribute to provide information on what the image is.  It is helpful to both users and search engines.  Also naming the image file name appropriately is helpful for Google's image search.
Heading tags - Those old fashion header tags (<h1>, <h2>, <h3>, etc) help users and search engines understand what is important.  It should be used sparingly on across a page.
Social Media - Reach out to social media sites and your community.  Get involved and share your site with interested users.  Avoid posting links for every update and go for the big, interesting items.
Webmaster tools - Use Webmaster Tools by Google to see how Googlebot sees your site.  Bing Webmaster Tools is also available.


Read the sources below to get the full effect of what Google says:
Search Engine Optimization by Google
Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide

Groups in Gmail

Groups in Email
One can save a lot of time by typing less and having the same outcome.  If you email a bunch of people everyday and you are still typing each and every email address or selecting each person from your contact list, you are wasting time.  Email programs often have a feature where you can name a group, add people to this group, and then send an email addressed to the group by typing the group name.  Gmail is no different.

Add Someone to a Group

The past 5-10 years (however long gmail has been around) I have forgotten all about using groups because it's pretty hidden in Gmail.  Here's how to add someone to a group in Gmail:

1. Log into Gmail.
2. Click on the Gmail label in the top left corner and select "Contacts".  See top screenshot.
   
3. Select the person you want to add to a group.
4. Click on the button with the multiple people icon at the top in the middle section of the page.
   
5. Here you can either create a new group or select an exiting one.
6. Repeat and add more people to a group.

Add a Contact

If you don't see someone you need, no worries, you can add emails as contacts too.

1. Log into Gmail.
2. Click on the Gmail label in the top left corne and select "Contacts".
3. Click on the icon with the person and the plus (+) sign at the top in the middle section of the page.
4. Type in the email or name of the person you want to add.

Send Mail to a Group

Now you can compose a new email, type in the group's name that you just added and all the group member's email addresses will appear.

Dropbox - Secret Uses

Dropbox is a service that lets you sync files to different devices, share files, and backup files.  2GB are free with additional 250MB for each friend you refer.

Share Passwords
One of the main ways to use Dropbox is to use it to share files with your friends and colleagues.  Often times you and your friends or colleagues need to sign up for a certain account and you both need the password to this account.  Instead of dangerously emailing the password back and forth to each other, why not use Dropbox along with Truecrypt to keep your passwords safe and shared.  Truecrypt creates an encrypted file that you can then store on Dropbox.

Version Control
Programmers often use version controlled software like CVS, SVN, and Git.  What this software does is lets you revert back to any revision of a file that you want to, compare differences, and save a new version.  Similarly, Dropbox lets you view past version of your saved files.  You can then restore past versions if you want to revert back to a previous version.  Simply right-click on a file in your "Dropbox" folder, then select "Previous Revisions".  It will open a webpage in your browser where you can see all the revisions you have made along with an option to revert to any version.

Use it as Another Hard-drive
As previously stated, Dropbox is a service that lets you sync files to different devices, not necessarily an online storage service like box.com.  This is because files on the server are also on your hard-drive.  However, there is a way to make Dropbox act like Box.com and store the files only on the server.  There are actually 3 ways.

Method 1 - The Unorthodox
To make Dropbox act as an online-storage only you'll need two accounts.  I'll call them your MasterUser account and your MobileUser account.  Store all your files in your MasterUser account.  Your Mobile account will have ZERO of your files.

Lets say you buy the Macbook Air which only has at this time, 128 GB for storage space.  So you want to store as little as you can on this laptop.  Install Dropbox on the Macbook Air and log in with the MobileUser account.

Now comes the tricky part.  Lets say you want to edit a file on your MasterUser account.  What you can do is:

1. open a browser (on any computer)
2. log into Dropbox as MasterUser
3. Share with MobileUser whatever folder/file you want to edit
4. The file should automatically appear in the Macbook Air's Dropbox folder at this time.
5. Edit the file from your Macbook.
6. Once you are done, repeat steps 1-3 except unshare it with MobileUser this time.
7. Now your Macbook doesn't have any remaining files from Dropbox.

Method 2 - The Not Useful Way
Or of course, you can always just sign up for Dropbox and not install it on your computer and always use the web browser to download and upload your files.

Method 3 - The Right Way
The right way to have some files only on the server and some files synced with your computers is through the Advanced Settings.  To get to the Advanced Settings, click on the dropbox icon, click on Preferences,  then go to the Advanced Tab:

Once on the Advanced tab, click on Change Settings for the Selective Sync.  Here you can uncheck folders that you want to sync on this specific computer.  Click on the Advanced button to see subfolders.  Once done, click on the Update button.

Dropbox

There are so many free online storage services now, why should you choose Dropbox over all others?  Because they make it so incredibly simple to use, you won't even notice you're using online storage.

What is Dropbox?
Dropbox isn't so much an online storage, but more of a service to sync your files between devices.  It does require harddrive space so you aren't saving space.  It just allows you to share your files between devices and/or friends easier.  It is great to use if you have multiple device or need a place to back your files up.  If you're a computer nerd, Dropbox is basically a glorified, automated version control system.

How You Would Use Dropbox
You would have a special folder on your hard-drive called "Dropbox".  In this folder you can open, edit, delete any file you want just as you would a normal file because really, it is a normal file.  Then if you have another computer you can go on there and your file would magically be on that computer.  Or if you want to share, you can do that too.  Or if you are on a public computer, you can access your files on their website.  If you want to find out more uses, read more in Dropbox Secret Uses.

How does Dropbox Work?
Once the file in your "Dropbox" folder changes, it automatically sends the file to their server.  Once on the server it automatically pushes the changes to all computers that have your dropbox account on it.

Get More Space
Initially, Dropbox only gives you 2GB of free space.  However, if you sign up from a referral link or refer someone, you get 250MB extra.  You can get a maximum of 8GB free.  So if you have a friend that is already signed up for Dropbox, ask them for a referral link and you and you're friend can get an extra 250MB each.  If you don't know anyone, you can use my link:
https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTU0MzE2NTk5OQ?src=global9

Other Online Storage
I signed up to Box.com and used it... once.  To use Box.com you have to go to their website to upload or download any file.  I used it and it was easy to use, but it wasn't part of my routine.  I have since forgotten that I even had an account with Box.com until writing this post.  Dropbox integrates into your workflow so that it is seamless to use.  Besides, if Steve Jobs thought Dropbox was good enough to buy, why wouldn't you want to use it?

Amazon Affiliate Links

A great affiliate program to be associated with is the Amazon Associates Affiliate program.  They are the biggest online store there is and everyone knows who they are.

This is just a short post on getting a list of the products you want from amazon.  Getting a single product is straightforward.  Getting a list is a little less straightforward.

Listmania!
Getting a Listmania list and having your ref id attached to it is easy.  Go to the Widgets page and find "My Favorites".  Amazon now has a Listmania! search where you can easily get anyone's list and have your associate id in them when you put it on your website.

Every Page
For any URL on Amazon.com, you can just tack on your ref id.  The easiest way to get your ref id onto an amazon results page is by going to the Link to Any Page page.  The last box title "Link to Any Page" has a textbox where you can paste in your url and presto, you have a link with your associate id.

RSS Every Page
Often times, you have a blog and you have some space to list a bunch of products from an RSS feed.  Amazon makes it easy to do this by simply replacing "gp" in the address to "rss" in most cases.  You can read more about it on their rss help page.  Once you get your RSS url, be sure to go to the Link to Any Page so that you can add your associate id to it.

Check it
If you aren't sure if your referral link is working, just check the link with Amazon's Link Checker.  It is located in the Links & Banners section.

Google Docs instead of Microsoft Office

The Problem

Have you ever received a file with a "doc", "docx", or "xls" extension and couldn't open it?  It's most likely because it's a Microsoft Office document.  In the old days you would either have to buy Microsoft Office (for PC or Mac) or download and install the open source program, Open Office.  Nothing against Open Office or Microsoft Office, it's just that both take time to install (and money for Microsoft), both take time to open, and both will only open files on your computer.

I recently bought a Apple Macbook (and I have never owned an Apple computer before) and it could not open any Microsoft Office files.  My sister, who's a long time Apple user, buys the Mac version of MS Office so she can open files from Windows users.

The Solution
Instead of installing software on my computer on my precious space using up my resources, I use Google Docs. It's web-based, so nothing needs to be installed, nothing needs to be updated, and it's free.  It just requires a Google Account, which is also free.  It can open PDFs, Microsoft Excel (xls, xlsx), Word (doc, docx), Adobe files (psd, ai), and much more.

One of the neat little features is how Google Docs can open any file on the web.  Just go to the Google Docs Viewer and enter in a URL to read.

The Convenience
There are a bunch of support to open Google Docs even quicker than opening a web page.

With the Open IT Online plugin for Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera, you can open your document or image online.

In Chrome, there's another plugin called Ultimate Google Docs Viewer.  This also lets you right click on a link and open it online instead of downloading it.

Google +1 Button

Searching Made Easier

Google has just made searching a whole lot easier.  They have implemented a system that can help you find websites you want.  If you find a website that is useful, you can press the +1 button.  This indicates to other users that you recommend it.  When many people start recommending a website it becomes obvious that the website is something you would want to look at.

An Already Successful System

The "+1" concept is nothing new.  It has found success in many helpful and popular websites such as:

http://digg.com/

http://reddit.com/

http://stackoverflow.com/

I don't think the +1 will influence search ranking directly, but it will direct users to the more recommended sites and indirectly cause more links to the page and more activity on the page.  This will eventually cause the websites with more +1's to be higher in the ranking.  Which is good for googlers.

Where is My +1 Button?

Well first of all, the +1 button is browser specific.  If you set it up in one browser and you're using another browser, you'll need to set it up again.  Another reason you may not see it is because Google may be making changes to the button.  After all, it is "experimental".  If you haven't signed up for it, you can do so by following these steps:

1. To sign up, you'll need a Google Account first.
2. http://www.google.com/experimental/index.html
3. Click on "Join this experiment" under the +1 header

Shared Info

To participate in the +1 experiment, you'll be asked to "Use my information to personalize content and ads across the web".  This lets google tell your friends that you +1 the website.  You may want to change your google profile so that your full name isn't displayed. 

Google's help says that there is a Tab in your profiles that allows you to see all your +1's and to edit your sharing settings.  However, I have not seen these so called "Tabs".  It must not be implemented yet.

Google Video

 More info:  http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/1-button-for-websites-recommend-content.html

Gmail Tips: Gmail on iPhone

If you set up your mail on the iPhone as a "Gmail" account, you're probably not getting mail "pushed" to your phone.  This means that the iPhone or you have to manually ask Gmail if there's new mail, which in turn means you don't get an email notification in real time.  The Gmail experience on your iPhone isn't the best experience, but having mail sent to your phone a few seconds after Gmail receives it makes it that much better.

Setup

When setting up Gmail on the iPhone you need to select Microsoft Exchange as your account type.  As shown to the right.  To get to this screen go to Settings -> "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" -> "Add Account...".   Once you select Microsoft Exchange as your mail type, fill in the following like so:

• Domain:  m.google.com
• Email:  youremail@gmail.com
• Server: m.google.com
• Username:  your gmail address
• Password:  your gmail password

And that's it.  Now when you send mail to your gmail account, you will get it instantly on your phone.  The full official documentation is located on Google's site.

Trash

What the what?  If you set up your gmail as a Microsoft Exchange account like above, you'll notice that there's no actual way to really delete mail in gmail.  Sure you can try hit the trash icon, but if you look in your gmail account you'll see that the message is just archived and put into the "All Mail" folder, not deleted.  If you haven't set your gmail up like above, read the next paragraph.  I'm sad to say, there is no way to delete a message from your iPhone when gmail is set up as Exchange.  However, I recently learned from a friend that there is a way to handle this:

1. Set up a "trash!" label in Gmail.
2. Every time you want to delete mail from you iPhone, label it with the "trash!" label.
3. Every once in a while when you feel like cleaning house, log into Gmail, select all the "trash!" labeled messages and hit Delete.

If you set up Gmail as a Gmail account (and not like above) you can delete messages from your iPhone.  Here's how:

1. Open  Settings -> "Mail, Contacts, Calendars"
2. Select your Gmail account
3. Set the Archived Messages to OFF

Free Software

Free Software!  Or Is It?
I've seen countless pages where they say "Free Software!" only to find out it's only free because it's a trial.  That is the most annoying waste of time ever!  Therefore, I have compiled a list of free-for-life, no catch, the developers-just-want-some-recognition software.  Please see the licenses of each one before using it for non-personal uses.  I am a computer programmer by trade, so excuse the ones that are a little too techy.  I tried to list the ones that appeal to everyone the most.

Symantec Antivirus Alternative

Avira Antivirus - I have personally used Avira as my antivirus software.  They provide free updates, free scan scheduling and more.  It satisfies all my needs and seems to work fine (except for a malware that got through... see Malwarebytes).  The only problem is that it does pop up an Ad every so often asking you to buy the full version.  See the full CNET review here.

AVG Antivirus - I currently use AVG as my antivirus software.  I first switched because I wanted another antivirus to scan my computer to make sure it was clean.  It found a couple more things than Avira and also had a nicer user interface.  Of course Avira could have found some infections that AVG didn't, but for now I'm sticking with AVG.  Avira and AVG often fight for the #1 antivirus download spot on CNET.

Malwarebytes - This piece of free software is a lifesaver.  Along with this blog on how to remove the XP Total Security fake security program, I successfully removed an annoying program that hounds you to purchase their program.  Looking at the google search trends, it seems as this XP Total Security malware is on the rise as of March 2011.  It has been known to get past Avira, AVG, Spyware Terminator, ZoneAlarm, and AdAware anti-virus/malware programs.  You can read here for more information about XP Total Security.   You can read more about Malwarebytes on CNET.


Microsoft Office Alternative
 (Excel, Word, Visio, Powerpoint)

Google Docs -  Get a Google account and you can use their docs for free.  They have much of the same functionality as Microsoft Office.  It's not exactly the same, but it can open MS Office and is comparable.  Whatever Google Docs lacks in, it makes up in it's ability to share with others and being available anywhere you have internet access because your document is stored on their servers.

 Open Office - I admit, I haven't used Open Office for over 5 years now... Ever since Google Docs came out I haven't had the need or curiosity to use it.  However, it has been and still gets very good reviews.   It is very similar to MS Office in its functionality.


Magic Jack and Other Landline Phone Alternatives

Google Voice - I highly recommend getting Google Voice.  First of all, it's free.  Second of all, it can ring your mobile phone, computer, and second mobile, and read you your voicemail, and it's free! (through 2011 at least).  You can even use your iPod to replace your home phone.

Creating a PDF
If you own a mac, you should already know this is free and comes with OS X.  When you print a document, you can click on the button in the lower left and save as a PDF.

doPdf, cutePdf - There are a ton of free PDF creators where it allows you to print to a PDF.  These are just a couple that I have used and it suits my needs.


Photoshop Alternative

Gimp - Is a well known open source alternative to Adobe's Photoshop.  It can import Photoshop files and do vector graphics.  It has been around for a while and is very comparable to the competition.

Audio Editing Software

Audacity - This piece of open source software is a great tool when you need to edit audio files, change the volume, make a ring tone, etc.  Before I got an iPhone and started using iTunes for my ring tones, this was the goto software for me.

Encryption

TrueCrypt - If you need to store some sensitive material online and need to have it encrypted, or just want your local files encrypted, TrueCrypt can do that.  It is on-the-fly encryption that is so convenient, you may not remember it's encrypted.


Others

Almost every piece of software that you can buy has a free alternative.  The most complete listing that I have found is at the Open Source Alternative.  If you didn't see something here that you wanted for free, check out the Open Source Alternative or leave a comment.

Play your iPod / iPhone in Your Car Wirelessly

The Problem
I recently purchased a Toyota 2010 Prius and was saddened to learn that there is no iPod port where I can hook up my iPod / iPhone.  Instead, there is an Auxiliary input that lets you plug in your ipod using an auxiliary cable.  This however is cumbersome and sometimes has static when the wire is not in good.  My honey and I found that you can connect the ipod to the Prius using bluetooth.  So now, once the iPod/iPhone is in range, it immediately starts playing if the Audio is on the "BT" tab.  I found this video online.  And like most things on this site, it's Free!


The Solution

Some Other Things

• You can also control the song selection from the steering wheel or seek up/down buttons.  It only goes to the next or previous song, but that's better than pulling out your iPhone to change a song.  Although controlling the songs from your iPhone / iPod is also good if you are not driving.
• If the Audio is on the "BT" tab and the iPod is within range, it will automatically sync up and start playing.  You don't need to touch your ipod or manually tell it to connect.

This article is all about the 2010 Prius, but if your car has Bluetooth Audio it should also be able to connect to your iPod/iPhone.  If you have steps showing how to do this for other cars, please post the link below so others can learn how tech makes life easy.

Use Google Voice For a Free Home Phone and Free Texting

Google Voice offers nationwide calling and one number to use for all your phones at no charge at all.  If you don't want to pay for a landline in your home but have a mobile phone this is for you.  If you want to "hook up" your home phone to your computer, this is for you.  If you want free texting to your iPhone, this is for you.  If you have a million phones and don't want to keep track of them all... this is for you.

Here's what you need:
1) A mobile phone number
2) A computer a microphone and speakers (or bluetooth/headset) with internet connection
3) A Google account
4) A smart phone (optional - for free texting)

To use Google Voice as a landline, simply do the following steps:

1. Log in to http://www.google.com/googlevoice.
2. You should see steps pop up to let you choose your google number and add your mobile phone number.
3. If you haven't already done so, set your Google number to forward to your gmail chat account.
1. to do this, go to Voice Settings->Phones tab.
2. Check on the first checkbox so that it forwards to your gmail account.
4. Give out your Google Number as your number.
5. That's it.

Free Texting

I heard that the Android version of Google Voice app is only voicemail.  I only have an iPhone so can only say that it works for the iPhone.

1. To get free texting, download the Google Voice app from the App Store.  
2. Sign in with your google login.  
3. Tell your friends to text your google number instead of your mobile phone number.  

When a text goes to the google number it shows up both in your Google Voice webpage on your computer and on your mobile phone (as long as you have it forwarding to your phone in the settings).  So if you are working on the computer and your phone is far away, when someone texts you, you can reply without getting your phone.

A Free Landline

Now to receive calls from other people to your computer, open and sign into Google Voice.  There is currently no "official" google voice desktop where you can just open an application and use it.  There are many 3rd party applications here, but I am just logging into gmail and waiting for the official google version.  When someone calls you, you will get a popup saying someone is calling you.  Answer it and you will be able to hear and talk to them over the internet (also known as VoIP).  Note, that if you have it forwarding to your mobile phone, it will ring on your mobile phone also.  You can answer it on your phone or on your computer.  If you answer on your computer, you will not get charged for the call on your cellphone.  Read on the next section for another way to get a landline.

iPod as Your Home Phone (Landline)

Google Voice brings up many questions like, "can I use my home phone for google voice?", "can I speak and receive calls on my ipod?".  The Google Voice app has the potential to make calls from your iphone ... BUT this was not implemented probably because it would not mesh well with AT&T and Verizon.  Other VoIP applications have been approved on the App Store, but Google's app is different.  Google allows VoIP to a real phone number while other apps only allow calls within a specific software.  Do not use the Google Voice App on your iPhone to try to get free calls.  The app will just use your mobile line and you'll use your cellphone minutes.

Since Google Voice doesn't get you free calls, you can check out an app called Talkatone.  I first heard about it at Cybernet News.  **Use this at your own risk** because this app is not made by Google, but requires that you log into your Google account.  Call me old fashioned or paranoid, but I don't like the idea of having an app made by an unknown company taking my username/password for another account.

Here's what I did to make my iPod into my home phone.

1. Create a new Google account or one that you do not mind someone hacking into.
2. Set up Google Voice with this account (note, I'm not sure if you need a mobile phone to sign up, but if it says you do, you can always remove the number after you sign up).  You need a mobile phone attached to the account.  Otherwise there will just be a loud tone when a call is connected.
3. Download Talkatone (for free) in the App Store.
4. Log into your Google account from step 1 through the Talkatone App.
5. Hook up a headset so that you can speak and hear clearly
6. Make calls, receive calls, test it out!  oh, make sure your ipod has a wifi connection of course.

I have no affiliation with Talkatone and do not get any compensation if you download or use it.  This is purely something I have found and find very interesting. 

Convenience

Above all the features that Google Voice offers, it's convenience.  I talked about both calls and texts going to both your computer and phone.  So if you are by your computer and not your phone or by your phone and not your computer, you have the ability be lazy, not move and still be social.  And of course, you have the ability to have all your numbers ring your google voice number.

Porting your Number

One of the easiest ways to save your mobile number and use google voice is to port your mobile number to google.  Once you port it, everyone who calls your mobile number will be calling Google Voice.   It costs about $20 and takes up to 24 hours for the changes to take effect.  I myself have not done it so I'm only speaking from what I have read.  Instead of me trying to explain it and possibly getting you confused, you can view google's video.  The reason I have not done it is because Google Voice is free "through 2011" only.  No one knows if they will start charging in 2012.  Another reason is that they do not have a number in my area code.  So for me it's not worth it right now.