Here are the top six affiliate marketing tips to help you figure out how to identify profitable affiliate marketing opportunities and avoid the ones that are a total waste of time and money.
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The Apple iPad. The name is a killing word -- more than a product -- it's a statement, an idea, and potentially a prime mover in the world of consumer electronics. Before iPad it was called the Apple Tablet, the Slate, Canvas, and a handful of other guesses -- but what was little more than rumor and speculation for nearly ten years is now very much a reality. Announced on January 27th to a middling response, Apple has been readying itself for what could be the most significant product launch in its history; the making (or breaking) of an entirely new class of computer for the company. The iPad is something in between its monumental iPhone and wildly successful MacBook line -- a usurper to the netbook throne, and possibly a sign of things to come for the entire personal computer market... if Apple delivers on its promises. And those are some big promises; the company has been tossing around words like "magical" and "revolutionary" to describe what many have dismissed as nothing more than a larger version of its iPod touch. But is that all there is to this device? Is the hope that Apple promises for this new computing experience nothing more than marketing fluff and strategic hyperbole? Or is this a different beast altogether -- a true sign that change has come to the world of the PC? We have the definitive answers to those questions (and many more) right here, so read on for our full review of the Apple iPad!
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1. AllegedPOSITIVE ON-Page SEO Google Ranking Factors (38) (Keeping in mind the converse, of course, that when violated, some of these factors immediately jump into the NEGATIVE On-Page Ranking Factors domain.) The term "Keyword" below refers to the "Keyword Phrase", which can be one word or more. Green rows confirmed byGoogle patentof Aug. 10, 2006
Keyword in Title tag - close to beginning Title tag 10 - 60 characters, no special characters.
-
4
Keyword in Description meta tag
Shows theme - less than 200 chars. Google no longer "relies" upon this tag, but will often use it.
-
5
Keyword in Keyword metatag
Shows theme - less than 10 words. Every word in this tag MUST appear somewhere in the body text. If not, it can be penalized for irrelevance. No single word should appear more than twice. If not, it may be considered spam. Google purportedly no longer uses this tag, but others do.
-
Keywords - Body
-
6
Keyword density in body text
5 - 20% - (all keywords/ total words) Some report topic sensitivity - the keyword spamming threshold % varies with the topic.
-
7
Individual keyword density
1 - 6% - (each keyword/ total words)
HOT
8
Keyword in H1, H2 and H3
Use Hx font style tags appropriately
-
9
Keyword font size
"Strong is treated the same as bold, italic is treated the same as emphasis" . . . Matt Cutts July 2006
-
10
Keyword proximity (for 2+ keywords)
Directly adjacent is best
-
11
Keyword phrase order
Does word order in the page match word order in the query? Try to anticipate query, and match word order.
-
12
Keyword prominence (how early in page/tag)
Can be important at top of page, in bold, in large font
-
Keywords - Other
-
13
Keyword in alt text
Should describe graphic - Do NOT fill with spam (Was part of Google Florida OOP - tripped a threshold - may still be in effect to some degree as a red flag, when summed with all other on-page optimization - total page optimization score - TPOS).
-
14
Keyword in links to site pages (anchor text)
Links out anchor text use keyword?
-
NAVIGATION - INTERNAL LINKS
SITE
15
To internal pages- keywords?
Link should contain keywords. The filename "linked to" should contain the keywords. Use hyphenated filenames, but not long ones - two or three hyphens only.
SITE
16
All Internal links valid?
Validate all links to all pages on site. Use a free link checker. I like this one.
SITE
17
Efficient - tree-like structure
TRY FOR two clicks to any page - no page deeper than 4 clicks
SITE
18
Intra-site linking
Appropriate links between lower-level pages
54
-
NAVIGATION - OUTGOING LINKS
55
19
To external pages- keywords?
Google patent - Link only to good sites. Do not link to link farms. CAREFUL - Links can and do go bad, resulting in site demotion. Unfortunately, you must devote the time necessary to police your outgoing links - they are your responsibility.
56
20
Outgoing link Anchor Text
Google patent - Should be on topic, descriptive
61, 62
21
Link stability over time
Google patent - Avoid "Link Churn"
-
22
All External links valid?
Validate all links periodically.
-
23
Less than 100 links out total
Google says limit to 100, but readily accepts 2-3 times that number. ref 2k
-
121 (added)
Linking to Authority
Some say this gives a boost - Others say that is absurd. However, it certainly is the opposite of linking to trash, which WILL hurt you.
-
OTHER ON-Page Factors
-
24
Domain Name Extension Top Level Domain - TLD
.gov sites seem to be the highest status .edu sites seem to be given a high status .org sites seem to be given a high status .com sites excel in encompassing all the spam/ crud sites, resulting in the need for the highest scrutiny/ action by Google. Perhaps one would do well with the new .info domain class.<update> - Nope. Spammers jumped all over it - no safe haven there. Not so much, now - .info sites can rank highly.
-
25
File Size
Try not to exceed 100K page size (however, some subject matter, such as this page, requires larger file sizes). Smaller files are preferred <40K (lots of them).
-
26
Hyphens in URL
Preferred method for indicating a space, where there can be no actual space One or two= excellent for separating keywords (i.e., pet-smart, pets-mart) Four or more= BAD, starts to look spammy Ten = Spammer for sure, demotion probable?
6, 7 12, 13
27
Freshness of Pages
Google patent - Changes over time Newer the better - if news, retail or auction! Google likes fresh pages. So do I.
8, 9
28
Freshness - Amount of Content Change
New pages - Ratio of old pages to new pages
27
29
Freshness of Links
Google patent - May be good or bad Excellent for high-trust sites May not be so good for newer, low-trust sites
Keep it minimized - use somewhat less than the 2,000 characters allowed by IE - less than 100 is good, less is even better
-
OTHER ON-SITE Factors
5
36
Site Size - Google likes big sites
Larger sites are presumed to be better funded, better organized, better constructed, and therefore better sites. Google likes LARGE sites, for various reasons, not all positive. This has resulted in the advent of machine-generated 10,000-page spam sites - size for the sake of size. Google has caught on and dumped millions of pages, or made them supplemental.
4
37
Site Age
Google patent - Old is best. Old is Golden.
3
38
Age of page vs. age of site
Age of page vs. age of other pages on site Newer pages on an older site will get faster recognition.
-
Note: For ALL the POSITIVE On-Page factors listed above, PAGE RANK can OVERRIDE them all. So can Google-Bombing.
2. Alleged Negative ON-Page SEO Google Ranking Factors (24)
Note
Factor #
NEGATIVE ON-Page SEO Factors
Brief Note
BAD
39
Text presented in graphics form only No ACTUAL body text on the page
Text represented graphically is invisible to search engines.
BAD
40
Affiliate site?
The Florida update went after affiliates with a vengeance - flower and travel affiliates were hit hard - cookie-cutter sites with massive inter-linking, but little unique content. Subsequent updates have also targeted affiliates.
Penalty for over-compliance with well-established, accepted web optimization practices. Too high keyword repetition (keyword stuffing) may get you the OOP. Overuse of H1 tags has been mentioned. Meta-tag stuffing.
BAD
42
Link to a bad neighborhood
Don't link to link farms, FFAs (Free For All's) Also, don't forget to check the Google status of EVERYONE you link to periodically. A site may go "bad", and you can end up being penalized, even though you did nothing. For instance, some failed real estate sites have been switched to p0rn by unscrupulous webmasters, for the traffic. This is not good for you, if you are linking to the originally legitimate URL.
BAD
43
Redirect thru refresh metatags
Don't immediately send your visitor to another page other than the one he/ she clicked on, using meta refresh.
BAD
44
Vile language - ethnic slur
Including the George Carlin 7 bad words you can't say on TV, plus the 150 or so that followed. Don't shoot yourself right straight in the foot. Also, avoid combinations of normal words, which when used together, become something else entirely - such as the word juice, and the word l0ve. See why I wrote that zero? I don't even want to get a proximity penalty, either. Paranoia, or caution? You decide. I always want to try to put my "best foot forward".
The word "Links" in a title tag has been suggested to be a bad idea. Here is my list of Poison Words for Adsense. This penalty has been loosened - many of these words now appear in normal context, with no problems. But watch your step.
- within the same C block (IP=xxx.xxx.CCC.xxx) If you have many sites (>10, author's guess) with the same web host, prolific cross-linking can indicate more of a single entity, and less of democratic web voting. Easy to spot, easy to penalize. "This does not apply to a small number of sites" .. (this author guesses the number 10, JAWG) . . . "hosted on a local server". . Matt Cutts July 2006
BAD
47
Stealing images/ text blocks from another domain
Copyright violation - Google responds strongly if you are reported. ref egol File Google DMCA
Targeting too many unrelated keywords on a page, which would detract from theming, and reduce the importance of your REALLY important keywords.
??
50
Page edit - can reduce consistency
Google patent - Google is now switching between a "newer" cache, and several "older" caches, frequently drawing from BOTH at the same time. This was possibly implemented to frustrate SERP manipulators. Did your last edit substantially alter your keywords, or theme? Expect noticeable SERP bouncing.
6 - 7
51
Frequency of Content Change
Google patent - Too frequent = bad
32, 33
52
Freshness of Anchor Text
Google patent - Too frequent = bad
??
53
Dynamic Pages
Problematic - know pitfalls - shorten URLs, reduce variables (". . no more than 2 or 3", M.Cutts July 2006), lose the session IDs
OK - No penalty - Google advises against this. All over the place - but nothing is ever done. (The text is the same color as the background, and hence cannot be seen by the viewer, but can be visible to the search engine spiders.) I believe Google does penalize for hidden text, since it is an attempt to manipulate rank. Although they don't catch everyone.
-
60
Gateway, doorway page (I see changes here - not only does the doorway page disappear, but the main page gets pushed down, as well - this is a welcome fix.)
OK - No penalty - Google advises against this. Google used to reward these pages. Multiple entrance pages in the top ten SERPs - I see it daily. There they are at #2, with their twin at #5 - 6 months now. Reported numerous times.
OK - No penalty - Google advises against this. Google picks one (usually the oldest), and shoves it to the top, and pushes the second choice down. This has been a big issue with stolen content - the thief usurps your former position with YOUR OWN content.
-
62
HTML code violations (The big G does not even use DOCTYPE declarations, required for W3C validation.)
Doesn't matter - Google advises against this. Unless of course, the page is totally FUBAR. Simple HTML verification is NOT required (but advised, since it could contribute to your page quality factor - PQF).
-
-
Since the above 4 items are so controversial, I would like to add this comment: There are many things that Google would LIKE to have webmasters do, but that they simply cannot control, due to logistical considerations. Their only alternative is to foment fear and doubt by implying that any violation of their "suggestions" will result in swift and fierce demotion. (This is somewhat dated - G is fixing these things.)
IN GENERAL, this works pretty well to keep webmasters in line. The fallacy of this is that attentive webmasters can readily observe continuing, blatant exceptions to these official pronouncements.
There are many anecdotes about Goggle "taking care" of a problem. Google states that they do not provide hand-tweaked "boosts", but are silent about hand-tweaked demotions. They occur, for sure. To believe otherwise is naive. Wouldn't YOU swat the most obnoxious flies? I would.
It is becoming easier to determine the best thing to do. Try to avoid any Google penalties or demotions.
Feb. 2007 - Google patent granted. Do not use phrases that have been associated and correlated with known spamming techniques, or you will be penalized. What phrases? Ahh, you tell me.
3. Alleged POSITIVE OFF-Page SEO Google Ranking Factors (43)
Note
Factor #
POSITIVE OFF-Page SEO Factors
Brief Note
-
INCOMING LINKS :
HOT
63
Page Rank
Based on the Number and Quality of links to you Google link reporting continues to display just a SMALL fraction of your actual backlinks, and they are NOT just greater than PR4 - they are mixed.
-
64
Total incoming links ("backlinks")
Historically, FAST counted best (www.alltheweb.com). No more - Yahoo (parent) broke it.
Current TYPICAL Backlink Reporting Ratios - Google - 30 links MSN - 1,000 links Yahoo - 3,000 links
-
65
Incoming links from high-ranking pages
In 2004, Google used to count (report) the links from all PR4+ pages that linked to you. In 2005-2006, Google reported only a small fraction of the links, in what seemed like an almost random manner. In Feb. 2007, Google markedly upgraded (increased) the number of links that they report.
-
66
Acceleration of link popularity (". . . used to be a good thing" ... Martha)
Google patent Link acquisition speed boost - speculative Too fast = artificial? Cause of -30 penalty? Sandbox penalty imposed if new site?
-
FOR EACH INCOMING LINK :
-
67
Page rank of the referring page
Based on the quality of links to you
HOT
68
Anchor text of inbound link to you
Contains keyword, key phrase? #1 result in SERP does NOT EVEN need to have the keyword(s) on the page, ANYWHERE!!! What does that tell you? (Enables Google-bombing - search for "miserable failure")
-
69
Age of link
Google patent - Old = Good.
-
70
Frequency of change of anchor text
Google patent - Not good. Why would you do that?
-
71
Popularity of referring page
Popularity = desirability, respect
-
72
# of outgoing links on referrer page
Fewer is better - makes yours more important
-
73
Position of link on referrer page
Early in HTML is best
-
74
Keyword density on referring page
For search keyword(s)
-
75
HTML title of referrer page
Same subject/ theme?
28
76
Link from "Expert" site?
Google patent - Big time boost (Hilltop Algorithm) Recently reported to give a big boost !
The Google Directory is produced by an unknown, ungoverned, unpoliced, ill-intentioned, retaliatory, monopoly enterprise, consisting of profiteering power-ego editors feathering their own nests - the ODP. AOL is making millions, and needs to police it's run-amok entity. Enough already!
This is a tough one. Google's directory comes STRAIGHT from the DMOZ directory. You should try to get into dmoz. But you can't. Be careful whom you approach with the old spondulix - Formal DMOZ Bribe Instructions. It is almost impossible to get into DMOZ. This site cannot get in, after waiting over 2 YEARS (33 months). Not even in the lowest, most insignificant category, "Personal Pages".I guess I just don't "measure up" to the other 20,000+ sites in the personal category. I'm not the suck-up type - I kissed them off long ago. What a waste of time!
UPDATE: This page (not site) finally got indexed in June 2007, thanks to a legitimate editor. No money was paid. Google needs to DO SOMETHING about populating its own directory with the skewed, incomplete, poorly determined results from the dysfunctional Open Directory Project - the ODP! Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
-
82
DMOZ category?
Theme fit category? General or geographic category? Both are possible, and acceptable.
Previously, many pages preferred - conferred authority upon site, thus page. Bigger sites = better SERPs Now, fewer pages preferred, due to proliferation of computer-generated pages. Google has been dropping pages like crazy.
Google patent - # of visitors, increasing trend = good
-
101
Referrer
Authoritative referrer?
-
102
Keyword
Keyword searches used to find you
-
103
Time spent on domain
Relatively long time = indicates relevance hit Add brownie points.
38
-
DOMAIN OWNER BEHAVIOR :
40
104
Domain Registration Time
Google patent - Domain Expiration Date Register for 5 years, Google knows you are serious. Register for 1 year, is it a throw-away domain?
39
105
Are associated sites legitimate?
Google patent - No spam, ownership, etc.
4. Alleged NEGATIVE OFF-Page SEO Google Ranking Factors (13)
Note
Factor #
NEGATIVE OFF-Page SEO Factors
Brief Note
-
120 (added)
Traffic Buying
Have you paid a company for web traffic? It is probably low quality traffic, with a zero conversion rate. Some providers of traffic for traffic's sake may be considered "bad neighborhoods". Can Google discount your traffic (for true popularity), because they know it's mostly phony? Have you read about Traffic Power?
In a nut shell, old links are valued, new links are not. This is intended to thwart rapid incoming link accumulation, accomplished through the tactic of link buying. Just one of the sandbox factors.
18
107
Change of Meanings
Query meaning changes over time, due to current events
BAD
108
Zero links to you
You MUST have at least 1 (one) incoming link (back link) from some website somewhere, that Google is aware of, to REMAIN in the index.
BAD
109
Link-buying
(Very good IF you don't get caught, but don't do it - when caught, the penalty isn't worth it.)
Google patent - Google hates link-buying, because it corrupts their PR model in the worst way possible. 1. Does your page have links it really doesn't merit? 2. Did you get tons of links in a short time period? 3. Do you have links from high-PR, unrelated sites?
41, 42
110
Prior Site Ranking
Google patent - High = Good
BAD
111
Cloaking
Google promises to Ban! (Presenting one webpage to the search engine spider, and another webpage to everybody else.)
??
112
Links from bad neighborhoods, affiliates
Google says that incoming links from bad sites can't hurt you, because you can't control them. Ideally, this would be true. However, some speculate otherwise, esp., when other associated factors are thrown into the mix, such as web rings.
BAD
113
Penalties - resulting from Domain Hijacking (work with Google to fix)
Should result in IMPRISONMENT, forthwith! Grand Theft, mandatory minimum sentence. The criminal COPIES your entire website, and HOSTS it elsewhere, with . . . a few changes.
-
114
Penalty - Google TOS violation
WMG is the worst offender - gobbles up tons of Google server time by nervous Nellie webmasters. Google even mentions them by name. I think that Google will spank you when you cross the threshold, of say, 100 queries per day for the same term, from the same IP. Google can block your IP. Get a Google API.
??
115
Server Reliability - S/B >99.9%
What is your uptime? Ever notice a daily time when your server is unavailable, like about 1:30 AM? How diligent must Googlebot be? This is the worst reason to get dropped - you just aren't there! An ISP maintenance interruption can cause delisting..
-
116
No more room Pages being dropped from large sites
The 232 problem - Google has hit the 4.3 Gigabyte address space wall. Bull! Google now has over 8 Gigs of indexed pages. Thousands of pages are disappearing from various huge websites, but I think that it is G just cleaning house, by dumping computer-generated pages.
117
Rank Manipulation by Competitor Attack
(1. Content theft causing you to get a duplicate content penalty, even though your content is the original - Google has problems tracking original authorship. People are still stealing my content, but nobody trumps me (in Google) with my own content - hats off to Google.)
Impossible by Google definition (except for a few nasty tricks, like making your competition appear to be link spammers) Ideally, there SHOULD be nothing that your competition can do to directly hurt your rankings.
However, an astute observer noticed that Google changed their website to read : Old verbiage = "There is nothing a competitor can do to harm your ranking ..." New verbiage = "There is ALMOST nothing a competitor can do ..." An obvious concession that Google thinks that at least some dirty tricks work!
Of course, there will always be new ones!
-
118
Bouncing Ball Algorithm
At least 2, and often 3 identifiable Google Search Algos are currently in use, alternating pseudo-randomly through the data centers. G has moved to a daily dance. Multiple changing factors are applied daily. GOOD LUCK NOW on trying to figure things out!
IN ADDITION, some the above factors are being "tweaked" daily. Not only are the "weights" of the factors changed, but the formula itself changes. Change is the only constant.
An algo change can boost or demote your site. I put this in the negative factors section, because your position is never secure, unless of course, you are huge (PR=7 or greater). If you simply cannot achieve top position, your only alternative to first page SERP exposure may be Google Ad Words (you pay for exposure).
Today, I searched for an extremely competitive "2-word term", and I found that NOT ONE of the top ten Google SERPs had even one of the words on the page. YOWSA! Today's theory - when it doesn't matter, anybody can get #1 in a second, if they know the on-page rules. BUT, after a certain "commercial competitive level", the "semantic analysis" algo kicks in, and less becomes more. The keyword density rules are flipped upon their noggins. I think that we are witnessing the evolution of search engine anti-seo sophistication, right before our very eyes. Fun stuff.
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Finally. Finally. Nearly two years after Resistance 2 was released, Sony and Insomniac have gone ahead and made a long-anticipated announcement: Resistance 3 is in development.
Confusion was abound as to the timetable in which Resistance 3 might be announced. After all, it was way back in October of 2009 when we first saw Resistance 3's logo stamped on a billboard on a movie set. The logo clearly indicates that the game will at least partially take place in New York City, but still, details are scarce.
But now, that's all cleared up. Resistance 3 is coming, and its alternate history timeline will live on. Of course, you should stay-tuned to IGN.com for more details on Resistance 3 as they emerge.
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