Getting Your Website Listed On Google

[allan908]

My wife has had a website listing her B&B business for some time but it is "invisible" when the name of the place is typed into Google Search. How the heck do you get it up the listings?

[bnt]

If the keywords used on the site are common, there's no quick answer to that. It's best if you can make the site as unique as possible. Like the business, it needs a unique selling point.

Beyond that, there's a whole industry dedicated to Search Engine Optimization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization), and Google's war on spammers using the same techniques...

[allan908]

The word is not particularly common - Katrine - but ranks less in importance than the blog of some 13 year old with the name of Katrine!

Katrine Anderson (http://www.iearn.org.au/kindred/lowkb/stories/anderson.htm) My name is Katrine and I`m 13 years old. I live in Denmark with my mother, father and sister My grandfather was one out of 10 brothers and sisters. ...
www.iearn.org.au/kindred/lowkb/stories/anderson.htm - 2k -

There also appears to be a heap of entries (geographically specific) which have annexed the name Katrine but have sod all to do with the place - ie

Real Estate Katrine - homehound.com.au (http://www.homehound.com.au/real+estate/katrine/) View 0 Real Estate listings in Katrine on homehound.com.au now! Below is a sample of Real Estate currently listed with homehound.com.au.
www.homehound.com.au/real+estate/katrine/ - 31k - Cached (http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:7Ggxxnm7fiAJ:www.homehound.com.au/real%2Bestate/katrine/+katrine&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=au) - Similar pages (http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&cr=countryAU&q=related:www.homehound.com.au/real%2Bestate/katrine/)

Note in the example listed above that there are zero listings in Katrine simply because there is only one property there and that's the one we want in the search engine!

I should add - that is using the "Australian Pages Only" option - let alone the world pages! The place itself is listed in quite a few entries - but as an historic building rather than the B&B business proper. So, I come back to my original question - how the heck do I get www.katrine.com.au (http://www.katrine.com.au) into the lists???

[bnt]

From the way it looks, Google has not indexed your site (yet) - when I do a site-only search, it returns nothing. Is it a new site? You don't always need to tell Google to index (read) a site, it indexes anything it finds from links on other sites. So if it's not new, is anyone else linking to it? We know they index PPRuNe, so maybe that will get them to notice!

Have a look at the "Site Owners" section on this Google page (http://www.google.com.au/intl/en/about.html) e.g. "submitting your site", where you can tell them about it. If you really want a site boost, you might want to consider buying AdWords off them.

Also, "Katrine Barn" is far more unique than just "Katrine", so I recommend using that on you site more, and every time you mention the site to anyone who might search for or link to it. You can't expect to take over the "web presence" of a personal name for your business. This is why you see big businesses creating new names, and even among very-well established names, McDonald's doesn't seriously expect to own the name "McDonald", does it? Though I wouldn't put it past them... :8

[HuntandFish]

Try adding a lot of links on the site places of local ineterst maps etc Im told this will help get it up the ratings

[bnt]

I went back to Google Australia just now, and your site is the first result in an Australia-only search for both "Katrine" and "Katrine Barn". In a whole-web search, you're 2nd for "Katrine" and 1st for "Katrine Barn".

Bonzer! :ok:

[Bahn-Jeaux]

Having a new website built at the minute as the existing one just isnt up to it and never shows up in a search unless you know the exact name.

We are having to pay to have the site optimized and I believe it goes not so much on the title but how many times specific terms are present on the pages although this can have a negative effect too as Googles bots now detect excessive useage of specific terms and effectively kick you out as a spammer.

Try having a look here (http://www.thesitewizard.com/sitepromotion/index.shtml) and see what it says.

[allan908]

Guys - thanks a million for all the suggestions and advice.

As bnt says - BONZER!!!