Ways Google Finds My Content

[Rebtl]

I have a question about google crawling.

I have been using Platinum SEO on my new blog. I am really trying SEO optimize my blog so I have used most of the noindex / nofollow options in the plugin.

The only items I have open are allowing the datebased archives to be accessed, and allowing links off the front page to be followed. (The only links on the front page are aff links which I have nofollowed each, the only open links are my date based archive links)

I am using the archives option because I have a lot of overlapping tags and categories that I do not want to take duplicate content penalties for indexing all of those.

Basically what it boils down to is the only do-index, do-follow links on my front page is the small list of date based archives in my footer. (by month)

My question: Is this enough to allow google to find my content and properly index it?

If not, what should I be doing?


Thanks for any help,

Rebtl

[bgmacaw]

It sounds like you're over-optimizing your internal SEO. Instead, concentrate on external link building SEO.

[Rebtl]

I am doing a lot of external link building, but of course I need to get my single post pages indexed by google, and I am just asking if that is possible through the setup I have right now.

[Rebtl]

Yes, I am using Google XML sitemaps plugin, but

I am also using stats press, which keeps track of SE spiders, and everytime the google bot comes, the only things it looks at my robots.txt file and nothing else.

Thats why I think I have a problem

[Rebtl]

Anybody else have any advice on this?

I was thinking of just putting my categories list in my sidebar, but like I said I have a lot of overlapping categoies (posts tagged in more than one) and the same thing for tags, so I don't want to get a duplicate content penalty for that.

[jgoffshore]

Originally Posted by Rebtl

Anybody else have any advice on this?

I was thinking of just putting my categories list in my sidebar, but like I said I have a lot of overlapping categoies (posts tagged in more than one) and the same thing for tags, so I don't want to get a duplicate content penalty for that.

Yes I have the same problem on Link4Business - this is a magazine style with excerpts of recent posts on the front page but the spiders don't seem to follow through to the full posts. Also archived posts seem to be missed too which as I have about 130 of them is rather annoying.

Anyone got an answer for us?

[Rebtl]

yea, once I get all my posts added I am going to have a fairly static site and I want to make sure that the search engines have found all of my pages

[AndyBlackSEO]

Try and link to an internal php script for your affiliate links. I have just ran an experiment recently where one of my sites that ranked no.3 for a specifc keyword phrase dropped to page 18 due to me adding 'nofollow' affiliate links to my index page.

It's unlikely there was any other reason for it as I hadn't done anything else. This has been like this for quite a number of weeks now so a week or so ago I removed those links and instead linked to the affiliates via an internal php script. It now appears that I have no outbound links, and this shows on numerous tools.

When I checked a day or two ago, the index page had been crawled and re-cached and it is suddenly back up where it was... well top of page 2. This will be due to other pages on the site that still has these affiliate links on.

I'm not saying this is the case for all sites. Maybe this 'redundant' site has been classed an a thin affiliate site, I don't know, but those outbound affiliate links definately made a huge dent in my rankings.

Andy

[Rebtl]

Thats a good idea, Andy

I already have all of my affiliate links going through GoCodes (a link cloaking/redirect plugin)

Do you think that is sufficient to keep my from losing PR from all of those links?

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by Rebtl

I am doing a lot of external link building, but of course I need to get my single post pages indexed by google, and I am just asking if that is possible through the setup I have right now.

Let me put it this way. I don't do anything special with my blogs and I just use the default settings on Platinum SEO. I use social bookmarking once on each post or page except for pages like about and policies. I have an extensive ping submission and RSS feed aggregation list that I use. The pages/posts are usually indexed within 24 hours for a brand new blog and in less than an hour, usually minutes, for new posts.

The only new thing I'm trying out is a new plugin that will add rel='canonical' to post links. I suspect a new version of Platinum SEO will add this functionality soon.

[Rebtl]

Sounds good to me. I am just getting this blog I started underway and I want to make sure I do the SEO right from the beginning for once.

But you HAVE to tell me how you were able to get your blogs (those two in your sig links) into that awesome Gride format for the posts!?!?!?!

I have been trying to figure out a way to do that for a long time.

Is it just a theme or custom css?

Thanks

Rebtl

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by Rebtl

But you HAVE to tell me how you were able to get your blogs (those two in your sig links) into that awesome Gride format for the posts!?!?!?!

I have been trying to figure out a way to do that for a long time.

Is it just a theme or custom css?

It's the Visionary theme from Justin Tadlock that I've modified.

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by zxlewi

I would highly suggest the "All in one SEO" plugin over the "Platinum SEO" in my experience both over speed and the fact that it still does a great job.

Platinum is a development branch from All-in-One so at the core they're very similar. I've been using Platinum more recently since it has some useful features that haven't made it in AiO yet but either will get the job done.

[Rebtl]

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

It's the Visionary theme from Justin Tadlock that I've modified.

Sweet I love it thanks!