

More information about canonicalization.Checkbot is a powerful website tester that tells you how to improve the SEO, page speed and security of your website.

If your site has identical content that can be reached via different URLs, there are several ways of indicating the canonical (preferred) version of a page. Many sites offer text-only or printer-friendly versions of pages that contain the same content as the corresponding graphic-rich pages. Use ALT attributes if the main content and keywords on your page can't be formatted in regular HTML.ĭon't create multiple copies of a page under different URLs. Our crawler doesn't recognize text contained in graphics. Be careful if your domain is affiliated with one of these deceptive services, it could be banned from our index.ĭon't use images to display important names, content, or links. While legitimate consulting firms can improve your site's flow and content, others employ deceptive tactics in an attempt to fool search engines. Some companies claim to "guarantee" high ranking for your site in Google's search results. If your site contains pages, links, or text that you don't intend visitors to see, Google considers those links and pages deceptive and may ignore your site.ĭon't feel obligated to purchase a search engine optimization service. Things to avoidĭon't fill your page with lists of keywords, attempt to "cloak" pages, or put up "crawler only" pages. If features such as JavaScript, cookies, session IDs, DHTML, or Macromedia Flash keep you from seeing your entire site in a text browser, then spiders may have trouble crawling it. Most spiders see your site much as Lynx would. Use a text browser, such as Lynx, to examine your site. Every page should be reachable from at least one static text link. Make your site easily accessibleīuild your site with a logical link structure. Only natural links are useful for the indexing and ranking of your site. Some of these types of links (such as link schemes and doorway pages) are covered in our Webmaster Guidelines. Unnatural links to your site are placed there specifically to make your site look more popular to search engines. Natural links to your site develop as part of the dynamic nature of the web when other sites find your content valuable and think it would be helpful for their visitors. Keep in mind that our algorithms can distinguish natural links from unnatural links. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important." Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote by page A for page B. When returning results for a search, Google uses sophisticated text-matching techniques to display pages that are both important and relevant to each search. Links help our crawlers find your site and can give your site greater visibility in our search results. Think about the words users would type to find your pages and include those words on your site. In creating a helpful, information-rich site, write pages that clearly and accurately describe your topic. If your pages contain useful information, their content will attract many visitors and entice webmasters to link to your site. This is the single most important thing to do. Provide high-quality content on your pages, especially your homepage.

Give visitors the information they're looking for

Below are more detailed tips for creating a Google-friendly site. Our Webmaster Guidelines provide general design, technical, and quality guidelines. Check out our SEO Starter Guide! Things to do
