The Google Sandbox has been described as a filter that acts as a de facto probation for new sites, keeping rankings low (for the most important key terms being targeted by that site) despite good Google PageRank, authoritative links, and good optimization practices. It has the effect of keeping new sites lower than expected in searches, prior to giving them full value for content, inbound links and user friendly elements.
While all types of sites can be placed in the Sandbox, the problem appears much more frequently for new websites seeking rankings for highly competitive keyword phrases. There have also been cases where new sites have started ranking well in a very short time, but this seems to be more the exception than the rule.

The Sandbox effect was first noticed in early 2004, it is thought that Google created the Sandbox to prevent spammy sites from immediately ranking highly for their keywords using black hat techniques. Not everyone agrees that the Google Sandbox exists, some webmasters and optimizers believe that the phenomenon merely echoes an already existing Google algorithm, and the Sandbox effect is an illusion.

The Sandbox effect is said to vary from one to six months, with three to four months being the normal time frame. As the only way out of the Sandbox is earning Google’s trust through time, optimizers should continue to work on on-page and off-page strategies for the site such as adding new keyword rich content and quality incoming links, checking on metatags and updating the sitemap. Purchasing existing domains and steadily adding inbound links and content is also supposed to help new sites move out of the Sandbox
faster and gain higher page ranking more quickly.

It seems like the entire Internet world has changed this week. SEOmoz introduced us to a keyword/content relevancy tool which has many in the SEO and IR communities in an uproar and turned “LDA” into an SEO buzz word. Google Instant rolled out, possibly upending several search marketing conventions. And here at the secret ninja lair, we’ve watched breathlessly as our blog traffic skyrocketed unexpectedly and everyone is getting new cubicle and office assignments. Internally and externally, everything has been shaken up – and hopefully for the better! Here’s the weekly round up of our favorite posts.

Becky’s Links:
It’s impossible for me not to talk about SEOmoz’s new LDA tool. Heck, we did our own post about it here after it was announced at the Mozinar in Seattle, and another one here after we realized what a controversy it was turning out to be. Rand Fishkin explains it quite well in his article, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Google’s Rankings are Remarkably Well Correlated. While there has been a lot of heated debate over nearly every aspect of the tool (which is still just in Labs), including methodology, the meaning of “well correlated” and the tool’s user-friendliness or lack thereof, we’re excited about having a new tool in our arsenal.

I’m also going to throw some love at two other posts: Scott Brinker’s thoughts about effective microsites, a strategy we rather like for many of our clients with more diversified services, and David Kauzlaric’s article, Google Analytics + Heat Map Analytics + Good Designer = Sexy Conversions. I love heatmapping, and combining it with analytics data just pushes me over the edge!

Debby’s Link:
Google Instant- What Now
Much needed advice in the time of  confusion. I agree with the writer – we need to wait and get more information about the  effects of Google Instant.

John’s Link:
As conversion rate optimization becomes more and more a plurality with SEO, I would like to give a nod to SEOmoz’s Dr. Pete with his post “Priceless CRO Advice for $224.” I really like the first two options, which allow for cheap yet effective analysis of your company’s or client’s website. Review things like brand recognition, goal conversion and all sorts of visitor behavior.

Google Instant rolled out just four hours ago and it’s already been overreported. Depending on who you ask, it’s a good thing, it’s a bad thing, your PPC is screwed, [random SEO thing] just became a lot more important, the sky is falling. Collectively, the industry is freaking out.

When Rob Ousbey broke the news of the live updating SERPs test being spotted in the wild (before we knew what its name would be), I predicted then that it would put a lot of emphasis on the head as searches that were initially intended to be long tailed would be abandoned midway through when a page of apparently relevant results appeared, drastically reducing the click through rate on long tail SERPs. Then at the Mozinar, Rand Fishkin noted that SEOs had the same fear when Google Suggest was first announced, but that what actually happened was an increase in click through rate. My guess is that it also increased the volume of searches as users were presented with related queries they hadn’t previously considered.

Matt Cutts, though not the most unbiased source in this whole deal, commented that he was finding that he was actually conducting more research as a result of the Google Instant SERPs, and that rang true for me. Which leads me to the following.

Now, stick with me here. I have a wild prediction here.

Everything will be just fine!

The first search will tend more toward the head. However, the searcher now sees not just the Google Suggest box, but also a page of title tags and descriptions. Those SERPs may contain words and related ideas the searcher hadn’t considered. Now after or instead of clicking into one of those head query SERPs, the searcher refines the search based on the new information presented. And that search? Long tail all the way, baby!

So basically, I think it will increase search volume. The head will come first, but the tail will follow shortly thereafter.

That said, it’s kinda fun to play with. Use Google Instant to search for “pink baboon fur” for an interesting look at how the updating SERPs can quickly shift directions.

Continuing with the series on basic SEO questions, one question that we optimizers frequently hear is “What is Black Hat SEO?”

There is no generally accepted definition for black hat SEO. The answers depend on who you are speaking to, something considered fair by one webmaster maybe off-limits to another. Generally, efforts to manipulate Search Engines to gain quick results are considered as Black Hat SEO.

Besides the principles that web companies and marketing personnel apply to their work, guidelines can also vary based on the industry and sometimes the Search Engines too.
Search engine operators, such as Google, Bing and Yahoo, have published guidelines about techniques they consider to be Black Hat and in violation of their policies.

There are no shortcuts in SEO. It is a long-term process that requires perseverance and diligence. Black hat techniques may look tempting and easy and may give short-term results but they are detrimental in the long run. They can cause your site to get banned by the SEs which is every webmaster’s worst nightmare..

Here are some common BlackHat SEO techniques to be aware of :

Cloaking a website by displaying one website to visitors and other one to Google’s spiders. The most common way to do this is using the “iframe” redirect code.

Using Hidden Text or “white” text written on a white background to stuff keywords within webpages.

Creating Doorway pages which involves having a website optimized for one set of keywords, then redirecting its traffic to another website once it is indexed.

Using Automated Submission/Link Building Software that submits your site to hundreds of directories that probably have no relevance to your site. This is also known as Link Farming.

Keyword Stuffing or adding a large number of keywords in the meta-tags.

Buying Paid Links indiscriminately to try and build inbound links.

I find myself wondering how the heck I made it to Friday again so quickly. Is it just me, or is July moving at the speed of light?

Either way, it’s time for some link lovin’s for our favorite SEO writers this week!

Patti: There’s another startup on the horizon, and this one comes with FREE DATA! I, like our former ninja Tara, love data, especially when it’s free. Blekko is a search engine currently sitting in beta which promises to share it’s data for free, including inbound links, duplicated content, and associated metatags, for each and every domain they have indexed! Provided their index is comparable to that of Yahoo! or Google, this will be a great tool for SEO! Swoon

Becky: Last January, I got very interested in Foursquare and after poking it with a stick for awhile I wrote SEO for Foursquare. I was pretty excited about the possible implications for local search, and wrote that, “The clean, clear address and map hint that a citation is certainly possible. If a lot of people are checking in to a venue, those could be construed as votes in favor that make it more worthy of a higher position in the 7-pack. At the very least, the search engines are taking some serious notice.” So of course I was excited all over again when Greg Sterling at Search Engine Land posted Foursquare In Discussions With “Everyone” To Enhance Search With Its Data. Can I get away with saying I told you so? Cuz I kinda want to.

In the pursuit of obtaining first page results on the Search Engines, optimizers employ a number of on and off page strategies such as adding custom metatags, calls-to-action, link-buildiing, blogs, article submission, e-PRs and so on . If you look closely at these strategies, you realize that the one element that lies at the core is : Great Content.

One way to add fresh content is through Page additions, which can supplement the existing content and help to gradulaly build the site into an authority.

The one important thing to remember is that when it comes to pages what matters is not so much sheer quantity but the quality and the consistency of the pages.
Just having a large number of pages will not be beneficial for SEO, those pages need to be original with relevant content and should be well linked within the site.

While scheduling page adds we should ask ourselves if the new content is relevant to existing topics, if will it add to the overall value of the site, and if the content is simple to understand but thorough in its information.

Adding new pages gives optimizers the opportunity to target keywords and phrases and improve linking. It’s very important to ensure that the pages being being added have original content and are in no way duplicates .

Great Content is the most crucial factor that can affect website rankings. Online visitors usually turn to search engines for up-to-date information. Google and other search engines are always judging sites based on the kind online experience to their users. Especially with the introduction of Google Caffeine, having fresh, relevant content has become almost mandatory.

Creating high quality, custom content and posting it in different forms at a a pace which will keep attracting the interest of search engine crawlers is a sure-fire way to forge your way to the top of the search engine rankings.

I have come across many people who are confused about the terms SEO and SEM and especially about the differences between the two processes. While there maybe differing opinions even within the Internet Marketing industry, here’s my take on it:

Search engine marketing, or SEM, is  a collection of the different Internet marketing strategies to promote The SE rankings of websites  (SERPs) through the use of search engine optimization, Paid placement, and contextual advertising.  Usage of the term has been inconsistent and it is often narrowly used to exclusively refer to Pay per Click or PPC.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is defined as the process improving  a website’s organic ( non-sponsored)  results on the Search Engines.  When a user types in a Search Phrase or Query , the Search Engine pulls up a list of sites, these  results are independently determined by the search engine’s own mathematical algorithm, and are based on relevance to the search phrase.

The algorithms are said to use a  large number of criteria  in the  calculation of their results. Some of the criteria include Title Tag optimization, Quality of original content , Keywords in hyperlinks / URL, Link structure ,  amount and quality of Incoming links, Site Speed , Accessibility and User-friendliness of the site and so on.

SEO is a slow, long-term process, it involves several stages of work including competitor analysis, keyword research. On page optimization such as HTML code implementation, regular content / media addition and Off page  optimization which involves adding inbound links, targeting local search, verifying the site with the Search engine  play a large role in achieving successful results.
Since results from Search Engines are dynamic and constantly changing, there are no guarantees of first page results and especially instant first page results. SEO  is  an on-going, steady process where the optimizer works relentlessly to prove and maintain the authority  and relevance of his site to the SE.

Pay per click advertising refers to the short text advertisements often labelled as “sponsored Links” or “sponsored results”. These advertisements are generally purchased from GoogleTM (the Google AdwordsTM product), or Yahoo! Search Marketing (YSM – formerly Overture)TM Or Bing ( MSN paid search). In response to a search phrase, the PPC advertisements which have bid on that phrase are displayed, and if the viewer clicks on a text advertisement they are taken to the advertiser’s website. At that point, the advertiser’s account is charged for the ‘click through’ by the search engine’s advertising partner.

The advantage of SEM is the fact that you can get instant qualified traffic to your site , the amount of traffic mainly depends on your budget. However this is also potential hazard -  if you do not properly optimize your ads,  you run the risk of using up your marketing budget very fast and having a low conversion rate to show for it. Click fraud is another serious problem.

Contextual advertising refers to targeted advertisements appearing on websites or other media, such as mobile browsers. The advertisements are selected by automated systems based on the content displayed to the user and may be displayed on the webpage or as pop-up ads. Google AdSense was the first major contextual advertising network,  Yahoo! Publisher Network, Microsoft adCenter, AOL Sponsored Listings area  and others have been gearing up to make similar offerings.

We’re introducing a new feature here on White Hat, Black Belt: A weekly link wrap up where each optimizer shares their favorite articles from the week! Let’s get started…

Patti: I follow former co-worker Everett Sizemore because I like his style and he’s an invaluable resource here still at Page 1 Solutions. He posted this yesterday about how long-tail keywords generate better conversions. He shows a case study of a client who was trying to show for big keywords that were pretty much already cornered by a huge competitor. By targeting the long-tail keywords that are more specific to his client’s business, he now owns that area of the SERPs, and their page views have skyrocketed. Let the data speak for itself!

Tara: One hindrance of web analytics is that we are too often given data that is specific to a given client, leaving us without the ability to scale our data and compare across clients. This blog entry by Rich Devine of ZAAZ breaks the mold a little by showing us a way to compare Demand against Delivery across several sites… and with a simple formula to boot!

Debby: As always, I’m a fan of the White Board Friday post by Rand Fishkin at SEOMoz. This week, he talks about Google’s May Day update where a lot of us saw a drop off in the traffic from long-tail keywords from Google. The best lesson to take away: Breathe deeply and relax!

Becky: My favorite blog post this week has to be Local SEO Planning Tip – Determine the Geo Limits of a Search, posted just today by Mike over at Blumenthals. I used it to take a look at a client’s Google boundaries this afternoon during a discussion about whether or not to target Santa Clarita. (His office is in L.A.) Understanding the geographic limitations of any given search is a HUGE advantage. Big, big kudos and love to Mike for this one!

Mike, Kristen, and John aren’t around today, but I’ll wrangle their opinions next week! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Whew! Just got back from a whirlwind wedding, honeymoon and road trip combo – and of course, being the web junkie that I am, I couldn’t help but think about work. (Bad Tara, bad!) Here are some lessons from the road on how to address your online audience!

5. If they want X, they’ll probably want Y. One thing that really impressed me about our honeymoon cruise to Ensenada was how well our cruise liner had thought of everything we could possibly want to do (or spend money on). For example, they plan on doing a formal night on the cruise, which is great for fools like me who like to make anything romantic. Then, as you make your way to your formal dinner, feeling dressed to the nines, there’s a staff of professional photographers waiting to take your portrait. I couldn’t turn them down! Even with the $20/print pricetag.

You can take this lesson and apply it to your website by really thinking about which services or products your clients will want in addition to what they’re offering on the page. For example, a cosmetic surgeon’s page on liposuction might be a great place to put a Call-to-Action for brachioplasty (arm lift) or buttock augmentation. This helps your bounce rate, time on site and helps convert visitors to patients.

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Recently we were once again faced with numerous questions about duplicate content, this was due to the  publication of an article which seemed to claim that duplicate content caused no harm at all to a website.
While closer inspection of the content in the aforementioned article confirmed what we already know, the sensational headlines raised a lot of questions from people who wondered if we could stop worrying about unique content and if didn’t matter how much duplicate content was on a site.

The fundamental facts about duplicate content have not changed and I don’t think they ever will change.
All Search Engines value unique content. If your site has customized, updated information, it’s always going to be an advantage as you are providing the viewer with a  better experience which translates to better credibility with the Search Engines. If you have some sentences or small paragraphs on your website that are very similar, you should not worry about it being considered as duplicate content.

If you do happen to have significant duplicate content on your site, you will not get penalized by the Search engines. They will simply choose the  content they think is most relevant for a certain search and filter out the rest of your pages. This in itself is sufficient reason to avoid duplicate content.

There are some sites that seem to rank well inspite of having obvious duplicate content issues, but in the long run they are bound to fail.

The best way is to to always put yourself in the reader’s shoes and to ask yourself if your website is providing you with the information you looked for and if that information was appealing.

 Avoiding duplicate content as much as possible is the best route to geting good rankings for your site.