"My Website Isn't in Google"

One of the online marketing services we've been asked for occasionally is getting a website to appear in the Google listings. Not on page one, necessarily, but listed at all. Something Google calls 'indexing'.

You see, while you can search for and find any website in the world by typing its address into the address bar in your browser, this doesn't necessarily mean it will appear in a search on Google because Google doesn't always get around to 'indexing' or listing new websites for some time. In fact, your new site could languish for weeks, as happened to one of the people who approached us for help.

You can test this by typing your website's URL (including the .co.uk or .com) into the Google search box. For example, "mywebsite.com". If your website doesn't appear in the results it means Google haven't 'indexed' (listed) it yet. Which means no one will ever find it with a Google search. 

It used to be the case that you could submit a new site to Google via their webmaster tools, but with so many sites being created every minute of every day, that service has been withdrawn. So what should you do now?

Well our solution was to build links to the new site from one that we know Google 'spiders' (sends its robots to look at) regularly, like one of our blogs, for example. The next time they (the Google robots) visit, they find the new link, follow it to the new site and, "Hey presto!" the site gets indexed.


That process still works. But now there's a refinement to the process that makes it quicker and it makes use of one of the most active and therefore most spidered websites on the Internet - Twitter. Google visits Twitter every few minutes. In fact, it's probably on there pretty much all the time, and anything that gets tweeted can get indexed on Google within minutes. That includes links to your new site, if you include them in your tweets.

So the answer to the question of "How can I get my site listed on Google" is easy: Tweet it. Just say something like "Look at my new website" followed by the full URL. Mention the exciting content and you should get some human visitors, too, but the objective is to get Google to come calling.

Bear in mind that even the super-powerful computers Google uses still work in the real universe, so it can still take a few hours for your site to appear on all the Google servers, but Twitter is the easiest and fastest way to make that happen.

You can get more online marketing help and training from Cinnamon Edge. We run courses, in-house training, and of course we offer marketing services as well!

Roy

What's in a Name?

Finding a catchy name for your product or business can make the difference between success or failure, especially if you have limited resources to promote it in the early stages.

So how should you choose a name?

For some people, ideas come easily, but other people need to be more systematic about it. Of course, you can ask around and even seek professional help, but one system is to look carefully at the benefits your product or business brings and reduce that to as few words as possible, even if that means you're reduced to naming features.

As an example: yesterday I heard someone speaking on the radio. The subject is not relevant (and I had to think hard to remember it was the credit crunch). What stuck with me, after hearing it just once, was the name of his company, 'Content and Code'. If that doesn't tell you he's in the website business, I don't know what would.

'Google', on the other hand, tells you nothing, but we all know what Google does, or we think we do. Certainly, we know their public face.

Here's another: 'Betfair'. You know straight away that Betfair is probably in the betting/gaming business. You might also gather that they like to think of themselves as fair, or honest. But fair has several meanings besides 'honest'. A fair might be a fun fair, a market, a carnival, a trade show or a host of places where trading might be done.

And that's what Betfair is: a place where you don't so much place bets, as with a bookie, but where you trade them with fellow gamblers. Fair and square, as it were.

Find out more about Betfair and how it works, here.

Roy

Getting Back at Google?

If you've used Google Adwords, you probably had the same mixed results that most of us have, especially at first - maybe spending more than you earned back?

No more!

Get Google Adwords for free, here: http://tinyurl.com/5w4k3h

(If the link doesn't work, copy and paste it into your browser.)

One simple idea, tuned to perfection until even Google loved it (and you will too), and your Google Ads are free.

It's really too good to miss, so go here: http://tinyurl.com/5w4k3h

Roy Everitt, Marketing professional

The Complete Marketing Manual from Cinnamon Edge

PS. I actually spoke about this product some months ago and expected Google to have found a way to stop it by now. Google moves in mysterious ways, but why should we care? Get free Google Adwords here: http://tinyurl.com/5w4k3h