You can be harsh if you want!

[skypower]

Hi,

I have been trying to get our site ranked better on Google for some time now and nothing is happening. We are between P10 and P20!

We changed our domain to another and I setup a 301 to forward and that’s fine.

Can anyone have a look at the site and tell me what I can do to improve it. I have done all I can think of.



Many Thanks

Neil
http://www.balloon-flights.net

[cbp]

1. More links with keywords in anchor text
2. More links with keywords in anchor text
3. More links with keywords in anchor text
4. More links with keywords in anchor text
5. More links with keywords in anchor text

CBP

[morfno]

Incoming links are most important for Google. However there are some other issues that you might want to consider (I have only looked at your entry page):

Your Title:
Hot Air Balloon Flights UK, Hot Air Balloons Rides and Ballooning UK

Your description:
Hot Air Balloon Flights: Hot Air Balloon Flights UK, Hot Air Balloons Rides, Ballooning UK. UK based Hot Air Balloon Flights Organisers offers the experience of Hot Air Balloons Rides Hot Air Ballooning in UK.

Your keywords:
Hot Air Balloon Flights UK, Hot Air Balloon Festivals, Hot Air Ballooning, Balloon Flights UK, Hot Air Balloons, Hot Air Balloon Ride, Balloon Rides

You are overexposing the term “Hot air Balloon”, SE algorithms might suspect key term spamming...

Move java scripts to own files or to the end of the page.

Use CSS for formatting. You have a lot of formatting in your page, which make your page larger than necessary. Get the formatting away from your page and into css files.

You are, in your menu, using images without ALT when linking to internal pages. In practice, you have no anchor text for these internal links.

[skypower]

Thanks morfno,

I have made a few changes, the CSS is going take me a little more time.

Any better?


Cheers

Neil

[cbp]

You are overexposing the term “Hot air Balloon”, SE algorithms might suspect key term spamming...

No they won't - they will just ignore it.

CBP

[morfno]

Originally Posted by cbp

No they won't - they will just ignore it.

CBP

Sorry,
I was imprecise. Spamming was wrong word to use since it gives the impression that sites might be banned. What I meant, and should have written, was that overexposing of a key term does not help your page being indexed for the particular key term.

[sfowler]

I would also avoid commas in the description generally.

[scallihan]

I noticed that you're coming up #1 in both Google and Google UK for the URL, http://www.devonandsomersetballoons.co.uk/ , when searching for "Devon and Somerset Hot Air Balloon," which is a redirect to http://www.balloon-flights.net/ . I believe that is what is commonly referred to as a "doorway page," which is a no-no with Google.

Better it seems to me to create additional internal pages focused on alternative keyphrases, rather than trying to get top ranking for multiple keyphrases to the same page.

[thecat]

Personally i cant see many other sites in the world being more suitable for your keyswords "Hot Air Balloons Rides Hot Air Ballooning in UK" for search engines, I mean how many can their be?


another reason why google will crash just plain poor results , it is the future.

Chris said: But Google is Google. When you say that name, people automatically think searching the Internet.

Sorry? but are you talking only about americans?

There is a fact in the UK business community that 90% use yahoo just because google doesnt work for them.

By the way could anybody tell me why this page has a page rank of 3 ?

Regards

thecat

[skypower]

Hi,

We had the domain devonandsomersetballoons.co.uk, but decided to use our balloon-flights.net name as after reading various reviews its better to use a domain that says what you do. Am I right? Google seems to be hanging onto our original name for some reason. I have submitted the changes to them and DMOZ.

I setup a 301 redirect to the new domain, so it shouldn’t be a doorway of any kind! Can some one check this? I used a site to see if my .htaccess file was "Search Engine" friendly and all was ok.

thecat, Google seems to be an odd ball in terms of this results. It lists a site about diabetes that just mentions a balloon rather then a whole site about balloons!!! I just don’t get it.


Cheers for now,

Neil

[greeneagle]

Everyone keeps recommending more links with relevant anchor text as a top criteria, and I don't disagree with that. But IMO, something significant happened in the algs this last update we just haven't got a handle on yet!

I have posted in different forums and tried to engage anyone that can offer something that would explain this Site ( www.tubeltechnologies.com ) going from a PR4 (index - 3s internally) to a PR6 with 5s internally. Never a linking program, virtually no incoming links (IBLs). No takers yet.

Check it for yourself, use any tool you want.

Ken

[wednesday]

Originally Posted by greeneagle

I have posted in different forums and tried to engage anyone that can offer something that would explain this Site ( www.tubeltechnologies.com ) going from a PR4 (index - 3s internally) to a PR6 with 5s internally. Never a linking program, virtually no incoming links (IBLs). No takers yet.

Check it for yourself, use any tool you want.

Ken

The dmoz listing and some heavy link that you can't find?

[greeneagle]

I don't believe DMOZ has that power by itself.
Ken

[wednesday]

Originally Posted by greeneagle

I don't believe DMOZ has that power by itself.
Ken

That power itself... I don't belive either. PR6 is really too much, just for a dmoz inclusion in a low PR category. Even with the numerous directories reprinting the listings.

I've found an email (just an email) from that domain in a pdf document linked from a PR6 page. And few more pdfs with the email. Are there more pdfs that have a link to your domain?

[activeco]

The site have not many, but all of them really great IB links, with all having nice PR homepage.

E.g.:
http://www.eurekalert.org/ PR9
http://www.netl.doe.gov/ PR8 (www.doe.gov PR10!!)
etc

Among first 30 I couldn't find a single homepage below PR6!

I am almost fully convinced they included homepage PR in their algo together with checking for bad outgoing links.

[greeneagle]

pitchblack

"I've found an email (just an email) from that domain in a pdf document linked from a PR6 page. And few more pdfs with the email. Are there more pdfs that have a link to your domain?"

I am glad someone followed up here! - Pretty damn "dismal", isn't it pitchblack, have you ever seen a site that looks like that?: (standard GOOGLE Linkback criteria) that SMILES with a PR6 - What gives there?

What is the "deal" here? - Do we need to ascribe more value to "OBLs"?

LOL - I am lost!!!!!!!
Ken

[skypower]

I feel lost too!

Google is like the Land of OZ. Somewhere at the end of that yellow brick road is you home(page) !

[greeneagle]

activeco,

So what you are saying is that in your opinion Google has modified their algs so extremely as to credit a Site with "0" IBLs and 4-5 high ranking OBLs that it deserves a PR6 these days?

With this break, we should all have PR7s or 8s, soon!

LOL,
Ken

[activeco]

I did not mention OBL.
The site has many extremely quality IBL's and that's it.
You don't have to use only google's "link:" to find links. Yahoo "link:http://..." gives more accurate results, but the plain simple Google "www.sitename" gives a lot more.

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22ww...logies.com&lr=

Now, check the root url's only and their respective PR.

LOL

[sem4u]

Originally Posted by thecat

There is a fact in the UK business community that 90% use yahoo just because google doesnt work for them.

I would like to see this fact backed up. Most of them still use Google IMO.

[ctabuk]

Hey guys - you are way off topic. Neil has real problems, his only lisings for Hot Air Ballooning (Forget in the UK)are via Google adwords, he has only got 99 links and non from Google.
So Neil, I've done an SEO report which I can e mail you, you can PM me with your e-mail address.
You have the likes of Richard Branson to compete with, so you have my full support, lets get you listed. Sorry, Sir Richard Branson, if he follows threads. First when you get the report impliment the changes. Start Directory submissions today www.pheedster.com/directories.php will get you started. Lets do it to Virgin, come on every brit poster, join in!

[skypower]

Thanks ctabuk,

It’s nice to see someone else who is not too keen on Mr Branson. (He actually has nothing to do with the ballooning side of it now, but it’s still his name.)

My email address is neil@skypoer.co.uk


Regards,


Neil

[sem4u]

You need more links with your keywords in the anchor text.

[skypower]

Oooppss

Typo: my email address is neil@skypower.co.uk