Result of a Google optimizing test.

[Nintendo]

A few months ago I made a bunch of files with a special keyword in each file in a different way. Here's the results from one keyword that brings up 21 of the pages, with listing #1 first, then 2, then 3....

h1, bold, underline and italics
word.htm, meta desc and keywords
word.html, H2, meta tags, keywords and description
h3, italics and underline
h1, bold and italics
h1, bold and underline
h2 and underline
h2 and italics
H3, bold and underline and italics
h3, bold and underline
h2 and bold
word-word.htm and H1
Unique keywords ONLY in bold tags
h1, italics and underline
h1 and bold
h1 and underline
content and meta description
content
H1
word-word.html
word.shtml

Searching for any of the other two special words in the files bring up 31 of the pages (Some files didn't get indexed). This list shows where the back-link page is in the list...

h1, bold and underline and italics
h3, italics and underline
Unique keywords ONLY in bold tags
h1, bold and italics
h1, bold and underline
h2 and underline
h2 and italics
H3, bold and underline and italics
H4
h3, bold and underline
H3
h2 and bold
Unique keywords ONLY in H1 tags
h1 and italics
seven back-links on a PR 6 site ***********
word-word.html and H1
word_word.html and H1
word.htm, meta desc and keywords
word.html, H2, meta tags
h1, italics and underline
h1 and bold
h1 and underline
content and keywords
content keywords desc
content and meta description
content
meta keywords only
meta-description
word_word.html
word-word.html
word.html

One reason some didn't show up for the main keyword was because it was only in the meta tags on a few files, and the back-link didn't show up cause that only had the word as a back-link and not in the main part of the file.

I'm also working on a much bigger test, a 100 file test, with 10 different tests for each of the kinds of files...

h1
content
h1 and content
h1, bold, and content
h1, italics, and content
h1, underline, and content
h1, bold, underline, and content
h1, bold, italics, and content
h1, italics, underline, and content
h1, bold, and underline, italics, and content

then the results can be compaired with each other.

So the ultimate optimizing may be file name, H1, bold, underline, and italics, then meta tags. The more the better.

I've also started two other tests to see what is best,

key-word.html
key_word.html
key/word
or
keyword.html

two files for each (with and with out the keywords in the link to the file.)

and

<H1><IMG SRC="URL" alt="KEYWORD"></H1>

vs.

<IMG SRC="URL" alt="KEYWORD">

also 10 tests for this, each with it's own keyword.

[KorbanD]

Ok, forgive me, because I'm new to this, but are you saying that you took your keyword (whatever it is, let's just say "widget") and marked it up with different HTML to see which would get a higher ranking?

h1, bold, underline and italics = [h1]Widget[\h1]
widget.htm, meta desc and keywords = {well, you get the idea here}
word.html, H2, meta tags, keywords and description = {same}
h3, italics and underline = Widget

If the word you used was some made up word that nobody else was using (to help create a search engine "vacuum") then aren't these results a taken out of context a little? I mean, there are SO many other things to consider not to mention the fact there there are more search engines out there than Google, which also affect the results.

Just curious

[seobook]

nice username Nintendo

do you like RBI Baseball perhaps? I play about an hour each day.

how did you keep your results in any way scietific. how did you isolate the test from other parts of the web? how did you extract your results?

when Google does a site level search I do not think they do not run their full relevancy algorithm on the resulting pages.

while we are on the topic of a Google optimization test, I want to try to rank #1 for their ticker GOOG (http://www.seobook.com/archives/000464.shtml) for their IPO

[Nintendo]

Ok, forgive me, because I'm new to this, but are you saying that you took your keyword (whatever it is, let's just say "widget") and marked it up with different HTML to see which would get a higher ranking?


Yes. Tests like this are just to help see what types of HTML Google gives higher values for the keyword.

::how did you isolate the test from other parts of the web?

By finding a keyword that brought up zero results. Then added 2, 3, .... and so on for multi-tests.

:::when Google does a site level search I do not think they do not run their full relevancy algorithm on the resulting pages.

Based on that test, it looks like it's probably close if it's not the same, for example

content
H1
word-word.html
word.shtml

were the last files listed while

h1, bold, underline and italics

was 1st.

:::do you like RBI Baseball perhaps?

I never liked Sports. I mostly played RPG and adventure games, like Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger, and Secret of Mana!! Now I only play the GBA.

[Nintendo]

More test results are in.....

10 H1 tests.

Only thing that didn't change a lot here was
H1, Bold, underline, italics, and Content is #1 in all but one of the tests.


H1, Bold, underline, italics, and Content
H1 and content
Content
H1, Underlined, and Content
H1, Bold, Italics, and Content
H1, Bold, and Content
H1, Underline, Italics, and Content
H1, Bold, Underlined, and Content

H1, Bold, underline, italics, and Content
H1, Bold, and Content
Content
H1, Italics, and Content
H1 and content
H1, Bold, Italics, and Content
H1, Underlined, and Content
H1, Underline, Italics, and Content
H1, Bold, Underlined, and Content

H1, Bold, underline, italics, and Content
H1, Bold, and Content
H1, Underline, Italics, and Content
H1, Bold, Underlined, and Content
H1, Bold, Italics, and Content
H1, Italics, and Content
H1, Underlined, and Content
H1 and content
Content

H1, Bold, and Content
H1, Italics, and Content
H1, Underline, Italics, and Content
H1 and content
H1, Bold, Underlined, and Content
H1, Bold, Italics, and Content
H1, Underlined, and Content
Content

H1, Bold, underline, italics, and Content
H1, Underlined, and Content
H1, Underline, Italics, and Content
H1, Italics, and Content
Content
H1, Bold, Underlined, and Content
H1, Bold, Italics, and Content
H1, Bold, and Content
H1 and content

H1, Bold, underline, italics, and Content
H1, Bold, and Content
Content
H1, Bold, Italics, and Content
H1, Bold, Underlined, and Content
H1, Italics, and Content
H1, Underline, Italics, and Content
H1, Underlined, and Content
H1 and content

H1, Bold, underline, italics, and Content
H1, Bold, and Content
H1, Bold, Italics, and Content
H1, Bold, Underlined, and Content
H1, Underlined, and Content
H1, Underline, Italics, and Content
Content
H1, Italics, and Content
H1 and content

H1, Bold, underline, italics, and Content
H1, Bold, and Content
H1, Underline, Italics, and Content
H1, Bold, Underlined, and Content
H1, Underlined, and Content
Content
H1, Italics, and Content
H1, Bold, Italics, and Content
H1 and content

H1, Bold, underline, italics, and Content
H1, Underlined, and Content
H1, Bold, and Content
Content
H1 and content
H1, Bold, Underlined, and Content
H1, Underline, Italics, and Content
H1, Bold, Italics, and Content
H1, Italics, and Content

H1, Bold, underline, italics, and Content
Content
H1, Bold, and Content
H1, Bold, Underlined, and Content
H1 and content
H1, Italics, and Content
H1, Underline, Italics, and Content
H1, Underlined, and Content
H1, Bold, Italics, and Content

Keyword in URL test. (I think I'll make some more of these tests.)

key/word
key_word.shtml
keyword.shtml
key-word.shtml

key/word
key_word.shtml
key-word.shtml
keyword.shtml
In text linking to page.

Keyword in alt test and H1.

<img SRC="URL" alt="keyword">

The keyword in alt does not get indexed by Google. 20 files were indexed and the keyword did not show up in the search, with or with out the <H1> before and after the image.

[Jill Whalen]

Make your image a clickable one and your image alt attribute will indeed show up.

Wish I could figure out the rest of what you've said in your post, but I jus don't get it! Will try to read it again in the morning after I've had some sleep.

[Nacho]

Hello Nintendo,

Welcome to SearchEngineWatch Forums and thank you very much for sharing your tests with our community.

A few things to consider from your tests:

On-page factors are important, but search engines can modify the algo to the give more emphasis on some that are important today and some new factors to consider.
How close the same keyword lies between the other, also called keyword proximity, plus number of stop words being used.
Number of times the keyword is repeated in those factors is missing too, also called keyword occurance.
Keyword position within your H1 or any other factor is also being counted on the algo, which is not taken into account in your analysis.
Relationship of h1, h2, h3, etc. headings to the text that follows.
Age of the webpage on the Google index and validation of links + code
YES, Content is King, but what about:
- Random sections on page
- Similar pages on the site
- Amount of HTML/Javascript/CSS clutter before content
- Bad spelling
- Readability of a page
- Case (blue widgets vs. BLUE WIDGETS)
- Plurals & Synonyms (e.g. widget and widgets)
- Content OLD vs. fresh and refreshness
And the list could go on and on . . .

Your analysis is very useful to you and all of us that can give you feedback. Just keep in mind that there is a lot more, including the very important off-page factors like link popularity, which may account for a higher score within the algo at some point in time.

Again, thank you for sharing your tests with us, and please keep letting us know how the come up.

Saludos,

Nacho

[Nintendo]

Thanks. Here's the page (http://www.codeshq.com/-/) linking to all the files. (I'll make another index page and different keywords for future tests.) Looks like I got a lot more tests to do!!!! Duplicate content is another thing to worry about, so in the last set of tests, all the pages had the exact same number of characters, but in one file all e's for example would be a's, then b's in the next file and so on.

[Adam C]

Thanks for the link nintendo - I like your approach here.

hope the SE's don't try playing games with your test tho

[Babu]

A bit confusing but good test. I would keep a watch on it.