Google's Latest Toy: Fetch as Googlebot

August 15, 2011 - It's been almost a month since Google's latest Panda update and yet we continue to hear about the devastating effects it's had on many websites. We've been approached by several companies who complain that their traffic is at an all-time low, they've stopped getting leads, and no longer hold page positions they once enjoyed. Can you please help, they ask worriedly. Of course, we can! After all, what we do is quality content and quality content is what Google is demanding. It's just too bad that you had to suffer such a set back before you realized that Google meant business, but we digress...

August 1st we shared with you several tips for surviving Google Panda, but on March 10^th we were way ahead of the game! The tip so important that it deserved its own blog was to revisit your old content, which has proven to be quite successful in regaining a website's footing on the search results. As a reminder, you'll want to start with your main pages and work your way into the interior pages of your website, optimizing them properly and purging the ones that aren't of any use to your potential clients and loyal followers.

If you have a substantial website, one with hundreds or even thousands of web pages, you can expect that it will take you several months to effectively revisit and thoughtfully recreate your content, but know that the end result will lift you from the depths of search obscurity. We hate to sound so dramatic, but it's true! We've seen success first-hand in just a matter of months after a mass clean up.

Now fast-forward to a time when your web pages are in tip-top shape. Bring on the Panda, the Hippo, or the whole zoo, for that matter; nothing can take you down this time! But, how do you demonstrate to Google that you've changed your ways? How do you convince Google that the days of keyword-stuffing your content and requesting links from irrelevant websites are far behind you? 

Well, it's good you asked! Google has sort of extended an olive branch to website owners that should help speed up the process of indexing your shiny new pages. It's called "Fetch as Googlebot".    

Googlebot loves websites!

Fetch as Googlebot allows you and content companies like ours to instantly alert Google when new pages have been added to your website - this includes pages that have been updated. Essentially, you tell Google which page(s) you would like crawled and considered for indexing.

So how does this differ from how Google normally crawls and indexes pages? Good question! Google has and will continue to rely on links and sitemaps to discover new and updated web pages. This is why it is critical to:

• have a functioning sitemap (you'd be surprised how many clients come to us with broken sitemaps or none at all);
• create internal links to and from your web pages; and
• engage in social media marketing.

The problem with this process is that you don't know if your site as a whole is being crawled, how often, and if the new or updated page(s) themselves are being crawled.

With Fetch as Googlebot you will know immediately if there are any issues with the page that will prevent it from being crawled. If there are no issues, Google will consider the page for indexing based on a myriad of factors.

All this week we'll be discussing Fetch as Googlebot and how your website can benefit from the latest uses of this awesome tool. Of course, if you want professional assistance with ranking your website with quality, custom content, We Do Web Content is happy to help!

Search engines will be scrambling to showcase your website, newsletters, and blogs when you boost your Internet marketing with We Do Web Content! Having unique content on your website is a great way to increase search rankings and reach those new clients through better online exposure. For affordable, quality content exclusive to YOUR website, contact us today!  1-888-521-3880.