Google Page Creator and search engine optimization

But blogs aren’t for everyone. Although they’re now one of the easiest ways to get online, they have to be updated regularly and aren’t the best option for static content

Fortunately Blogger isn’t the only way to get online fast. Google’s Page Creator makes building a website as simple as point, click and type.

 Again, you get a template that you can edit freely, and you can also break into the HTML to paste the AdSense code. Check to see how it looks, publish, and all you’ll have to do next is let people know where you are.

And that’s where the disadvantages of creating a website using a free tool like Page Creator kicks in.

With a website created through Page Creator, Search Engine Optimization becomes difficult. Your URL will be [yourname].googlepages.com, which is about as catchy a ball of slush. It’s unlikely to get very far in search engines and when you try to spread it around, it will simply make you look unprofessional.

Page Creator can be a useful place to get started but it’s really designed to help people like teachers display information to a closed audience. It’s not a good way to earn a lot of money.

If you’re keen to get started though, if you have an audience already set up... or if you just want to see your stuff online fast — and with ads — then it’s a fun toy to play with.

And you can always move your content onto your own URL when you’re ready.

 

 

Search Engine Optimization

 

 However you decide to build your first site, people have to know you’re there. One of the most important ways to do that is get yourself a high-ranking in a search engine.

There are lots of different search engines, but only three are really important: Google, Yahoo! and MSN. I’ll talk in more detail about improving your search engine rankings. 

If you want to take a shortcut, there are plenty of companies which will make the submissions for you and they’ll even optimize your site to get you as high on the rankings as possible.

 

 Links

 

 Your search engine ranking will depend on a number of factors. One of those factors is the number of sites that link to yours. As far as Google is concerned if lots of sites about model railways link to your model railway site, that must be a pretty good sign that people who like model railways think your site is good. So they’ll want to offer it to people who search for model railways, bringing you lots of free traffic.

 Once you’ve got your site up and running you’ll want to persuade other sites to give you links. You could offer to exchange links and you could even set up a page that contains recommended links so that you’ll have somewhere to put them.

There’s a range of other strategies and services that you can use. You can find out about those in future