Getting ranked #1 in Google for those heavily searched, relevant keywords is the dream of every Webmaster.

And if you’ve been around for a while, you know that task is not as easy as it once was.

Years ago you could stuff keywords, hide content in your background and perform all kinds of tricks to get you ranked at or near the top.

Nowadays you have to work much harder to get that Google love.

And who could blame Google for making it more difficult to rank high? They are successful because they deliver useful, relevant results.

So why wouldn’t they protect their brand from tricksters and spammers out to make a quick buck?

While you probably know about the basic ways of getting a good ranking in Google (high-quality inbound links, relevant content, etc.) many people believe Google is using other tools to see how you measure up and help determine your rank.

And if you ask me, it makes perfect sense.

Your Feed Activity

In case you didn’t know, Google owns FeedBurner (an RSS feed distribution & reporting service.)

So if you have a blog that uses Feedburner to promote, track and manage your feed, wouldn’t it make sense that Google monitors those subscription numbers and feed activity?

This is why I think it’s so important that your blog lives on the same domain as your site. Make it easy for Google to make the connection.

Google is a Registrar

In 2005, Google outwardly admitted they use their Registrar status to help improve the quality of their search results.

So if two of your sites got banned from spamming and they were both registered under the same name, what do you think will happen when you try to promote a 3rd site in Google that has the same registration data?

On the flip side, say someone has 3 heavily trafficked sites that rank well in Google. Wouldn’t it make sense that additional sites registered by that same person could have an added advantage in the long-run since the other 3 sites have some Google love?

Hmmmm……

Google Owns YouTube

Say you’ve got a YouTube channel with 794 subscribers, 300,000 video views and your channel homepage links to your main site. A pretty active channel, I’d say.

Why wouldn’t Google take this into consideration in determining your site’s credibility?

I’ve been using YouTube since August 2007 and while I have no proof using it has affected my rankings, it only makes sense that having a heavily trafficked YouTube channel linked to my website helps show Google that I am a credible source in my niche.

Google Analytics

What better way to prove to Google you are worthy by letting them see your traffic data. If you have a Google Analytics account then Google now has access to your visitor information.

Now, if you’re site is new and your traffic is low don’t panic and feel you should remove the code until you get more traffic. I don’t think using it will hurt you.

But when your site does start to generate traffic from other sources, wouldn’t you want Google to see that?

Now, we all know you don’t need Google Analytics installed on your site for Google to see who’s linking to you, but what if 75% of your traffic is bookmark traffic?

That kind of traffic data is not taken into consideration with backlinks and PageRank. Wouldn’t you want Google to know that these loyal people are visiting your site regularly?

There’s No Concrete Proof

While there is no way to know how Google uses the above information, let’s be realistic here…

If there are two sites with relatively the same content but one site has an RSS feed tracked by FeedBurner with 2,000 subscribers, a YouTube channel with 30 videos and 130,000 views, and 10,000 visits per day tracked by Google Analytics, while the other site has no blog, no videos and fewer visitors…

Which one do you think Google will respect more?

Granted, the above items may not have a very large influence on a site’s rank (yet), but you better believe they play a role…. especially when it comes down to determining the value of competing sites with similar content.

Why wouldn’t Google put all these pieces together?

These days you’ve got to work harder than ever to prove your worth to Google, so why not make use of the tools they own and monitor?

Every now and then I’ll get emails from people who are puzzled as to why they can’t get ranked in Google. And almost every time I review the site in question, I see the same things…

• Not enough unique, useful content
• More affiliate links than content
• Too few pages
• Not enough backlinks (quality sites linking in)

Google makes its money from advertisers. Advertisers use Google because it’s the Web surfer’s #1 search engine.

Why is Google #1 among Web surfers?

Because it provides useful, relevant results.

Look at your site through the eyes of a stranger. Imagine someone arriving at your site after typing in the keywords you are targeting.

Would they find what they were looking for?

Does your site provide enough info on the topic that your visitor would want to stay and return later?

Is your content useful and unique?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, then that may be a big reason why you aren’t having success with Google.

Now of course, there are other factors Google looks for – link popularity, etc. However, the biggest problem I see with most people is that they simply do not provide enough useful content on the keywords they are targeting.

Google loves big sites that focus on one main theme. If your site is not “bookmarkable” then you need to work on expanding content. Take a look at your competitors and add information that they don’t provide. What can you do to make your site stand out in your niche?

Become THE information source for everything related to your topic. Pretty soon Google and other Webmasters will reward you with traffic… for free!