Being relatively new to search engine optimization techniques, I dreaded confronting the mysterious Google aging penalty which, by some accounts, plagues websites for well over a year. Moreover, I figured that achieving a decent PageRank (not that it really matters) would be as elusive as first page Google rankings. Well, after about 3 months of worrying, I'm fortunate enough to say that my newly registered domain has emerged from the depths of anonymity with a PageRank 5 and more importantly, several first page search result rankings.



Since I never came across an easy to digest newbie “how to guide”, I figure why not share my experiences? With that said, I'd like to layout exactly what I did so other newbies have a framework by which satisfactory PageRank and first page rankings can be achieved. It should come as no surprise that my short-term success was a result of domain selection, unique content and link building.

1. Keyword rich domain, not too long and yet catchy. Don't go overboard with keywords and hyphens. The shorter the better.

2. Try to buy an existing domain with a favorable reputation and topical authority. Expect a somewhat attractive, aged domain to sell for $500 - $10,000. In my opinion, the “extreme” cash outlay isn't worth it unless you're rolling in bills or the competitive landscape warrants a “running start”.

3. Register the domain for multiple years since Google favors multi-year registrations. Most fly-by-night spam websites are registered for only a single year.

4. Host the domain on a dedicated or managed server that includes at least 1 IP address - finding a reliable host in itself can be an exercise.

Website

1. Set up a temporary website as soon as possible and don't wait for the finished site since website development usually takes a lot longer than expected. In my case, the project timetable allotted 2 months when in fact development took 6 months.

2. Develop a simple HTML website to house temporary content unless a better alternative is possible. The temporary site is meant to be search engine “fodder” designed to begin the search engine courting process in which Google, et al. assign your site to a topical neighborhood. In my case, a rather rudimentary homepage was developed that was updated several times a week with new content. Once moved off the home page, older content was hot linked from the home page, and yes, it was damn ugly.

3. Create on-topic keyword-rich content with a length of 300-500 words. I started with content derived from industry news. Topics were researched, expanded upon and then transformed into unique articles.

4. Update keyword rich unique content as frequently as possible. Since golf real estate isn't that newsworthy, my options were limited. Therefore, on average, 3 new and unique content items were posted on my site weekly.

Link Building

1. Secure one-way inbound links with any reciprocal linking. Basically, there are 3 alternatives: directory links, article syndication and press releases. Natural inbound links are nearly impossible since your site is really set up for search engines. Despite this, one should be able to safely generate at least 300 external links over a 3 month period.

2. Create 3-4 site descriptions for link building with targeted keywords in the anchor and description text. Vary site descriptions by using word stems and related keywords. I created a basic site description template that changed on the fly when submitting to directories.

3. Submit to as many credible directories as possible and don't worry about accumulating too many links too soon since most directories don't approve links immediately. Over the 3 month period in question, I probably submitted my website to at least 150 free directories. Prior to submitting my site to a directory, I made sure that the page my link would be on had a PageRank and that PageRank was passed. I wished I had known about RoboForm which I recommend using for directory submissions.

4. Write and post at least 2 articles to as many credible article syndication sites as possible. Articles should target a couple keywords without going overboard on keyword frequency. Optimum length is 500-1,000 words. I submitted 3 articles, each spread a month apart, to about 110 somewhat credible article syndication sites. The sites were compiled by parsing through the numerous SEO forums.

5. Submit a couple press release if you have something noteworthy to announce. Article syndication guidelines can be applied to press release distribution. I've been able to find approximately 50 credible free press release sites.