The RULES: From the Search Engines Perspective  

Considering the importance of the “guidelines” the search engines do not label or signpost this information very well.

“Webmaster Tools” sounds very high-tech, when in reality these are the basic steps to get visibility online.

I regard these as the given “marketing environment”  to learn the game by their rules, don’t fight them, work with them and get the most out of what is available.

Oh! by the way these are their RULES, so of course, the Search Engines can change the rules, and they do, anytime they like……so stay flexible. Don’t rely on Google and Bing alone, but make sure you have basics in place withe search engines, as it is a one-way system.

Staying within the guidlines may not guarantee top ranking visibility

but going outside these rules could mean you are no longer indexed by Bing or Google!!

Being creative within these guidelines delivers results, Testimonial from Greg Storer – Art Classes Cincinnati on work I did for him:

["One year ago, I averaged zero visits to my site from google searches. Today in March 2012, 2 out of 3 visits is from a google search! My business doubled and my web visits have increased 200%. I want to thank my friend John Cullen for helping me build an effective/optimized web site. John can help you build and/or optimize your site regardless of where you live/work. visit www.proteusism.com/ and tell him Greg sent ya.] 

1. Submit web site to all search engines, and verify with search engine WebMasters

2. Follow Strictly adhere to top search engine’s RULES (referred to search engines as “guidelines”)

Pay close attention to the following subjects:

3. Work with Webmasters (Bing and Google) to identify & resolve any problems early (e.g. spam issues)

4. Monitor analytics, set up navigation paths and goals / metrics

5. Content, Copy and Links should be marketed to potential customers not the search engine robots, Bing gives a list of “things to avoid”

6. Provide robots “open site” policy do not restrict, more pages and content the robots see the better they understand your site.

7. Make it easy for visitors to navigate, use their search logic not tech development

8. Fix problems quickly, to avoid disruption or penalties, common problems are broken links or no redirects

9. Avoid “Black Hat SEO” follow the usual rule “if it looks to good to be true, it probably isn’t”

10. Make sure these quality controls are adhered to by “tech support” and “web development”, and generally ensure that no one feels or acts above the rules…….keep the process of online visibility, visible to everyone.

For more detailed information on the RULES and GUIDELINES visit:

Google Webmasters

Extract: “Following these guidelines will help Google find, index, and rank your site…. which outline some of the illicit practices that may lead to a site being removed entirely from the Google index or otherwise impacted by an algorithmic or manual spam action.”

Bing Webmasters

Extract: “Bing’s SEO principles a) Develop great, original content (including well-implemented keywords) directed toward your intended audience. b) Use well-architected code in your webpages (including images and Sitemaps) so that users’ web browsers and search engine crawlers can read the content you want indexed). e) Earn several, high-quality, authoritative inbound links”

I specialize in advising / consulting small medium size businesses optimize their online visibility / presence and image. If you are looking for someone to help guide you through how to get the most out of internet marketing, contact me