It’s been an interesting week.  I get a weekly update from HiTechEdge and this week they had a link to a video and article on how not to get your site banned by Google. Read what they said below.

No one wants to get banned from Google, but unfortunately, it does happen. As Michael Stebbins of Market Motive explains, it is important to understand why some websites do, in fact, get banned from Google in order to prevent it from happening to you.

First of all, he suggests using Google’s Webmaster Tools to know for sure if you are banned. The dashboard offers very helpful information in this type of situation.

To make sure that your site doesn’t get banned, Stebbins tells WebProNews that you should think like a search engine. In other words, you have to realize that they are looking for genuine relevance and genuine popularity. If you try to fake either of these elements, Google will not want to partner with you.

Some people fake relevancy and popularity by linking to questionable websites, taking advantage of JavaScript redirects, and selling links. All these factors could result in Google banning your site.

To get re-included in Google’s index, Stebbins says you need to first decide if it is worth investing time in the re-inclusion process. There are some cases in which users commit so many “mortal sins” that is nearly impossible to rebuild a relevant and popular website.

At this point, he advises users to invest in another a site and apply a 301 redirect from the old site to the new one.  However, if you have not violated many of the guidelines, Stebbins says you could send a letter detailing what you did wrong and how you have fixed it. By doing this, it increases your chances of getting back into the index.

Are you taking preventative measures to make sure your site doesn’t get banned?

Watch the video at http://videos.webpronews.com/2010/07/20/how-not-to-get-banned-from-google/

Every now and then I get something I think is worth sharing with you. Here is one something.

“Internet Safety: Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet”

“Internet Safety” almost seems like an oxymoron these days.

However, to help you stay safe, our friend Leo Notenboom of Ask-Leo.com, has created a 99 page ebook that covers “the things you must do, the software you must run and the concepts you need to be aware of – to keep your computer and your data safe as you use the internet,” including firewalls, viruses, spyware, mobile security, backing up and physical security.

And did we mention that it’s free?

http://media.ask-leo.com/ebooks/InternetSafety.pdf

We highly recommend you download it now — and be sure to recommend it to a few people you care about as well.

from Audri and Jim Lanford [yourinspiration@famous-quotes-quotations.com]

My friend/client Bill McLaughlin recently found some old videos.

We put one of them up on his entertainment page.  In January 1987, Bill appeared on Matt Lauer’s show in NY. Just before the show Bill told Matt about an idea he had to do an improvisational interview as Arnold Schwarzenegger. With the producer’s approval and armed only with the fictitious name of the movie (too long and silly to enter here), Matt went off to create the interview questions

The resulting video of the  interview can be found near the bottom of the Entertainment page at  McLaughlin Creative Services

Bill is a very creative improvisational entertainer and professor at Bucks County Community College. He has been invited to teach somewhere in England. This writer didn’t get all the details, but will post them when available.

Don’t miss Bill’s other project with some of his former students at The Imprevolution Theater