The Google Toolbar & Search Engine Optimization

Like many other useful toolbars out there so is the Google Toolbar. I consider this toolbar a must have for any serious search engine optimizer and anyone who searches the internet on a regular basis. Here's why? The Google Toolbar has grown significantly in features since inception. It now features several new useful features but the main focus of this article is on those that aid in search engine optimization. So without further ado here's the Google Toolbar unfolded.

PageRank

Upon installation of the full Google toolbar you will notice a small bar near the center of it that may or may not be partially filled with a green color as displayed in the diagram below.

http://www.lilengine.com/images/googletoolbar/toolbar1.gif

This is the Google PageRank indicator. PageRank is one of Google's ways of rating your website and plays a role in the position of your site in their search results. This value is calculated based on several variables including the PageRank value and the number of sites that link to that page. Sites with a higher page rank tend to have better rankings than other sites if all other things are kept equal. I have personally noticed a significant increase in the search engine placement of our Search Engine Optimization (http://www.lilengine.com) site whenever our Google page rank is increased.

The Google toolbar enable you to, at a glance, view the PageRank of your website as well as your competitors' sites. This helps when looking for sites to engage in with link building as more links coming from sites with a higher PageRank than yours help to increase your site's PageRank. It is also said that when looking for site to link to yours that you should aim for sites with a PR 4 or higher. LilEngine personally accepts links from any useful and related resources, links from sites with a PageRank of 4 and above are an added bonus. Contact us for an exchange at info@lilengine.com.

A side note

There are times when the Google Toolbar will display your website as having a PageRank of 0 or even no rank at all. If your site previously had a PR greater than 0 and you notice this, watch it for a while or close your browser and reopen it to check as there are times that this feature seems to be a bit buggy possibly due to updates etc at Google.

Cached Version

When Google spiders your site it records the latest version of your site that it has spidered and this can be viewed using the Google Toolbar by going to the Page Info button and selecting cached version. Your browser must be on the page you would like to see the cached version of at the time you choose to do this.

http://www.lilengine.com/images/googletoolbar/toolbar2.gif

How can this help you with your SEO campaign?

If you have optimized your website in hopes of increasing your search engine results in Google, this will indicate whether or not Google has updated their database with the new version of your page. If the Googlebot visits your site regularly the cached version of your site will be updated more frequently than otherwise.

Backward Links

The Google Toolbar also has a pretty useful feature that displays all the web pages that link to your web page, which Google counts towards your PageRank. This information isn't regularly updated and can't be expected to take between 1 ? 3 months before changes can be seen. Backlinks deal with quality and not quantity. A site with 1000 mediocre backlinks may not have as high a Page Rank as a site with 800 high PR backlinks.

Highlighting

You have the option of adding a highlight feature to your Google Toolbar that highlights all instances of your search term on the web page reached from your search. This can help you see how many times your competitors use specific keywords on their pages and you may modify your SEO campaign accordingly. You may also use this to check your own pages and see if you are or are not using enough of your target keywords on your page for optimum search engine placement. Besides those features listed above there are also some other cool tools on the Google Toolbar such as:

Popup Blocker: This only works in IE 5.5 or later but is a great addition as we all know that there are many sites on the web that bombard you with popups. Some of these even go as far as almost preventing you from going anywhere else as more and more windows keep popping up. Annoyance factor 10/10.

Google Web Search: You can easily search the web using the Google Search Engine via the Google Toolbar by typing in your search terms in the search box area and then clicking enter or clicking the 'Search Web' button on the toolbar.

Translate: Easily translate sites into English that you may be interested in for one reason or another.

Unfortunately there is no version of the Google Toolbar for browsers other than Internet Explorer 5.0 and greater but hopefully they will be adding this in the near future.

There are many more features available with the Google Toolbar. Learn more and download it here, http://toolbar.google.com/.

About The Author

Alec Duncan is the founder of LilEngine.com a Search Engine Optimization resource site. Visit http://www.LilEngine.com for search engine optimization tools and strategies. Get our free search engine articles feed and also get a free Google ranking tool on your site.

---

Seven Tips For A Successful Internet Marketing Campaign

Often there can seem to be very little difference between... Read More

New Form of Click Fraud Discovered

If you use PPC advertising and are in a highly... Read More

How to Choose an Internet Marketing Company

-- Internet Marketing Determines Web Success --Internet marketing is essential... Read More

Harness the Power of the Internet

Whether you're a service business working to obtain clients, a... Read More

Online Sales: Sneaky Technique To Increase Your Online Sales Anytime

There are some smart and sneaky techniques that can help... Read More

Physical and Mental Fitness for Internet Marketers

As you may have already read in our article "Health... Read More

Interactive Content ? Blogs, Forums, and Feedback ? What Does Your Web Site Need?

The business principle of continued contact and online relationship building... Read More

Secrets to Business Success on the Internet

Secret Number One: The Key Is A Niche MarketIdentifying a... Read More

Book Yourself Solid Key Number 2: Choose Your Ideal Clients

The Book Yourself Solid article series continues withKey Number 2:... Read More

Use Landing Pages to Boost Sales and Capture Metrics

If you are sending out a periodic email newsletter, no... Read More

The Vital Tools To Marketing Success

Special Article Report: Theses Keys Work!Many times over the past... Read More

Progress to Success

It was supposed to happen in thirty days. Buy the... Read More

How to Tap the Profits Hidden in Your Internet Business!

I'd like to show you five secret strategies to extract... Read More

E-Mail Accounts For Your Home Based Business

As a Work at Home Business you need to have... Read More

FSBO Upscale Manhattan Co-op -- Only Strongest Offers Entertained

Had I known in 1985 what I know now about... Read More

Cut Out the B.S. in Your Internet Marketing

Are you getting disgusted with your results as an internet... Read More

Ways That You Can Make Money From Your Online Business Model

If you are convinced by now that you wish to... Read More

New Product Launch Checklist

Launching a new product or service is an exciting time... Read More

Free Demographics or Updated Data?

During your search, you may encounter free demographic data. If... Read More

Is Internet Marketing Saturated?

Is internet marketing and the potential for it saturated? I... Read More

Improving Your Conversion Reduces the Need to Constantly Promote Your Sites

I just got off the phone with Michael Fortin, one... Read More

Boost Your Business in 3 Simple Steps

For all those who still think internet marketing is rocket... Read More

Targeting Online Customers

Although generating online traffic is an important goal of any... Read More

How to Use Viral Marketing for Online Profit

When Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith founded Hotmail.com they promoted... Read More

Website Marketing: 10 Proven Uncommon Tactics Ways To Accelerate Your Profits

Would you like to accelerate profits at your website?Here are... Read More

Internet Marketing: 10 Blazing Internet Marketing Secrets To Sky-Rocket Your Profits

Your turn to succeed has come.I am happy to offer... Read More

Is Your Web Site Ready For Its Visitors?

There's a great interest among the Internet entrepreneurs about how... Read More

How to Turn Freebies in to Sales

You can increase sales and profits by offering freebies to... Read More

Internet Marketing is Changing Right Before Your Eyes!

There's no doubt about it . . .Big changes are... Read More

Building Community Websites = Success Online

In this article I will discuss how important is it... Read More

6 Ways to Guarantee Your Website Will Fail (and how to fix them)

1. Your website is an electronic brochure 2. Can't be... Read More

What Are Really The Best Strategies or Ideas for Internet Marketing?

There are many ways for you to do effective Internet... Read More

What a Billionaire Balloonist Taught Me About Internet Marketing

Billionaire Richard Branson, the entrepreneur behind the Virgin brand, is... Read More