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Hi there,

I asked quite a few people, including some SEO's from the most prominent financial news publishers in the country. Unfortunately nobody has researched Google Finance at that granular level. It was described as an "algo overlay", using News as the foundation. The best recommendation I can provide is that you could do your own brief analysis of 200-300 stories on Finance, and look for attributes that correlate between them.

Sorry this isn't specifically answering your questions, but we would certainly welcome any research. Good luck!

Hi there,

I asked quite a few people, including some SEO's from the most prominent financial news publishers in the country. Unfortunately nobody has researched Google Finance at that granular level. It was described as an "algo overlay", using News as the foundation. The best recommendation I can provide is that you could do your own brief analysis of 2-300 stories on Finance, looking for attributes that correlate between them.

Sorry this isn't specifically answering your questions, but we would certainly welcome any research. Good luck!

Hi there,

Didn't want to leave you hanging, looking into a few things and will get back to you!

Hi there,

Submitting to Google Finance has the same requirements for Google News, including unique URL structure (incorporating 3 digits), creating permanent URLs (no overwriting), and that the content is updated every day. You also should submit the site as content for Google News.

If you haven't already, creating a Google News Sitemap is also on the top of the list, which helps Google gain access to news articles a lot more efficiently. Although Google notes that it "does not favor sites that use New Sitemaps", I find it useful simply because it also creates a separate tab in Webmaster Tools, making troubleshooting a lot easier.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction!

Ah, this is a loaded question since the type of client and the range of services can be drastically different. I - like many other professionals - probably take on too much. I have been situations where there was a team of 6 (about half SEO, half paid) with less than 10 clients, but they were big brands. I've worked with dozens and dozens of sites on quarterly retainers with only one other person, but I also have worked alone with less than a dozen clients, and when things got sticky I would outsource for some help. It all depends on how big the site is, how much they are willing to pay for, and how much you want to take on.

Yes, David is right, stop worrying so much.   It's only three links. I would be very frank with this client and let them know of the situation, however, but explain how you plan on addressing it by organically creating better links that will pretty much bury any red flags. Any communication you can provide is he best course of action for a healthy client relationship, in my opinion. And if something does happen, there are no surprises. Unfortunately, if the client feels you need to address these links, the only thing you can do is reach out to the sites where the links appear and ask directly to remove them. Good luck!

Hi there,

Honestly, the ones to focus on include the title tag, the meta description, and the robots. If you have a non-English language site, then consider the meta content language and meta language tags. The keyword tag does nothing for rankings. In fact, the meta description impacts rankings very little as well, but assists in providing a marketing message in your search result that can impact a click through to your site. The title tag is probably the most significant on-page ranking factor, so pay special attention to how those are executed sitewide.

Here is a good review in Webmaster Central : http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=79812

Hope this helps!

Hi there,

Tom provided a great bulleted list, however the title of your video is probably one of the most important elements  - not just for indexing but to attract the right viewers. You can see a great summary of video optimization here:

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/video-seo-basics-whiteboard-friday-11080

Another opportunity is to use video sitemaps. Video sitemaps are similar to regular sitemaps - they provide Google with more information about your videos. It tells Google exactly where and what the video content is on your site and will help it get picked up.You can add duration, and incorporate keywords in the title and descriptions.

Compatible video types include: .mpg, .mpeg, .mp4, .mov, .wmv, .asf, .avi, .ra, .ram, .rm, .flv and need to be directly available via HTTP (which means no streaming media).

Reel SEO has a great overview Google Video Sitemaps - How to Create a Google Video Site map

You can also review more at Webmaster Central: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=80472

I absolutely recommend video sitemaps, especially if you have many on your site. It's really a great way to increase visibility.

Good luck!

I haven't tried out the service yet, but someone just told me about PitchEngine.com which may be an interesting way to build out your media relationships. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Hi there,

Honestly, the ones to focus on include the title tag, the meta description, and the robots. If you have a non-English language site, then consider the meta content language and meta language tags. The keyword tag does nothing for rankings. In fact, the meta description impacts rankings very little as well, but assists in providing a marketing message in your search result that can impact a click through to your site. The title tag is probably the most significant on-page ranking factor, so pay special attention to how those are executed sitewide.

Here is a good review in Webmaster Central : http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=79812

Hope this helps!

Ah, this is a loaded question since the type of client and the range of services can be drastically different. I - like many other professionals - probably take on too much. I have been situations where there was a team of 6 (about half SEO, half paid) with less than 10 clients, but they were big brands. I've worked with dozens and dozens of sites on quarterly retainers with only one other person, but I also have worked alone with less than a dozen clients, and when things got sticky I would outsource for some help. It all depends on how big the site is, how much they are willing to pay for, and how much you want to take on.

Hi there,

Tom provided a great bulleted list, however the title of your video is probably one of the most important elements  - not just for indexing but to attract the right viewers. You can see a great summary of video optimization here:

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/video-seo-basics-whiteboard-friday-11080

Another opportunity is to use video sitemaps. Video sitemaps are similar to regular sitemaps - they provide Google with more information about your videos. It tells Google exactly where and what the video content is on your site and will help it get picked up.You can add duration, and incorporate keywords in the title and descriptions.

Compatible video types include: .mpg, .mpeg, .mp4, .mov, .wmv, .asf, .avi, .ra, .ram, .rm, .flv and need to be directly available via HTTP (which means no streaming media).

Reel SEO has a great overview Google Video Sitemaps - How to Create a Google Video Site map

You can also review more at Webmaster Central: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=80472

I absolutely recommend video sitemaps, especially if you have many on your site. It's really a great way to increase visibility.

Good luck!

Hi there,

Submitting to Google Finance has the same requirements for Google News, including unique URL structure (incorporating 3 digits), creating permanent URLs (no overwriting), and that the content is updated every day. You also should submit the site as content for Google News.

If you haven't already, creating a Google News Sitemap is also on the top of the list, which helps Google gain access to news articles a lot more efficiently. Although Google notes that it "does not favor sites that use New Sitemaps", I find it useful simply because it also creates a separate tab in Webmaster Tools, making troubleshooting a lot easier.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction!

I haven't tried out the service yet, but someone just told me about PitchEngine.com which may be an interesting way to build out your media relationships. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Yes, David is right, stop worrying so much.   It's only three links. I would be very frank with this client and let them know of the situation, however, but explain how you plan on addressing it by organically creating better links that will pretty much bury any red flags. Any communication you can provide is he best course of action for a healthy client relationship, in my opinion. And if something does happen, there are no surprises. Unfortunately, if the client feels you need to address these links, the only thing you can do is reach out to the sites where the links appear and ask directly to remove them. Good luck!