Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Ok, if it isn`t the java script ...

Then please tell me how and why the web site we are talking about has such high SERP`s in a very competitive niche market?

Is it the web site design, the shopping cart/data base, the html portion of the store, or what?

Please explain to me exactly WHAT has gotten them to higher search engine rankings that Flying J (one of the largest truckstop chains) or Iowa80.com (the largest on-line store in the trucking industry and largest truckstop in the country).

Again, this is not attempting to be a controversial posting or to attack anyone. I`m simply asking a few questions, to explain how a small, one man operation has risen in the search engines to the very, very top (within their niche market).

As far as the site going further, there are other circumstances that may preclude that from happening. I`ll leave it at that.

" Then please tell me how and why the web site we are talking about has such high SERP`s in a very competitive niche market? "

I think I already gave several reasons.

I am familiar with Flying J and Iowa80; I am a former trucker myself. The size of their physical or online stores is irrelevant; it is how the site is coded and various things are implemented into it. Content and relevancy for search terms. The value of the site for the visitor.

Do a Google search for " used commercial trucks ". My site, UsedTruckListings.com, is usually in the top 3 out of +2,000,000 results. Look at the competitors for it. They are much bigger, but mine consistently ranks above many of the big boys. It isn`t some javascript code or big secret to get there. Basic SEO, promotion ( link exchanges, primarily ), content that the site visitors are looking for, and a little time are what did it. And, this is a one man operation as well.

Again, javascript is not the magical key to this. I ran this very topic past some SEO people, and they basically agree.

I am not trying to be controversial or attacking either; I just don`t see the evidence of the original post being accurate. If I`m shown to be wrong, I`ll be the first to admit it, however I`d like to see the evidence to back up the idea.

As a side note, if the site was W3C valid, and used external css and javascript files, the ranking could potentially be even better.


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M Hall
Website Critique Community
International Society of Curmudgeons

I still have not read any specific reasons that you have given about the site in question. Please give specifics about the site that would have gotten to where it is. In other words, is it the

• web design
• data base / shopping cart
• key words / meta tags

We know its not the java script (according to you).

So please be specific.

As far as the page rankings being better ... you are joking right?

Google rankings in the Top 3 for "trucking accessories", "big rig accessories", "big rig gifts", "big truck accessories", "trucker gifts" and "big truck gifts".... it just doesn`t get better than that !!

Its just a shame that circumstances have occured that this site might just fade away. And many here laughed at, ridiculed, made fun of, and scoffed at the owner of the site in the past.

"As far as the page rankings being better ... you are joking right?"

OK, let me correct myself, as I didn`t word this very well .... proper validation and more efficient coding is beneficial to getting, and keeping, consistently higher rankings, although it is not mandatory.

Meaning .... the better the site is written, the easier it is for spiders to crawl, index, and then rank a site.

The reason why its ranked high could be for several reasons, as I mentioned; much is up to the search algos and how they view the site code and content in comparison to other related sites. IMO, I would say the database isn`t a factor.

Maybe, just maybe, the search engines think this is a quality site for its content. You think so, and I think its a very relevant site for this type of product as well, so why wouldn`t a search engine view it the same way? That`s the main key to it; relevant content. Put some faith into the site itself, not one little bit of code.

I am not trying to knock the site or its owner; in fact, more power to a smaller site that can compete with the name and financial backing of their competitors.






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M Hall
Website Critique Community
International Society of Curmudgeons

It is an interesting back and forth, but it comes down to what I mentioned before. If, for some reason, it is something to do with JS and Google gets wind of it they will remove the site completely from their search ranking.

It would be interesting to know what they did, but in the end, focus on the basics and see where you can get.

Let`s take a look anyway, just for the sake of the exercise to see what kind of SEO goodness they have.

1- Great page title, but the same for every page
2- No page titles for specific products so for product searches like "Waeco Portable Refrigerator", they aren`t #1 more like #30. This means there probably generating lots of unqualified traffic (low conversion rate)
3- No proper markup (no H1, H2, etc.)
4- link:www.gotruckstop.com yields 4 results on Google, so no link love going on
5- Has meta data, but Google has publicly stated that they don`t give it much weight as it is unreliable

I also did a comparison of some of the sites mentioned above (flyingJ, Iowa80, etc.) I did searches using inurl:, intitle:, intext:, etc. and the results are quite non-conclusive. One thing that seems interesting is the fact that some of the keywords that are ranking so well are in the title of every page. When you look at keywords like "big rig gifts" and you do a search using quotes then you see that there are only 6.

Also, look at this article where it seems to state that the owner of the site doesn`t really know himself how he got where he is.  It links another article that  comes to some of the same assumptions as have been noted here. Personally, I think the JavaScript that was mentioned is rather the cgi that is running the web shop and helping keep the content fresh.

It`s an interesting study none the less.

Here are the links to see both the .cgi store and the .html store areas ...

Online Store ...

http://www.gotruckstop.com/cgi-bin/acart/apple-search.pl?&am p;am p;keywords=all&begin=1&end=5&display=10

Gift Index ....

http://www.gotruckstop.com/products/index.htm

then click on ...

Electronics (as an example)

http://www.gotruckstop.com/products/electronics.htm

then click on ...

Cobra 29NW Premium CB Radio ...

http://www.gotruckstop.com/products/cobra_29nw_premium_cb_ra dio.htm

If you notice, the product html pages are interactive with the shopping cart.

Secondly, also notice that once you enter the Gift Index ... it generates meta tags and Title pages for each and every html page and product.

Is the use of the "Title Page" description and meta tags for each product one of the major reasons for the high natural rankings in the search engines?

Or is it that everytime the .html pages are created or updated (easy to update with one (1) click, that a "time stamp" is placed on those html pages ... the search engine spiders & robots "key" off of time stamps (ie. blogs). Could this be the "magic solution" that so many are looking for?  (Remember, sometimes the best solution is the simplest solution.)

(I find it interesting    that there are several creative tools being used on this site, yet no one here has applauded them,  , embraced them  ,  or given a thumbs up   when it is clear that this site has succeeded in SEO without spending any money on SEO.)

Oh well ... so is life.

I really didn`t want to get involved in this back and forth pissing contest, but I agree with Webline. It`s all about relevant content, not coding.

Dale King

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If you`re tired of all the money-making
hype, lies and scams...read this!
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So Dale, are you saying that the site we are talking about has excellent relevant content ... for its niche market?

No. What I`m saying is that based on my experience,  the search engines place a  much higher premium on relevant content than to the type of coding a website uses.

If a site ranks well for its keyword phrases, it`s usually because of the relevancy of its  content more than anything else.

Dale King

-------------------------

If you`re tired of all the money-making
hype, lies and scams...read this!
Click here for more details!