Google vs. WebPosition Gold

"You recommended the use of WebPosition Gold as a means of tweaking websites to maximize search engine rankings. However, I have just read in Google's Webmaster guidelines (www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html) that they specifically recommend not using that product. How has the use of WebPosition Gold affected Google rankings in your experience?" -- Len Denton, ThreatWire

In the webpage you cite, Google requests:

"Don't use unauthorized computer programs to submit pages, check rankings, etc. Such programs consume computing resources...."

WebPosition Gold (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/webposition.htm) and other ranking report generators are too often abused by people who are constantly running intricate ranking reports. These incessant hits to Google's database slows Google response time and force the company to build a bigger infrastructure than would otherwise be necessary.

Sometimes people use programs like WebPosition Gold to submit many webpages daily that Google could find and index on its own. I can understand why Google would be upset. And Google can spot and penalize sites that over submit.

On the other hand, in order to ease the drudgery of search engine optimization, all search engine optimization professionals use software tools to provide ranking reports. WebPosition users are not penalized for running ranking reports. Google only mentions WebPosition because it is the leading search engine optimization software. It is incumbent upon all of us to use Google's resources respectfully and frugally and not abuse them. But it seems altogether un reasonable to forego the use of third-party software tools altogether.

The chief weakness of WebPosition Gold -- and all such search engine optimization tweaking and reporting tools -- is that they aren't as much help as they used to be. WebPosition Gold is excellent at fine-tuning the code on webpages so they are well indexed by search engine robots. I still recommend it and use it.

But more and more, Google's ranking algorithm isn't looking nearly so much at word density as who links to your site and who links to them? Google has learned to use link analysis to accurately determine the pecking order of web businesses and rank more successful businesses higher.

Just like businesses in your home town, the Internet equivalents of networking -- exchanging business cards at Chamber of Commerce mixers (translate "reciprocal links"), getting listed in community directories, sponsoring community services, joining LeTip and the Rotary Club, and getting mentioned in the newspaper -- all these become very important to your ranking because they have to do with natural links between businesses rather than the artificial alchemy of keyword manipulation.