15) While Page Rank in the Google Toolbar shows as round numbers, Google itself calculates it to fractional numbers. Meaning, even if you show as a PR5 the websites above you who are a PR5 may actually be a PR 5.9

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16) Each SERP seems to have its own unique parameters as far as what is more of a weighing factor in optimization. Perhaps, not due to Google, but to how people design pages. So if at first you don’t succeed... Just remember to be patient.

17) Google doesn't always 'take' the page you optimize for, but instead will utilize the index page because that's usually the page with the highest PR.

18) PR is not the end all be all of SERP's and a lower PR page can beat a higher PR page. Remember, content is king. If you build it, they will come.

19) Google has two types of robots out spidering. One is Freshbot and the other is Deepbot. Freshbot’s- IP 64... Deepbot’s IP 216....
Freshbot can grab new pages and update your SERP's. Deepbot will usually hammer a site over a period of a few days then leave. It is the results of those crawls that ends up in the monthly Google update. Google may use Freshbot results in a more aggressive form to feed SERP's.

20) Google updates their index on a loose average of once per month. Notice the emphasis on the word loose...

21) The progress of the update can be seen before the database goes live on www2 dot Google dot com and www3 dot Google dot com. There are numerous Google Dance tools on the web. Check the SEO RESOURCE SECTION.

22) The Google Dance is when all the SERP's mix around, PR is handed out...upgraded, downgraded, penalties are seen, re-inclusion requests are seen and basically your website’s life is on the line. This is why you should not place all your eggs in one search engine...

23) It can take a couple days for the index to filter though the different data centers (collection of Google servers) before it hit the main index, or just as easily, it can take hours.

24) It takes 2-3 days or thereabouts for PR and SERP's to settle. So be patient.

25) Google doesn't care if your website ranks highly regardless of whether you feel you have the best offerings for that search phrase. As long as Google serves relevant results normal people have no idea that they are 'missing you'.

26) For immediate visibility check out Overture/AdWords. These are pay-per-click advertising services that will immediately begin to attract visitors to your site. A cautionary note though, it can and will be expensive...

27) Utilize ROBOTS.TXT files and META TAGS to save bandwidth on your image directory or to 'noindex' a page that announces a weekly promotion exclusively.

28) Stuffing all the keywords you can in the META TAG won't help you. Search engines rarely count these anymore.

29) It can take a few indexes for Google to catch up with all your backlinks. Again, it’s all about patience.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this guide, and more importantly, learned something! If you still have questions, our Forum is a good place to start. Someone reads the forum everyday so your questions will be answered quickly.

Now get out there and OPTIMIZE already!

Search Engine Optimization Guide – The Guide to SEO