How to Optimize for GooglePart 3 of 3By Scott Van AchteIn this video we will look at a number of other considerations which play a role in successful rankings in Google and also we will touch on some tactics which are best avoided.RedirectsIf you need to use redirects on your site, it is very important to use the correct one. If a page is moving to a new location or being moved altogether, it is very important to have to page redirected to either the new location or the next closest page using a permanent 301 request, Non-www Redirects. To help eliminate PageRank split and provide your site with a little extra value implement a Non-www Redirect.What this redirect will do is change the URL to include the www whenever a URL is accessed that does not include it. This can help to consolidate links to the correct page and give your site some additional strength.HTTP HeadersCheck your page headers. If you have implemented any form of Redirect on your site including mod rewrites, check your HTTP headers. You may be surprised as to what you find. Some forms of redirects may use a 302 code where you really want a 301. By checking your headers you can ensure all as well and troubleshoot problems.Home Page URLAll your links pointing to the home page should direct to the exact same URL, otherwise you will split the value of your home page into multiple duplicate URLs. Google sees www.xyzname.com as www.xyzname.com/index.php as different pages, but displaying the same content this splits the overall value of your home page and can decrease the chances of your rankings. By keeping it consistent with a single URL, you remove the split and retain more of the strength.XML SitemapXML Sitemaps are great for ensuring that Google and other search engines are available to spider your entire site. While an XML map will not directly impact your search rankings, it can help as Google is more likely to see any SEO based changes more quickly which in turn can have an impact.ROBOTS.txtThis is the first file all search engines look for every time they visit your site. While placing a blank robots.txt file in your root folder will not help your search rankings. It will reduce four of four errors up here in your log files.Potential BlockagesIf you are finding that your site is simply not being indexed, it is possible that you are being blocked by spiders in one way or another.Duplicate ContentDuplicate Content can be damaging to your rankings. Ensure that all content on your site is unique. Never steal or borrow content from another site and never cut-and-paste large portions of text from one page of your site to the next. By keeping all pages of your site entirely original, you stand the best chances of getting thumbs up from Google.Fresh content and regular updatesIn highly-competitive markets, sites with old static content can often slip away. Keep your content fresh and updated to keep bringing Google back to your site. If they find new pages and updated pages with every visit, they will come back more often.Site AgeThe age of your site can also have an impact on search engine rankings. Well, there is little you can do sort of keeping the same domain name, to help on this matter, remember that the longer your site is online the better chances for success.Load TimeLoad Time can have an impact in your Google Adwords quality score, but it is an unknown for sure, if it can also impact your organic search rankings. It is best to keep your load time to as little as possible.Server UptimeThis can be a rather significant issue. If you find that your web hosting company has a history of downtime, change host. If Google comes to visit your site once and it is down, not to worry. They will come back. But if Google visits your site often only to find that it is unavailable, you can find yourself with drastically depleted rankings.Google LocalIf you have a traditional brick and mortar store, consider submitting to Google local. Well, this will not directly impact your regular organic rankings, you may find your site ranking above the organic results with a local business result's map listing.This tends to be most common when your business is near the geographic center of a city and when the search phrase uses a geographic modifier.W3C Compliant CodeThere is much speculation as to if W3C Compliance Code can have a positive impact on your search rankings and the majority believe maybe with some saying, yes. Regardless, it is definitely a good idea to have your site be W3C Compliant if at all possible. Not only may it help you in terms of search rankings but having compliant code can decrease load times and help to ensure cross browser compatibility all of which are good things.If you have a site in a competitive market, it is best to ensure that the site is entirely Google-friendly and well-optimized. Well, working on increasing links and expanding on relevant content.Patience is important and Google rankings are possible, but they do take time and effort.