If you’ve been around the SEO world for a while then you undoubtedly know what the “Google Sandbox” is. For those who are new to the game, I’ll explain briefly so you can follow along. The “sandbox” is where websites are filed away in Google when they are either A, brand new, or B, have very little unique content. When a website is in the sandbox it will not be displayed in Google search results. Webmasters often panic when their website is sandboxed. Often times they assume that their website was banned.

It’s hard to say for sure whether a website was banned or not, but, here are a few tips to get out of the sandbox. First of all, make sure that your site is in compliance with the Google Webmaster Guidelines. Then, add new unique content daily, if not hourly. Add as much new (unique is the keyword) content as you can. Get as many backlinks as you can. If Google bots show up on your website then you are most likely sandboxed, not banned. However if bots do not show up, there is a good chance that your site may have been banned. If your site has no PR that COULD also be a sign that you are banned.

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I was browsing the web today (as I am known to do on occasion) and came across yet another website with the familiar “This site is best viewed in IE” text displayed prominently. Don’t people realize that they are losing traffic and inevitably also losing money by limiting their visitor base? Here are my tips and suggestions for optimizing a website.

First, never EVER optimize for just Internet Explorer. FireFox popularity is growing at an exponential rate and FireFox users can no longer be ignored. I use FireFox myself and would never go back to IE. Most FF users feel the same. I suggest that every web admin have the latest version of FireFox installed if only to ensure that each website you make is fully compatible. If you have access to a Mac computer and the Safari browser then I also suggest making sure that your websites work there as well. Chances are if it works on IE and FF perfectly and passes XHTML validation then you are probably safe on most browsers. Now, onto XHTML validation.

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In the web world there are people who swear by online directories for link building and traffic generation. I am not one of those people. In fact if I was taking a “web personality” test and the question came up “Do you find online directories useful?” I would have to answer that with a resounding “Highly Disagree”.

Online directories are sites that list countless websites in different categories. Many people believe that by getting listed in many directories will help Page Rank and generally increase their search engine positions. While this CAN be true, it still does not justify the existence of directories. With search engines being so mainstream now you can find anything you need by a simple search. I have yet to meet a single person who goes to a web directory to look for websites. With the immensity of the internet, it’s hard to believe that a “phone book” approach will even begin to give you a good sampling. A simple search in Google or Yahoo will easily bring you what you are looking for.

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