Solar Electricity Handbook web site

[MikeBoxwell]

I have been working hard on the web site to go with my new book - www.SolarElectricityHandbook.com.

The purpose of the web site is two-fold - to give enough information to make people think "wow! I want that book" and secondly to become a useful tool so that people who do buy the book come back and use the solar calculator tools and directory.

The web pages have been optimised so they should start clawing their way up Google over the next few weeks. I would appreciate a sanity check though - it's so easy to get too close to a web site and forget the blindingly obvious!

[MikeBoxwell]

I found an interesting fault on the site today, which reflects a change in the way that Google catalogues web sites.

Google delisted my site because it had too many affiliate links in the site. In effect, Google is trying to kill off all these useless sites that hog up domain names and don't give any information at all other than to advertise stuff you can buy elsewhere.

On the front page of my web site, I had a link to Amazon to allow people to buy my book, plus an affiliate link to a site selling solar panels. Elsewhere on the site, I had links to Amazon and a whole page set up as a directory of solar suppliers, including a number of affiliates.

As a consequence, Google decided that I was a useless money-grabbing good for nothing with a useless web site that is going to corrupt the sweet and innocent of this world.

I have repented of my sins and removed all affiliate links from the site. The companies in the directory are still there, but the links are no longer affiliate links. I've applied to Google to reconsider my site so we wait to see what happens.

[benr123]

>>I found an interesting fault on the site today, which reflects a change in the way that Google catalogues web sites.

Have you any reference to that? Not having a good day and this will send me over the top if its true.

[MikeBoxwell]

A lot of it is hearsay from other IT professionals, but Google have made changes to the way they catalogue sites in an attempt to stop the domain parking sites with lots of affiliate adverts and nothing else from appearing on search listings.

There is an article about it here: http://www.domainnews.com/en/will-go...n-parking.html It was talked about quite some time ago but only really came in to effect in the past month or so.

Basically, Google seems to be having trouble adjusting the bar as to how it assesses different sites, which is why mine got booted. Affiliate sites do still work, but you have to make sure there is a lot of content on them first...

[benr123]

Thanks Mike. I don't think I have to worry yet anyway. That article is about domain parking. IMO, its a coincidence that your site disappeared on Google. I have sites which contain a lot less content that yours and are happily in the Google index for now. Your site is back there now anyway.

Looks fine to me your website. A few minor things I would do. All the call to actions that I would expect to see on a site where you were trying to sell are book are not there. I would put them back in if you removed the due to google.

I can't see how anyone would be able to contact you if they had a question about solar power. Maybe you should put something like, still got questions, ask Mike and have a contact form. Over time you will be able to put up a FAQ or it may give you ideas for a second edition.

Also consider having a forum. Its a fairly easy way to get free content. You can slap Google ads on it then and make more money. In fact, I'd stick google ads on the main site. Some of the content looks genuinely useful and you may as well monetise it, even if they don't buy your book.

HTH

[Alvin]

your site has not been delisted by google.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sit...ient=firefox-a

Alvin

[MikeBoxwell]

No - my site is back on Google now. It did disappear for a while, which was frustrating.

Thanks for the feedback. You're right about the Call To Action - they're not very good at the moment. I'm also going to be adding contact details and a feedback form.

I'm not sure about a forums at the moment, simply because forums are hard work in their own right. But I'll give it some thought and see how I can do something similar to this - maybe some sort of Q&A section where people can ask me questions and I can provide answers.

Over time I do plan to put back in the affiliate links - at least to Amazon and probably to the other sites as well. However, I'll do that once I've added a lot more content to the site as well.

Thanks for the feedback.

[staffjam]

Mike,

I too have had a few sites delisted by google. I've corrected the errors - but how do you get Google to reconsider your site?
Who do you write to?
Thanks

[MikeBoxwell]

You need to use the Google web master tools and add the offending site to your web master account.

Then set up a site map and submit it. Next time you log in, if there is a problem, Google will tell you about it and give you the opportunity to resubmit the site for consideration.

[barry100]

Hi
I think the site is pretty good. ! thing I would say though is the text in the banner is to close to the right. Ad a margin to the text like this

<p style="float:right; margin-right:20px;">TEXT HERE</p>

or just use the style that you have in the code so far and add this to your style sheet.

seempul