Google Sitelinks are the links you see from time to time below the first result in Google. Google claims that the algorithm for Sitelinks is independent of its other algorithms and that navigation is the key to getting Sitelinks to appear below your website’s listing.

However, the only thing that is known for sure when it comes to Sitelinks is that they only appear for sites that have a stable number one ranking for a particular keyword. So the fact that Sitelinks were appearing at number 61 meant that the Google Sitelinks Algorithm (independent of the ranking equation) thought the site did have a number one ranking, not 61.

It is this result that has lead those in the SEO game to reason that Google has introduced a -60 penalty to the ranking equation. What this means is that a site that would normally appear in position one is now appearing in position 61, and because the Sitelinks algorithm still thought it was number one, we can assume that it was just one factor that was added to the ranking equation, but wasn’t added to the Sitelinks algorithm. Google have seemingly fixed the problem with Sitelinks appearing at number 61, but the sites themselves that dropped by 60 places are still in that position.

So the question then becomes; what is it that these websites are doing that is so bad it is costing them 60 places in Google?

When the issue first came to the fore in February, numerous discussions broke out about why Sitelinks were appearing so low. Whilst no-one from Google officially confirmed a -60 penalty exists, some Google employees, including Matt Cutts (Google’s Head of Webspam), did comment on these discussion boards that Google was penalising sites for paid links.

So without directly saying so, it appears that Google is now penalising sites 60 ranking places if it deems the site is taking part in extensive paid referral activities (called site-wide-links).

So the message here for the moment is to stay well clear of paid referrals, or any linking techniques that appear as if they are for paid referrals. The penalty is too great to risk it.

In today’s electronic marketplace, search engine placement can, and is, proving the difference between whether online campaigns thrive or come crashing back down to earth with an expensive thud.

As a result, getting to the top of Google and other key search engines is critical. The way to do this is through Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

There are many companies out there who claim to “guarantee” your business the number one position or claim that SEO is beyond the reach of everyone else but them. Both of these claims are false.

No SEO company can technically guarantee you the top of Google (or on any other search engine) as the search engine algorithms are independent and no-one actually has any influence over the way it actually works.

Also, SEO can be done by anyone with a little HTML and FTP knowledge. But there’s a catch. SEO is a extremely time consuming process and there are a number of reasons why it is difficult to conduct SEO by yourself and why SEO companies exist:

• Google’s (and other search engines’) algorithm change constantly, and SEO companies are in the business of knowing how each of these changes will affect your site’s position and ranking. Unless you’ve have plenty of spare time to read up each algorithm change, an SEO company will save you time.
• SEO is competitive. If you’re undertaking SEO, you can bet that your competitors are doing it too. For this reason, you can’t just optimise your website when you put it live and expect it to sit atop the rankings forever. Search engine rankings are updated daily and hence you need ongoing SEO programs to continue to perform well.
• You need to know what keywords work. SEO companies have a variety of tools and expertise at their disposal to determine what keywords are likely to generate results for your site. They are then able to optimise your site’s pages to improve your ranking.

The best part about SEO programs from SEO companies is that they are very competitively priced.

The majority of SEO programs on the market are 12 month programs, so you are ensured that your site is continually optimised for better performance for at least a year. Basic packages start from around $2,000 per year and can range up as far as you your budget will go.

So while SEO can be done by anyone, for the vast majority of businesses, it is FAR more cost and time efficient to employ someone to do it for them.