website does not appear in a google search

Think of SEO as sort of a popularity contest that you are trying to tweak in your favor. Your job is to do things that make your website more popular to Google. Google decides what is a popular website and what is not. However, it only makes this decision based on the last time it looked at your website (indexed it) and websites that refer to it. When you first start out with a website, you have very little popularity from Google's perspective. Your club's Facebook entry is on the first page of results, because Google deems Facebook to be very popular.

Find a Club should refer to your website. (it does) Find a Club entries strongly impact Google search results.

Your Facebook page should refer to your website's address. It should match the address in Find A Club.

You can increase search ranking by having other links to your website.

However, Google may have an outdated index for your website. It only indexes it every so often and when you specifically ask it to via webmaster tools. So, you can make changes to your website to improve search ranking, but it will not make any difference unless you can make Google re-index it.

If you use webmaster tools, you can make changes and immediately request the website to be reindexed to see the impact of your changes in search results. That is why webmaster tools are useful.

Hi Guys,

You are quite right when you say “You apparently do not understand how search engine optimization works.”

However in the questions of my last email, I was not asking for SEO assistance only asking why it might be that the Business Focus Website (URL businessfocus.toastmastersclubs.org/ ) does not appear anywhere on the search results for key words Toowoomba + Toastmasters – at all. So I respectively ask again. If the site exists why would it not appear at all?

I said I in my original email that I have taken on the responsibility for the website in June this year. Since then I have been adding to content on a regular business in the anticipation that this would be recognised by google and the site might appear somewhere.

The reason I have contacted you now is because after 3 months of this activity, the site still does not appear on any page. What could I be doing wrong?

I was informed that if I contacted support.toastmastersclubs.org that I might get some help.

I googled toastmasters + find a club and can see that link goes to a different URL ie 9665.toastmastersclubs.org/ , could this have any bearing on the situation?

In my opinion the average Joe in the street is going to go to Google and put in Toastmasters and Toowoomba not Toastmasters and Find A club.

None of my questions related to Facebook, SEO or other links to our website.

What, if any assistance or advice can you provide?

Regards
Margaret Marshall

Margaret

I don't know much about SEO, but from what I understand the Search Engines look for keywords, and the more links there are to sites the more likely they are to show up higher in the results. That is why it would be a good idea to have links from your club facebook page to your FTH page and link that using the address on TI find-a-club. I don't think the URL used matters, as long as they are both the same (9665 or BusinessFocus). BusinessFocus might look better than 9665 on facebook It is just the fact that your club is linked via Find-a-club that improves its chances of being found

Unfortunately other clubs in Toowoomba have the city name in their club name, so they are more likely to show up sooner. I would suggest that you use the word Toowoomba more often on your home page, especially near the top, and close to the word Toastmasters, e.g. Business Focus Toastmasters Club of Toowoomba......, We are the only Toastmasters Club in Toowoomba specialising in.... we are the friendliest Toastmasters Club in Toowoomba.... visit Business Focus Toastmasters of Toowoomba

Add the word Toowoomba after Russell Street on your Meeting Information page (both places).

If you add some public custom pages you'll be able to add keywords (Toowoomba Toastmasters). A link to the District 69 site might also help.

Unrelated to the SEO, but further to a comment made earlier:
For your map, try replacing the iframe code with this (it should show the marker pin, and street view shows the Irish Club):

Hi Pam,

I am under the impression that your organisation is there to give technical support to users of Toastmasters Club Websites. You see, I know very little about the website you provide the club Business Focus Toastmasters. Maybe I have a mistaken idea of what level of support Free Host Toast 2 provides to people with minimal technical skills required to administer the website.

Your continual reference and instructions to me to attend to items such as SEO, Facebook, the Find A Club website is interesting but does not answer my questions in previous emails. I’m not saying that these things are not important but first things first. I ask again - why might it be that the Business Focus Website ( businessfocus.toastmastersclubs.org/ ) does not appear anywhere on the search results for key words Toowoomba + Toastmasters – at all? If it exists should it not appear somewhere even if it is on page 1000000000000 of google?

For 3 months now I have been adding content on a regular business in the anticipation that this would be recognised by google and the site might appear somewhere. I am advised that good, original content is the best way to improve the chances of getting any website to rank in Google. In your technical opinion will this activity ever make the website appear in a google search: Toastmasters, Toowoomba?

I have asked the above question several times and nothing in your reply answers this question or even offers an opinion or options as to what might be causing the absence of the clubs website ANYWHERE in Google. If you cannot, or don’t want to that’s fine. An answer such as “ we don’t know” or “this is not in the scope of our support function that Free Host Toast 2 can provide” that would be more helpful than suggesting I make changes to the site that I am not capable of performing.

What is the difference between the website addresses 9665.toastmastersclubs.org/ and businessfocus.toastmastersclubs.org/ ? Why are there two URL’s? Are these two separate websites? If so, are they both necessary? Should I be adding Content to both?

With regards to your suggestion that the site does not appear because the word Toowoomba is not part of the club’s name is not true. Since June I have been monitoring google. Position 1 is always the Compass Toastmasters Club which has not got Toowoomba in its name nor in its URL compass.toastmastersclubs.org/ .

I appreciate your instruction in last email to add the word Toowoomba more often on the site. I have actioned same.

Is it possible to get more info on how to perform your suggestion: “add some public custom pages you'll be able to add keywords (Toowoomba Toastmasters). A link to the District 69 site might also help.”? Are there any tutorials available?

Is it possible to get more info on how to perform your suggestion: “For your map, try replacing the iframe code with this (it should show the marker pin, and street view shows the Irish Club?” Are there any tutorials available?

All the questions in this and other emails are not rhetorical and I would I really appreciate an answer that I, as a non-technical person might be able to understand and put into action.

Pam, I am not trying to be difficult – I just need some help that answers my questions and that may be actionable by me.

Yours sincerely,

1) 9665.toastmastersclubs.org/ and businessfocus.toastmastersclubs.org are the exact same website. We provide the 9665.toastmastersclubs.org website address and it will always be active. You can choose to use an alias for your website and we provide that functionality.

2) You have to tell search engines how to find your website one way is to use the Toastmasters.org fin-a-club. For the club website you have 9665.toastmastersclubs.org/ listed as the club website

google top 3 listed your club when you search for Business Focus Toastmasters Club

BUSINESS FOCUS Toastmasters Club
businessfocus.toastmastersclubs.org/
Business Focus Toowoomba, Self-Confidence,Self-Improvement, Self-development, Public Speaking, Leadership Training, Personal Development, Business ...
Business Focus Toastmasters Club
www.toastmasters.org/Find-a-Club/00009665-00009665
Location: Irish Club Hotel 80 Russell St Toowoomba , Queensland 4350 Australia. Membership Restriction: None; the club is open to all interested parties.
Business Focus Toastmasters Club - Toowoomba - Facebook
www.facebook.com/.../Business-Focus-Toastmasters-Club.../3295 ...
Each year Toastmasters clubs have the opportunity to achieve the Ralph Smedley Award. The campaign runs from 1st August to 30th September each year and ...

If you want to search for specific words then you need to have those words in the website page metadata

please read the documentation on this website how to setup and create webpages and how to work with search engines.
support.toastmastersclubs.org/doc/item/custom-pages
support.toastmastersclubs.org/doc/item/google-ranking

to change the find-a-club info
support.toastmastersclubs.org/doc/item/u...s-international-site

Dear Brian,

What do I need to do to get you to answer the questions in my emails? This is not a rhetorical question – I really really want to know.

Did you read my email?

Your item 1. Again, interesting information but does not answer the questions I have asked. What is the features and benefits of an “alias”?
Your item 2. I totally agree that telling a search engine how to find the site is the way to go and one way is to use the Toastmasters.org fin-a-club, what is another way?

I am very aware that if someone puts into Google the words “business focus toastmasters” that it will return the Clubs website on the first page. Unfortunately, Joe average is not going to do this. Anyone who is looking for a club to join will put in Toastmasters, Toowoomba and would reasonably expect to get a list of clubs that have an active website.

I ask again, - why might it be that the Business Focus Website ( businessfocus.toastmastersclubs.org/ ) does not appear anywhere on the search results for key words Toowoomba + Toastmasters – at all? If it exists should it not appear somewhere even if it is on page 1000000000000 of google? I respectfully ask you to answer this question.

Your interesting insight copied from your email and pasted below does not answer any of my questions.
BUSINESS FOCUS Toastmasters Club
businessfocus.toastmastersclubs.org/
Business Focus Toowoomba, Self-Confidence,Self-Improvement, Self-development, Public Speaking, Leadership Training, Personal Development, Business ...
Business Focus Toastmasters Club
www.toastmasters.org/Find-a-Club/00009665-00009665
Location: Irish Club Hotel 80 Russell St Toowoomba , Queensland 4350 Australia. Membership Restriction: None; the club is open to all interested parties.
Business Focus Toastmasters Club - Toowoomba - Facebook
www.facebook.com/.../Business-Focus-Toastmasters-Club.../3295 ...
Each year Toastmasters clubs have the opportunity to achieve the Ralph Smedley Award. The campaign runs from 1st August to 30th September each year and ...

Is there a reason for sending me this information?


Your insight, again copied from your email –“If you want to search for specific words then you need to have those words in the website page metadata.” Can you direct me to somewhere where I might find the “website page metadata”?

Thank you for the links to info re custom – pages and google ranking. This may be information that I can actually use. I will avail myself of it immediately. If I have any questions, will you be able to answer them?

You have included a link to “change info” for Find A Club. Why have you done this? I understand that if someone was to google key words toastmasters and find a club they would arrive at the Find a Club Page. Which is really good as they will find the business focus club in the list – I see no need to change this.

I am now very concerned about the possibility of ever having my questions answered. If you are not going to address the questions in the past 3 emails please advise me of where I can locate the Customer Service Department of Free Host Toast 2.

Your kind attention would be appreciated at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely
Margaret Marshall