Google Search Nickname Annoyance

jwalkeroh

Just noticed that if you do a Google Search on your nickname (nikiwalkerphotography in this case) and you have included that nickname in dgrin posts, such as in a link to a gallery that you may be having trouble customizing, then those posts are showing up in the Google Search results, often ahead of the actual website result. From my perspective this is undesirable. What can be done to minimize Google and search engines from finding dgrin posts? I'd like the search engines to find my site and not my dgrin laundry! If I want to search dgrin then I'll visit it to search. Thoughts?

docwalker

You can give us your nickname without the rest of the .smugmug.com if you are just referring to the site.

For the links, you can give us the customdomain version in most cases.

Including your domain name as you have in your sig helps.

Be sure to follow the tips here as they really help: http://wiki.smugmug.com/display/SmugMug/Maximize+Search+Engine+Findability

Andy

try

"niki*walkerphotography is my nick. lose the asterisk"

Allen

You can write out your whole link and bold the : and .
It is then not clickable either and think the search bots won't see the link.

http://nickname.smugmug.com

This really looks like this in the html.

http[b]:[/b]//nickname[b].[/b]smugmug.com

Notice I bolded each [ so it's not picked up as a html tag.

jwalkeroh

Good advice from all.

A) So what I notice when folks enter posts is that sometimes if they don't provide a link to the page and/or gallery that is causing the issue being discussed, they are asked to provide one. What I usually supply is something like:
http://www.nikiwalkerphotography.com/gallery/5092209_uA77p#299883388_P3eKC
and obviously it includes the nickname "nikiwalkerphotography", and from what you seem to be saying it is that "live" link that is being picked up by the search bots.

I also have a "live" link in my dgrin signature (but it doesn't include "http://"), so following the logic above, it too must/may be being picked up by the search bots.

So which of the solutions offered is best / most practical?

As for docwalker's suggestion about the tips on the wiki, I did follow those tips several weeks ago. I'm happy with what shows up for a google or yahoo search for "Niki Walker Photography" when the result is a link to the actual site's homepage.

What is throwing me is all the results pointing to dgrin posts, especially since many show up ahead of the actual site.

I'm wondering if the wiki tip to "Post and contribute to forums and blogs. Link your website in your post." is that good of an idea if the result is that those pages with links are also going to show up in search results as are the dgrin post pages.

Not sure how I would use Andy's suggestion.

Allen's suggestion seems functional if I can remember to do it all the time.

Please try a google search for "nikiwalkerphotography" and see how many dgrin pages are returned. There seems to be 2 flavors -- archived and real. Here's 2 sample results links:
http://www.dgrin.com/archive/index.php/t-97469.html
http://digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=96273

Is it the link(s) I included in the posts that is causing the search results, or is it the dgrin signature, or both?

Thanks again for your insightful feedback.

Andy

jwalkeroh wrote:

Not sure how I would use Andy's suggestion.

It's just an idea to stop your name from being googled here at dgrin.

jwalkeroh

Allen or docwalker: any additional thoughts?

docwalker

My thought is to get people to your site no matter what. Even if it means going through your SmugMug URL. :-)

But, I understand that you want your custom domain. So when you need help, use the tips above to break up the URL. We need as much information as possible to help. Having the correct gallery, or photo is very important.

I was a customer for years before signing on as a support hero with SmugMug. My posts are still here and and on other forums. That information may be used against me someday :-) But I need those links to my site to help with my Google ranking.

It is your call, but the tips on the Maximize Findability page really do work. Forum posts, blogging, keywording everything, and self submitting are the real keys.