Google says We are number 1

For a number of months now Tyndale University College & Seminary has placed number one on a Google search of the word “Tyndale” – actually we place number one and two – the number one spot is what I am really excited about.

In the number one spot is our main site with a list of sub sections to our site. Our Library takes the number two spot followed closely by tyndale.com – the web site for Tyndale House Publishers. Fourth spot is taken with the Wikipedia article about William Tyndale – the person our school was named after.

We have worked hard to accomplish this goal and are very pleased with the results. Here are some of the things (in no particular order) I think have contributed to this success.

a) Tyndale web site search is powered by Google. Google provides this service to Universities for free. We have used this service for a number of years. It provides us with great search results and it also means that Google will index our site on a regular basis.

b) “Google loves blogs” – I have heard this phrase thrown around the web for a couple of years now – not sure where I first heard it but I am convinced it is true. Blogs tend to be in continual change with new content added on a regular basis. They are also full of archived information. As the Tyndale community starts posting more blogs we will see the value of our domain rise in Google’s eyes.

c) Site architecture and code design – Yah this may seem really boring to most out there but I believe it holds some validity. Our site structure and code is designed in part to allow Google to easily index our site. We have a site map and clear text links to most of our site. The code is done with modern web standards and we have added valuable information to the footer of each of our web pages. Google automatically searches through (indexes) web sites with a simplified browser which ignores the pretty design elements and items like flash content – our site takes advantage of that process.

d) ChristianCareersCanada.com is a web site service that is operated by Tyndale at a separate domain. Each page on that site has links back to the Tyndale main site. This site dynamically hosts hundreds of career listings and resumes – each one of those pointing back to Tyndale.ca. The contents of this site is constantly changing which means – like a blog – Google likes it and gives value to those links. In fact ChristianCareersCanada.com shows up in the number 8 spot on a Google search for Tyndale!

e) Search engine submit service. We have been using the services of a search engine submitting company for several years now – they do not deal exclusively with only our Google results but I am sure the service has helped.

I am sure there are more reasons such as my charm and good looks – but the ones above I believe are the key factors. For me this is a success worth celebrating! If you have any comments or questions I would love to hear from you!