Google released a way to submit new and updated URLs for indexing within Google Webmaster Tools. Using the Fetch as Googlebot feature, the search engine will be promoted to crawl the URL that is submitted. Google doesn’t guarantee that every page they crawl will be indexed, but this new feature seems to speed up the evaluation process.

The new solution can help in several situations:

1. New site/page launch: If you’ve just launched a new site, and/or added new pages, you can ask Google to find and crawl it them immediately.
2. URL Reconsideration: If you have recently updated key pages on the site and would like Google to index the latest version, you can submit the updated pages for reconsideration.
3. Accidental Indexing: If you find that Google has indexed a page you did not want to show, you can submit your site to update the cached version after you’ve removed the page from your site.

That said, XML Sitemaps are still the best way to provide a complete list of your website’s URLs to Google and encourage The GoogleBot to crawl and index those pages. However, this new feature is ideal for times when you add new pages to your site or have a major update.

How to submit a URL
First, use Diagnostics > Fetch As Googlebot to fetch the URL you want to submit to Google. If the submission is successful, you will see a new “Submit to index” link appear next to the fetched URL.

Once you click “Submit to index” a dialog box will be displayed and allow you the option to choose whether you want to submit only the one URL, or that URL along with all the pages linked to it.

You can submit up to 50 URLs a week via Fetch as a GoogleBot within the Google Webmaster Tools platform. Though, Google does limit URL submissions that link all of the pages listed within that URL to 10 per month.
This new feature is not the “end all” solution to getting your pages indexed, but it shows how Google is continuing to make strides toward interacting site owners.

Earlier this month, Yahoo announced that it will discontinue Yahoo Site Explorer, which comes as a blow to many professionals in the SEO industry.

Despite the steadily diminishing influence of Yahoo on search engine optimization, many SEO professionals still value the Site Explorer as acomprehensive and reliable tool for running link competitive analysis. For example, if you are beginning a link-building campaign for your website, you can go to Yahoo Site Explorer and enter the URLs for your competitors. Site Explorer will tell you what other websites are linking to those competitors – effectively giving you a list of relevant sites to request links from. You can also view pages of your own site to see what audiences are really interested in your content.

Yahoo Site Explorer is also an easy and useful tool to check if a site is involved in any unscrupulous link farming. A few months ago, entering the URL for JC Penny’s website clearly revealed such tactics, which lead to its penalization from Google.

Yahoo claims that, because it will be merging its organic search results with Bing, having two webmaster portals (Site Explorer and Bing Webmaster Tools) is unnecessary. No official date has been set by Yahoo, but Site Explorer is expected be offline later this year.

Yahoo recommends users transition to Bing Webmaster Tools instead, but many SEO professionals are concerned that the same level of detailed link data will simply not be provided. Because Bing has not yet announced any new features to match the functionality of Yahoo Site Explorer, there could be a chance for competitors to arise and fill the gap. New site, Ahrefs looks to be the next best thing, if not better than, Yahoo Site Explorer. Still others may fall on more established pay-sites like SEOmoz or Ontolo. Only time will tell.

Those who have been following news from Google are well aware of the impact (or panic, depending on who you ask) the Panda update has had on search results. But just how is Panda changing the way Google views your website?

Panda was often referred to as an update to Google’s ranking algorithm. However, Search Engine Land has since pointed out that it’s really more like another ranking factor similar to page rank, but with more importance.

Whenever Google runs a Panda update (which appears to be shaping into a monthly schedule) Panda looks at your website to determine if it contains quality content. Pages on your site that contain low-quality content – such as spammy text; unoriginal, plagiarized, or duplicate content; irrelevant text; too much unmanaged user submitted content; etc. – get penalized (or “pandalized” in some circles) and suffer on the SERPs.

If you notice a drop off in your analytics that coincides with a Panda update, there is a good chance you may have a content quality issue with your website. Reevaluate the text on affected pages and look for ways to increase quality and relevancy. Unfortunately, you may not see a recovery in your analytics until Panda checks your site again.

Please keep in mind that, if your site is providing relevant, useful content to searchers, then Panda is nothing for you to worry about. Simply stay on the right track, and watch your website grow.