Kevin Cohn, Vice President of Operations at Atypon, gave a presentation on optimizing content for indexing by Google Search. He summarized Atypon's publishing platform usage statistics and described methods for ensuring all website URIs return a response to avoid 404 errors. Cohn explained Google's policies for indexing full text, requiring an accessible abstract or first page on article search results. To maximize discoverability within these guidelines, Atypon's goals are to provide a clear preview on the first click for every result and configure behavior to index all content while guaranteeing compliance.

1. SSP Annual Meeting, Arlington
1 June 2012
Kevin Cohn
Vice President of Operations
Or, How Not to Get Dropped
Optimization for
Google Search
@Atypon

2. 2 Optimization for Google Search

3. • 12.5 million journal articles
• 50,000 eBooks
• 3,200 mobile journals
• 950,000 active mobile users
3
Atypon by the Numbers
Optimization for Google Search

4. • Get the web logs for a full month of requests
• Identify the URI patterns and redirect them
• Replay the web logs against the new website
• Flag the URIs that result in a 404 and fix them
• Rinse and repeat
• Bonus: Real-world performance testing
4 Optimization for Google Search
Transition

5. Google’s Policy
5
Google indexes only what is fully accessible to
every Google user. If there are restrictions placed
on viewing a particular web page, Google will not
index that web page.
Optimization for Google Search

6. Google will index the full text of scholarly articles if
and only if every Google user clicking on a scholarly
article search result directly and immediately sees,
at a minimum, the complete author-written abstract
or a readable image of the first full page of text.
Google will index the full text of scholarly articles if
and only if every Google user clicking on a scholarly
article search result directly and immediately sees,
at a minimum, the complete author-written abstract
or a readable image of the first full page of text.
Google’s Policy
6 Optimization for Google Search

7. • Research articles
• Review articles
• Case reports
• NOT editorials
• NOT letters
• NOT news
Scholarly Articles
7 Optimization for Google Search

8. Directly and Immediately
8 Optimization for Google Search

9. • Written by the author and complete (e.g., not
just the first 100 words)
• NOT an extract (e.g., the first 100 words of an
author-written abstract)
• NOT an expert-written (but not author-written)
summary
Complete Author-Written Abstract
9 Optimization for Google Search

10. What If...?
10 Optimization for Google Search

12. 12
Danger, Will Robinson!
Optimization for Google Search
Google performs automated checks and removes
the entirely of offending websites from Google
search products for up to nine months.

13. • Clear guidelines
• Maximize discoverability
• Absolutely minimize risk
Our Goals
13 Optimization for Google Search

14. First Click Free
14
Google will index the full text even if an acceptable
free preview is not available and even if the article
is not scholarly, but every Google user clicking on
such a search result receives free access to it, up to
five (5) free results per user per day.
Optimization for Google Search

15. What Google Can Index
15
Scholarly ArticlesScholarly Articles
Acceptable free previewAcceptable free preview
Scholarly ArticlesScholarly Articles
Yes No
First Click Free
Yes Full text Full text
First Click Free
No Full text Preview only
Optimization for Google Search

16. What Google Can Index
16
Non-Scholarly ArticlesNon-Scholarly ArticlesNon-Scholarly ArticlesNon-Scholarly Articles
First Click Free
Yes Full text
First Click Free
No Preview only
Optimization for Google Search

17. • Every article can be indexed
• Behavior is configurable
• Guaranteed compliance *
Summary
17 Optimization for Google Search

18. Thank You
18 Optimization for Google Search
KCohn@Atypon.com
Kevin Cohn
Vice President of Operations