Q: Chris, we always run out of space with Twitter when we’re trying to tweet. The links we are trying to pass are really long because of the way our web designer designed our site using sub-folders and long file names. What can we do?

A: This is a great question, thanks. Twitter only gives you 120 characters, including spaces, to use when you Tweet. If you are passing a long link in your tweets you’re going to probably run out of space. Here’s an easy-to-use solution.

1) Go to http://www.bit.ly and enter the link address you want to use in your Tweet.

2) Cut/copy the newly generated BIT.LY link that is provided, usually 20 characters.

3) Paste it into your Tweet

Voila! Your link has been effectively shortened and you now have more space for your actual message.

One more thing, if you open a BIT.LY account you can track clicks on your shortened links – for free!

On February 24th of this year Google announced a significant update to how it ranks websites and blogs. It made the front page of the Wall Street Journal and started a flurry or email hitting my inbox. It also started a barrage of junk-email trying to sell “save your position at Google” services – which you should ignore!

Frankly, most people have nothing to worry about.

What Google is doing is getting rid of lousy, irrelevant, top-ranked websites.

I think it’s great. I think it’s about time.

Websites that are not 100% relevant to a search, websites that are top ranked because of keyword stuffing, websites that use black-hat techniques or try to cheat, and websites that were made only to promote paid or sponsored links (i.e. Google Adwords) are all on their way to the bottom of the pile.

So if none of these things apply to your website you probably have nothing to worry about.

Here are a few things you should know:

1) Google likes websites and pages that are the MOST relevant to the search performed by a Google user. In other words, if your pages create the most desirable and informative page that matches a search – you’re in the game!

2) Google doesn’t just look at one page to determine relevancy – it looks at your entire website.

3) Google Webmaster Tools help you determine what keywords Google thinks your website is relevant for.

4) Google absolutely hates when you try to manipulate the index or “cheat.”

5) You CAN NOT just “stuff” keywords on a page and expect that to work. Weave your keywords and keyword phrases into your page copy. I know this isn’t easy in all cases, but it (a) has to be done, and (b) works very effectively.

6) Page-title tags are still critically important to the entire top-ranking process, but they are not the only factor. If your page-title tags do not have the keywords in them that match the search performed there is NO WAY that page will rank high.

7) Inbound links from other thematically similar websites and blogs have a tremendous amount of value when it comes to (a) getting top ranked at Google, and (b) staying top ranked. Remember though, it’s not about the quantity of links but the quality of the sites linking to you.

People ask me all the time, “Chris, should I advertise at The Knot?”

In a way, it’s a trick question. The reason it’s a trick question is because the first question you have to ask is: Is your current website working VERY well? Because if it isn’t, and The Knot drives high-quality traffic to your website, don’t blame The Knot if it doesn’t convert into inquiries or sales.

Here’s why I like The Knot in 2011:

1) Brides Know Who They Are

The Knot is probably the best known brand in the online wedding planning space. Combining a solid offline/print brand with their online presence pretty much puts them ahead of their competition. Sure Brides Magazine (.com) is well-known too, but while they were trying to figure out the Internet several years ago The Knot pushed right past them, and in my opinion, they’ve never caught up. “Catching up” on the Internet is always hard to do.

2) They Have a Lot of Traffic – Real Brides and Grooms

There are thousands of wedding planning websites and blogs online but I’d guess most brides visit The Knot sooner or later. There is a lot of valuable and very helpful content. Great content builds repeat visits. In other words, ”fish where the fish are.”

3) High Quality Traffic

While the actual numbers are never released (monthly visitor sessions), or I’ve never been able to find them, it’s pretty clear to me, based on reviewing hundreds of Google Analytics accounts this year, that The Knot is a good source of high-quality traffic. High-quality traffic is the most likely to convert into inquiries, phone calls, and ultimately sales at your website.

4) Visibility

It’s a good thing when brides see you advertising at The Knot (.com) and it builds your brand and increases your online influence factor (OIF).