The Google webmaster guidelines are a set of suggested practices that Google has provided to webmasters as guidance. These guidelines help ensure a web site can be found, ranked and indexed by Google. Not following them can mean your website will not rank high in Google search results. When in doubt, you should ask Google. This website provides detailed descriptions of each guideline that just about anyone can understand. The first step in any search engine optimization plan is to first ensure you are following the guidelines. Get started with the first guideline.