Expert SEO Tips
SEO tips for Experts and Beginners. Perfecting your SEO for search engines can be tough. With Google changing it's alogorithm on a monthly basis, it can be difficult to keep up with the best practices and methods of getting your website showing up on top of search results. That's why we made this list of Expert SEO tips from around the web. These articles are the same ones we use when looking for additional information on updates, trends and inspiration. Enjoy.
Should I Use Relative or Absolute URLs?
It was once commonplace for developers to code relative URLs into a site. There are a number of reasons why that might not be the best idea for SEO, and in today's Whiteboard Friday, Ruth Burr Reedy is here to tell you all about why. At any given time, your website can have several different configurations that might be causing duplicate content issues. You could have just a standard http://www.example.com. That's a pretty standard format for a website...Read More >>
Mobilegeddon Mobile Search Update - A Study of the Effects
In this study, we look at the impact of the so called “Mobilegeddon” update. This update was viewed as being a potentially very large update. At SMX Munich, Google’s Zineb Ait Bahajji was quoted as saying that its impact would be larger than Panda or Penguin. In addition, at SMX Advanced, yesterday, June 2nd, Google’s Gary Illyes reiterated that the Mobile Update indeed had a bigger impact than Penguin and Panda combined...Read More >>
The Periodic Table Of SEO Success Factors
Our goal with the Periodic Table Of SEO is to help publishers focus on the fundamentals needed to achieve success with search engine optimization. This means it’s not about trying to list all 200 Google ranking factors or detail Google’s 10,000 subfactors. It’s not about trying to advise if keywords you want to rank for should go at the beginning of an HTML title tag or the end. It’s not about whether or not Facebook Likes are counted for ranking boosts....Read More >>
Confessions of a Google Spammer
Before I became an inbound marketer, I once made $50,000 a month spamming Google. I worked a maximum of 10 hours a week. And I am telling you from the bottom of my heart: never, never ever follow in my footsteps. I never wanted to spam the Internet. Google made me do it. This is what I told myself back then. If spamming is so wrong, I wondered, how come it always works so well? Most black hat SEOs think this way. They rationalize spamming Google's index in so many ways...Read More >>
Google Confirms Changing How Quality Is Assessed
It’s not your imagination. Google’s results have changed since the beginning of this month, and Google’s officially confirmed to Search Engine Land that this is due to a change with how it assesses content quality. Call it “The Quality Update,” if you will. Earlier this month, some publishers began noticing changes to Google’s search results. We had asked Google if this due to a Panda Update or any other type of update, but Google replied no. Since then, more reports came in...Read More >>
Google Mobile-Friendly Algorithm Update - Everything You Need To Know
Similar to other algorithm updates, Google is pretty good about announcing when they are about to stir things up. On February 26, 2015 Google went on Google webmaster central and announced that they were revamping their search algorithm to favor mobile friendly sites. “Starting April 21st, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal.” What this means is: We could be about to witness a large upset in the existing algorithm, that could potentially have a greater impact on search engine placements than Panda or Penguin....Read More >>
Google Ranking Web Pages On Facts, Not Links
Google is restructing the way that they evaluate the "trustworthiness" of webpages, according to a recent article. This article by Barry Schwartz describes how Google can rank the most factually accurate web pages higher in the search results.. Quote from the article: "So instead of using links to determine the best possible web page to rank for a query, Google may want to rank the page with the fewest false facts the highest. Google calls this Knowledge-Based Trust (KBT)"...Read More >>
15 SEO Best Practices for Structuring URLs
Think you know all there is about optimization? What about fixing those ugly URL's? This article by Rand Fishkin details the best ways to structure your URL's for higher search placement. Quote from the article: "the optimal structures and practices I'll be describing in the tips below are NOT absolutely critical on any/every page you create. This list should serve as an "it would be great if we could," not an "if we don't do things this way, the search engines will never rank us well."...Read More >>
Google to Show Tweets in Google Search Results
Think your company's tweets are great? Google will let you know. This article by Bloomberg Business details the most recent alliance between Twitter and Google. Quote from the article: "In the first half of this year, tweets will start to be visible in Google’s search results as soon as they’re posted, thanks to a deal ... people with knowledge of the matter said Wednesday. Google previously had to crawl Twitter’s site for the information, which will now be visible automatically...Read More >>
Before You Click Publish, Here's What to Do With Your Content
Article by Salesforce detailing how to get the most from your content and social sharing. Quote from the article: "Arguably the hardest step of the writing process is putting down those first words and completing a first draft. But what's next? How does a business take the first draft of content to the next level? Editing is the clear next step, but there are a variety of other actions that can push the quality, shareability, and SEO even higher.....Read More >>
Social Media Clickbait Sites Generating Massive Traffic
This excellent article by Brian Provost details the rise of clickbait traffic in social media. Quote from the article: "A number of very popular, high-velocity sites renowned for their leveraging of social media have publicly dismissed the value of SEO. The Atlantic went so far as to claim that Facebook is “the most important entity in web journalism” and “we rarely see search engine optimized (SEO) stories anymore.” If you believe for a second that they don’t think about SEO, you are smoking Marion Barry vintage crack...Read More >>
How to Choose the Best Ecommerce Platform for SEO
Ecommerce is wonderful, when it works. This article by Danny Richman details the strengths and weaknesses of all the major ecommerce providers. Quote from the article: "Why is SEO Important for Ecommerce? Well, 44% of every online purchase begins with an online search (IPSOS 2012). Making sure that your products can be found easily on search engines such as Google can be the difference between an ecommerce business that fails or succeeds...Read More >>
3 Things That Doom SEO Campaigns From The Start
Article by Nick Ker detailing the problems that many new (and existing) SEO campaigns face when they are not managed correctly. Worth a read for every small business, even if you don't manage your own SEO and marketing. Quote from the article: "Being patient is not the easiest thing to do, but that’s how it is. SEO takes time. Google’s organic search is designed so that a website can’t just jump to the top of the search results for any meaningful keyword overnight....Read More >>
The Un-Checkbox Approach to Content Marketing
Descriptive written article by Isla McKetta detailing the steps to optimizing your content around topics, and how to structure your content for SEO. Quote from the article: "Data and insights can be incredibly valuable, but should never be treated as gospel, and the only logic worse than "because that's how we've always done it" might just be "because everyone else is doing it." Content is no exception. When was the last time you broke a few rules?." This article explains the techniques of effective content marketing, and reaching a wider audience...Read More >>
Advanced On-Page Topic Targeting for SEO
Beautifully written article by Cyrus Shepard detailing the steps to optimizing your content around topics, and how to structure your content for SEO. Quote from the article: "In fact, you can create optimized pages without understanding complex algorithms. Sites like Wikipedia, IMDB, and Amazon create highly optimized, topic-focused pages almost by default. Utilizing these best practices works exactly the same when you're creating your own content." This article explains the techniques of backlinking, content marketing, and keyword relationships...Read More >>
The Coming Integration of PR and SEO
Article by Samuel Scott detailing the relationship between public relations and SEO. Quote from the article "The process that I have outlined above is a little vague on purpose. The lines between SEO and PR are increasingly blurring as online and offline marketing becomes more and more integrated. For example, take this very post: is it me doing SEO or PR for our agency (while first and foremost aiming to help the readers)? The answer: Yes." ...Read More >>
Google Analytics - Bounce rate vs Exit rate
This article by Web Design and Company's own David Kley looks at the often confusing differences between bounce rate, and exit rate in Google analytics reports. Quote from the article: "Understanding tracking data can be confusing. One of the popular questions we get asked when looking at Google Analytics reports is "What is the difference between bounce rate and exit rate?" Although they sound similar, they have very different meanings. Here is a simple and effective guide to understanding bounce rate and exit rate in your reports"...Read More >>
4 Pain Points When Creating Client Content
This article by Brad Shorr details the steps to creating highly effective content, even when your clients get involved (sometimes too much so) in the creation process. Quote from the article: "When companies outsource copywriting for their websites, the experience can be painful for both the firm and the writer. But the rewards for producing high quality content have never been greater. In terms of SEO, Google’s latest Quality Rater Guidelines stress expertise and authoritativeness more strongly than ever"...Read More >>
Why to Turn Off Mobile Bids in Adwords
In this article, Web Design and Company's own David Kley takes a look at how Adwords mobile bidding can be hurting your campaign ROI. Quote from the article: "In Google Adwords, it is possible to have separate advertising campaigns for mobile users and desktop computers. People who shop via their mobile phones and desktop computers have very different buying habits. Making sure that you are targeting the most most effective segment can save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars in advertising costs"...Read More >>
7 Landing Page Flaws That Kill Your Conversions
Landing pages can be a powerful force in getting additional conversions. A well-optimized landing page can also get you additional traffic without a lot of extra effort. In this article, Neil Patel explains different factors that can make your landing pages less effective. Quote from the article: "Landing pages are supposed to help boost your conversions, but in some cases, they kill them. When does that happen? If your landing pages have the wrong copy or distract your visitors, your conversion rate will drop and that’s just the tip of the iceberg"...Read More >>
One Content Metric to Rule Them All
Analyzing and measuring the success of your marketing campaigns can be HARD. In this article, Trevor Klein explains different methods of tracking your website's success. Quote from the article: "We spend enough of our time sourcing, editing, and publishing the content, and anyone who has ever managed an editorial calendar knows that fires are constantly in need of dousing. With so little extra time on our hands, the last thing content marketers want to do is sift through a heaping pile of data that looks something like"...Read More >>
How to Rule LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn can be a valuable resource in gaining authority within your industry, amoung your clients, or to gain new business. In 2014, LinkedIn introduced "LinkedIn Groups" in an effort to help people stay in touch with topics and people. In this article, Barry Feldman explains how to dominate using LinkedIn groups. Quote from the article: "If you have got past the naïve “I’ll use social to sell stuff” stage, you have discovered the value of exchanging ideas and building relationships...an even more powerful idea than belonging to a group is creating one."...Read More >>
Logo Optimization: A Local SEO Stealth Tactic
Getting to rank higher than established local competitors can be difficult, and often requires a lot of work. In this article, Chris Smith shows a few methods to "one-up" your local competition through optimizing your site's logo. Quote from the article: "When local businesses look to beef up their SEO game, they’re often looking for some clever technical trick. But, one of the simplest and most elegant local SEO tactics is to optimize the site’s logo. Since many businesses are unaware of it, employing it will amount to an advantage over competitors"...Read More >>
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