Aaron Wall says, “Whenever Google does a major algorithm update we all rush off to our data to see what changed in terms of rankings, search traffic, and then look for the trends to try to figure out what changed. The two people I chat most with during periods of big algorithmic changes are Joe Sinkwitz and Jim Boykin. I recently interviewed them about the Penguin algorithm. Topics include: what it is its impact why there hasn’t been an update in a while how to determine if issues are related to Penguin or something else”. Understanding The Google Penguin Algorithm ‘SEO Book’... [...]

Michael Cottam says, “The Panda algorithm looks for high-quality content, but what exactly is it looking for, how is it finding what it deems to be high-quality, and—perhaps most pressingly—what in the world can we do to befriend the bear? In today’s Whiteboard Friday, Michael Cottam explains what these things are, and more importantly, what we can do to be sure we get the nod from this particular bear”. Real-World Panda Optimization – Whiteboard Friday MOZ Blog  [...]

Sally Falkow says, “Some people regard the fact that you can post content online anonymously as one of the Internet’s greatest attractions. Google doesn’t think so. Now that social signals, reviews and other content is being incorporated into the search algorithms Google is very keen to know who is posting this content and whether you are a known and trusted source. Trust is the X-factor that bulletproofs your site from Google slaps and algorithm updates. This is an excerpt from a Google patent application: “Not all references, however, are necessarily of equal significance. For... [...]

Bryson Meunier says, “No one applauded louder than I did when Google introduced their warning in search results forfaulty redirects in June of this year, and then, warnings for Flash earlier this month. It’s definitely a step in the right direction for Google — and for searchers, who have had to endure less than usable mobile search results in Google for years. In 2011, I took a random sample of popular queries and their Google search results and found that only a small percentage of them were usable on mobile devices according to standards defined by the W3C, and the great majority... [...]

SEO has many nuances that have some effect on your results, but one of the primary factors in a high rating is backlinks. And the most useful backinks are “do follow” links from influential sites. Finding authoritative sites that will give you backlinks is no small task, particularly “do follow” links. For example, IM NewsWatch marks its links to products for sale “no follow”. David Henry‘s software, Comment Commander Pro Plus 1, finds influential websites in your niche that allow “do follow” backlinks and helps you place backlinks on them. Finding... [...]

Peterd says, “For those new to optimizing clients sites, or those seeking a refresher, we thought we’d put together a guide to step you through it, along with some selected deeper reading on each topic area. Every SEO has different ways of doing things, but we’ll cover the aspects that you’ll find common to most client projects. Few Rules The best rule I know about SEO is there are few absolutes in SEO. Google is a black box, so complete data sets will never be available to you. Therefore, it can be difficult to pin down cause and effect, so there will always be a lot of experimentation... [...]

Bill Faeth says, “Over the weekend Google released another search algorithm update, this time to their Local Search Algorithm.  An article by Search Engine Land, the updated has appropriately dubbed this the “Pigeon” update, which will most likely stick, as this appears to be a significant update. The algorithm update will provide more accurate and relevant local search results that are linked to organic search results within the Google Maps feature, also know as Google Places.  This is critical for local businesses and SEOs as it appears that the two sets of search queries will... [...]

Jason Acidre says, “It’s obvious that the technology behind search engines’ ability to determine and understand web entities is gradually leaning towards how real people will normally perceive things from a traditional marketing perspective. The emphasis on E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) from Google’s recently updated Quality Rating Guide shows that search engines are shifting towards brand-related metrics to identify sites/pages that deserve to be more visible in search results”. Using Modern SEO to Build Brand Authority MOZ Blog  [...]

This is a reminder for the Website Magazine webinar scheduled on July 31. Website Magazine is hosting a webinar on Thursday, July 31 at 2.00 pm EDT. The topic of the webinar is “Did Google just penalize me?”. The WM team says, “That’s the first question everyone asks when their traffic drops. The mystique of search engines, and how they do what they do, lends itself to sensationalism. Mainstream media fans the flames with reporting about websites violating terms of service, with results ranging from penalties to page rank downgrades. The truth is, today few businesses... [...]

Barney Garcia say, “Having a well-designed landing page will go a long way when it comes to bringing in conversions. You could have the best product or service in the world, but if you don’t communicate that effectively, you could be missing out on new business. Follow these tips and best practices the create the ideal landing page for your business. When creating a landing page, one of the first things you need to take into account is your purpose. According to Wordstream, some of the questions you should ask yourself include, “What is my end goal? Who is my audience? Where are... [...]