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... [...]

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  [...]

Bill Slawski says, “I’m going to be asking you to take over as Panda for a little while to see if you can identify the kinds of things that Google’s Navneet Panda addressed when faced with what looked like an incomplete patent created to identify sites as parked domain pages, content farm pages, and link farm pages. You’re probably better at this now then he was then“. Unraveling Panda Patterns MOZ Blog  [...]

Rand Fishkin says, “By now, most of us have gotten around to doing testing of some sort on our websites, but testing specifically for SEO can be extremely difficult and requires extra vigilance. In today’s Whiteboard Friday, Rand explains three major things we need to think about when performing these tests, and offers up several ideas for experiments we all can run!“. How Do I Successfully Run SEO Tests On My Website? – Whiteboard Friday MOZ Blog  [...]

SamKusinitz says, “Trying to abide by Google’s ranking factors can often feel like trying to work with a boss who is impossible to please. No matter how hard you try to figure out exactly what the search giant wants, you can never quite right. When you finally think you’ve got it all figured out, Google always seems to change what it wants and refuses to reveal its criteria. Well, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem reasonable to expect Google to reveal its secret list of ranking factors anytime soon. However, perhaps the fact that Google’s ranking algorithm is a secret is actually an... [...]

Neil Patel says, “Though Google gets roughly 3.5 billion searches a day, there are really only three types of searches that people perform — navigational, informational, and transactional. If you want get more people to find you in search, you need to know how to optimize your content for each of these types. In this article, I’m going to explain each of the three types of searches and give a bit of perspective on why each one is important. Then, I’ll provide you with some tactical methods for unleashing a strategy that will allow you to dominate the SERPs for that search type”. 9... [...]

Eric Schiffer says, “Digital marketing technology is rather like high fashion — trends that were acceptable and even widely emulated suddenly find themselves hopelessly passé without even a hint of warning. For the digital marketing community, innovations can fade into irrelevance as quickly as a pair of flared jeans, only the transition to the latest craze can be far more painful. Just got your Adobe Flash-based site developed? Here comes HTML5. Now you need responsive design — oh, and your obvious stock images are duplicated across the Web a thousandfold! In the case of search engine... [...]

Joe Chierotti says, “Search engine optimization is a burgeoning industry that continues to experience a fast rise in popularity—due, in large part, to an enthusiastic effort by Google engineers to create more relevant and organic search results for users. With constant updates and tweaks to its algorithms, Google is attempting to improve how websites are created, developed, and experienced. One way Google attempts to improve the user experience is to penalize sites that knowingly or unknowingly break Google’s rules. The usual result is the devastation of the penalized company’s... [...]

Erik Devaney says, “I sometimes imagine Google’s search engine as this massive, steam-powered, Jules Verne-esque machine. The machine is constantly guarded, and resides in a secret, subterranean bunker beneath Google’s Mountain View headquarters. As millions upon millions of search queries come in, Google employees feverishly shovel more and more coal into the firebox, and the engine roars and cranks out results. Sooo it turns out that’s not how Google’s search engine works … at all. Like, not even remotely close. For starters (and this may come as a shock) there is no... [...]

Adam Hansen says, “As the need for search engine optimization professionals grows, there is a growing debate: Is it better to “learn from the trenches” or get formal training through some sort of SEO certification program? While formal education isn’t necessarily an indication of workplace competence, most employers have certain expectations in regard to knowledge, fields of study and practical application. If you have a degree in chemistry, I can assume you have a strong understanding of the sciences”. Is Getting SEO Certification Worth It? Mark Ling’s  ’Affilorama’ Blog  [...]