Josh Bachynski says, “Penguin is back at the forefront of many marketers’ minds now that the third iteration of the algorithm update has been released, and a rumor has begun circulating that you can weasel your way out of a Penguin penalty by simply submitting a disavow file. In today’s Whiteboard Friday, Josh Bachynski breaks down that argument and starts a realistic discussion to find the answer. While we (and, as you’ll see, Josh) don’t have definitive answers, we hope you’ll join in with your thoughts in the comments!“. Discussion: Can You Disavow... [...]

Motoko Hunt says, “The systems many international websites use to redirect their users can have a huge impact on global SEO. But does anyone wonder what that might be – and why should we care? Many international websites use some type of detection to redirect visitors to content that has been designed for a specific country and/or language rather than to let visitors choose on their own. While this may come from good intentions of great user experience, if not done right, it could cause some major issues for your site that will result in a huge loss of business opportunities. First, let’s... [...]

Isla McKetta says, “Oh no, another year-end roundup! But before you click away, let me sell you a little on why this is the roundup you actually want to read. You see, to compile the Moz Top 10 over the last year, we probably read 50 or more articles EACH WEEK, that’s around 100 articles for every issue. We then spent innumerable hours curating and culling until we could share with you the very best of those articles in the bi-weekly Top 10. So this is not just another listicle. This article is in fact the distillation of the very best content from all over the interwebs for the past... [...]

Chipper Nicodemus says, “SEO is an ever-changing industry and 2014 was no exception. Some of the biggest SEO happenings went down in 2014, so let’s review! Google’s Big Algorithm Updates Both of Google’s big algorithms, Panda and Penguin, got major updates in 2014 and both are moving to rolling updates. This means that in the future, there will be no release date for the algorithms, instead they will constantly roll out. Panda 4: In May of 2014, Google updated the Panda algorithm. This was the fourth major update to the content focused algorithm. Google also announced that the data refreshing... [...]

Trevoe Klein says, “At the end of every year, we compile a list of the very best posts and most popular and prolific people that have been published on the Moz Blog and YouMoz. It’s a really fun way to look back on what happened this year, and an insight-packed view of what really resonates with our readers. Here’s what we’ve got in store: Top Moz Blog posts by 1Metric score Top Moz Blog posts by unique visits Top YouMoz Blog posts by unique visits Top Moz Blog posts by number of thumbs up Top Moz Blog posts by number of comments“. The Best of 2014: Top People... [...]

Gianluca Fiorelli says, “Houston, we have a problem We SEOs, myself included, have a habit of almost always focusing our attention on what concerns us directly. We suffer what I call  SEOcentrism. Everything is SEO and, and everything ends in the sphere of influence of SEO, as if Search Marketing was a gigantic black hole. Content? Clearly, it is SEO and SEO should govern Content Strategy! Social Media? SEOs are those who really understand it!”. Stopping SEOcentrism: What Lego Can Teach All Web Marketers MOZ Blog  [...]

Rand Fishkin says, “Despite Google’s ambiguity about how it’s used in the algorithm, we’ve seen evidence time and again that there’s a giant ranking factor that SEOs just aren’t optimizing for. In today’s very special Whitebeard Friday, Rand (or Randa Claus) shows us how to fill in this important gap in our work“. The Massive Ranking Factor Too Many SEOs are Ignoring – Whiteboard Friday MOZ Blog  [...]

Robert Phillips has teamed up with Anthony Hayes, Todd Gross, and Craig Crawford to create new software to get your business on the upswing. They call it IFTTT Backlink Commando, and it is a “set and forget”, hands free SEO tool with 6 built-in unique SEO strategies, including automated web 2.0 syndication for backlinks and YouTube video embeds. The creators say their testing shows IFTTT Backlink Commando can: • Secure multiple listings on the first page for any keyword you choose • Drive floods of laser-targeted, hungry buyers directly to your site • Generate instant authority,... [...]

Chris Abraham says, “When it comes to getting your site organically to the top of Google Search, you must care as much about how your web server performs in response to requests, demand, load, and even denial-of-service attacks as you do about responsive design, meta tags, keyword density, social signals, inbound marketing, content marketing, or the perfectly-turned page title. If you don’t get your server side sorted, you’ll never make it to the pole position even if your site fully deserves to be #1 on Google. No, I am not talking about the fact that you’re number one when you search... [...]

Richard Foulkes says, “The first thing any SEO thinks when a client says “I’m redesigning my website” is what impact will this have on all my work? In these events, often the client doesn’t even consider telling their online marketing agency about the redesign until two days before launch. This resource will cover how to do SEO checks on your test site/development site to ensure the structure, URLs, Page Titles, Meta Descriptions and more all match up properly. It also serves as an SEO checklist touching on things that are often forgotten when a website goes through... [...]