Jennifer Slegg says, “If you’re a webmaster, you probably received one of those infamous “Googlebot cannot access CSS and JS files on example.com” warning letters that Google sent out to seemingly every SEO and webmaster. This was a brand new alert from Google, although we have been hearing from the search engine about the need to ensure all resources are unblocked—including both JavaScript and CSS. There was definite confusion around these letters, supported by some of the reporting in Google Search Console. Here’s what you need to know about Google’s desire to see these... [...]

Lindsay Kolowich says, “Search ranking is a critical component of any inbound marketing strategy. When it comes to designing and writing content for your website, it’s important to have search engine optimization top-of-mind. After all, the top three results on a search query get 61% of all search clicks — and 75% of search engine users never scroll past the first page of search results. If you find yourself struggling to gain exposure in search engines, it could be because your website isn’t optimized for search. Want to increase your website traffic via organic search?... [...]

Ben Davis says, “I apologise for lumping all SEOs together in the headline, some are good and some are still bad, but as the layman or ‘content person’ knows, there are a lot of opinions out there. If you came via the blog homepage, the header image on this post showed Jupiter, Mercury and Io from Roman myth. Myth is a word that crops up a fair bit in SEO, such is the knowledge of the ‘inner workings’ of the Google ‘algorithm’. Here are three of the oft-debated opinions that are still out there. Myth One? 302 redirects do not pass link equity I wrote a... [...]

Marcus Tober says, “For a long time search experts and content marketers have understood that search engines use the number and variety of backlinks to a page as a quality signal that has an impact on rankings.  So how important are they now? In Searchmetrics’ annual study of the characteristics of pages with a high Google ranking and the key factors that correlate with (or are more likely to appear on) these pages, we found that relevant, quality content is now more important than ever. But what about backlinks? The logic goes that if a lot of other websites point to a page, then... [...]

Ben Davis says, “We’ve been looking at some analysis of search performance in the lead up to Black Friday. Electrical retailer Currys has had its strategy licked for some time, whereas Amazon has the odd improvement it could make to its usually omnipresent site. Both sites show a consistent (and year-round) landing page is important for brands capitalising on annual events. The opportunity Firstly, it’s worth noting the scale of the opportunity on Black Friday. Last year, Amazon sold 5.5m items, a record. And across the UK, Google trends shows how established the day became last... [...]

MOZ team says, “It’s a fact of life: we get better at what we do with time. Do you use that to your advantage when it comes to your site’s content? Whether you’re riding the wave of a successful post or improving what you’ve done before, republishing is something that should be on your mind and your to-do list. And what’s more, Google will actually reward you for doing it! In this Whiteboard Friday, Rand explores the how and why of republishing, helping you set goals for yourself and your content“. Why Google Rewards Re-Publishing – Whiteboard Friday MOZ... [...]

Siobhán McGinty says, “Search engine optimization is complicated. For many, it’s considered a dark art, peppered with unknowns and uncertainties. And while some marketers consider it an exciting challenge, others back away from it in fear that they’ll simply never get it right. However, the truth is, if you are doing any kind of online marketing, having even a basic understanding of SEO can help you deliver more successful strategies and campaigns. So to help set you up for success, we’ve put together a 30-day plan designed to give you a better sense of how SEO works,... [...]

Marie Haynes says, “Thin content! Duplicate content! Everyone knows that these are huge Panda factors. But are they really? In this article, I will explore the possibility that Panda is about so much more than thin and duplicate content. I don’t have a list of ten steps to follow to cure your Panda problems. But, I do hope that this article provokes some good discussion on how to improve our websites in the eyes of Google’s Panda algorithm. The duplicate content monster Recently, Google employee John Mueller ran a webmaster help hangout that focused on duplicate content issues. It was... [...]

James E. Hein says, “Gone are the days when search engine optimization was enough to land your website onto Google’s good graces. Now you must to add content marketing to your arsenal of digital marketing tool if you want to gain search engines’ approval and ultimately win the heart of online users. Given the important role content marketing now plays in the success of online business, it’s time that SEO ties the knot with content marketing. The two digital marketing tools that were once viewed as separate entities are now an inseparable couple, promising to inch businesses... [...]

Paddy Morgan says, “Not all links are created equal. One part of the Google algorithm is the number of links pointing at your website, but it would be foolish to make this a raw number and not take into account the quality of those links. Otherwise it would just be a free for all, and everyone would be trying to get as many links as they can with no regard for the quality of those links. Back in the early days of search engine optimization, it was pretty much a free-for-all because the search engines were not as good at determining the quality of a link. Even the introduction of PageRank,... [...]