Lee Odden says, “Make no mistake, discovery of content through search engines is more important than ever. But the practice of optimizing content for search visibilty has changed substantially. As search engines look for signals of credibility amongst content and links, humans do the same thing. In the way that links alone used to drive the search visibility of a web page up, endorsements and mentions from industry influencers can still boost the visibility of a brand. As a result, the trend towards influencer and advocate marketing is on the rise. While SEO and influencer content might seem... [...]

Casey Meraz says, “Every business that competes in a local market and who competes for the display of localized results in SERPs will likely find the need to conduct a local SEO audit at some point. Whether you’ve hired an SEO in the past or not, the best way to beat the competition is to know where you stand and what you need to fix, and then develop a plan to win based on the competitive landscape. While this may seem like a daunting task, the good news is that you can do this for your business or your client using this Ultimate Local SEO audit guide”. How to Perform the... [...]

Billy Hoffman says, “A fast website is a crucial component of a great user experience. So much so that a few years ago Google announced that they were using page load time as a factor in search engine rankings. More recently, Google also announced that they would be favoring websites that use Transport Layer Security (TLS) in its search rankings. TLSencrypts a website’s traffic preventing other entities from monitoring its communications. However, adding this protection introduces more complexity to your website and how it communicates with your visitors, potentially slowing things... [...]

Graham Charlton says, “While Google has set out to tackle exact match domains of dubious quality, it seems this is an SEO tactic that may still work.  Indeed, a recent study found that exact match domains were able to rank highly with fewer links and less content than branded competitors. I’ve decided to delve deeper into this issue with some examples and opinions from a cast of SEO experts”. Do exact match domains still work as an SEO tactic? ‘Econsultancy’ Blog  [...]

Tom Anthony says, “Google’s Physical Web project is a new initiative to establish a standard for making ‘smart’ objects which people can interact with via their smart phones or similar devices. This post introduces the Physical Web concept, how it works, and will make a couple of first predictions about how this might affect SEO in the future, including how interactions will be ranked”. Google’s Physical Web and its Impact on Search MOZ Blog  [...]

Graham Charlton says, “Aleyda Solis is a well known International SEO consultant, blogger and speaker.  With many years of experience, Aleyda has worked for European, American and Latin American companies, developing international, multilingual, and mobile SEO projects. We’re very pleased to have Aleyda presenting at our Festival of Marketing event this month. I’ve been asking her about the topic of her presentation, multi-device SEO, as well as the best approaches for international search”. Q&A: Aleyda Solis on SEO in a multi-device world ‘Econsultancy’... [...]

Rand Fishkin says, “Search engines, especially Google, have gotten remarkably good at understanding searchers’ intent—what wemean to search for, even if that’s not exactly what we search for. How in the world do they do this? It’s incredibly complex, but in today’s Whiteboard Friday, Rand covers the basics—what we all need to know about how entities are connected in search. For reference, here’s a still of this week’s whiteboard!”. What SEOs Need to Know About Topic Modeling & Semantic Connectivity MOZ Blog  [...]

Amanda Gallucci says, “The first thing most people think when they hear “influencers” is promotion. Important people with an engaged following can amplify the reach of whatever idea, content or brand they choose to share. If you only weave influencers into your content strategy when your finished product is ready to be promoted, however, you’re missing out on the full potential of having respected experts on your team. Knowing when and how they can best be engaged at different stages is critical to moving these leaders from outside influencers to brand partners”. How... [...]

Ian Lurie says, “Forget content marketing, SEO content, and whatever else as you know them. We need to fundamentally change our approach to content. It’s not an add-on or a separate thing. It’s an inseparable part of the user experience. Let’s act that way. Content: the silent epidemic Your site’s infested. Most organizations treat content like some kind of horrific disease. They try to shove it as far away as possible from the “real” web site, like a bad case of body lice”. It’s Time to Treat Content as Part of the User Experience MOZ Blog  [...]

Mike Arnesen says, “If you’re interested in tracking the ROI of adding semantic markup to your website, while simultaneously improving your web analytics, this post is for you! Join me, friend. Semantic markup and structured data: Can I get a heck yes?! If you haven’t heard of semantic markup and the SEO implications of applying said markup, you may have been living in a dark cave with no WiFi for the past few years. Or perhaps you’re new to this whole search marketing thing. In the later case, I won’t fault you, but you should really check this stuff out, because... [...]