Alex Chris says, “SEO does not always work the way we want. It is common for Google to rank a page for keywords other than the ones for which we would like the particular page to rank. What can you do? How can you guide Google to improve the ranking of a page for the keywords you want? The simple answer is that you need to make sure that Google “receives” the right signals from your page to optimize it, but this is not always easy. A thin line separates optimization and over-optimization. Optimization is good, as it will increase the page’s rankings, while over-optimization is bad,... [...]

MOZ team says, “It’s a new year, and that means it’s time shift into some new habits regarding your keyword research. Rather than simply targeting marketing blasts at either the in-demand or the long tail, you may want to think about carefully tailoring your tactics to the shape of your niche’s keyword demand distribution curve. In today’s Whiteboard Friday, Rand details four steps to using these curves to support and improve your existing strategies“. Using Your Niche’s Demand Distribution Curve to Improve Your SEO, Social, and Content Strategy –... [...]

Felicia Crawford says, “We’ve got another year under our belts, and that means it’s time to continue an annual blogtradition. Yes, that’s right, folks — the Moz Blog Best of 2015 is hot off the presses! (This makes me wish we had real presses. We don’t. I think there’s a 3D printer somewhere around here, though…) We’re going to highlight just what hit it off with you fantastic little blog readers, you. We’ll slice and dice the top posts of the year a few different ways, take a peek at what dominated YouMoz, check out which comments drove the... [...]

Joy Hawkins says, “I work with a lot of insurance agents and they often tell me that their biggest competitors are the other insurance agents that work for the same company as them. As it is with most big brands, there are multiple offices in the same city and those individual locations all want to rank first on Google for the exact same thing. An accidental discovery I stumbled across something a few months ago when troubleshooting ranking for one of our insurance clients, and everyone I’ve shared this with was just as surprised as I was. The discovery? Google filters out a ton of... [...]

MOZ team says, “What you measure is what you’re able to improve. While there’s no one magic solution that works for everyone, setting yourself up for success involves measuring your traffic metrics the right way, so you can identify areas to work on and implement the right actions. In the first Whiteboard Friday of 2016, Rand explains what you need to include when building your own traffics metrics dashboard in the new year“. How to Build the Right Traffic Metrics Dashboard for 2016 MOZ Blog  [...]

Shannon Evans says, “One of the biggest responsibilities SEOs have on their plate is keeping up with the ever-changing search environment. A proactive way to stay sharp is to reflect on the past successes and failures of yourself and others. As we approach 2016, it’s time to take a look at all the major events and changes that happened in the industry this year. Algorithm Updates and Refreshes Google updates or refreshes their algorithm around 500 times a year, but some have more impact than others. Below is an outline of the major updates from 2015: May – Almost halfway through 2015,... [...]

Jim Yu says, “The search and content marketing world has undergone some major changes during 2015. The stage has been set for a shift away from producing content for its own sake. Instead, there is a trend towards the use of search and social data to guide content creation. This development will be a critical part of boosting engagement for brands and helping their content attract the desired audience. Although the content itself has a central role to play in the conversion of customers, the importance of the more technical side of search optimization should not be overlooked. The industry... [...]

Matt McGee says, “SEO (search engine optimization) has come a long way. After experiencing the “wrath of Google” years ago, some marketers have exited the SEO game and opted instead to use paid traffic to generate their leads and prospects. However, when done correctly (and ethically), there is no match for the longevity, consistency and quality of the lead flow you’ll experience from SEO. Today, I want to offer you an insider’s view of how to do this well. All of my businesses are built entirely on organic SEO, and if I were to stop doing everything today, they would continue... [...]

Matt McGee says, “A 2015 study by Smart Insights showed that 50 percent of businesses doing digital marketing had no form of digital marketing plan or strategy. They were doing digital marketing, yet there were no clearly defined objectives or goals. Does this seem a little crazy to you? In our experience helping businesses large and small, we’ve also found that most businesses don’t have a digital marketing plan (or a marketing plan of any kind, in many cases). Unfortunately, smaller local businesses are often the worst offenders here. Micro budgets require a solid ROI, but cutting... [...]

Kelsey Reaves says, “The link building world is in a constant state of evolution. New tools are continually introduced to the market, with SEOs ready to discover what works best. Our outreach team at Modernize recently found ourselves in this position. In need of a new email automation service, we were eager to explore and test out new tools to see what improved our overall outreach system. Modernize is in the home improvement space, and we focus heavily on energy efficiency and green living — thus, we target lots of green blogs, solar websites, etc. Our aim at Modernize is to be a resource... [...]