Unethical SEO can get you banned from Google, just ask the BMW bosses who hired an SEO company that got them banned for cloaking, a practice that involves showing search bots different content than you show visitors …tut, tut!
But don’t laugh, it could so easily happen to you if you hire the wrong web site optimization firm. Here are some tips on avoiding the spam merchants: Read more
A little while ago a web designer I hadn’t seen for some time said to me during a conversation about that, “SEO is pretty basic stuff, it’s not hard”. Needless to say I had to correct this very misguided statement, not only because it isn’t true but also to save him from becoming one of those designers who promises a client that they can do design and SEO all in one package – and then fail miserably. On the face of it on-page SEO might seem quite easy, just copy what other successful websites in your sector of industry do, right? If only that were the case, then web designers would be instantly become Read more
So here we are, just two days away from the big day, and what a great day it is for doing nothing, eating loads and watching television…and of course sparing a thought for those less fortunate around the world. Christmas might only feel like one day, but traditionally there are in fact 12 days of Christmas, you know the song, “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me….”, etc. So in the true spirit of Christmas I have put together a list of 12 essential SEO basics. Use this as a checklist to analyse your SEO campaign while Read more
If you an online retailer who in recent years hasn’t done much business over the Christmas period, or perhaps you run a non-product related site, you may be looking forward to putting your feet up over Crimbo and taking some much needed time away from emails, CMS updating and analytics. Whilst I don’t begrudge you a break, my advice is not to be too neglectful for too long. One SEO obvious trend we have seen from Google this year is one of requiring regular content – or at the minimum regular subtle change – to ensure stable SERP positioning. Therefore, resting your website over the Christmas period may result in ranking slips.
Another reason for making this an SEO Christmas is, Read more
“72% of People Only Conduct Search on Page 1”
Last month I conducted a survey amongst my friends, clients, Facebook followers and business associates, asking them how many pages they were prepared to drill down in Google to find a description or link that looked most relevant to what they were looking for. I surveyed 106 people, which is arguably a small pool to survey, but the results I feel are representative of the current search climate. The results were as follows:
In truth I am surprised at the amount Read more
Everyman and his dog have a blog these days, in fact this amateur past time is giving Andy Warhole’s ‘fifteen minutes of fame’ quote new life. Over night blog stars emerge daily and businesses achieve notoriety through daily posting and crafty integrated SEO. Contrary to popular belief, blogging isn’t a fast way to cash or fame. Most blogs are pretty much ignored both by people and search engines, but with good reason. So how can you make sure your mum isn’t the number 1 and only fan of your blog?
Google have announced an “instant previews” tool to reduce pogo-sticking and allow searchers to preview a site before they click through and experience the disappointment of not finding exactly what they want.
It really is a cool feature that will hopefully reduce bounce percentage rates making for easier analytics analysis. The feature also serves as quality control for both user and website owner, in that sites are likely to receive better quality visitors and searches better quality sites. If you don’t like the look of a site you don’t need to click back and forward you can just preview the site in the same Google window. When a user enables the search tool in Google it becomes possible to scroll down using the arrow key on the computer keyboard to obtain an overview of the content of each listed website.
This is so much more than a thumb nail preview option. Google presents a large image of the website and extracts relevant text to give an overview of the sites theme and content. Callouts are used to highlight text relevant to your search. There is also a feature called a ‘page-tear’ whereby extra bits of pages relevant to your search are torn off from the website and displayed within the preview. The previews appear smoothly and extremely quickly by simply scrolling over each search listing.
As a website owner you can opt out of allowing your pages to be previewed, but unless your website isn’t as good as your description then why would you want to. You can opt-out by using the nosnippets meta tag.
Go for a test run yourself by visiting the following link: http://www.google.com/webhp?esrch=instantpreviews
Website optimization isn’t just about the search engines. People may arrive at your site but that doesn’t mean they will stay for long or buy anything for that matter. You can build a road, but you still have to persuade people to drive on it, right? I decided to take a different approach to conversion today, and rather than looking at specific features such as the shopping cart or particular use of wording, I have developed a general checklist for you to analyse your site under three key areas of website optimization. Usability comes first and is paramount, but no matter how good your usability is, it means nothing without effectiveness and persuasiveness.
Read more
Brand management and marketing departments often distance themselves from the in- house SEO team or a hired SEO consulting firm like the plague. SEO seems like a far cry from the strategies branders and marketers were taught in university pertaining to building a brand and fulfilling consumer needs. I mean, what have tag-lines, special offers, images, colours and brand association got to do with search? EVERYTHING! That’s what.
Off the top of my head here are just a few things to be considered…
I had been waiting for Google to play a part in the run-up to the Christmas shopping period, and today that day came, but not quite in the way I expected. Running an internet advertising agency I was shocked to hear that rather than helping online businesses make more money this crimbo the help has been redirected towards high street stores. Shoppers will be able to view real-time high street store stock inventory online. The thinking behind this is based on the premise that people search more online than buy online. In fact, in the US, 95% of products are still Read more
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