search engine optimization

There is a very good reason why SEO is a difficult job. If everyone knew how to game the system, the internet would be littered with irrelevant search results, and the search industry as we know it would be dead.   SEO is an ever-evolving industry. What looks like best practice today won’t be best practice tomorrow. It’s also a very human industry because human engagement is the only metric that really counts in SEO. So when we are asked if AI technology like ChatGPT or Google’s Bard will replace your […]

The human mind is hardwired to worry. It imagines all manner of situations to help you prepare for the worst-case scenario. Historically, anxiety prevented us from being eaten by saber-toothed tigers. Today, we are more likely to be worried about our comfortable, office-based jobs being replaced by AI-enabled tools. Somewhat ironically, it’s the people in high-tech jobs that imagine they have the most to lose, with the SEO industry literally shaking in their shoes.    Yes, AI will impact the SEO industry. And, as with any disruptive technology, there will […]

Next generation marketing channels have been taking over by storm. Millions listen to podcasts on a daily basis while video streams across all sorts of platforms are widely used for entertainment and information. Text messaging is becoming a popular way of communicating, and the best way to find new products to try? Just look to your favorite influencer for some recommendations.     These are strategies that are not only growing in popularity, but also shaping the way marketers hash out their campaigns. So, what does SEO have to do […]

Keywords are everything when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Most of us have a basic understanding that in order to rank higher on search engines, our content has to be optimized with best practices and relevant keywords.     We also realize this isn’t a shot in the dark which is why many of us have dedicated software or teams who work specifically on keyword research. After that’s all good and done, we can feel comfortable with our efforts and leave the fate of our website performance up […]

The theme for the month is personalization and we want to tackle this topic in all realms of the marketing world, using this piece to touch specifically on search.   Keywords are important and rankings are important. Our expert SEO teams have this down pat. But is there a way to look at it from a non-technical perspective? You know, the consumer perspective? That’s where we get personal.   What Affects Search Results? Every user’s search process will be different from the next (unless you’re browsing signed out, incognito, or […]

Google just recently updated their published best practices for writing HTML title tags.   In early August, Google started a new system of generating titles for pages displayed in their search results. This update led to a larger portion of HTML title tags not being displayed as the title link in Google’s search results.   Since that update, Google updated their SEO page title best practices. Here are their best practices for writing descriptive title tags with our added Pro Tips. Following these title tag best practices can help ensure […]

In order to be at the top and remain at the top, you must keep a close eye on your competitors. The Godfather spoke true facts when he said, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”. Who knew The Godfather would be on Team SEO?! The point is, you have to research your competitors to make sure you stay ahead of the game. Doing so with Keyword Competitive Analysis is a great start.   What is Keyword Competitive Analysis? Keyword Competitive Analysis (also call Keyword Gap Analysis) is the […]

Around August 17th, Google started a new system of generating titles for pages displayed in their search results.   Historically, in Google’s search results, they would display what you place in your HTML title tag as the title (big blue copy) and what you place in your meta description tag as the description (smaller black copy underneath the title). They may have updated your title and/or description based on the specific query if they thought it better served the user. The description is much more likely to have changed than […]

Starting in June, Google began testing an article carousel in some journalist knowledge panels. (Photo Credit: Blog.Google)   Google’s explanation for the update includes, “With so many complex, important stories unfolding daily, people not only rely on specific publishers for the latest news, but also increasingly turn to trusted individual journalists, authors and experts.” Learn more from Google here.   This aligns with Google’s push to showcase expert, authoritative, and trustworthy content. This is commonly referred to as E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) in the SEO community. Google wants to […]

The internet is a big place. According to estimates from Internet Live Stats, there are over 1.8 billion unique websites in existence today and this number is only going up. This mind-boggling statistic is awe inspiring but at the same time more than a little intimidating, especially for local business owners.   If you are a local business owner, you may be wondering how your website is supposed to compete in a search landscape that can contain literally millions of competitors. This is where local search engine optimization (SEO) comes […]

Writer’s Block when Blogging—we have all experienced it. We sit down and are all set to write, but we don’t know what to write about. A million different topics run through our brain, but which do we choose? What do readers want to see? How can we attract our target audience? We want to write about a topic that has meaning and will also be ranked high for organic visibility so everyone can read it and to do so we must include SEO.   How to Find Blog Topics that […]

As you may have already known, Google announced late last year that they are unveiling a brand-new ranking factor for Google Search in May of this year. The new ranking factor, Core Web Vitals, is being combined with existing page experience ranking signals like mobile friendliness and HTTPS security. We’re announcing that page experience ranking signals for Google Search will launch in May 2021. This will combine Core Web Vitals and previous UX-related signals. Learn more: https://t.co/OrrR8LDl1a — Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) November 10, 2020 If you weren’t aware of […]

It is easy to report on your organic traffic data. But how do you show the value of your SEO efforts?   How to Measure ROI on SEO   (SEO Conversions Value – SEO Expenses) / SEO Expenses = SEO ROI   You measure the return on investment of your SEO efforts by subtracting your SEO expenses from your SEO conversions value and dividing that by your SEO expenses. In order to fill out the formula above – you need to find out your SEO conversions value and your SEO […]

If you have any experience with digital marketing, chances are that you’ve probably heard the term “link building” before, but what is it exactly? And why is it such a big deal in the world of search engine optimization? To answer this question, we’ll first have to examine what search engines use links for.   How do search engines use links? There are two fundamental ways that the search engines use links: 1.     To discover new web pages 2.     To help determine how well a page should rank in their […]

Understanding link building and identifying link building opportunities is only half the battle when it comes to implementing an effective link building strategy. What really separates a great link building campaign from a not-so-great campaign is your ability to determine what is a “good” link building opportunity and what is not. To help with this, we’ve boiled the complicated link qualification process down into a simple eight item checklist:   Use common sense! Ask yourself: 1.    Is the placement relevant to the niche? This is arguably the most important factor […]

Contrary to popular belief, keyword research is not just for SEOs. You can use keyword research practices to get a better understanding of your audience’s wants, needs, questions, concerns, and more. I also cover this topic with a little more detail in my How SEO Can Boost Your Marketing Automation Efforts talk and blog post. Free Keyword Research Tools Google Google Search Console Google Trends Answer the Public Keyworddit ahrefs Keyword Generator   1. Google Just search a general topic in your industry or a keyword for which you’d like […]

On Thursday, May 28th, 2020 Google announced a new ranking signal that combines Core Web Vitals with their existing page experience signals (mobile-friendliness, safe-browsing, HTTPS, no intrusive interstitials).   This new ranking factor will not go live until at least 2021 and Google will provide at least a 6-month notice. See Google’s announcement here.   This is similar to other UX centered initiatives at Google (see the “Mobilegeddon” mobile-friendly update, the page speed update, the HTTPS update, and the interstitials update as examples) where they preannounce an algorithm update / […]

Date updated: 4/17/2020 Since the onset of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S., we have had multiple clients approach us with uncertainty and questions. How is the coronavirus affecting current user behaviors? How do we think it will affect ongoing, long-term search behaviors? The truth is, we’re experiencing this for the first time along with everyone else. But as a data-driven agency, we wanted to dive in and provide some insight into current trends and we put our heads together to discuss. We analyzed all our client data to see […]

It’s been a few weeks since Google began rolling out its latest major search algorithm update, BERT, and many members of the SEM community still have questions about what this change means for search engine optimization and content marketing. For good reason, too. The sheer amount of speculation and “expert” guides that were published just days after the update was announced have made separating algorithmic fact from fiction difficult.   Thankfully, we’ve done most of the heavy lifting for you and put together a no-nonsense guide breaking down the key […]

Does your site have a history of revisions like adding, removing, or editing pages or updates to the site architecture or menu structure? Or did a site migration go poorly? Check out our SEO site migration checklist here. Chances are you have a lot of old URLs that were never redirected to the latest live URL. If a URL is updated or removed, you want to make sure you always 301 redirect users and search engine crawlers to the new URL or the most relevant, live location. What are 301 […]

Email marketing and search engine marketing are the top channels for driving highly qualified traffic to your website, and they are excellent ways for prospects to easily engage with and consume your content. Both SEO and email marketing are highly dependent upon a content strategy that focuses on relevance and quality. If you are not offering highly relevant and high-quality content, email subscribers will lose interest and search engines will stop giving you the credit you deserve.   There are a lot of synergies between your email marketing strategy and […]

SEO can boost your marketing automation efforts in these three ways: Build leads and lists through qualified organic traffic Utilize existing organic data to optimize conversion points Use keyword research to send targeted content to specific lists Click on the links above to jump to that section. I recently discussed this topic at the And Then Some emfluence Conference 2018. Here is the video and SlideShare of my talk: How SEO Can Boost Your Marketing Automation Efforts from emfluence   But if you’re more into reading/scanning, the meat of the […]

For the past several years, Google has been pushing site security to webmasters. HTTPS has been an organic ranking signal since at least 2014. When browsing on an HTTP website, instead of HTTPS, a third-party can insert ads that aren’t on the original webpage, inject cryptocurrency mining software (here is a popular example of this recently), or redirect you to a different site in order to steal your username and password.   HTTP Not Secure Warning Starting July 24th, along with the launch of Google Chrome 68, Chrome will display […]

Making some big changes to your website? Change is good! But if you aren’t careful with site migration, it could be disastrous for your SEO presence. Here’s our site migration SEO checklist for changing domain names or moving to HTTPS: Ask Yourself: Why Are You Migrating Your Site? The two main reasons you may be migrating your site: A domain name change Moving from HTTP to HTTPS Both are long-term investments in the site’s future. A domain name change is typically sparked by a branding overhaul. Moving to HTTPS is […]

When creating content, one of the biggest challenges we have is marketers is the balance between writing for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and writing for our customers. At least, that is the internal challenge we think exists. In reality, the challenge is not nearly as big as we think. Let’s look at how to create a content marketing SEO strategy. In its most recently product SEO Starter Guide, Google has made it clear that “optimized content” is one of the most important ranking factors to consider. But what exactly does […]

Images make any content more interesting and appealing by helping readers understand your content better. Plus, images add value to your SEO efforts by increasing user engagement and accessibility of your website. There are a number of important factors that can be optimized to help improve image SEO on your site.   Let’s walk through some of the best practices for optimizing images on your website to help you rank higher in organic search.   Improve Image SEO with Tools Since having images is crucial to image SEO, finding and […]

As is customary for many people around this time (okay, maybe I’m a little late), it’s time to make some predictions on the biggest trends I believe will dominate 2018 SEO trends discussions in the coming year. As everyone knows, mastering the Google Dance is not easy…they keep changing the steps to keep us on our toes. Nonetheless, we’ve wrapped up the seven trends we think will come into play this year.   Mobile First Index – Go Beyond Responsive On November 4th, 2016 Google began “testing” its mobile-first index. […]