search engine optimization

Keyword Analysis: Are You Looking For Keywords In All The Wrong Places?

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If you are still performing keyword searches by going to Keyword Tool, typing in some words and creating a list of terms, you may find that you are missing several golden opportunities to improve your keyword analysis.

Part of the problem is that long-tail keywords rather than fathead keywords have gained ascendancy, so it is much harder to predict what searchers will type in. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to find good keywords that will increase organic traffic—if you know where to look.

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Don’t Become a Pigeon!

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When Google rolled out its latest algorithm change, this one known by the ironic name of “Pigeon,” local SEO and organic rankings were affected. How do your provide support and sound advice in the wake of Google’s changes?

What Happened With Pigeon?

Pigeon changed several things including the calculations for distance around a search. In most cases, Google reduced the default radius. That means that you may no longer appear to certain local searchers, and your ranking may be affected by the new radius as well.

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Do You Know How To Read Your Metrics?

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You may not want to take a course in statistics, but understanding how statistics work is critical when you are trying to analyze basic performance metrics. Interpreting the results of these metrics can be problematic if you do not understand how the metrics relate to the “big picture,” and statistics is a large part of … Read More

How Do You Do A Content Audit?

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A content audit is the process of analyzing content on a site to determine if it is the best possible use of resources and if the content is promoting the website and brand in the way it is intended to. It is important for you to have a content audit when you want to determine why your rankings are not where they should be. In most cases, changes to content will boost your rankings even if you do not do anything else to help them such as a PPC campaign.

Whether you do your own content audit or have a professional do one for you, it is important to follow a pattern that will allow you to document the changes that must be made. A good content audit will accomplish several purposes, including:

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What Is The Panda Algorithm Looking For?

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You have no doubt heard of Google’s “Panda Algorithm,” and you may have even heard that Panda looks for high-quality content, but what exactly is Panda looking for?

In order to answer this question, we first must understand what Panda measures. The content issues surrounding originality, quality and interactivity are more easily understood when we realize how Panda works.

Thick Content vs. Thin Content

Many websites have suffered because of simple lack of content. While there is no definitive rule on how long a page should be, most Page 1 ranking pages are between 1,500 and 2,000 words after HTML tags are removed. This may sound like a lot if you have only 200 words on your page, but you may be able to “cheat” a little by combining several smaller pages together into one larger page with tab navigation to make it easy to read.

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Hummingbird Impacts SEO

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Hummingbird optimization is no laughing matter, although many SEO experts have not realized its significance yet. When Moz recently polled 300 marketers about Google changes that affected their traffic, almost all of them cited Penguin and Panda but not Hummingbird. However, while Penguin and Panda specifically targeted webspam, Hummingbird may have even broader implications for … Read More

Fixes for Less-Than-Perfect Websites

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If you have a terrible website, it may seem to you like the little duckling: so ugly it is actually cute. You may rationalize that only people who really “get it” like your website and that those who do not like it are simply “picking on” you, much as we rationalize a bad child’s behavior … Read More

Content Marketing Truths to Help Business

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http://moz.com/blog/the-greatest-misconception-in-content-marketing-whiteboard-friday Content marketing takes time but it can be one of the best ways to boost your brand, increase website traffic and ultimately heighten conversion rates.  However, the myths surrounding content marketing can negate the benefits of this powerful technique.  It is important that clients and SEO experts alike understand the power of content marketing … Read More

What Should Webmasters Do In Response to Penguin?

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The problem of Panda and Penguin penalties has been universally discussed and dissected. There is plenty of information available on what webmasters should do if their websites are given a penalty. However, recovery methodologies are not always followed, and risk mitigation is not always well-managed. It is up to webmasters not only to understand these … Read More

Marketers Must Evolve in Competitive Future

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It is no longer enough to “do” search marketing. As the field becomes more and more competitive, it is critical that you set yourself apart with unique and evolving web marketing techniques. The Hummingbird, Penguin and “not-provided” climates have made it very difficult for marketers to stick to old, tried-and-true methods. To survive, your company … Read More