Creating a Successful Mobile Experience
In the year 2013, the traffic of mobile websites almost doubled. Almost everyone now owns smart phones instead of regular cell phones - in fact, the second quarter of 2013 was the first quarter in which smart phones surpassed other phones sales. Because of this, more people are turning to their smart phones to make mobile purchases, or to visit websites and gather information. What do you need to create a better mobile experience for your users? First and foremost, you need to understand that...
Will Link Building Remain Important in 2014?
In a recent article from Search Engine Land, speculation was given about the importance of links in 2014. With updates from Google like Hummingbird, many companies are concentrating on social platforms instead of on links and other typical Search Engine Optimization SEO practices. While it is true that links may, in the future, be unimportant in Google’s algorithms, it is important not to forgo links entirely. Link building can be used to build relationships with other quality websites...
Are You Integrating Social Media with your SEO?
According to a study from Ascend2, 50% of companies that are struggling with their Search Engine Optimization SEO are not properly integrating social media marketing into their Digital marketing strategies. How can you help boost your social media and SEO integration? H ere are a few easy steps: Make tagging and bookmarking easy for your users Include a social media bar to allow your users to share your site or articles on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and others easily. The easier it is to...
Why Do You Need Unique Meta Descriptions?
Google’s own Matt Cutts posted a video yesterday discussing the importance of unique meta descriptions. For those of you who are unfamiliar with meta descriptions, these are HTML attributes that provide concise explanations of the content on pages. Think of a recent Google search you have done. Underneath the web link on each result is a sentence or two, giving you a taste of what you will find on the website. These sentences are the meta description. IMAGE: Google Meta descriptions can...
Want to Drive Traffic to Your Site? Consider Using These Blog Topics.
In October, we told you about the Hummingbird update from Google. While it has not had a large effect on SEO, it does provide an opportunity to help your website’s rankings via blogging. Sometimes, though, you don’t know where to start. What do people want to read in blogs? Here are some topics to get you started on having a relevant and useful blog for your website: 1. Answer Questions. The Hummingbird update focuses largely on how people are asking Google questions. They are...
Facebook Graph Search Updates
Facebook recently announced that it will be allowing users to search posts and status updates within its graph search. What does this mean for your search? Now, you will be able to ask questions like: • Posts I have commented on • My posts from the last year • Posts by my friends this month • Posts from my friends about [a television show, movie, event, etc.] And receive detailed results, including both posts and status updates from you and your friends. So how can you...
Hummingbird Update: What it means for your SEO
Last month, Google announced its largest upgrade to its search algorithm since 2001, which has been dubbed Hummingbird. As you might guess, many businesses were concerned about this update, wondering how it would affect their current SEO efforts, and what they would need to change in order to stay relevant in Google search results. What is Hummingbird? Google says that the Hummingbird update will not have an effect on current SEO efforts. Original, high quality content is still king, and...
How the Recent Crackdown on Fake Reviews Affects You
The New York Attorney General’s office is cracking down on fake reviews in an investigation nicknamed Operation Clean Turf. Nineteen companies have agreed to stop writing fake reviews, and are now also responsible for paying a total of $350,000 in fines, with each companies’ fine ranging from $2,500 to almost $100,000. To learn more about the specifics behind this case, visit the New York Attorney General’s website. How can you get real reviews for your business? There are...
Facebook Punishes Pages Without Engaging Content
Just last month, we posted about the Facebook algorithm used on newsfeeds, and how it affects the content that you see. Already, there are new changes to your newsfeed. Now, Facebook is punishing pages that constantly post memes instead of new and engaging content. This update aims to drive more traffic to reputable Pages and deter spammers, giving more visibility to content that is timely, relevant and sharable.
Facebook has previously made similar algorithm changes, causing much...
Top SEO Mistakes
Recently, Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cuts, published a video discussing the top five SEO mistakes that people make. Some are simple and easy enough to fix, while others are more complicated. They include: 1. Not having a website, or having a website that is not crawlable by search engines. It seems easy enough to realize that, in order to rank in Google results, you need to have a website. But many people want to go with the glamor and creativity of a Flash website, or a website...