Search engines decide rankings on what is called the results page. You will sometimes see me use the term SERP, which is the acronym for Search Engine Results Page. In a Google search, the search engine makes its decisions based on signals from websites and the person searching. Do not …

But if you're waiting for an SEO signal, there are two factors that can help nudge you in the right direction. In the world of SEO, there is speculation that Google's indexer will only give a certain document credit for having a given word in its title if that word …

If you lose direction, you'll end up wasting money. More important, learning can occur. Evaluating keywords for relative opportunities is still very tough. However, the phrases 'organic coffee beans' and 'best coffee shops' offer plenty of information about the kind of searcher and what content they are looking for.

Discover …

Predicting future viral success online is a craft possessed by a select few and sometimes their success is also based on luck. Many small business owners balk at video marketing because they think that their business isn't "video worthy". But if lawyers and instant coffee brands can have a YouTube …

This is usually enough to get the link removed. Crowdsourcing of creative work involves fans and can generate considerable buzz for a brand. High-quality, timeless content performs better in search engines than short-lived articles. SEOs have a weird way to describe this voting process; they call it "link juice." If …

Let's say it's a perfect world. You're ranking high for your target keyword and have great copy on display... If you're an SEO-newbie you'll probably hear lots of new and complicated terms. During information retrieval, searchers often change focus to different aspects of their tasks. Don't presume that the redirection …

Back in 2011, you could use blog commenting to get 200 backlinks and quickly skyrocket your rankings on search engines. But, in today's algorithm for search engines, the focus is on quality over quantity. Bear in mind that your keyword or phrase should be the most frequently used term in …

Writing solid website content is challenging, but not impossible. With planning, focus, and proper resource allocation you can create excellent content that entices readers and engages website visitors. As SEOs we always want to understand the impact of site changes. Yet analyzing the data is challenging, especially in an enterprise …

In many cases, paid search is much faster for testing user flow or usability. Search Engine Optimization is the process of optimizing a site for search engines, so search engines are able to rank your site accordingly and therefore drive more traffic to your site, when users are searching (via …

Google learned that when people search for the term "SEO," they were more likely to click on information over a list of services. So, eventually, the algorithm changed to incorporate this behavior, and now it delivers the types of results it believes the keyword is really asking for. Always keep …

All websites stand to benefit from SEO. Or does the web visitor click on another internal webpage?Grammar and spelling errors send a clear message to Google that your site contains content that is of poor editorial quality. You can get started with Google sitemaps and other webmaster tools by …

Internal search result pages are produced when someone conducts a search using an eCommerce website's internal search feature. However, going down the path of skipping on-page optimization is a difficult one and no longer an option when trying to achieve top rankings. The Penguin Update in April 2012 introduced a …

Including your target keyword within your page title positively correlated with higher search rankings. Google places clear value in this method and to be a success online so should you. Gone are the days when you have to mention exact keyword phrases a specific number of times at a certain …

In its simplest form, off-page optimization can be referred to as increasing a website's authority. Blogging is about quality content. Well-written, interesting will find an audience regardless of how many SEO tips are employed. However, there is a difference between finding an audience and finding a targeted audience that is …

This part of why having a blog can help build authority. A critical mass of online appearances lends your site credibility. For experienced marketing teams, the content creation process has become a high-level assembly line. One involves showing consumers the negative consequences of failing to buy a particular brand.

Wait …

In today's competitive market, SEO is more important than ever. Deciding who will design your site is a strategic marketing decision. If you've got a complex topic to write about, consider creating an ultimate guide and dividing it into chapters rather than putting all your thoughts in one article. Start …

Using keywords in your content allows you to reach better more diverse audiences, including niche audiences. The key to this is using keywords naturally within your content. Links within long-form, evergreen content are also more valuable than links in short, news-based posts. Keyword-based titles help establish page theme and direction …

For many businesses the goal is to get their business to position number 1 on Google, but did you know that there's a new top spot on Google called position zero. You've probably noticed these results but maybe not understood them properly. Position zero is all about using featured snippets …

We know consumers want personal interactions with brands, but they also want them in real time It's a good idea to know the sales cycle in your industry because people with different job descriptions have different roles. Many companies underestimate how much time and money it takes to be successful …

Playing with your personal Web site is one thing, but creating a successful business Web site is a job for the pros. Human or machine generated, there is a lot of it - and Google has a lot of experience handling it and there are many circumstances where Google finds duplicate …

The process of optimization is not a one-time process but requires maintenance, tuning, and continuous testing and monitoring. However, this will only affect your mobile search rankings. Twitter is the easiest and quickest way to learn what is happening. 'Mobile indexing first' means that Google will look at the mobile …

Is it the customer, tired of being sold to every time they open a web browser, or is it the digital marketer themselves, who has forgotten that creativity is just as important as technical know-how? Constantly posting fresh content will mean that a search engine has to index them; so …

Another strength to this element is the fact that Google are collecting sharing data and this impacts ranking. Grab readers with headlines. You'll get better results if you ask your audience to phone you for a specific reason; of course, provide the phone number. Your global navigation also distributes your …

First and foremost, the content on your website must be well-written, free of grammatical errors, and 100% unique and original. Content must read smoothly and give visitors the information they are searching for. If the URL hasn't been indexed yet, this stops search bots indexing the page which is what …

When you've selected your focus keyword, ensure it is found in your title tag, h1 tag, meta description, article text and make sure that relevant keywords are also be found throughout the content as well as h2 tags. Contrary to popular belief, linking out to relevant external websites does not …

SEO can be quite complicated, but you can absolutely develop a keyword strategy and take care of the essentials on your own. Additionally, you can pay to have your website ranked above organic results in search result pages. The number of external links you receive is important. Some of the …

As with all major shifts in digital marketing, there isnnt really a single reason why user queries are getting much longer. The SEO services that businesses prioritize reflect a recent shift in the customer buying journey. The new customer journey emphasizes mobile search (link is external) in addition to longer …

Authority relates to the link profile of any site. But not just the number of links. That bears little importance. Mobile differs from other media in ways that result in both opportunities and challenges for marketers. Google Plus works powerfully and Google has really given their Plus button a big …

There are a number of ways to get relative monthly search volume, but what remains the easiest is using Google keyword planner (the replacement for the now deprecated keyword tool). In the race to get as many high quality backlinks as possible, many marketers and webmasters forget about Wikipedia. It's …

They also deliver what they promise to the user as they enter the site. In developing advertising campaigns, there may be unrealistic assumptions concerning the relationship of advertising budgets to effectiveness. It takes time for the search engine to locate the site. E-commerce focuses on selling goods and services over …

Before doing anything else, learn about your business in relation to its online presence. You should have a clear hierarchy to your site and if you have multiple topics, it is important to maintain a proper silo structure. Advertisers have long understood the power of messages that address people's emotional …

Every site, for the purposes of being optimized for Search Engines needs to go through a very timely process to complete the desired outcome. This wasn't always the case, but Google is now looking at paid links carefully. Keyword research helps you identify keywords that appeal to a target audience …

Keep in mind, there is software available that can automate this process for you (I've included a link on my site http://myseomadesimple.com/seo-resources/). Use Fetch as Google to test whether Google can crawl and index important pages within your site. There are two key choices to make when …

By continuing to create quality content that provides immense value to the searcher and satisfies their original search (whether that's answering a question, listing ideas, educating the reader, etc.), you'll be well on your way to creating content that search engines want to see and provide to searchers. Content gating …

Communicating with prospective customers is always somewhat of a numbers game because even your best prospects and repeat customers aren't ready to make an immediate purchase every time you contact them. At a bare minimum, include social sharing buttons on your content. Create and submit sitemaps for each country in …

That's potentially twice a day! Ask your developer to create a list of redirect URLs . So what does this mean for your business? I am passionate about SEO, and digital marketing more generally, but I also understand it has its pitfalls, the main one being the complex, crowded and confusing …

How SEO works for a big brand with an established reputation and a massive marketing team, PR agency and all of that stuff is very different to how SEO works for some local tradesmen with a low-end budget that has to catch up with the big boys. Google stopped updating …

Google, in particular, ranks inbound links from blogs highly. One of the best tools available to help you measure the success of your SEO campaign is Google Analytics. This fantastic and free tool can be used to monitor how much traffic you're getting to your website and where this traffic …

Keywords are still an important part of SEO, but relevance can often be figured in more abstract ways. With the massive sales it enjoyed, and customers all over the world enjoying the benefits of an internet-enabled, user-friendly device in their pocket, it was no surprise that user-focused companies like Google …

A search engine is a powerful piece of software that utilizes algorithms. What are your general and specific expectations? Does this really matter? I would say yes. When I refer to "quality," I'm referring to links from sites that: Have an equivalent or higher Google authority than your site Include …