Penguin 2.0 officially rolled out in the afternoon of Tuesday, May 22nd 2013. This is what we know so far: It’s the fourth Penguin update, but it is referred to as Penguin 2.0 because it is an update in the algorithm and not a data refresh...
Continue ReadingAn advertorial is, simply put, an advertisement under the guise of an editorial piece. They are designed to promote and advertise a product/service/brand, whilst doing so in the layout of other content on the website.
Advertorials have been around for quite some time, originally used in newspapers/print media, dating back to the 1940’s, eventually transitioning over to the web. This post will look into why advertorials are used, past controversies and what should be taken into account if you plan on running an advertorial campaign.
The Search Engine Weekly Round-up is where I look at the finest articles, talking points and general news from the week, all from the worlds of SEO, Marketing, Social Media, etc. This week features blogs about converting from 404 pages, viral email marketing, speaking to non-technical clients, and breaking the news of Penguin 2.0 to your clients.
Valuable 404 Pages
Ben Cook
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I’m sure that we’ve all seen 404 pages that are entertaining, creative or funny, but you seldom see 404 pages that can convert, which is what this post is all about.
Ben Cook ended up implementing a contact form into the 404 pages of his client’s website, which also contained a small apology, stating that the user can send an email and receive a link/file in regards to what they were looking for originally.This can help create a rapport with the user, whilst showing a fine level of customer service.
Ben’s idea ended up proving profitable, as said rapport opened further talks, which eventually led to sales. This is a fantastic post, offering a very simple, actionable idea which can be a huge boon for your company.
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Our website recently fell foul to a malware attack and it was a real nightmare. Google blocked access to the site meaning that anyone trying to access the website was faced with this garish and quite alarming page…
If you’re suddenly presented with this message when you try to access your website, don’t panic, simply follow these steps.
It’s been just over a year since the first Penguin update and many websites are still shaking at the sound of the word. The Penguin update affected a huge number of websites, including some high-profile brands that were engaging in all sorts of spammy link building techniques. Matt Cutts has now confirmed on Twitter that Penguin 2.0 will hit the search engines within the next two weeks:
@mrjamiedodd we do expect to roll out Penguin 2.0 (next generation of Penguin) sometime in the next few weeks though.
— Matt Cutts (@mattcutts) May 10, 2013
The Search Engine Weekly Round-up is where I look at the finest articles, talking points and general news from the week, all from the worlds of SEO, Marketing, Social Media, etc. This week, we look at guest blogging, becoming an influencer, duplicate content and hashtags.
How Guest Bloggers are Sleepwalking Their Way into Penalties
James Finlayson
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Ever since Google released their Penguin update just over a year ago, guest blogging has arguably been the most recommended methods of accruing links in a post-Penguin world. This post on the SEOmoz blog from James Finlayson looks at this, and warns us of the possible dangers that can arise from guest blogging. Whilst all guest bloggers won’t get punished of course, this post looks at possible troubles that may occur.
James covers 4 topics in this post; Link Quality, Link Type, Link Location and Authorship.
The Search Engine Weekly Round-up is where I look at the finest articles, talking points and general news from the week, all from the worlds of SEO, Marketing, Social Media, etc. This week looks at metrics that matter, Google Authorship/Author Rank, the rise of Google+, and 10 excellent SEO rules.
16 Marketers on the Metrics That Matter
Jeremy Rivera
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The first post in this week’s round-up looks at the subject of metrics that matter. In other words, what you can show to your client in regards to your work, and showing your value to them. In this post, Jeremy Rivera has spoken to a selection of SEOs/marketers, asking what their views are on the matter, and what metrics they feel are the most important.
The group who responded have also spoken about quarterly/monthly milestones, how to explain the value of your work to clients, what to report to them, as well as how and when to send reports. This is certainly a fantastic read, and on the subject of this, Raven Tools have released a white paper on this topic, which can be found here.
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Are you promoting your company on social media? If your answer is YES then you have probably received many offers to get more followers, more likes…more and even more. There is a great temptation BUT is it really an effective approach for your company? How does it work? Let...
Continue ReadingThe Search Engine Weekly Round-up is where I look at the finest articles, talking points and general news from the week, all from the worlds of SEO, Marketing, Social Media, etc.
This week, we look at a periodic table, link building stories, the value of NoFollow links, and some interesting new SEO tools.
Periodic Table of Google Analytics
Jeff Sauer
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Starting things off is certainly one of the more creative things I’ve seen in recent times, this is an interactive period table which displays the options available within Google Analytics. Created by Jeff Sauer, this very clever feature on his site lets you hover over each of the ‘elements’, displaying something available to you within Google Analytics, complete with a short description. From Adsense Reports and Bounce Rate to Visitor Flow and Webmaster Tools, this table contains a myriad of helpful tools. Also, if you fancy a physical copy of this, Jeff has mocked up a version ready for print, with all of the elements/options listed.
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With over 40 million new posts created every month, and with it holding host to the likes of CNN, UPS, Reuters, et al, it’s safe to say that WordPress is the premier platform for you to build your site upon.
On top of using it as a content management system/blogging platform, it can be massive in your SEO strategy.
A vanilla WordPress site can be well optimised for search engines, but there are an absolute plethora of methods and plugins out there which can vastly improve your WordPress SEO, and help get the most out of your site.
This post will run through a list of methods that you can introduce to your WordPress website/blog, and as well as that, I’ll also mention various plugins which can play a big part.