There’s no shortcut to authority: Why you need to take E-A-T seriously
Following expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness guidelines should be a part of every SEO strategy no matter your niche.
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Stephan Spencer's latest articles
5 ways ignoring SEO could affect your bottom line
It may be possible to run a business in 2018 without doing search engine optimization, but doing so exposes you to risks and leaves money on the table.
Flying close to the sun: SEO tactics that may get you burned
The temptation to take the "quick and easy" route is everywhere, and SEO is no different. Contributor Stephan Spencer shows how going black- or gray-hat might sound good initially, but in the end, like Icarus, may get you burned.
The ultimate guide to bot herding and spider wrangling — Part 3
In this third and final installment, contributor Stephan Spencer outlines common coding, mobile and localization issues and offers workarounds to make sure your code provides consistent cues.
The ultimate guide to bot herding and spider wrangling — Part Two
Next up in a series on bots and why crawl budgets are important, Columnist Stephan Spencer explains how to direct the engine bots to what's important on your site and how to avoid common coding issues.
The ultimate guide to bot herding and spider wrangling
In Part 1 of a three-part series, Columnist Stephan Spencer does a deep dive into bots, explaining what they are and why crawl budgets are important.
Understanding the interplay of SEO and a 5-star reputation
How do online reviews impact search visibility, and what can you do to improve your online reputation? Columnist Stephan Spencer addresses these questions and more.
Anatomy of a Google search listing
There’s no perfect method to snagging the top overall search result for every relevant query, but columnist Stephan Spencer believes that understanding each element of Google's search listings can give you the best chance for success.
Featured snippets: How much do you really know about them? [QUIZ]
Think you're an expert on featured snippets? Then put your money where your mouth is and take this quiz, created by columnist Stephan Spencer!
How to rank for ‘position 0’ in 3 simple steps: A featured snippets primer
What is a featured snippet, and how can you position your content to rank for one? Columnist Stephan Spencer explains this search feature and provides tips for optimizing your pages for it.
Contributor, beware of PageRank-hoarding publishers
So you've found a great site to contribute content to -- or have you? Columnist Stephan Spencer provides advice for how to evaluate potential publishers for SEO benefits.
6 ways to grow your podcast audience with SEO
Columnist Stephan Spencer explains the benefits of podcasting, as well as how to optimize your podcast for visibility in search engines, YouTube and platforms like iTunes or Google Play.
Monetizing your SEO expertise
Columnist Stephan Spencer discusses how you can use SEO knowledge to build assets that make money for you, rather than having all the gains go to your clients.
SEO is not dead; it’s just a shape-shifter
Columnist Stephan Spencer talks about how search engine optimization has changed over the years, noting that it's still very much alive -- just vastly different from the way it once was.
7 quick SEO hacks for the SEO newbie
Want some simple SEO tips that will help move the needle without breaking the bank? Columnist Stephan Spencer has seven for you.
5 more super-common SEO mistakes content marketers make
In a follow-up to last month's column, Stephan Spencer addresses some more common but avoidable SEO problems for content marketers to be aware of.
5 super-common SEO mistakes content marketers make
Obstacles are bound to arise in any SEO effort, but columnist Stephan Spencer reminds us that many of these are avoidable if you choose the correct approach.
How to get a bird’s-eye view of the Google SERPs
Columnist Stephan Spencer provides an overview of a new rank tracking tool that goes much deeper than the "10 blue links" mindset.
SEO So Simple A Child Can Do It: In 5 Easy Steps
How difficult is it to master the SEO basics? According to columnist Stephan Spencer, it's child's play!
Psst! These Keyword Opportunities Are Sitting Right Under Your Nose
Columnist Stephan Spencer shares his advice for digging up new keyword opportunities from your existing data.
Relaunching Your Site? Don’t Even Think About It Without A Solid SEO Game Plan!
Relaunching your website can have serious consequences for your search engine optimization if not planned carefully. Luckily, columnist Stephan Spencer has provided a comprehensive guide to ensure a smooth transition.
How To Attract Killer Links For E-Commerce Sites
Trying to create compelling, linkable content for an e-commerce site? Columnist Stephan Spencer has some great ideas to get you inspired!
Tools, Tools Everywhere! Which SEO Tools Are Worth Your Time?
Ever wondered what tools are used by some of the best in the industry? Author and SEO expert Stephan Spencer shares his top free and premium SEO tools.
Link Risk Management: Are You Using This Critical SEO Tactic?
Columnist Stephan Spencer warns that if you don't regularly monitor your backlinks and proactively get rid of spammy ones, you could be risking it all.
Understanding & Explaining A Realistic SEO Timeline
How long should it take to see SEO results? Columnist Stephan Spencer says there's no simple answer to this question, but explains some of the factors which may impact an SEO timeline.
Do You Hate “Not Provided”? Not So Fast… It May Be a Blessing In Disguise!
Things have certainly changed since Google took away keyword referral data, but columnist Stephan Spencer argues that these changes were for the better.
Industrial Strength Link Analysis With LinkResearchTools
In a competitive niche? Columnist Stephan Spencer explains how to use one tool to uncover the good, the bad and the opportunities.
Want To Hire An Insanely Great SEO? Do These 7 Things First!
If you set up your hiring and recruitment processes correctly, you won't have to waste money on a bad hire.
A Glimpse Into The Future Of Search With Futurist Ramez Naam
In the process of working on the upcoming third edition of The Art of SEO, I had the pleasure of discussing the Future of Search with Ramez Naam. Ramez is a futurist, a best-selling author (check out his science fiction novels Nexus and Crux and his newest nonfiction book, The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas […]
Scaling & Systematizing Your Link Building
I’m all about systems and processes. That’s the only way to scale. You could be the best link builder in the world, but how are you going to scale that? Until you remove the bottleneck — namely yourself — from the system, you can’t achieve true scale. (At least until human cloning becomes a reality.) […]
Buyer Beware: 5 Tips For Spotting SEO Charlatans
I have written numerous times on the many myths that abound in SEO. But it seems that no matter how many times I try to bust these myths wide open, they still persist. Perhaps I am fighting an uphill battle here because the world of SEO unfortunately has its fair share of charlatans who want […]
‘Tis The Season For Link Baiting
Ah, the holidays! It’s that time of year — for egg nog, carolers, sleigh rides, Yuletide cheer, roasting chestnuts, and… link bait! Yes, you heard right. The holidays are a great time to launch link bait campaigns, because you can piggy-back on the popularity of the holiday and of peoples’ enthusiasm for it. That doesn’t […]
The Secret Life Of The Black Hat SEO
The black hat SEO flies under the radar. He doesn’t want to attract too much attention — he knows attention brings bad things. Essentially he lives in the shadows. He doesn’t speak at conferences. He doesn’t publish articles. He hangs out with other black hats at conferences and road trips. In my opinion, an affiliate-oriented […]
25 Super Common SEO Mistakes
No, these aren’t “myths” disguised as “common mistakes.” I’ve already beaten the SEO myths theme to death with my previous three articles. What follows are innocent mistakes that many SEOs make. Some of these things catch even the best of us… 1. Google AdWords Keyword Tool Set To Broad Match The Google AdWords Keyword Tool […]
Google Power User Tips: SERP URL Parameters
In Part 1, we looked at query operators for refining our searches. Now for Part 2, let’s look at parameters that we can add/modify in the URL of the the Google SERP (search engine results page.) The operators listed in Part 1 should suffice for most searches. Yet, certain types of searches are most efficiently […]
SEO Checklist Part 2: Best Practices
Continued from Part 1: 29 Worst Practices & Most Common SEO Failures. Best Practices Implementing the 14 best practices below (or at least some of them) and avoiding the worst practices should offer you a straightforward approach to better visibility in search engines, including Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. Best Practice Doing now Will do soon […]
29 Worst Practices & Most Common Failures: SEO Checklist Part I
Many consider search engine optimization as a sort of black box. But once the essential features of a search engine optimal website are laid out in a concise list, SEO is not nearly as mystifying. That’s where these checklists come in. They are designed for web marketers and web developers so that they can easily […]
36 More SEO Myths That Won’t Die But Need To
The overwhelming response to my last article, 36 SEO Myths That Won’t Die But Need To, it prompted a followup feature, SEO Myths Reloaded: Clarifcations, Consensus And Controversy. In the process, I ended up with a significant number of additional myths: 36 to be exact. That brings us to a grand total of 72 SEO […]
SEO Myths Reloaded: Clarifications, Consensus And Controversy
I have to say I wasn’t expecting the impassioned responses to my last article, 36 SEO Myths That Won’t Die But Need To. But that’s okay, as I wasn’t expecting all the positive buzz and re-tweets either (1,153 and still counting — how exciting!) In this follow-up, I’d like to revisit some of the most […]
36 SEO Myths That Won’t Die But Need To
Every day a new SEO myth is born; unfortunately, not every day does an old SEO myth die off. The net result is a growing population of myths. These are nearly impossible to squash because the snake-oil salesmen of our industry keep perpetuating them — bringing them back from the brink, even. You can talk […]