Google is known to run hundreds of experiments a year and often we pick up on some of those experiments and report back on them over here. Many of those experiments have to do with the user interface and how Google makes small tweaks to the layout, design, fonts and colors to see what type […]
At SMX East this past October, I gave a presentation titled, “Putting the SEO Power of Google+ to Work.” The centerpiece of that presentation was a first peek at a study I’d conducted that seemed to confirm my hypothesis that Google+ profiles and pages gain authority for ranking in Google Search (and elsewhere in Google, […]
In the SEO world, many view Matt Cutts’ word as gospel, and indeed, he is usually spot on with his recommendations and advice. However, Cutts recently released a video in which he explains to viewers that responsive Web design is does not have a negative impact on SEO — and I couldn’t disagree more. Ever since Google […]
When I first tell clients that SEO can double online sales for consumer e-commerce retailers, they are skeptical. But not after I demonstrate how I’ve done it for Norwegian e-shops using 8 effective SEO tips. It sounds unrealistic — but isn’t. E-commerce SEO and conversion rate optimization can double your traffic and sales. When I show […]
November and December are the most seasonal months for search marketers. For retailers, this holiday shopping period continues to be the most profitable time of the year. In fact, in 2012, over $42 billion was spent online by consumers in these two months alone, a 14% increase over 2011. For other online advertisers, however, the […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the Web. From Search Engine Land: Google’s Matt Cutts: Feel Free To Use The Disavow Tool Even Without A Manual Action In a new video answer today from Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, he says […]
In a new video answer today from Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, he says that you can use the disavow tool even if you do not have a manual action. In which cases can you use this tool even without a manual action? (1) You tried to remove links but the webmaster linking […]
It appears Google has been rapidly expanding their new yellow ad label found on their search ads over the past week. Google began testing these yellow ad labels on mobile search and then expanded the test to the UK and beyond. Now, it seems as if we are receiving two to three emails per day […]
In an effort to help advertisers attract more click volume from the Yahoo Bing Network, Bing Ads has rolled out Broad Match keyword targeting. The company says that with refinements and ongoing updates the “Bing Ads platform is able to deliver Broad Match conversion metrics that are 85% of the percentage of Exact Match”. The […]
In August, Microsoft announced they will close Bing shopping. Bing replaced it with Product Search, which simply integrates product results within Bing search results rather than in a separate destination. Today, if you try to go to the Bing Shopping destination, i.e., bing.com/shopping — you are redirected to Bing’s home page. Bing is using a […]
Google announced a new feature within Google Scholar named “My Library.” This new section lets you save articles right from the search page, organize them by topic, and search full-text within your library to find what you are looking for. To enable this feature, you need to click on the “My Library” link on the […]
Ever since Google made the move to encrypt all searches, marketers have been searching for alternative ways to glean keyword referral data — and many have turned to Google Webmaster Tools (WMT) data as a replacement source. To be clear, the data from Google Webmaster Tools is limited. You can only see your top 2000 […]
Have you ever visited a B2B website and come away unsure of what the company actually does? If so, you are in good company. Many B2B websites are verbose, yet vague and confusing. In many B2B organizations, websites are given low priority, especially in light of long, complex close-cycles that hinge on offline business relationships. […]
I recently put forward the concept that we should rename SEO to “Subject Experience Optimization,” and I want to explain why I think all marketers should be on board with this. Google has made a lot of updates to their webmaster guidelines recently, and the common thread in most of these updates is to say […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the Web. From Search Engine Land: Twitter Improves Search On Mobile Apps By Adding Toggles & Photo Filters Twitter announced they have improved the search capabilities on the iOS and Android mobile apps. Twitter added: A toggle […]
Twitter announced they have improved the search capabilities on the iOS and Android mobile apps. Twitter added: A toggle between top Tweets and all Tweets A new photo search filter Photo search results layouts for grid and list view Filter tweets by people you follow A new trending timeline in Discover shows you trends along […]
When Microsoft’s next-generation gaming console, the Xbox One, comes out on Friday, it will arrive with Bing built-in to power a range of searches from games to music to television programs — and searches you can do just by speaking to the Xbox. Today, Bing shared a preview of how this will work. On the […]
Google Maps is making an exception to its process for reviewing image removal requests, and speeding up the actions needed to replace a satellite image of a 14-year old shooting victim. Following a story broadcast on KTVU-TV, a CNN affiliate in Oakland, California and a report on CNN.com, Google claims it will take approximately eight days […]
Duane Forrester, the Senior Product Manager at Bing announced a new feature within Bing Webmaster Tools named the “Connected Pages Dashboard.” Formerly known as linked pages, connected pages is a way for Bing to allow you to tell them what pages you own under your social network. Once you verify these social profiles, Bing connects […]
“He’s dead, Jim.” It’s been shouted from the rooftops, from here to Moz and every blog in between, but I guess it isn’t official until the doctor says so: Link building is dead. Depending on how much you agree with that statement, you’re somewhere in the five stages of grief with the impending death of link […]
As we are approaching the end of the year, I thought it would be worth reviewing 2013 from the perspective of a UK based SEO with a diverse range of multinational clients and what opportunities lie ahead for all things SEO.
In October 2013, BrightLocal teamed up with ChamberOfCommerce.com to conduct an insightful piece of research into the attitudes toward and usage of Digital Marketing by SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses). (In the survey, we used the phrase “Internet or Mobile Marketing” to make it clear to survey respondents what we mean by Digital Marketing.) The objective […]
SES — formerly Search Engine Strategies — is about to undergo another name change, this time to “ClickZ Live.” The news comes from an email that Incisive Media sent to various contributors. From the email: Tomorrow is a big day for ClickZ and its sister brands Search Engine Watch and SES, and as our valued […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the Web. From Search Engine Land: Google’s Matt Cutts: Don’t Duplicate Your Meta Descriptions Google’s Matt Cutts, the head of search spam, released a video today providing an SEO tip on meta descriptions. Matt said, do not […]
Google’s Matt Cutts, the head of search spam, released a video today providing an SEO tip on meta descriptions. Matt said, do not have duplicate meta descriptions on your site. Matt said it is better to have unique meta descriptions and even no meta descriptions at all, then to show duplicate meta descriptions across pages. […]
For two years running, Google’s broken major promises about search. It began doing paid inclusion in 2012, which it once called “evil.” This year, it’s experimenting with banner ads it said would never be allowed. Both represent major philosophical shifts for the company about search, but shifts it has largely avoided explaining. Does that erode […]
The Mail Online reports Google and Microsoft Bing have adjusted their search results to block child pornography and other child sexual abuse content from being accessible through their search engines. The news is being widely covered, some claiming that over a 100,000 unique searches and keywords have been blocked from showing up in the search […]
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is no longer a “nice to have” for businesses, but rather a “must have.” This wasn’t the case 10 years ago, when SEM got dumped into the “test budget” if there was any money left over after TV, radio, print, out-of-home, display, email, SEO, PR and sponsorships. It turns out, however, […]
Google’s continuing push toward identifying expertise and authority on the web takes another step in the form of a new type of website/landing page classification: “Your Money or Your Life.” It’s explained in detail in a new version of Google’s “Search Quality Ratings Guidelines” — the document that’s used by the company’s cadre of human […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the Web. From Search Engine Land: Report: Search Trends Hint At A Holiday Season Filled With Tech Gadget Gifts Analyzing search data for the four weeks leading up to November 9, Experian Marketing Services claims online product […]
Analyzing search data for the four weeks leading up to November 9, Experian Marketing Services claims online product searches have been dominated by fitness gadgets, mobile devices and game consoles, giving evidence to a holiday season overrun with tech gifts. Based on search and click trends for the weeks of October 12 through November 9, […]
In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the Web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more.
The AdWords Bid Simulator tool now offers conversion estimates in addition to impressions and clicks to show how bid changes may affect conversion volume and values. For each bid option shown in the simulator, the bid simulator provides the number of conversions — both 1-per click and many-per-click — and conversion values if assigned or […]
There isn’t much I dislike about Web marketing, but dealing with clients whose expectations don’t align with reality has to top the list. While many might gripe and complain that the client “just doesn’t get it” (often a true statement), the client’s absence of reality often has more to do with the marketing team than […]
Google recently released news that it is now moving to encrypt all organic search activity. This means that analytics programs will no longer be able to report on keyword terms that drive organic traffic from Google, instead noting the data as being “not provided.” This could be devastating to marketing managers and webmasters who rely heavily […]
Once the leader and innovator in online mapping, MapQuest has fallen pretty far from that perch. While the brand survives and the site is still widely used, it has for several years been overshadowed by rivals including Google and more recently Apple. According to recent comScore data MapQuest’s mobile apps aren’t in the top 15, although […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the Web. From Search Engine Land: Court Finds Google’s Book Scanning Is Fair Use: Highlights From The Ruling Nearly ten years after it began and eight years after Google was sued over it, Google’s program that scans […]
Nearly ten years after it began and eight years after Google was sued over it, Google’s program that scans books in order to make them searchable has been found legal. A judge found fair use, especially in that “Google Books does not supersede or supplant books because it is not a tool to be used to […]
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Google released an updated Transparency Report today, claiming government requests for user information have increased more than 100 percent since it began posting transparency reports in 2010. According to Google, this is the eighth update to its transparency report in the last three years. Google said the climb in requests is in part a result […]