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Bing Officially Releases Bing XML Sitemap Plugin 1.0

May 24, 2013 at 9:08am ET by Barry Schwartz

After releasing a preview of the Bing sitemap plugin a few months ago, Bing is ready to officially launch the Bing XML Sitemap Plugin 1.0 to the public. This sitemap plugin allows webmasters to easily create XML sitemap files for their websites that can be submitted to Bing Webmaster Tools or other search engines. It works on both Internet Information Services (IIS) for Windows Server and Apache HTTP Server. What has changed between the beta version released a few months ago and the release today? Automatically ping the search engines after each Sitemap update (currently ping Bing an [...]

Study: TV Networks Not Ranking In Key SERP Positions, Losing Valuable Search & Traffic Opportunities

May 22, 2013 at 9:33am ET by Amy Gesenhues

After evaluating the organic search performance of America's most popular television networks, SEO research firm RankAbove discovered a majority of the networks are missing out on significant search and traffic opportunities. The study examined four key areas of search including keywords, rankings, traffic potential and Universal SERPs. According to the findings, not only are a number of networks performing poorly in their SEO efforts, some are actually performing worse than they were a year ago. Keyword Analysis The keyword analysis portion of the study categorized keywords related to 2 [...]

Optimizing Your Digital Assets To Boost Rankings & Branding

May 20, 2013 at 11:24am ET by Paul Bruemmer

Let’s say you’re responsible for developing revenues from both traditional and non-traditional advertising. You work with a digital staff of talented people to create lead-generating Web-based content, or perhaps you are in e-commerce and sell products. Maybe you’re a brick and mortar with a website, or perhaps a pure-play Internet business with no physical storefronts. Regardless of whether you are a newspaper (publisher), e-commerce (products) or franchise (services) site, performing well within the SERPs will always lead to new customer acquisition. By identifying and optimizing al [...]

Related Topics: All Things SEO | Channel: SEO | How To: SEO | SEO: Video Search

Google’s Matt Cutts: Domain Clustering To Change Again; Fewer Results From Same Domain

May 17, 2013 at 2:46pm ET by Barry Schwartz

Google's head of search spam, Matt Cutts, posted a new video about a new change coming to Google's search results related to the diversity of the results being displayed. Matt said that Google is launching "soon" a new change that will make it less likely to see results from the same domain name, if you already have been shown that domain name in previous results three or four times before. Matt explained that once you've seen a cluster of about four results from a specific domain name, the subsequent pages are going to be less likely to show you results from that domain name. To explain [...]

How Latvia Teaches Us That “Think Global, Act Local” Is No Longer Useful In Search Marketing

May 14, 2013 at 10:35am ET by Andy Atkins-Krüger

Last week, I was lucky to join a number of great speakers at the iLive conference in Riga, Latvia. As with all conferences, I learned a lot. (I simply can't relate to those who go to a conference and say they've heard it all before.) I learned at least as much from the people I met and chatted with -- as well as from the people of Riga and Latvia -- as I did from the conference itself. Latvia -- A Country With A Population Less Than Houston, Texas Latvia is a very small country with a population of just over 2 million people -- around the size of a smallish Chinese or American city. The co [...]

The Future Of SEO in a Socially Driven World

May 14, 2013 at 9:15am ET by Mani Karthik

If SEO is dead, social media will be, too, in another five years. So, keep calm and tweet on. Hold that thought for a second – I can explain. In today’s search world, there's a lot of talk about how social is "taking over," how "content is king," and how search engine optimization is "dead" -- with search updates like Penguin and Panda hitting the final nails on the coffin. Sounds very dramatic, doesn't it? SEO is "Dead" -- Or Is It? Yes, social is more significant than ever. But, it is too early to draw any conclusions about the death of SEO based on the patterns that we’r [...]

Another One Bites the Dust: Google SMS Search Shuts Down Without Warning

May 13, 2013 at 11:42am ET by Amy Gesenhues

After trying to perform searches via Google SMS Search last week, many users discovered that the mobile search service had been discontinued. In the Google Web Search Help forum, a Google spokesperson wrote, "Closing products always involves tough choices, but we do think very hard about each decision and its implications for our users. Streamlining our services enables us to focus on creating beautiful technology that will improve people's lives." Google SMS Search let users send search queries and receive results via a text to Google. Beginning last week, users received the following no [...]

How to Double Your Revenue With SEO

May 9, 2013 at 9:45am ET by Trond Lyngbø

In 2012, I was privileged to handle SEO for some of the biggest Norwegian e-commerce sites. This is the story about how I doubled (and even tripled) revenue for them by following a simple, easy, yet unconventional approach that anyone -- even you -- can implement starting today. At the heart of this accomplishment lie two things which are related to one another: A focus on uncovering user intent, and then filling that need The ability (and budget) to do all that's necessary This may sound easy, but when you consult with a business that is stratified and compartmentalized into water [...]

How To Increase Lead Conversions With Visitor Engagement

May 9, 2013 at 9:00am ET by John Paul Mains

When the iPhone was first released, everyone marveled over its amazing simplicity and user experience. The world fell in love, and the mobile industry was changed overnight. Other phones, if they weren't smartphones, were suddenly viewed as cheap and not very useful. We have all experienced this same truth at the websites we visit. We inherently equate a great design with an upstanding company and a bad design with a company not quite as reputable or as good. [caption id="attachment_158424" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image via Shutterstock[/caption] Because of this reality, buil [...]

The Ultimate Guide to Multilingual and Multiregional SEO

May 7, 2013 at 11:37am ET by John E Lincoln

When you begin to get into multilingual and multiregional SEO, you know that you have taken a step forward as an SEO expert. Why? Well, because you are probably dealing with a large, complex site that demands the expertise of someone who knows what they are talking about. If you are dealing in multilingual or multinational SEO, then you are managing a complex website strategy that serves multiple locations and languages -- not just one. Lucky for you, most everything you need to know about multilingual and multiregional SEO is listed in this post. So, even if you are a first-timer, you now [...]

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To Internal Linking Strategy

May 7, 2013 at 9:24am ET by Erin Everhart

It’s not the first thing you think of when you hear "link building." It’s definitely not the sexiest aspect of link building. But, I'd argue it’s among the most important components of a solid link building strategy. That’s right, folks: today we’re going to chat about internal linking. Cue the communal groan. It's okay! I'm not going to talk about anchor text. Instead, we'll dive into how to set up a logical internal linking strategy, as well as some of the more technical aspects to keep in mind when it comes to your internal linking. Why An Internal Linking Strategy Impor [...]

93% Of Local SEOs Expect To Grow Their Business In 2013

May 6, 2013 at 9:00am ET by Myles Anderson

Last week, we published the findings of the BrightLocal Local SEO Industry Survey 2013. The objective of this survey is to gain greater understanding about the health and nature of the local SEO Industry. Through this survey, we aim to find out what life is like "on the ground" for those in the local SEO industry and share those findings publicly to help improve the knowledge and insight within our industry. This is the 2nd wave of the survey. The 1st wave was conducted in 2011 and looked ahead to 2012. Wave 1 survey results can be viewed here. About The BrightLocal Local SEO Industry [...]

Local SEO Industry Survey Reveals Most Customers Want On-Site SEO & Google+ Optimization Services

May 3, 2013 at 5:08pm ET by Amy Gesenhues

A local SEO industry survey, managed by SEO software company Brightlocal, revealed that the most in-demand SEO services are on-site SEO and Google+ optimization. Conducted between January 20 and February 20 of this year, the survey evaluated the health and nature of the local SEO industry by focusing on five key areas: agency size and turnover, clients and industries, marketing and sales, services and tasks, and future outlooks. The majority of survey respondents included freelancers, small digital agencies and web designers, with a total of 1,409 respondents. On-site SEO and Google+ opt [...]

SEO Branding: Appearance In Search Results Impacts Brand Perception

May 2, 2013 at 9:14am ET by Nathan Safran

Stop a search marketer on the street, whether a grizzled veteran or relative newcomer, and ask him/her to list the top goals of ranking in the search results; they will talk to you about traffic, revenue and conversions. Likewise, in reflecting what is top of mind for search marketers, a perusal of industry websites shows a majority of articles focused on the same. Far less covered -- whether research, POVs or even "thinking-out-loud" blog posts -- is content focused on other benefits of appearing in the search results, such as brand development. For decades, marketers have invested in g [...]

Five Ways To Flip Your Copywriting For Higher Conversion Rates

May 1, 2013 at 9:30am ET by Brian Massey

When faced with creating a conversion-focused SEO landing page, what should our copy focus on? There are so many things we can do -- so many directions we can go -- that it becomes hard to know what to choose. Do I go with statistics or stories? Facts or feelings? Data or discounts? If one of these is good, isn’t a mix of all of them better? Blending Content Types Doesn't Work We know we're blending when we start adding adjectives to our sentences. "Our solution is the most cost-effective, easy-to-use, colorful, highest-intensity, waterproof, process-oriented available on the mark [...]

7 Takeaways From The Local Search Association Annual Conference

May 1, 2013 at 8:30am ET by Neg Norton

Earlier this month, local search marketing leaders from the U.S., Canada and 12 other countries gathered in Las Vegas for the Local Search Association’s 2013 annual conference, "Search Starts Here." Over several days, attendees engaged in informative discussions about the numerous opportunities and challenges facing our industry, ranging from the growing importance of original digital content to the rise of mobile and social media. In this month’s column, I will highlight my key takeaways from the LSA conference, which are focused on both the strides I believe local marketers should [...]

When Google Gets It Wrong By Changing The Titles Of Web Pages

Apr 30, 2013 at 5:55pm ET by Danny Sullivan

Google doesn't always use the HTML title tag of a web page, choosing instead to make its own title for a page, if it thinks it can do a better job. Here's an example of it getting this completely wrong. I was searching for Dana Point Jet Ski, which is a real business in Dana Point. Google instead listed the official page for Dana Point Harbor first: Listing the wrong site first is a relevancy problem. But changing the title of the page to "Dana Point Jet Ski & Kayak Center" is a double-fail. That's Google reinforcing its error, because it's so sure that it's right. See, Google [...]

Avoiding The Keyword Research Checkmate

Apr 30, 2013 at 9:30am ET by Selena Narayanasamy

Chasing after one specific keyword set can not only be frustrating, but also inefficient. The marriage of keyword research and content can result in strong, targeted pages that perform, reach the ideal demographic, and result in conversions -- if you're willing to test and think "outside the box." Targeting keywords solely because they have a high search volume isn't necessarily the best way to go about creating your keyword roadmap for on-site copy and inbound tactics. As selfish as we like to be with keyword targeting, it can't exist as its own siloed research anymore. At the end of [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Keywords & Content | SEO: Keyword Research

The Top Five SEO Mistakes According To Google’s Matt Cutts

Apr 29, 2013 at 2:12pm ET by Barry Schwartz

In a recently published video, Matt Cutts, Google's head of search spam, listed off the top five SEO mistakes webmasters make. Matt said these are not the most devastating mistakes, but rather, the most common mistakes. (1) Not having a website or having a website that is not crawlable is the biggest mistake he sees. (2) Not including the right words on the page. The example Matt gave is: don't just write, "Mt. Everest Height" but write, "How high is Mt. Everest?" because that is how people search. (3) Don't think about link building, think about compelling content and marketing. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Features: Analysis | Google: SEO | SEO: General

Top 5 Mobile SEO Tips For M-commerce & Retail

Apr 29, 2013 at 10:20am ET by Bryson Meunier

Clearly I've broken my own resolution when it comes to not talking about responsive Web design, as I've done so for the past two months. This month, I'm taking a break so I can focus on resolution #1: giving more tactical advice on how to do mobile SEO well. Today's column will focus on mobile SEO tips for m-commerce and retail -- the topic of a webinar I’m doing this month for Mobile Commerce Daily. Tip #1: Make Pages Accessible To Mobile Searchers This tip may seem like a no-brainer in a world where at least 25% of all search traffic comes from mobile devices and 90% of consumers use [...]

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