SEO

Search Engine Optimization is, in general, the process of setting up your content and website structure in such a way so as to maximize organic traffic. Topics included in this category may include keyword research, content writing strategies, new SEO news and developments, as well as the results of various tests (whether successful or not!)

Spam

The increasing absurdity of link removal requests

March 29, 2013 John 0

Remember that guy who spammed your blog, forums, or bookmarking site? Well, he’s back, and his new SEO says he should spam your email inbox with requests to delete all that spam they originally spammed you yet. Puzzled, perplexed, or bemused by the latest trend in SEO? Click here to read all about the growing absurdity of link removal requests and what I’ve learned from running crowd-based link aggregation websites.

Webmaster Ghost Town

October 3, 2012 John 0

Google’s Penguin update is effecting the internet in a much broader way than any individual’s website can show. Webmaster communities and feed readers are growing quieter by the day and no re-allocation of backlinks and anchor texts is going to fix that larger trend. Read on about the state of the internet in the wake of this major update and how we might be able to move forward in an increasingly uncertain & chaotic web environment.

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Pandas and search chaos – escaping the storm

July 27, 2012 John 0

Google’s Panda filter is on the hunt for thin content, derivative pages, and sites that don’t add anything unique to the web. On July 24th, this filter was refreshed and many websites saw shifts in their search rankings as a result. What makes Panda so much more interesting now is that it works completely independently of the Penguin filter – so a website that is punished by one might be rewarded by the other. Now, Google’s search algorithm is dominated by mathematical chaos, or a function that approaches two points simultaneously while never actually reaching either. For sites caught in the storm, this can be a rather unreliable place to be, but the good news is there might be a way to rise up out of the chaos with a renewed focus on SEO basics and some recognition of where the easiest paths are at.

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The unfortunate truth of ranking new sites after Penguin

July 16, 2012 John 0

Google’s Penguin filter has truly turned the SEO world on its head. While results often seem random, low-quality, and unpredictable, there is also what seems to be an effective formula to ranking new sites. Based on a few months of analysing SERP movements and watching a new set of domains take prominent search positions, this post lays out the SEO strategy that shreds Penguin to pieces.

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Penguins and Inorganic Links – Understanding and Recovering from Google’s Spring 2012 Updates

July 10, 2012 John 1

Google’s Penguin update and other algorithmic changes from spring 2012 have left a whole lot of SEOs and web publishers scratching their heads in confusion and frustration. The price for crossing this particular penguin is high, but one you get to know how the filter operates, he starts to seem more like the cute and fuzzy flightless bird and a lot less like the Batman supervillain. If Google’s most recent changes have left your web traffic in chaos, this is a post you can’t afford to miss.

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Too fresh for your niche

December 12, 2011 John 1

A flaw in Google’s most recent freshness update may have the unintended effect of promoting outdated information within certain niche topics. If that niche seems dominated by stale sites, being fresh and new might even end up as a big liability.

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Goodbye, Yahoo Site Explorer!

November 27, 2011 John 2

Yahoo Site Explorer shut down this week, and that leaves me and many SEOs looking for a new place to get backlink research information.

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Bing – Powered by Google?

February 5, 2011 John 2

Google and Bing have had quite an exchange of words lately. The accusation from Google is that Microsoft’s search engine is borrowing information about results.

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What I learned from a new SEO competitor

September 23, 2010 John 3

Watching a new competitor come in and succeed in a search phrase can be frustrating when you realize exactly how they’re rising the ranks by flaunting all the rules and quality recommendations.

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Google Goes Instant

September 10, 2010 John 2

Google search results are now starting to populate before you’re even done entering the search phrase. As each new letter is added to the search box, the top websites update to the new most likely search results.

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Caffeine is definitely live

June 10, 2010 John 2

After a whole lot of anticipation, Google’s Caffeine update is finally live and serving up a fresher and more comprehensive index for every search.