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Google itself is one of the best tools at an SEO’s disposal.
However, not everyone knows how to use it effectively. There are dozens of search operators and tools that you can use to find virtually anything you’re looking for, but you need to know how to use them.
In this post, I’m going to show you 9 Google search operators that you should know and use on a regular basis.
I’ll show you some tactics that could be helpful for, but if you combine all these operators, they could be used for thousands of useful purposes. Don’t be afraid to be creative....
Google's algorithms are better-focused than ever, according to a new study from Searchmetrics.
In its fourth annual Google ranking factors study, the enterprise platform looked at the top 30 search results for 10,000 keywords and 300,000 websites on Google. According to Marcus Tober, founder and chief technology officer at Searchmetrics, the findings simply confirm the current trends.
"Understanding user intention and creating unique, relevant content is more vital than ever before," Tober says. "It is also visible that backlinks are continuing to decrease in relevance. Looking ahead, as the proportion of search queries from mobile devices continues to grow, it will be interesting to see what effect this has on the rankings.
"Some factors Searchmetrics saw positively affecting the rankings include mobile-friendliness; social signals, such as Facebook likes and Tweets; and backlinks, though the latter will likely decrease in importance. The study focuses on three other main areas...
There’s a bit of confusion over SEO and content marketing. The confusion comes over how SEO and content marketing fit together. Do they fit together? Are they at odds with each other? If so, is it possible to force them together?
In a previous post, I explained why SEO and content marketing are like PB&J. They go together. They just fit. They work well together.
Now, I want to share exactly why that is — why SEO is actually all about content marketing, and vice versa.
Google Webspam leader Matt Cutts is one of the most influential SEO advice sources. Before he took a voluntary temporary leave last July, he spent over 10 years giving detailed, precise, and sometimes lengthy explanations to many questions that businesses were asking. He recorded more than 500 videos to share his answers. So how can you sift through all that great counsel and find the ones valuable to you?
Click Consult created TheShortCutts.com, developing a brief summary of each video (sometimes just one word) and categorizing all of the videos, which makes it easy to search for topics. Over 50 videos fall under the website-content category and more than 30 address related aspects, so I decided to do that sifting for you and choose seven of the best to help as you plan your website content strategy....
SEO enthusiasts and online marketers alike are abuzz over the unveiling of Penguin 2.0, a new generation of algorithms that specifically target web spam. The previous Penguin update simply checked out a site’s home page, whereas this new generation takes a deeper look within the subpages and considers smaller details. This means that it’s getting harder to disguise spam, and fresh content is a must.
So what’s changed? Penguin 2.0 essentially aims to locate sites that serve as an authoritative voice on a subject, thus providing these pages with a boost in the rankings. The new algorithms punish “black hat SEO” which refers to unethical or unsavory tactics that a site may use to try to boost its Google ranking. This may include buying links, scraping content from other webpages, or overloading the site with keywords and ads.How do I stay in favor with Google?
This is pretty simple: if your site is creating regular, unique content that considers the reader, you will do well in Google’s index. It’s also important that this content has some substance to it, and is high quality. Quickly throwing an article or blog together doesn’t count; providing the reader with useful information does....
Considering that the average b2b website gets about 40% of traffic from organic search, with some sites getting as much as two-thirds of all visits via search engines, effective search engine optimization (SEO) remains a vital strategy. But precisely what constitutes “best practices” in SEO is a continually (and lately, rapidly) moving target. Yesterday’s on-page optimization and link building tactics—even those used with the best, non-manipulative intentions—may get a site penalized in search rankings today for being “over-optimized.” (You can’t be too rich or too thin, but apparently you can be too optimized.) So what’s a marketing manager, PR professional or SEO specialist to do? Keep up with SEO trends and changes. Optimize off-site content (for example, on YouTube and other social platforms). Use effective SEO tools and marketing metrics. Create link-worthy content. Use social signals to boost rankings. Learn how to do all of that and then some here in more than three dozen of the best SEO guides and tips from the past year....
Penguin 2.0 affected 2.3% of all English-US queries. Lest 2.3% sound to you like a smallish number, keep in mind that there are an estimated 5 billion Google searches per day. 2.3% of 5 billion is a lot.... It’s happened. With one blog post, the rollout of an algorithm, and a couple hours of processing, Penguin 2.0 has been unleashed. The Internet will never be the same. Matt Cutts published a brief post on the topic on May 22, 2013. Here are four key points that you should know about Penguin 2.0....
Quick & Easy Keyword Placement Checklist This SEO Guide is for the small business owner or SEO (search engine optimization) beginner that is in the initial stages of website creation or optimization. Search engine optimization is a great marketing tactic for any type of business, but many business owners or traditional marketers are apprehensive about optimizing their company’s website. As a digital strategist who has been leading SEO campaigns for the last 7 years, I have heard a lot of excuses… “I just don’t understand” “I don’t have time” “It is too much work” “I tried for a little while, but didn’t see anything happen, so ….” Don’t worry, I am not here to chastise, just provide you with a Quick and Easy Keyword Placement Checklist for your company’s website....
... The words we use can change how search engines find our content and whether or not they serve that content in their search results. When it comes to search engines, the placement of words in your blog posts can be just as powerful as the choice of the word itself. Where to place words in your blog – a blog post glossary Understanding the different components of a good blog post is as important as your mechanic knowing the difference between a radiator and an engine block. When the correct terms are used, it’s easier to follow the checklist of must-haves in every post....
Search Engine Optimization is a vital part of creating and setting up a website these days. It ensures that your website gets more traffic and more importantly, receives relevant traffic. The common perception that prevailed was that any traffic is good traffic, however with the passage of time, this misconception has been put aside. If you have 1,000 visitors on your site daily, but only 10 are interested in buying your product, this is quite a waste of your hard work. Conversely, if you use the correct strategy to drive traffic to your website and are able to attract 100 visitors to your site out of which half are ready to purchase your product, you have struck gold. One vital tool that can be used to drive relevant traffic to your website is social media. We all know that having a web presence is important. There is simply no better way to create a positive footprint on the internet than social media. It humanizes companies and makes them more accessible and approachable....
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If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if I could get them a No. 1 Google ranking for a specific non-branded, hyper-competitive keyword, I would be rich. If I had a dollar for the number of times the people asking me that question actually had the content to warrant such a listing, I would be poor.
Many digital marketing folks, especially in enterprise B2B companies, don't quite understand the relationship between content and SEO. It's long been said in SEO circles that content is king. However, some SEO folks would argue that links or social engagement is king, and that content is the primary driver of links and social success. There are valid arguments on all sides of that meaningless debate, but the point that often gets lost is that creating the best user experience for the vast majority of people searching for a specific keyword is probably what's going to get you ranked consistently for that keyword.
A content strategy that supports that bigger vision is typically different than the customer-focused strategies most B2B companies use. Many people over the years have told me, "Our company is the market leader for this term! We should be No. 1!" That is often true for products or services that are relevant to the keyword phrase they are targeting. It is true that brand recognition - and certainly the links that typically accompany successful brands - make it more likely that a company will rank well for relevant terms, but the fact remains that brand authority is not always enough to guarantee a top ranking for a particular keyword....
You’ve weathered Mobileggedon. You’re confident that your website and blog will look great on mobile devices and that Google’s algorithm change won’t hurt your search listings.
Congrats! You’ve survived this skirmish ... but it's not going to be the last. The algorithm change is evidence Google knows it has to surface websites that painlessly get users what they need at the time that they need it.
Google doesn't want to send mobile users to websites that provide a frustrating browsing experience -- that would damage Google’s promise to its users to always deliver helpful, relevant content. But this algorithm change is not what marketers should be reacting to. It’s a signal of a much larger shift that’s afoot. It’s the canary emerging from the mine shouting, “Consumer behavior is changing! We must adapt!”
Building a mobile-friendly website is step one, but tweaking your website will not keep you ahead of consumers’ changing behavior and expectations. In short, you have to infuse your marketing strategy with a “mobile mindset.” Here's how....
I’ve been building SEO-driven, Adsense/Affiliate monetized sites for 4 years now. I’ve been through every Panda update and Penguin update. I've survived a lot of them, but I've been absolutely crushed by some of them as well. If getting crushed is how you learn, then I've learned a lot.
I started out building hundreds of microniche sites with content as cheap as $3/500 word article, to creating sites that received thousands of FB, Twitter, Reddit, and Stumble upon shares - even though my goal was solely to drive organic search traffic.
One article got over 100,000 likes on Facebook and millions of visitors. It cost me $30 to outsource and I made no effort to optimize it for social.
I don’t claim to be a content creation expert, but I’ve picked up a thing or two over the years, and this is the guide to SEO content creation I wish I had when I started....
Any good marketer or business owner trying to leverage the Web to connect with more prospective customers knows that SEO is always changing. As the new year approaches, it’s a good idea to to study up on current and future marketing, advertising, and SEO trends.
Here’s what you need to know about SEO going into 2015
While 'creating great content' is important, it's not enough. Promotion is critical to content marketing success. In this post, Paul May shows you how to improve your content promotion. NEWSFLASH! Despite what you’ve read, your “epic content” isn’t going to magically go viral seconds after you click the publish button. There is no content marketing fairy. Like it or not, you’re going to have to work hard to promote your content. I mean really hard. “Well, Hi Paul….Bad Start to the Day?” Why the rant? Well, Cyrus Shepard wrote a fantastic “blueprint for ranking” post recently on the Moz blog (one of the best posts of the year, IMO). I found myself nodding in agreement throughout it…until I got to the end and read this: “This blueprint contains 25 steps to rank your content, but only the last three address link building. Why so few? Because 90% of your effort should go into creating great content, and 10% into link building.” In fairness to Cyrus, there’s more nuance to his thoughts than this quote conveys, but this fits into a theme that seems to be gaining momentum in some circles. I first saw Rand propose this at a Distilled conference I attended last year. The presentation was titled “F*** Link Building, Content Marketing FTW!” I’m paraphrasing, but in this presentation he said something to the effect of: “I have this awesome link building tool…you should totally get it. Every time I use it, I get links from 400 unique domains. It’s called the publish button.”...
SEO and content marketing extremes help no one but consultants. An integrated approach helps brands attract, engage and convert more business than SEO or content alone.... Content Marketing Strategy has to factor in all digital channels as well as offline where appropriate because the focus isn’t solely on a search engine. It’s on the customer. Customers don’t just use search for finding solutions. Search is hugely important during the customer journey, of course. But it’s not the only touchpoint. The only thing worse than no SEO at all, is ALL SEO. Ignoring the contribution of search for attracting visitors that are actively looking for your information is a huge mistake. At the same time, ignoring content marketing simply defined as “more content” and focusing only on SEO is also a mistake. Search engines don’t buy products, people do. Market to the people!...
Less than a year ago links were everything to the SEO industry. Whether it was guest blogging or content marketing, the sole aim of many agencies revolved purely around sourcing and acquiring links. The answer is simple. By combining knowledge on entities, associations, co-occurrence and authorship, you can build a strategy that actually solves a problem or satisfies a need for your target audience. By doing this you will increase traffic and naturally generate links. Like Hannah Smith mentioned at this year’s LinkLove conference, if you do stuff that gets links, rather than doing it for links, you are much more likely to succeed. And to save you the hassle of pooling all this together, I’ve done it for you. You’re welcome....
For many people, ranking in Google was a lot easier a few years ago. There were many SEO tricks that could get your site on the first page of Google quickly. These SEO tricks worked great until Google changed the rules, beginning with Panda in February 2011, and followed by Penguin in April 2012. So, what works now, post-Panda and post-Penguin? This article will cover some of the popular old methods as well as what you need to know to succeed with your SEO initiative today....
Even though social media is often in the spotlight, business blogging is still vital to your marketing success. Original, high-impact content still needs to be the lure for your audience.... There are a number of ways to ramp up the reach and exposure of your content, including syndicating it on websites like Social Media Today and Business 2 Community and sharing it on the big four social networks—Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. Posting your content to popular social bookmarking sites, such as Digg, StumbleUpon and Del.icio.us, can be another source of increased exposure. While taking these steps to promote your content will no doubt be beneficial, it is critical to address the issue at the core—ensuring that you produce the kind of content that compels a great deal of social content curation. If you can create highly shareable content, others will promote it for you. Publish relevant, information-rich and share-worthy content, and your search rankings will inevitably improve, as Google is increasingly informing their algorithms with social signals, such as +1s. 13 Google-Friendly Content Guidelines To achieve maximum impact with your company blog, create content according to Google best practices....
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Neil Patel shares valuable tips for content marketiing and SEO.
Neil Patel shares valuable tips for content marketiing and SEO.
Neil Patel shares valuable tips for content marketiing and SEO.