We all know that search engines reward sites with valuable content that most effectively answers searchers’ questions. But that doesn’t always mean you have to create NEW content.
Some search experts are saying that the ranking factors studies churned out annually by SEO agencies and vendors are a waste of time. How true is that? And why might they be losing their relevance?
Google’s move to mobile-first indexing is under way, but there’s still a lack of clarity in a number of areas.
Remember that with mobile-first, Google’s going to be primarily crawling and indexing the mobile version of your website, and using that to determine rankings. This is an idea that Google first mooted in 2016 but has only recently started cautiously rolling out, with plenty of testing to make sure things run smoothly.
The rapid adoption of smart assistants is set to spark a huge increase in voice search.
Where does this leave traditional on-screen search in marketing?
A couple of years ago, Google revealed it was using AI and machine learning techniques, such as its RankBrain system, to improve search results.
This helps it better understand the intention behind the words that searchers type into the search box, with the ultimate aim of making results more relevant and providing the best possible results for each and every keyword.
Managing your online reputation in search is not something you can leave to chance. What are the key things you should consider?
UC Davis (part of the University of California) is an example of what happens when things go wrong: the school was reportedly forced to spend $175,000 to help clean up negative references about it that appeared online after an incident when student protesters were sprayed with pepper spray by campus police.
For content ideas and inspiration, most content creators depend on a number of techniques.
They might develop buyer personas, talk with the sales team (to get first-hand insights about customer challenges), conduct customer research (which can get expensive) and regularly brainstorm new topics. Plus they rely on a very highly developed ‘gut feel’ that tells them when a topic or idea will work.
For a long time search experts and content marketers have understood that search engines use the number and variety of backlinks to a page as a quality signal that has an impact on rankings.
So how important are they now?
You would expect Google to reward web pages that provide a better user experience with a ranking advantage. So which parts of user experience are most important?
In the run up to the 2016 US presidential election, how successfully are candidates using social media and online content to engage with voters?
The range of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) is expanding to include new options such as .Hotel, .RealEstate and .Berlin.
Will they help you rank higher in searches?
Everybody talks about the need to provide quality content on your site if you want to rank well in searches. But how do search engines identify quality content?
Successive Google algorithm updates (culminating in the recent Panda 4.1) aim to refine results so that they match the intent of the search query and deliver the most comprehensive, accessible and well-written answer.