Useful SEO articles from the past month or so

Here’s a roundup of several posts about SEO services and tactics that will help with improving search engine optimisation wars against your competition.

Leaning into SEO as Google shifts from search engine to portal – Search Engine Land (searchengineland.com) – Jun 18 2019

Topics: Search engine, SERP, search results, Google, Jessica Bowman, optimization efforts, knowledge panel, organic visibility

• The changes aren’t just on the surface, either: Google is becoming less search engine, more portal, said Jessica Bowman, CEO of SEO
• This evolution is fundamentally altering the customer journey from search, with Google owning the process by enabling users to bypass clicks to websites to get information, take action and even transact.
• Product information, news stories, how-to guides and various other types of content may receive higher visibility on SERPs if they appear as a knowledge panel, within a carousel or as a featured snippet.
• Writers across the company need to master concepts such as SEO-friendly JavaScript, schema, writing for the long tail, rich snippets and the “People also ask” section in the search results.

Facts About SEO Every CEO Should Know About | CEOWORLD magazine (ceoworld.biz) – Jul 01 2019

Topics: digital marketing, search engine optimization, search engines, right traffic, search engine algorithms, brand influence, technical SEO issues, black hat seo

• As the heads of companies, CEOs must understand all aspects about the running of the business and how they impact on the achievement of the primary goals.
• Since marketing has gone online, there is never an excuse to remain in the dark on an area that holds so much value to a business as it directly dictates market outreach and brand influence.
• When it comes to the core elements in internet marketing, search engine optimization is a central pillar that can never be neglected by any business.
• CEOs, therefore, have the burden of understanding about this marketing process that is without question the backbone of value-based digital marketing.
• The chances are that as a CEO, the term SEO has been thrown your way severally and is a regular feature whenever there are talks about internet marketing.

49% of all Google searches are no-click, study finds – Search Engine Land (searchengineland.com) – Jun 19 2019

Topics: Rand Fishkin, featured snippets, Search engine, Google, rich results, organic searches, schema markup, search results page

• “I think marketers are probably in a mixed position today vs. three years ago, depending on their sector,” Rand Fishkin, SparkToro founder and author of a recent analysis on Google clickstream data, told Search engine Land Tuesday.
• In the first quarter of 2019, 48.96% of all U.S. Google searches captured by Jumpshot ended without a click, an increase of 12% from the first quarter of 2016.
• The click-through rate on organic searches have fallen by 13% to 47.4%, while the click-through rate on search ads has risen by 75 percent to 3.69% over the same period.
• “In sectors they [Google] don’t directly compete in, there may be fewer total clicks available, but probably more searches total,” Fishkin pointed out, adding that practices such as optimizing for featured snippets and adding schema markup can be an effective solution for influencing discovery and searcher behavior.
• “There’s an opportunity in this moment, while the press is paying attention and the government is looking at Google, for marketers and publishers to contribute their stories and potentially influence Google’s behavior,” Fishkin said.

3 international SEO best practices for global businesses (digitalcommerce360.com) – Jun 10 2019

Topics: search engines, global online properties, international SEO strategy, organic search results, image alt text, global sites, cultural nuance or language variations

• translation memory
• hreflang

The Role of Intent Data in SEO Success (business2community.com)

Topics: searcher intent, purchase intent, content creation, intent data, branded keywords, target prospects, matching content, own marketing efforts

• The problem is that SEO is all too often boiled down to keyword research and content creation.
• Being able to correlate intent data to your sales funnel is critical to increasing engagement and conversions.
• In many cases, these queries will be highly specific and come with higher expectations for matching content to intent.
• Instead of spending your marketing dollars on keyword bidding, intent data gives you the foundation of insights to create content that you know will drive clicks and convert.
• If you want to learn more about what to look for when evaluating intent data providers, download our free report, Demystifying B2B Purchase Intent Data .

8 free keyword research tools for SEO (that beat their paid alternatives) – Search Engine Land (searchengineland.com) – Jun 18 2019

Topics: Free version, keyword research, google search, SERP, Google, Amazon, keyword variations, best free keyword research tools

• Suggestions from Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Amazon; Google Ads Keyword Planner and google search Console integration; Database of all SEO keywords your competitors rank for; Long-tail keyword and question generator; Popular misspellings and permutations; And more.
• The tools shows you search volumes, cost-per-click data, advertiser competition and seasonal traffic fluctuations, all in one place.
• However, keep in mind that unless you are already spending enough money in Google Ads campaigns, your search volume analysis is limited to ranges (rather than exact search volumes).
• Along with questions, you will also get a handful of “preposition” keywords (when your seed keyword is combined with another word via a preposition) and “comparisons” (like “your keyword vs another keyword”).
• Keywords Everywhere is a free browser add-on, which lets you analyze keywords while simply browsing Google, Bing, YouTube and other websites.

Retargeting Improves Conversions from SEO | Practical Ecommerce (practicalecommerce.com) – Jun 30 2019

Topics: retargeting, Google, better rankings, banner blindness, ecommerce sites, Abandoned Carts, modern shoppers

• It’s an excellent way to move top-of-funnel traffic from organic search to conversions.
• ” It’s a way to get your brand in front of shoppers who have had interactions on your site or your mobile app, driving increased awareness and conversion.
• This is especially true of visitors from organic search results.
• Not only can you target people who have been to your site, but those who also search for the brand names of your competitors or suppliers.

SEO in 2019: 17 Tips for Beginners to Rank Higher on Google [Infographic] (socialmediatoday.com) – Jun 20 2019

Topics: meta tags, search engine optimization, voice search Mobile, confusing world, infographic, Google

Future Technological Trends for SEO and Content Marketing (cioreview.com)

Topics: content marketing, content mining, Google Analytics, PPC, Superficial Content Brands, primary trends, top search results, content creation process, content coverage

• Technologies such as artificial intelligence and content mining are actively reshaping the marketers’ approach.
• In the case of search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing, it’s essential to update the resources to create an online business impact perennially.
• Some tools use artificial intelligence (AI) to provide relevant and customized user experience.
• AI can provide personalized content by delving into the past contents of individual consumers.

How Google Search Results Are Being Manipulated By Shady Online Reputation Consultants (buzzfeednews.com)

Topics: Ian Leaf, HOTH, Blake Rubin, Buzzfeed, Google, negative content, major social networks, own social media profile

• BuzzFeed News previously revealed a network of 10 websites and several fake Twitter accounts that were apparently used to improve the online reputation of Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov after he was arrested in France .
• “In a legitimate reputation clean-up campaign, you focus on rehabilitating a reputation, not just whitewashing the internet with fake, positive content,” Beal previously said of that campaign.
• For example, consultants will often use shady shortcuts to improve a client’s search results, such as buying articles or links about clients from so-called link networks.
• “I have a link network and between me and a few associates we probably have 50-plus sites of our own and 500 more in the space we have access to,” one reputation consultant told BuzzFeed News.
• They’ll never give out the scholarship,” Nick Cuttonaro, owner of the reputation management firm Link Builders , told BuzzFeed News.
• Fake personas for Adrian, Chase, and Blake Rubin also offer scholarships, and they’ve been successful at securing mentions and backlinks from real schools.

Start Improving Your SEO Today: 5 SEO Mistakes to Avoid (jsa.net) – Jun 27 2019

Topics: Google, disaster recovery, search ranking, cornerstone content, Page Load Speed, overall usability, slow site, Keyword Cannibalization

• Page Load Speed
• Keyword Cannibalization
• Using the Same Keyword-rich Anchor Text For More Than One Page
• Broken Outbound Links
• Duplicate Content

Google Just Announced a Major Change To Your Search Results (inc.com) – Jun 07 2019

Topics: Search Results, Inc., Google, search result pages, relevant searches, public search liaison, search engine results page, better overall results

• Google announced yesterday that it’s changing the way it displays search results so that it no longer shows multiple results from the same website except in rare cases.
• This site diversity change means that you usually won’t see more than two listings from the same site in our top results.
• Google is also clear that this is a change to the search results display, not an update to the search algorithm, meaning it doesn’t affect site ranking.
• While Google says the change doesn’t affect site rankings, I’m not sure how much it matters how highly a page or article from your site ranks if it is excluded from the search engine results page.

What is Thin Content and Why Does It Matter? (business2community.com)

Topics: duplicate content, google search, results pages, Google, Thin content, end user, new content ideas, indexing pages

• When you refresh and improve your main website copy, remember to review, update and add depth of value to your affiliate content too.
• Don’t have scraped, duplicate affiliate content on your website – make it unique, better than any other examples and something of value to your website audience.
• Doorway pages are a means to spam the search engine results pages (SERPs) with very thin content that target a very specific term or close group of terms with the purpose of sending this traffic to another website or destination.
• The truth is, duplicate content is the lesser of two evils here and it’s better to provide users with comprehensive product details – even if they’re the same or similar – than publishing pages with very little (albeit unique) content.
• Use canonical tags if you want Google to index one version of the same or very similar pages Focus on adding value beyond product descriptions: page speed, mobile optimization, navigation, etc.

10 Best Digital Marketing Strategies Startups Should Know (inc42.com) – Jun 28 2019

Topics: India, Email Marketing, Youtube, Startup, social media, popular influencers, web build, social media channel, digital marketing strategies

• Social Media Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Search Engine Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization
• Influencer Marketing
• Content Marketing
• YouTube Marketing
• Viral Marketing
• Referral Marketing
• Published On Top-Tier Publications
• In Conclusion

Important E-commerce SEO Tips That You Cannot Disregard | Blog Herald (blogherald.com) – Jul 01 2019

Topics: search engines, e-commerce store, title tags, Meta, consumer intent, social media signals, relevant sources, effective marketing strategy

• SEO is a cost-effective marketing strategy designed to help companies improve their visibility, awareness, exposure and credibility, among other things in the online world.
• This is the part that improves your visibility online and gives both consumers and search engines context to what your website is all about.
• This includes activities that will build awareness for your store, generate exposure and improve your credibility as a business.
• Although social media signals don’t contribute directly to SEO, it’s still important when engaging your customers, building reputation, awareness and exposure.
• The content you provide to customers, such as videos, product descriptions, articles, etc. is your most important SEO activity.

Ultimate Guide for Voice Search Optimization in 2019 – ReadWrite (readwrite.com) – Jul 01 2019

Topics: LA, featured snippet, Structured Data, search engine, voice search, SERP, Voice Search Optimization, voice queries

• It is also essential to understand that the variances between spoken and typed queries can lead to differences in SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) results.
• If you want to see your website rank as high as other voice searched optimized websites–use this guide to help you in your endeavor for voice search optimization on your site.
• Now that you know that typed and spoken searches will bring different results – optimizing your website for a traditional search won’t look similar as optimizing it for voice search.
• People may search for a particular website either to buy something or get some information.
• Having structured data in your website can assist your web pages to be seen in featured snippets and also in voice search results.

7 Best Alternatives to Yoast SEO WordPress Plugin (searchenginejournal.com) – Jun 26 2019

Topics: Rank Math, Meta, paid version, WordPress, paid ones, paid option, helpful features, meta titles

• 1. Rank Math
• 2. SEOPress
• 3.  All in One SEO Pack
• 4. SEOPressor
• 5. The SEO Framework
• 6. Premium SEO Pack
• 7. WP Meta SEO

Demystifying Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (martechadvisor.com)

Topics: search engine, Google, quality backlinks, Higher ranking, effective content marketing, useful and engaging content, optimization services, search engine bots

• SEO has been around for some time, but many people still don’t know that there is such a thing, and if they do, they are, at best, mystified by it.
• It’s easy to think that search engine optimization or SEO would be a household phrase by now.
• It stands for search engine optimization, and it’s all about the processes and strategies people use to rank higher in search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.
• When optimizing a website, SEOs fill it with signals like title tags, meta descriptions, and high-traffic keywords within the content that are meant to catch the attention of search engine bots-also referred to as spiders or crawlers-that crawl websites for these very signals.
• You are going to need all that when you’re boosting your site speed, creating title tags, making your site mobile-friendly, acquiring quality backlinks, developing useful and engaging content, and fulfilling many other ranking factors.