How Do I Build Links?

Links can be built internally, by linking two of your own pages together, or externally, by connecting links with content from other websites. Of the two, external link building is decidedly more complex but can result in better domain authority. To build internal links, all someone needs to do is include the URL of one page in either the site’s menu or within the content of a page. This allows users, as well as Google, to understand the relationship between different pages on a site. As for external link building, look for authoritative figures in related industries who would benefit from linking your content on their website, and inquire about building a connection of links.

How is SEO Different from Paid Ads?

SEO, or organic results, differs from paid ads, or Pay-Per-Click, in two main ways. First, the position of organic results differs from ad results on a search engine results page (SERP). Ad results always appear at the very top and very bottom of the SERP. On average, around 2-3 will populate in these spots depending on the search. Organic results appear in between the paid ads. The second biggest difference is the cost of visitor traffic. PPC ads have a pre-determined cost that the site owner must pay Google each time a user clicks on one of their ads. Organic traffic, on the other hand, has no direct costs associated with the number of visitors that click on their site.

Why Does a 404 or Technical Error Affect Rankings?

404’s and other technical errors are a common and unavoidable occurrence on the internet. Typically, having a few 404 errors will not impact a site’s rankings in any significant way. However, if a site has too many 404 errors, search engines may develop a negative impression of the site and stop indexing this site’s pages. This can result in two serious issues: loss of traffic volume and dead links. Visitor traffic is one important factor in SERP rankings, and a considerable decrease can drop a site’s rankings by a large amount. 404 pages also do not pass on backlink authority, so any quality links from a page that 404’s will no longer contribute to the site’s authority and hurt rankings as well.

Does Social Media Affect SEO Actual Rankings?

Social media can affect SEO actual rankings but not directly. Google has stated in 2014 that direct social signals, such as likes and shares through social media platforms, does not affect actual rankings on the search engine results page (SERP). What social media can do, however, is be an amplifier for other important SEO factors, such as backlinks, click-through rate (CTR) and content quality and authority. Producing high-quality, consistent content that receives attention through the various social media platforms allows for better online visibility for your brand, and subsequently, your website. This helps create more backlinks if your content is being shared, and more visits to your website directly from a social post.

Google News Archives

Google Retires Web Light Webpage Transcoding

Last December, Google announced its plans to retire the seven-year-old Web Light service, stating that it is no longer useful. Launched in 2015, the service allowed users with low-end devices or slow connections to access the Internet faster. How does...

Google Launches Visual Guide to Search Elements

Are you curious about the different types of elements that can appear on a Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP)? Good news! Google has just launched a visual guide to help you understand the most common search results features. Elements...

E-E-A-T: Google Adds Experience to Search Quality Rating Guidelines

Google recently updated its Quality Rater Guidelines (QRG), officially incorporating experience as a key factor. Outlined in a 176-page document, the guidelines provide instructions for how their search raters will examine the quality of websites. These suggestions are meant to...

No More Core Updates This Year, Says Google

According to a Google official, it does not appear Google will be rolling out another core update this year. In 2022, Google rolled out multiple core updates, including the May 2022 Core Update and September 2022 Core Update, which significantly...

Google Pushes Universal Analytics 360 Sunset to 2024

Google Analytics is a web service offered by Google to track and report traffic insights and measurements from your websites or apps. It has officially announced it will be extending the transition from Universal Analytics 360 to Google Analytics 4...

Google Publishes Guide to Current & Retired Ranking Systems

Previously, learning about Google updates required a bit of searching around through Google’s blog, Twitter, and other platforms. Additionally, the terminology they used when describing new systems and the updates to those systems used the same word – “update” –...

Google Updates to Improve User Experience Through Content

These days, there's always a new update to learn. No matter the software, it's a constant cycle of learning what's new and changing. For Google, updates are all done with the same purpose: To improve user experience by focusing on...

Google’s Helpful Content System Update: A Global Expansion

Google has recently begun rolling out an update to its helpful content system, the first significant update to this system since it was launched in August 2022. This update, which impacts all languages, adds new signals and brings the helpful...

Google’s December 2022 Link Spam Update: What You Need to Know

In December 2022, Google released a new update targeted at reducing link spam in search results. Dubbed the "December 2022 link spam update," this global update is expected to take around two weeks to fully roll out and will affect...

Google Business Profile Photo Insights Will Go Away

Joy Hawkins, a Google top contributor, confirmed on Friday that Google will not be migrating the Google Business Profile Photo Insights to the new performance dashboard in search. The Insights section is the Google Business Profile photo analytics section. In...