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 Updates a Help Center Article

Google has updated their help documents page in the Google Business Profile support section to say that Google values all reviews, both positive and negative. Google says businesses are considered more trustworthy when customers see a mix of both positive...

What You Need to Know About Google’s Largest Local Algorithm Update in 5 Years

There have been quite a few Google algorithm updates in the last few years, affecting both local, paid, and organic aspects of the search engine. The ‘Vicinity Update’ is the largest local algorithm update to occur in the last five...

Google Announces New Software Updates to Refine its Device Integrations

Google has announced 13 new upcoming software features that will be released throughout 2022. These updates are the beginning of Google's 2022 initiative "Better Together." This initiative focuses on device integration and creating a Google ecosystem, which includes numerous quality...

Users Report “Untitled” Spam Websites in Google’s Search Results

Over the past few days, Google users have reported an interesting new number of “untitled” links towards the top of Google’s search results. When clicked, these sites send users to spam websites. The fake “untitled” results in these search queries...

What to Know About Google’s November Broad Core Update

Google has recently completed the rollout of their November 2021 core update. This update is Google’s latest broad core algorithm update, the third of 2021. Broad core algorithm updates are general updates to the overall algorithm that adjusts how content...

Google Announces 5 New Revisions to the Quality Rater Guidelines

Google recently released an updated version of its Quality Rater Guidelines, with five important revisions. These extensive guidelines are used by third-party search quality raters to rate websites and provide Google with feedback. This feedback is what influences Google algorithm...

Google Publishes New Help Documents on Controlling Titles and Descriptions in Search

There have been some recent developments at Google that will help marketers better control Google Search results. To this end, Google released two new documents that provide guidance into these changes and what marketers can do to make the most...

Google Business Profile Removes Site Manager User Role

Google Business Profile (GBP) has long been structured to include (1) owner, (2) manager, and (3) site manager roles, each carrying varying levels of responsibility. Now, however, that is all changing. Google has recently announced that starting October 24, 2021, the...

Google Announces Rollout of Continuous Scroll on Mobile

We are excited to share a new feature that Google has been rolling out in the US throughout the month of October: the continuous scroll of English searches on mobile devices. Otherwise known as the “infinite scroll,” this new feature...

Google Search Results Have Been More Volatile in 2021

According to new data from Semrush, Google's search results have been over 85% more volatile on mobile and 68% more volatile on desktop in 2021. There were even certain high volatility days throughout the year that showed more than a...