Facebook just announced Graph Search. I posted my initial thoughts to Tumblr. Here’s the gist of that post. There are a few things you can search, including people, photos and places. Searches are going to be along the lines of “people who like bikes in Brooklyn” and “cities my friends have visited.” What this means is that the “like”...
A client recently asked me how they could analyze their backlink profile for weak links. It’s an important exercise, especially with recent changes to Google’s algorithm, specifically the Penguin update which aimed to decrease the ranking of sites participating in link schemes, among other things. Option #1 Webmaster Tools Use Google Webmaster tools and spot...
In the face of naysayers who predict the death of SEO, the search engine optimization industry is advancing according to research by Search Engine Watch. As more and more business is done online, companies seek greater online visibility and are looking to SEOs to deliver. Investments are being made both in-house and to third-party agencies....
Google recently announced an exact match domain (EMD) algorithm update intended to ensure low-quality EMDs do not rank well in Google search results. Matt Cutts tweeted that the update would “impact 0.6% of English-US queries to a noticeable degree.” So far, the update has had a heavy-handed impact on websites that have built their SEO...
If you’re not familiar with Facebook as a social marketing platform, here’s a brief introduction to how it works. Marketers get a hint of what Facebook users are interested in based on what they “Like” and measure the value of their campaigns by a very nontraditional metric called engagement. The belief being that engagement drives...
Here’s a bit of Google geekiness to start your day. RankPanel.com just published this post on Google search parameters in 2012. In it, the writer discusses how complex Google search URLs are as opposed to some other websites due to Google’s intricate filters and the way it passes user data from one page to the...
In its latest move to get small businesses on board with Google+, Google has updated many of its online network’s features and begun replacing Google Places in search results. According to Google’s Marissa Mayer, the company has already replaced 80 million Google Places pages with Google+ Local pages, and many more replacements are expected within...
We all know that the Penguin and Panda updates are designed to push Webmasters away from relying on SEO tricks and towards creating more relevant content. So if Google is de-indexing free directories that SEOs and webmasters have often used to artificially build links, it would not come as much surprise. Google has made it clear...
Well, except PageRank. But PageRank and history are intertwined of course. Still most businesses will never achieve PageRank 9 status, nor have a PageRank 9 page confer its authority upon them. In short, unless you’re the likes of Facebook, Apple and other big timers and can easily confer your existing authority to a new website,...
Implementing canonical links on your website is important for SEO. Specifying the canonical link for a webpage lets Google know which version of a page and specifically which URL is preferred. It’s not quite a directive, but it’s a very strong hint that Google tends to honor in terms of which page you want to...
Microsoft has decided to invest $300 million into Barnes & Noble, makers of the Nook, tablet to create a new subsidiary. While the details are being worked out, the so-called “Newco” (a placeholder until they think of a name) sounds like a spinoff of Barnes & Noble’s Nook digital media business, which includes e-books, textbooks, and...
Google is on the hunt for bad SEO tactics. This week Google announced the new webspam algorithm to detect keyword stuffing, link spam and spun content. Many in the SEO industry are rallying to offer up advice for webmasters who have witnessed their websites disappear from search results due to Google’s algorithm updates, including Search Engine Watch writer Adam...
