Last week Danny Sullivan twittered he was looking for a creative commons image to use. Christine Churchill poked a little fun at me wondering how I was able to get that so quickly. The trick is using search shortcuts, and I’m going to show you how to do it.
How to Build an Affiliate Website Google Doesn’t Hate
Post Updated: September 21, 2016 - By
In over a decade of working on websites I’ve see a lot of affiliate websites. Some were good but a lot were very bad. In this post, I’ll share my experiences about what I think Google is looking for and the common traits of things I’ve seen fail.
Are Search Engines Using ClickStream Data
Post Updated: August 20, 2016 - By
Recently there was a big kerfuffle over Bing copying Google results, Bing denying it, the Google FUD machine in full force, and some nice conspiracy theory about who is pulling the strings and why. While this makes for some exciting drama and fun twitter banter, there is some actionable information for SEO’s: paying attention to and using clickstream data.
How Google is Reverse Engineering Page Dates
Post Updated: August 18, 2016 - By
In recent weeks I’ve noticed a disturbing new trend in Google SERP’s: Google has become much more aggressive at trying to reverse engineer the publication date of a post/page.
HCards, Microformats and Address Data does it Matter for SEO
Post Updated: August 16, 2016 - By
A few weeks ago @etnainteractive asked me a question on twitter about HCards and Microformats, and do they matter for SEO. I’m going to explain what they are for those of you who don’t know what thay is. I’m also going to be taking a bigger look at address data and SEO implications.
25 Things I’d like to See Google Fix
Post Updated: August 14, 2016 - By
While I’m well known for being critical of many of the things Google does, I’m also a power user of site and many of their tools. Being a power user gives me a unique insight to see some areas these tools could be improved. This post is written in the spirit of constructive criticism, since I know my posts sometimes … [Continue reading 25 Things I’d like to See Google Fix]
Dear Matt Cutts, What We Have is a Failure to Communicate
Post Updated: August 13, 2016 - By
Dear Matt Cutts, I know you and I don’t always see eye to eye on everything, but I think we’ve got enough of a working relationship that I feel comfortable saying, that the way the brand update/ Vince change, went down could have been better. Indulge me while I make an analogy to prove a point.
How to Turn Off Personalized Search in Google Chrome
Post Updated: August 4, 2016 - By
With the impending arrival of Google OS I’ve been spending more time in Google Chrome, and figuring out how to customize things to my liking. Here’s a tip on how to turn off personalized search in Google Chrome.
Google Throws Publishers Under Bus with Prerendering of Pages
Post Updated: July 23, 2016 - By
Google recently announced they will start to pre-render pages in Chrome to “improve the user experience.” IMHO this represents nothing more than the latest effort by Google to throw publishers under the bus to gain market share for one of their products and ultimately give them more data about their users to better target their advertising.
Google Suggest – Broken and Filled with Porn and Children
Post Updated: July 20, 2016 - By
In recent weeks Google has been launching a higher than usual amount of new products. Many will say they are moving in the wrong direction. Many of these products appear to have been launched without fully considering the weaknesses they will have to spam. Instead of rushing “shiny new cat toys” out the door that keep their developers happy and … [Continue reading Google Suggest – Broken and Filled with Porn and Children]
How Google Continues to Kill Organic Results
Post Updated: July 17, 2016 - By
As someone who has been involved in the search industry for over a decade, one of the things that really bothers me is how Google is slowly but inevitably taking all of the “above the fold” organic search result space and giving it to paid results, Google web properties, and to the Google Knowledge graph.
How I Got Lost Using Google Maps and the iPhone
Post Updated: July 15, 2016 - By
Over the years chances are you’ve seen stories about Google Maps or similar services sending people off course, sometimes by hundreds of miles. When you use any of the mapping or GPS services you always have to use common sense, but I’ve always wondered if this happens because these people maybe aren’t the most technologically savvy people out there. However … [Continue reading How I Got Lost Using Google Maps and the iPhone]
Personalized Google News – Will That be on the Test
Post Updated: July 13, 2016 - By
For a moment, I’d like you to think back to high school. Remember how there was always that one kid who would raise their hand and ask the question “Will that be on the test?” Now, thanks to Personalized Google News, we have the answer.
Case Study: I Listened to Google and I Failed
Post Updated: July 10, 2016 - By
This is a post of why natural link building seems to be no longer working, despite Google not admitting that. I don’t know how many times Google have said: “Produce great content and if users find it useful, they’ll recommend and link to you.” But Google, how do I get these people to even come through your engine? “Produce great … [Continue reading Case Study: I Listened to Google and I Failed]
How Google is Filled With Hypocrisy and Will Steal Your Intellectual Property
Post Updated: July 3, 2016 - By
If there is one thing Google is good at, it’s framing themselves and their actions as being “good for the user” and for the benefit of others while playing down how their actions are self-serving. However, those of us who have been around the block a few times know that Google plays fast and loose with rules, employing them when … [Continue reading How Google is Filled With Hypocrisy and Will Steal Your Intellectual Property]
How Google Profiles SEO’s
Post Updated: June 29, 2016 - By
At SMX one of the more contentious subjects was the debate over Google’s Android Phone giveaway, and demonstration that they are in practice profiling SEO’s.
How Google’s Javascript Bot Can Kill Your Website
Post Updated: June 27, 2016 - By
In recent years due to developers misguided attempts to make the web a more interesting place with things like JavaScript and Ajax, search engines have had to come up with new tools to make the content that’s hidden behind these technologies accessible. While I’m sure the people at the Googleplex have nothing but the best intentions behind developing these advanced … [Continue reading How Google’s Javascript Bot Can Kill Your Website]
How Google Plans to Steal More of Your Traffic
Post Updated: June 24, 2016 - By
At the SMX Advanced Conference in June of 2014, Danny Sullivan had a Question and Answer session with Matt Cutts. During this session, Matt did a live search demo that, in my opinion, demonstrated that Google wants to take the search traffic it’s currently sending to other websites and keep it for themselves.
How to Get Reviews For Your Website
Post Updated: June 22, 2016 - By
Reviews are an extremely powerful asset for many websites. They can provide a continual stream of fresh, new, and unique content that is good for the users, which is ultimately what everyone wants. However, there are some upsides and downsides to reviews, and there is the big hurdle of figuring out how to get reviews and integrate them. In this … [Continue reading How to Get Reviews For Your Website]
Serendipity … It’s What’s Missing From Personalized Search
Post Updated: June 22, 2016 - By
I’ve spoken in the past about my concerns with Google’s personalized search. Last week I came across an article in Mashable that summed up my problem: It’s the lack of serendipity.
