Britney Muller says, “I understand why content marketers may avoid SEO: it seems complicated and time-consuming. But I’ve got good news. Today, you’ll learn why content marketers like you are well-positioned to use SEO tactics — possibly even more so than *cough* an SEO like me. Keyword research doesn’t have to be a marathon. A brisk, 30-minute walk can provide incredibly useful insights. Even though keyword research benefits may not be obvious, the work you perform will help connect you to a wider audience on a deeper level. Discovering how many people (a month) search for something,... [...]

Shannon Matthews says, “For many businesses and marketers, writing and publishing content on their own website—and guest articles and posts on others—is at the top of their priority lists. A major goal of producing great content is getting on the first page of Google search results. Unfortunately, with millions of search queries per minute, it’s not that easy. And Google is constantly changing its algorithms, which means you have to work harder to get noticed by the right people at the right time. Fortunately, search engine optimization (SEO) can help. Here are a few stats to keep... [...]

Adam Dorfman says, “A year ago, I wrote in Search Engine Land about how Google is making entities smarter. Since that time, entities have become more important to Google — which means they are more important to businesses that want to be found on Google. It’s time for brands to get better acquainted with entities and why they matter. What are entities, and how have they shaped Google search? An entity, as defined by Google in a recent patent, is: [a] thing or concept that is singular, unique, well-defined and distinguishable. For example, an entity may be a person, place, item, idea,... [...]

Julia McCoy says, “Once upon a time, search engines were robotic, mechanical, and mathematical. However, Google’s algorithm standards have since become much more focused on what those searching for information really want. As such, user intent is the key to creating the content that enhances the relevance of your pages and improves your SEO.  Neil Patel describes “user intent” as the goal someone has in mind when typing a query into Google. In some cases, the intent is to purchase something. For others, it’s to find information or make a connection with a company or an individual”. Why... [...]

Jerod Morris says, “That was my initial reaction when we all agreed that March would be SEO month here at Copyblogger. At which point, of course, I knew I’d have to write about it. “Look, I just create useful content for people. Do that, get it read, get it shared, get links, have good hosting and fast page-load times … and productive search engine results will follow, right? I mean, what else is there to say?” Turns out, plenty. Keyword research is more fundamental to your content marketing strategy than you may think. Also, you may already be making fatal optimization mistakes.... [...]

Antony Maina says, “Over the years, there has been so much debate about how links, both outbound and inbound, can affect a website’s Google ranking. So it’s not surprising that recently another question has been making the rounds. What’s the SEO Impact of Linking to Wikipedia Pages? Recently, Jon Tromans, a Twitter user, asked webmaster trends analyst at Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) John Mueller whether websites can be penalized for linking to Wikipedia, the well-known online, community edited encyclopedia. While some people might not think that Troman’s concern is a valid one, remember... [...]

Jeremy Gottlieb says, “SEO — you know, that thing you do whereby everyone and their mother will find your site on the web. Easy, right? “Can you SEO this page for me?” or “We’re about to launch a webinar. Can you SEO-ify it, please?” I’m sure most of you reading this can probably relate to these types of questions and the ensuing pressure from bosses or clients. If you’re lucky, you work in a realm where there’s plenty of search volume to chase, featured snippets to occupy, and answer boxes to solve. But what about those who work in the low-search volume niches typically... [...]

Janet Driscoll Miller says, “I often teach classes on SEO, and I start my presentations off by talking about keywords. When it comes to organic search, keywords form the foundation of all of our SEO efforts. What search queries do we want our websites to show up for in search results? Everything in SEO really ties back to this fundamental pillar. The importance of effective keyword research is certainly not lost on marketers. In a November 2016 survey, Ascend2 found that keyword research was one of the top SEO tactics, but more than a third of respondents indicated that it was a difficult... [...]

Brian Childs says, “There’s a huge difference between making money from selling SEO and actually making a living — or making a difference, for that matter. A new marketing agency will quickly discover that surviving on $1,000 contracts is challenging. It takes time to learn the client and their customers, and poorly written contracts can lead to scope creep and dissatisfied clients. It’s common for agencies to look for ways to streamline operations to assist with scaling their business, but one area you don’t want to streamline is the proposal research process. I actually... [...]

Kevin George says, ” Navigating the web these days can make a person feel like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. There’s so much to be seen here that — until somewhat recently — was fairly unheard of. And we don’t know what’s good or bad. It’s as if we’re constantly coming across a new cast of characters and are forced to ask, “Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?” Replace the word “witch” with “bot,” and you might be summing up the modern digital landscape. There’s a lot of talk about AI, but it can be confusing. Is it helpful, or harmful?... [...]