Carla Dawson says, “SEO is a concept that has been around for years and some universities have incorporated it into the curricula. A while back, I posted this question on Moz and noticed some very strong opinions on the idea that SEO should be part of formal education. Search Engine Journal also posted an article on the idea that SEO should not be taught in universities. We (I co-wrote this post with Aleksej Heinze, who also currently teaches SEO) obviously believe SEO should be taught in higher education and got together to discuss how it benefits the SEO industry and how SEO can be incorporated... [...]

Molly Hoffmeister says, “Search Engine Optimization. For the somewhat-less-than-technically-inclined among us, it can sound a little intimidating. But if you tune out and start daydreaming the minute that someone brings up the concept of “spiders” crawling your website (interesting mental image, I know) and assume it’s a topic better left to your engineering department, your marketing will suffer. After all, search engine optimization, or SEO, is the cornerstone of inbound marketing; if you’re creating a ton of educational content to draw in prospects but not ensuring that it can... [...]

Paul Rogers says, “I was recently asked for advice on the best course of action for discontinued products for an ecommerce site and whether you should follow Google’s previous advice to let the pages 404. I decided to write this piece up because it’s something that’s talked about a lot, but rarely written about. I’m half suggesting people to question bits of it, as it’s an area that is, in my opinion, pretty subjective. In this specific scenario, the website was a very large fashion retailer, meaning that products are frequently discontinued (with no intention of bringing them back)... [...]

Paddy Morgan says, “Building the types of links that help grow your online business and organic search traffic is getting harder. It used to be fairly straightforward, back before Google worked out how to treat links with different levels of quality and trust. However, the fact that it’s getting harder doesn’t mean that it’s dead. What does the future hold? I’m going to talk about links, but the truth is, the future isn’t really about the links. It is far bigger than that”. The Future of Link Building MOZ Blog  [...]

Erik Devaney says, “You might remember analyzing that oft-quotedRomeo & Juliet line in high school English class. And I’m guessing you thought it was actually, “What’s in a name?” (Common mistake; I won’t hold it against you.) Contrary to what actual Shakespearean scholars will tell you, this quote is not about arguing that names have no inherent bearing on the true essence or quality of a person or thing (a reference, of course, to the feuding Montague and Capulet families and the strain these names are putting on Romeo and Juliet’s budding romance). Nope.... [...]

Russ Jones says, “I wish I didn’t have to say this. I wish I could look in the eyes of every victim of the last Panda 4.1 update and tell them it was something new, something unforeseeable, something out of their control. I wish I could tell them that Google pulled a fast one that no one saw coming. But I can’t. Like many in the industry, I have been studying Panda closely since its inception. Google gave us a rare glimpse behind the curtain by providing us with the very guidelines they set in place to build their massive machine-learned algorithm which came to be known as Panda.... [...]

Pete Prestipino says, “Just how important is it that your website appear atop the search results? Digital marketing and integrated advertising company Mediative recently published a new eye-tracking study which shows the new areas of the Google SERPs which are attracting the attention of users. Researchers at Mediative, who conducted a similar study back in 2005, identified how the “scanning” behavior of users has changed in the past decade as Google’s own search results pages have changed. The current study explores where on the SERP users look and click the most, providing... [...]

Allison Howen says, “Humans are highly visual creatures. In fact, a large part of our brain is devoted to visual processing, and scientific research abounds about how visual imagery helps us cut through the information clutter and process data more efficiently. Armed with this knowledge, it’s no wonder that Web designers and digital marketers make ample use of visuals on websites. The power of visual imagery has a downside, however, that is often overlooked: Photos can kill conversions”. Improve Images to Improve Conversions Website Magazine  [...]

Yael Grauer says, “You may have read our posts praising the virtues of creating engaging content, and heard us extol the importance of responding to reader or customer feedback and making appropriate adjustments. You may also know a bit about quality backlinks and using the correct header tags, sourcing images legally, and creating compelling headlines. Today we’re going to take a look at five thing your business should stop doing if you want to make sure you have killer Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Take a look at our list of faux pas and make sure to steer clear of these big mistakes. 1.... [...]

Rand Fishkin says, “It’s been 10 amazing years since Rand started the blog that would turn into SEOmoz and then Moz, and we never could have come this far without you all. You’ll find letters of appreciation from Rand and Sarah in this post (along with a super-cool video retrospective!), and from all of us at Moz, thank you!”. Thank You for 10 Incredible Years MOZ Blog  [...]