Yesterday, Yoast Academy released a new and improved Basic SEO course. But wait, didn’t Yoast release a free SEO for beginners course just a couple of months ago? Yes, we did. So what’s the difference? Doesn’t the SEO for beginners training also cover the basics? Why should you pay for access to the Basic SEO course if you can get all the good stuff for free? Great questions. I’ll tell you exactly what sets the two courses apart and why Basic SEO perfectly complements SEO for beginners. What is the key difference between the courses? Essentially, the SEO for beginners training answers the “what is…” question, and the Basic SEO training answers the “how do I…” question. The free course is theoretical, the Basic SEO course is very practical. In the SEO for beginners course, for instance, you learn what keywords and keyword research are. In the Basic SEO course, we give you a step-by-step plan for a good keyword research … [Read more...] about Basic SEO training / SEO for beginners: What’s the difference? • Yoast
Google John Mueller: Keyword Stuffing Should Not Warrant Removal From Index
Google's John Mueller said on Twitter that he doesn't believe things like keyword stuffing should lead a site or page to be removed from the Google search index. He said "IMO keyword stuffing shouldn't result in removal from the index."This is after someone pointed out a page doing this technique and he said instead Google can just ignore the keyword stuffed words, like they are not there. He said "we can ignore boring keyword stuffing," which he added was "popular in the 90's; search engines have a lot of practice here," Here is the example: John responded: John Mueller said this before, when we discussed their two pronged approach to spam - devalue the content or demote the page. He gave the exact example of keyword stuffing here saying in that video: So for example, with keyword stuffing, if we can recognize that a page is doing keyword stuffing and we can just ignore the keyword stuff part and focus on rest, then that for us is also kind of a reasonable approach. Because we … [Read more...] about Google John Mueller: Keyword Stuffing Should Not Warrant Removal From Index
Google: Using The Meta Keywords Tag Won’t Cause A Search Penalty
We know that Google says you can spam and stuff the meta keywords tag all you want, it won't cause a penalty because Google simply ignore the meta keywords tag. Thus, it is pretty obvious that using the meta keywords tag with real keywords relevant to the page is also not going to cause any sort of penalty.But someone wanted to be sure that having a meta keywords tag on your page would not cause a Google penalty. Gary Illyes from Google said don't worry, it won't cause a penalty. He said on Twitter no, it won't cause a penalty and added "but also not used for anything." So feel free to go crazy with the meta keywords tag, that is, if you don't care about other search engines that may use them or not - such as Bing.Forum discussion at Twitter. … [Read more...] about Google: Using The Meta Keywords Tag Won’t Cause A Search Penalty
Google Assistant Gets More Natural “Continued Conversation”
Google announced yesterday that they have upgraded the Google Assistant to hold a conversation with you in a more natural way with "Continued Conversation." Continued Conversation basically does what it sounds like, you can be talking to it and not have to say "Okay Google" to trigger yet another question and answer response.So you can start it off by saying "Okay Google" or "Hey Google" and ask it repeated questions without having to say "Hey Google" before each question. Google wrote:With Continued Conversation turned on, after you ask the Assistant a question, you can ask a follow-up, set a reminder, or add something to your shopping list without having to say “Hey Google” each time. You can say “thank you” or “stop” once you’re done, or we’ll end the conversation once we detect that you’re no longer talking to the Assistant. You’ll still need to activate your Assistant devices with “Ok Google,” “Hey … [Read more...] about Google Assistant Gets More Natural “Continued Conversation”
Google Search For Your Account Privacy & Security Settings
Google announced yesterday they are rolling out on Android now and iOS later a new and improved way to manage your Google Account. Google said new "features to more easily navigate your account, more prominent security and privacy options, and detailed summaries of relevant information associated with it - like your personal info, your devices, payment methods, purchases, subscriptions, reservations, and contacts."The cool thing is that Google even now lets you search to find things that you want to manage. Often you can't find the right thing you are looking for and you can spend a lot of time navigating around the site trying to find the right setting, this search feature helps you quickly locate what setting you are looking for.There is a lot more detail of what has changed and what is changing over here.Forum discussion at Twitter. … [Read more...] about Google Search For Your Account Privacy & Security Settings
Octavia E. Butler Google Doodle
Today on Google's home page in the United States is a special Google Doodle, logo, for Octavia E. Butler, the American science fiction writer. She was born 71 years ago today on June 22, 1947in Pasadena, California and passed at the young age of 58 on February 24, 2006 in Lake Forest Park, Washington.Octavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction writer who won the Hugo and Nebula awards both in 1995 and she became the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. She has won dozens of awards over her lifetime.Her father died when she was only seven, she was raised by her mother and maternal grandmother. Google wrote:Born in Pasadena in 1947, her extreme shyness, tall build, and mild dyslexia all contributed to young Butler’s social anxiety, which led to her spending a significant amount of time in the local library. There, she discovered her love for science fiction. When her mother bought her a typewriter at the age of ten, Butler also discovered … [Read more...] about Octavia E. Butler Google Doodle
Google #ThisIsFamily Pride Booth
Here is a photo of from the GooglePlex where they set up a booth of some sorts, that shows a house and a rainbow picket fence for pride month. I am not sure if the booth is still up or if this is an old photo, but it is super bright and colorful.This was shared on Instagram.This post is part of our daily Search Photo of the Day column, where we find fun and interesting photos related to the search industry and share them with our readers. … [Read more...] about Google #ThisIsFamily Pride Booth
Is this the Retail Apocalypse? No! So, stop blaming Millennials for stores closing
Napoleon famously didn’t see the British as a threat because, in his words, we are “nation of shopkeepers.” And it’s safe to say that we do love shopping. So why are big brands like Toys-R-Us, Maplin, BHS, and New Look being forced to close stores? The media seems to consistently blame one major culprit: Millennials. However, millennials are not to blame for the fall of these big retail brands. And here’s how I know. Millennials shop in actual stores Millennials prefer real life stores! I thought the opposite when I started my research for this piece but it’s true! Crazy right? Not when you think about. Millennials grew up with Amazon, Facebook, and Instagram, so they have had ample opportunity to shop online. But as we can see from the Forbes study cited above, their behaviour is not much different from that of other, older consumers. It seems millennials like the way stores allow us to try before we buy, pick up a bargain, browse similar items, or, … [Read more...] about Is this the Retail Apocalypse? No! So, stop blaming Millennials for stores closing
7 of the Best Customer Engagement Strategies to Foster Your Brand’s Growth
An established brand is one that has a lot of returning customers who have developed brand loyalty. So if your brand is going to grow, you will need to win your customers’ loyalty by engaging them. The more engaged your customers are with your brand, the more likely they are to keep returning to you. In the end, they will develop some form of loyalty and contribute to your brand’s growth. This post is going to provide you with a few effective strategies to engage your customers and help your brand grow. Let’s take a look: #1: Add Individuality to Micro-Content When you present your brand with its own personality, you have a better chance of engaging with your customers. That is because it will make them feel like they are talking to an actual human rather than just another brand. So they will be more keen to interact with you on an emotional level and listen to what you have to say. That’s why it’s important that you add individuality even to your … [Read more...] about 7 of the Best Customer Engagement Strategies to Foster Your Brand’s Growth
A Synergy of Bits and Brains Focuses on Your Business’ Core Values to Generate Growth
share tweet share pin it e-mail share At Searchmetrics, the software we produce to help customers rank online is as important as the people on our team who can help you make sense of it all. As we launch the new Searchmetrics Digital Strategies Group, we talked to Jordan Koene, one of our leading consultants and SEO strategists, about the state of content marketing and the current conditions and challenges modern marketers face. In this Pulse, we dive into what he’s learned from working with our clients to get the best out of our Searchmetrics Content Experience and Searchmetrics Search Experience software. How well is digital marketing generally established today? Jordan: This generally varies by industry. For tech-focused or online-driven companies, the practice of digital marketing is well-established. One of the challenges facing these organizations is finding the right talent to continue driving digital … [Read more...] about A Synergy of Bits and Brains Focuses on Your Business’ Core Values to Generate Growth