Optimizing Websites for Search Engines: Revisiting the Basics

I like to revisit the basic strategies one can utilize to optimize their website for search engines every few months or so. One of the reasons I like to do this is that things change, namely the search engines and what is factored in to their ranking algorithms, and it is necessary to account for those changes and make adjustments on the fly. With that in mind, there are also a number of basic on-site and off-site elements one needs to know as he or she attacks the problem of how best to optimize their site so it can rank well in the search engine results pages (SERPs). No matter how much things change, the basics remain constant, and ensuring that they are worked in to the process a must. Let's recap exactly what those basics are.

Rand Fishkin Questions Matt Cutts' Statement Regarding Encrypted Searches

Rand Fishkin has (albeit indirectly) appropriately called out Matt Cutts via Twitter - and because Rand garners the sort of respect throughout the SEO community, Cutts actually responded. As many of you know, and as I discussed earlier this month, Google is encrypting searches for those that are signed in to a Google account. As a result, the keyword data for these individuals is no longer available within the Google Analytics reports. Regardless of what Google's intentions were for doing this (was it truly to address privacy concerns?), Cutts had stated that the number of people searching online while signed in only makes up a single-digit percentage of the total number of searchers. And because of that, the implication was that it shouldn't have a negative impact on running a search marketing campaign as the keyword data lost would be minimal. 

On-Page SEO Ranking Factors Update: A Fresh Take

Over the years, there have been a number of on-page SEO factors utilized to better optimize a web page for the search engine results pages (SERPs). Many of those on-page factors still play a prominent role in whether or not a page ranks well for the keywords that are being targeted. However, there has been a lot of debate as to which on-page factors are most important for ranking, how strong an influence each particular factor actually has on rankings, and what factors if any are no longer incorporated in to Google's ranking algorithm. My goal is to revisit these strategies, clear the air regarding which strategies are the most important, and make best-practice recommendations as to how each can be implemented.

Sponsored Reviews: Paid Link Forum Review

Sponsored Reviews is a forum that webmasters can access to find paid link opportunities. Back in June, I wrote a review on Digital Point, perhaps the most popular paid links forum, and since then have had some requests to give my input on Sponsored Reviews as well. As I always do when discussing paid links, it is necessary to point out that Google is not a fan of paid links, and if you are overdoing it, there is some risk involved a la JCPenney and Overstock.com. While we know that buying links at times can be necessary depending on the industry and particular keyword phrase one is trying to rank for, it is best to respect the process and ensure that the links you are paying for are placed on related (and quality) websites. With that in mind, let's discuss some of the positive and negative factors associated with using Sponsored Reviews.

Google Now Hiding Keyword Data in Analytics

If you are signed in to a Google account, such as Gmail or Google+, and executing searches online, those searches will be encrypted moving forward. Google made this announcement on October 18th, sending the SEO community in to somewhat of an overblown frenzy. For those using Google Analytics, this means that the search query that person used to locate and eventually land on the website in question will no longer be available in the Keyword Report (assuming they are signed in). And while there is no doubting the fact that the loss of this data will create a few issues for SEOs and webmasters alike, Google has estimated that this should only effect 10% of the data compiled within Analytics. For now, I think it is worth addressing a few questions that have flooded the blogosphere, such as, "why did Google do this?" and "is this fair?"

Google Analytics (New Version) & SEO Reports

Google has added SEO reporting to the new version of Google Analytics, which is currently in testing mode but accessible to anyone with an analytics account. Going against the traditional grain of holding their card close to their proverbial chest, it seems that Google to some capacity is making it easier for SEO professionals, webmasters, and company owners to analyze their campaigns and make adjustments based off of such analysis. Regardless of how these reports will be altered moving forward before Google eliminates the old version of analytics, this is certainly a step in the right direction regarding the oft tense relationship between search engines and the SEO industry.