Why Would Someone Build Links For Me?
Is it normal to get weird links and would Google penalize your site for them? Discover the answer in this week’s Ask An SEO.
About
Ryan is the SEO lead at Razorfish where he works from early in the morning until late in the evening. He makes many calls and has many meetings. Ryan runs WTFSEO – an SEO parody blog and a couple of free SEO tools: ServerHeaders.com and SEODataViz
Articles
Let’s Talk About Microsites & Dips In Traffic: Ask An SEO
Are there issues specific to microsites we should consider when traffic drops? Ryan Jones answers for a reader in this edition of Ask An SEO.
Cut Through Any Bull With These 8 SEO Job Interview Questions
Struggling to assess your SEO job candidates? The secret is in the interview questions you ask!
Will Using A News Slider Affect My Site’s Optimization? Ask An SEO
Should you worry about your homepage sliders when it comes to SEO? Here are the factors you’ll want to consider.
Should You Submit Your Sitemap Every Month?
Do you need to submit XML sitemaps every month, or only when you make changes? How about HTML files? Discover the answers with Ryan Jones.
What Are The Top SEO Considerations For Merging Sites?
A lot can go wrong with site migrations and consolidation. In this Ask An SEO, you’ll find the most important considerations.
What Is a Google Broad Core Algorithm Update?
Understand how a Google Broad Core Update and similar updates impact your site rankings and what to prioritize in order to conquer them.
How Do I Deal With Large-Scale Pagination Issues?
In this Ask An SEO, Annika looks for guidance in dealing with enterprise pagination in a way that is both user and search engine-friendly.
How Do I Rank Better Internationally In One Or Many Countries?
An SEO expert answers two reader questions about ranking a website internationally – one in several countries, the other in one location.
Does Members-Only or Gated Content Have SEO Value?
Do you need to gate or paywall your content, and does it have any SEO value if you do? Here’s what you need to know.
How Does Web Hosting Affect SEO & Which One is Best?
Does web hosting impact your SEO, and which host is best? We go through the misinformation and get the facts straight here.
Top 8 Skills Every Great SEO Professional Needs to Succeed
Do you have what it takes to build a career in SEO? You’ll need certain skills to be successful. Learn what those skills are here.
Does Using a Dropdown Menu Negatively Impact Page Authority?
Navigation and menus can either improve the site or do it harm. Learn more about how your site’s navigation affects SEO.
Will Older & Outdated Articles Hurt My SEO?
How to treat old articles depends on what type they are and the value they add to users. Learn how to correctly handle them here.
No, These 15 Things Are Not Ranking Factors for Google
Are social signals, accessibility, XML sitemaps, content length, and more actually Google Search ranking factors? Here’s what you need to know.
How Important Are XML & Image Sitemaps To Google?
Confused about whether you need XML or image sitemaps and how important they are to Google? Learn more in this Ask An SEO column.
Why Search – and SEO – Is Important
The consumer journey is gradually playing a larger role in search. Users search to solve problems, to accomplish tasks, and “do” things.
Ask an SEO: 3 HTML & Coding Questions Answered
This lightning round edition answers 3 reader questions on HTML and coding issues. Learn about button text, how many links are too much, and more.
Do Incognito Searches Affect SEO or Rankings
What is incognito search and does it affect SEO ranking? Read more about it, what is CTR, and if either has an effect on ranking.
How Misspelled Keywords Affect SEO
Algorithms are constantly getting updated to give searchers the best user experience. Is using misspelled keywords still a valid strategy for SEO? Find out here.
When Should I Use a Canonical vs. a 301 Redirect?
Not sure when to use a 301 redirect vs. a canonical tag? Discover how to best use each method when managing duplicate content.
Should You Buy & Redirect Expired Domains?
Redirecting expired domains was a tried-and-true tactic in the old days SEO. But here’s why you shouldn’t count on it as an SEO tactic nowadays.
Can PageRank Predict the NHL Playoffs?
PageRank is really, really good at measuring the authority of webpages. But can it be used to predict the next NHL Stanley Cup champion?
Can an Automatic Reload Script Hurt SEO?
While reloading a script automatically doesn’t affect SEO, it’s still a bad idea overall. Here’s why it’s not worth the short-term revenue gains.
How to Deal with Paginated Pages
The web can be full of bad information about how to deal with pagination for SEO. This post attempts to clear some of that up.
How to Handle Low Inventory Pages on Ecommerce Sites
Should you noindex product pages with low inventory? If you noindex category pages, does that include the subcategories? Find out the answers here.
Why Is a Site with Ugly URLs Ranking Above Mine?
Here’s why a website with ugly URLs can rank higher in the SERPs and some URL structure best practices.
How Much More Effective Are Headings Than Formatted Text?
Search engines are now smart enough to realize what are headings or titles, even if we don’t explicitly tell them.
Does Google Favor .Gov & .Edu Sites?
While many .edu and .gov sites rank well, it likely isn’t because the domain is .edu or .gov.
Are Modal Popups Searchable?
Using a modal isn’t necessarily good or bad for SEO – it’s all about how it’s coded and implemented.