One of the biggest changes in SEO is now underway. And it’s going to affect every business with a website. If that includes you – read on. Some time ago I wrote about Google’s plans for a mobile-first index. At the time I wrote that “this is something that you’re going to have to do sooner or later“. Well, it … Read More
SEO tools: the best free, best paid and best avoided
There are more SEO tools out there than stars in the sky. Or at least it feels that way. The reason for this is a simple but seductive dream: The right SEO tool can save you time, save you money, increase your web traffic, bring you more sales and cut down your working day to a few hours. What’s not … Read More
The best SEO tool – free, reliable and certified by Google
I don’t want to brag, but I think I’ve used almost every SEO tool that’s out there. Over the years I’ve been dazzled by ahrefs, screaming frog, sitebulb, xenu, web position gold (I’m old), website auditor, Moz, the link assistant tools, citation labs, serps, long tail pro, ubersuggest and a fair number of others. I’m not linking to all of … Read More
Google penalty checker – don’t panic!
Before you skim and move on, read the next paragraph. This post contains information that you’re almost certainly going to need at some point in the future. So even if you don’t read it all now, I’d suggest bookmarking it, or putting a copy of it somewhere safe. It could save you from a great deal of stress and pain. … Read More
https vs http – the debate is over
You know how you sometimes read SEO blog posts that are useful, and even brighten your day a little? This isn’t one of those. Sorry. In fact there’s a reasonable chance that you’re not going like what you find here. But please don’t shoot the messenger. Google are starting to get more serious about the security of your website. At least … Read More
Great keyword blunders
Keywords don’t hurt businesses. Using them incorrectly, however, well that’s a different matter. Using the wrong keywords in AdWords means wasting ad spend. This isn’t ideal, but assuming you’re monitoring the results, you should be able nip it in the bud. And experimentation is a healthy part of the AdWords process, so it’s really not the end of the world. Using … Read More
Don’t join my list of SEO pain
This post could save you many thousands in lost revenue. If you know me, you might not be surprised to know that I track more or less everything. Spending, weather, sleep, exercise (or lack of), mood, music, daylight, exchange rates and more. I know it’s not always a healthy obsession, but at least I track that too! Which is why I can … Read More
The deadly dangers of riding big waves
The events depicted in this story aren’t based on a true story; they are a true story. This is the story of Bob. Not surprisingly, Bob wasn’t his real name, but every other aspect of what he did is 100% accurate and real. Bob was an ambitious and talented software developer, who was an early adopter of pretty much everything. … Read More
SEO is easy – and anyone can do it. Here’s how.
Most businesses never get round to SEO for one of three reasons. They don’t know what to do, they’re worried about the risks, or they don’t know how to gauge their efforts. Worst still, most businesses can probably identify with two or even three of these reasons at once – the perfect storm of SEO paralysis! (Your competition, by the way, love this.) The … Read More
Putting the oh in SEO
One of the worst things about being an SEO is telling people you’re an SEO. Really. The conversations you have are scarily close to digital versions of “I’m an arms dealer, but I only sell to the good guys.” Or “I’m a drug dealer, but only sell to responsible adults who aren’t addicted.” It may sound extreme, but everyone knows that there … Read More