Tag: google

Answered: How do I get an image next to my site’s Google SERP listing?

Updated for 2024: Astute searchers have increasingly noted Google SERPs adding images next to regular organic listings, especially in mobile search. Here are two examples: You should get an image next to your mobile Google results, too! Business image thumbnails like these are one example of what Google calls SERP enhancements. It’s important to remember … Continue reading Answered: How do I get an image next to my site’s Google SERP listing? →

Automated Scheduling Google My Business Posts

This is Google's default "Google My Business Post" image. Will they make me take it down? We'll see. (This post is more than half a decade old. I'm guessing some of it is outdated by now.) I won't write much about Google Business Profile posts and how they're potentially great for your business, your business's … Continue reading Automated Scheduling Google My Business Posts →

SEO: Text-in-Images – Misinformation & Best Practices

"When you embed text in an image, Google can not read it. That's the old saying, at least. Technically, 'Google' can read and parse the text in almost any image. There's plenty of evidence supporting Google's OCR capability; I won't refute it. But you should still shun putting text in images, usually. ...Says the guy who … Continue reading SEO: Text-in-Images – Misinformation & Best Practices →

Comparing Rank Tracking Software

Quick 2025 preamble: I penned this SEO rank vendor comparison nearly a decade ago. And I'm toiling at it again. (Rankinity, winner of last shootout, imploded recently.) Both my criteria and vendors' offerings have changed over time. Back then, I didn't care about SEO statistical weights, for instance. And preliminary research hints that many of … Continue reading Comparing Rank Tracking Software →

Social SEO is Here

Social 101 for the SEO-minded Company SEO practitioners have seen the writing on the wall for years. If you really care about ranking well in Google, now it's past time to pay attention to social. Almost two months ago we learned empirically that more +1 on Google+ means better ranking in Google. I've spent a … Continue reading Social SEO is Here →

Keyword Research Alternatives to SEOmoz and Wordtracker?

SEOmoz results

Research is the smart first step when starting a new SEO campaign or growing an existing SEO effort. I talk with clients to brainstorm a few keyword ideas and then feed those seed keywords into tools to find related keywords. Then, ideally, I look at  traffic and competition metrics to identify low hanging fruit of … Continue reading Keyword Research Alternatives to SEOmoz and Wordtracker? →

SEO Usability Vacuum

That SEO and usability don't flourish in a vacuum has been on my mind lately. Sound doesn't travel in a vacuum. If there's nobody to hear your pearls of SEO wisdom do they make a sound? The sound of silence sends no sales. Four cases of constructive complaining follow. Case #1 - Hire Experts + … Continue reading SEO Usability Vacuum →

xCommenter Bad for SEO – Bad for your site

Got an email from one of my contract coders today about a supposed SEO plugin for WordPress called xCommenter: Hey Dan -- Ever heard of xCommenter wp-plugin? https://vimeo.com/36628711 Just wondering what your opinion is on these sort of tools. What is xCommenter? Will it help my site's SEO? xCommenter parses your post's tags, title and … Continue reading xCommenter Bad for SEO – Bad for your site →

Advanced Web Ranking Here I Come

WebPosition's old standalone version finally stopped querying Google correctly. I'm now in the process of switching to Advanced Web Ranking (AWR). Per my earlier post about finding a WebPosition replacement and some followup in the comments, AWR is the only solution to meet all of the critical SEO software criteria. I'm still apprehensive; it's always … Continue reading Advanced Web Ranking Here I Come →

SEO Blogging Best Practices

(WARNING! This article is several years old now. The world of SEO changes often. Take this and any other SEO advice with a grain of salt and an eye for the contemporary.) This article assumes your web team has already configured your blog on a good blogging platform like WordPress with all the best SEO … Continue reading SEO Blogging Best Practices →