While Google’s May algorithm changes caused a stir, search marketers found best practices still effective
How can we prepare for the next Google Mayday?
Eric Covino of Creative Signals offered his insights about Google Mayday update at the June 7 SEO Meetup. Was it overrated and overhyped?
- When working with website upkeep and SEO, “there’s really no secret sauce” and there are never 100% right or wrong answers.
- Consistent SEO practice will keep your website functioning, making you ready for the next Mayday.
Google Mayday update: overrated and overhyped?
If you know what you’re doing, no. Mayday was really overhyped.
People start to take their foot off the gas when they’re ranking high enough, says Corvino: “Don’t do this. Give your site a quality check. Spruce it up a bit and refine it for your target market.”
Be savvy and know how to increase or maintain your site’s popularity.
Tips to enhance your website
- Don’t just have 4-5 pages with no content.
- Blog, interact with parallel marketplace, who would be a potential partner?
- Social interaction is huge:
- Facebook, Twitter: Have to have a business that will fit socially.
- What can you converse about online?
- Success on Facebook: Embed “Like” button on your site.
- If you have a site about dog food, better that link is from the words “dog food,” not “healthy dog meals.”
- Dashes and hyphens are seen spammy (— guilty!)
- Only .com, .net, .org are seen with authority.
- Look for underserved markets or those that are over-served but with crappy content:
- Create better content.
- Check out your competition
Link-building tools and Search Engine Optimization tips
- The most difficult aspect of SEO
- Backlink tracking tools: Opensiteexplorer.org
- Link tracking: advancedlinkmanager.com
- Advanced webranking can search by lat & long, show query by location)
- Update it 1x/month, discover new links, tell if links are active or not
- RavenSEO tools: link toolbar for firefox
- $19/mo just for links, as opposed to SEOmoz @ $79/mo
- Majestic, also fairly inexpensive
- Tools.SEOBook.com for free tools
- Rankchecker also free