In today’s Webmaster Office Hours, John Mueller was answering a question related to the frequency of Google updating ranking signals for pages in the search results. But one thing that was interesting was he confirmed that the history of a page or site plays a role in how some search algos rank it, something that […]
Archives for 2016
How Often Google Updates the Various Search Algo Ranking Signals
Do Google’s various ranking signals within the search algo get applied all at the same time, or can the various parts get updated in cycles with how it ranks a site? We do know that some – like Google Panda – work on a long running cycle. But what about the remaining 200 or so […]
Starting Out? 3 Sources of Traffic When Launching
Starting out is overwhelming. If you are a small business owner looking to expand your marketing efforts online, you will easily find yourself at a loss when trying to cerate your to-do list. Well, I’ve done that for you. Here are all the tools and resources to launch a successful website and see results pretty […]
Google AdWords Testing Click to Text Business Option in Mobile Ads
Google is testing a new click to text option in Google AdWords ads that appear on mobile. While some businesses have an option to call, these ones are specific to a text only option, allowing a searcher to text the business instead of phoning. Here is what it looks like (screenshot taken earlier this week): […]
Google Testing “Add a Missing Place” in Local 3-Pack
Google is testing a way to solicit new businesses from searchers in the search results, using the local 3-pack. When a local 3-pack shows up without a third listing, Google instead includes a “Something missing? Add the missing place” in this test. This is not just for searchers who might want to add their favorite […]
Only Add Structured Data Markup to Individual Products not Categories or Lists
Do you have structured data for products on your category or pages with lists of items? You might not be aware that it isn’t permitted by Google. The question came up in the last Webmaster Office Hours, specifically about adding the markup to category and lists. So in general the structured data markup should be […]
Google Clarifies Use of Disavow Files With Penguin Devaluing Links
There has been plenty of debate over the past couple of weeks over the disavow tool and whether site owners should be using it still, now that Penguin devalues spammy links. John Mueller tackled this question in the latest Webmaster Office Hours. And the verdict is if you (or someone hired/connected to the site) has […]
Google Didn’t Increase Googlebot Crawling as Result of Penguin Changes
Many SEOs have often speculated that there is an increase in crawling on sites due to algorithmic reasons specific to a site. But did Penguin specifically cause an increase in crawling due to the new real time aspect of it, and the fact it had to refresh a ton of pages? Google has repeatedly confirmed […]
Google Takes New Links Into Account Almost Immediately
How quickly will Google take a brand new link into account once it is crawled by Google? According to Google, it is almost immediately…. or as immediate as it takes for Google to crawl and discover that new link. The question came up in the last Google Webmaster Office Hours with John Mueller, specifically how […]
Infrequent Google Crawling Is a Sign of a Low Quality Site
When people are assessing their sites for whether Google sees it as quality or not, crawl frequency is one that many SEOs look for. If Googlebot visits internal pages very seldom or doesn’t go very deep into a site when crawling, these are signs that Google probably sees the site as low quality. John Mueller […]