Age-old stories and advice like the below from Brian Dean would have us believe that your server’s IP address will affect your rankings.Screenshot by author, July 2021I mean, why not? If your server is all porn, gambling, or Viagra, it would make sense to blacklist the server, right?AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowBut is it a myth?One might imagine it wouldn’t be much [...]

For years, SEO professionals have lived inside Google Search Console (previously known as Google Webmaster Tools) almost as if we’re building our own Sims world for SEO.If you’ve mastered the art of optimizing your website with the help of Google Search Console, you most likely have your site on lock.But does Google Search Console play a role in Google’s ranking [...]

Raise your hand if a client or your boss has ever asked you to put Google Analytics on their website to help improve rankings?🙌Google Analytics isn’t just for website data, oh no – this is to boost our keyword rankings, they say.But is there any legit research to support these claims?As it turns out, a lot of SEO experts have [...]

Let’s just say it: Exact match domains should be buried in a garbage bag right next to people who talk on their speakerphone in public.Remember when every domain used to look like www.caraccidentattorney.com or www.buydogcollars.com?That’s what we’re referring to when we talk about an exact match domain (EMD).EMDs are domain names that include the exact keyword phrases you want to [...]

E-A-T means Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.E-A-T is part of Google’s algorithm and baked into Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines.Even Google says that E-A-T is “very important.”E-A-T should not be confused with “eat” and the foods we put into our mouths. Although I have to admit, I’m suddenly craving a burrito. 🌯If you’re an SEO professional, you’ve probably heard a lot [...]

Ah, ranking factors. The ancient art of ranking in search engines is a lesson in balance and patience.Yet some people read an article like the example below that talks about the most important ranking factors and think, “Yep, I’ll follow that advice.”Screenshot from Backlinko.com, September 2021You’ll read some bizarre stuff — like that Easter Eggs are ranking factors.Screenshot from Backlinko.com, [...]

You can’t talk about SEO without mentioning keyword research. It’s like eating a grilled cheese sandwich without the cheese.Most SEO marketing campaigns start with keyword research. (Or at least they should 👀).To be honest, keyword research is stuck in the early 2000s, right next to Britney and Justin’s matching denim outfits.With 92.42% of keywords only getting 10 monthly searches or [...]

Need some new, hot, steaming keywords to target?Yeah, me too.If you’re like me and are tired of using the same keywords as everyone else, it’s time to dig into social media.I know social might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about keyword research – but it can be an awesome source for long-tail and [...]

Let’s just get to the elephant in the room. Facebook ads are struggling.Facebook is fighting a lawsuit against their reach metrics. And Facebook’s personalized ad campaign to combat Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) isn’t going well.But the truth is that Facebook ads actually work.With updates like exclusion controls, a new Conversions API that allows you to pull data directly from [...]

Chances are that right now, you’re reading this while attempting to improve SEO on your WordPress website. Am I right?Are you looking for other ways to improve your WordPress SEO outside of Yoast?I’m not a psychic. I’ve just been in the same situation before.I’d say it’s a pretty good bet that there are tons of us WordPress users out there [...]