Google’s Cutts: Page Speed Ranking Factor Not More Important On Mobile Search
In a recent video answer by Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, Matt said that page speed is not any more important, in terms of a ranking factor, for mobile search compared to desktop search. Matt Cutts said: It is not that in mobile, we apply that [page speed ranking factor] any more…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google’s Matt Cutts: Once Again, +1s Have No Direct Impact On Rankings
Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, said once again that Google’s +1 data has no direct impact on their web search ranking algorithm. Moz published a story today named Amazing Correlation Between Google +1s and Higher Search Rankings in which Matt Cutts responded to in Hacker News…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google: We Prefer To Assess Reconsideration Requests On Links Within Webmaster Tools However…
What does a webmaster do when they receive a manual action from Google telling them they have a penalty because of paid or bad links pointing to their site? Google has told us back in June that you should use Google’s “links to your site” report within Webmaster Tools to analyze bad links pointing…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Understanding Google’s Latest Assault On Unnatural Links
Without much fanfare or publicity, Google quietly updated the Link Schemes/Unnatural Links document inside the Webmaster Tools section of their site last month. If not for the excellent work of Barry Schwartz, many of us would have missed it. (I have a page change tool app set up for that exact…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google’s Matt Cutts: I Recommend NoFollowing Links On Widgets
Matt Cutts, Google’s head of search spam, posted a video answer this morning strongly recommending those who place widgets on their site or those who distribute widgets should place a nofollow on the links within the widget code. Matt Cutts said, “I would recommend putting a nofollow,…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google Releases Seven Videos On Typical Manual Spam Actions
Earlier today, Google launched manual spam actions to Google Webmaster Tools where you can see if your site currently has a manual spam action. To help those who have received some of these manual action notifications, Google created seven videos for t…
Google’s Cutts: Got Bad Links To Your Site? Don’t Fret It, Disavow It!
In a recent video answer from Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, Matt said if you have bad links pointing to your site, don’t worry about it, all you need to do is disavow those links. Matt Cutts said, “just go ahead and disavow those links,” even if they those…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
New Research Says Search Engines Have Little To Do With Promoting Pirated Content
A new research paper authored by Matt Schruers and published by the Computer & Communications Industry Association argues that search engines have been unfairly targeted in the quest to impede online copyright infringement. According to the paper, the perception is that search engines are the…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Local Search Marketers Guesstimate 2013 Google Ranking Factors
Despite the annual changes in the local search ecosystem, the ranking factors that Google uses to determine its local search results haven’t changed much over the past year. So say the 35 local search marketers that contributed to the 2013 Local Search Ranking Factors — organized again…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google’s Matt Cutts: We Fight Search Spam In 40+ Countries & Internationalize Our Spam Algorithms
Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts announced in a video that Google fights search spam at an international level but does tend to have a stronger spam fighting sense in the Google.com, English search results. Matt Cutts explained that with most of Google’s spam fighting…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google Sitelinks Redesigned: White & Gray Backgrounds With More Quick Links
Google is testing a new design for their organic search results sitelinks. The new sitelinks are showing for some searchers, although I am not able to see them myself. The screen shot above, provided by +Jon Cooper shows the a grid of four main section…
Google’s Matt Cutts: Websites Using ccTLDs Should Contain Content Relevant To The Specific County Code
In his latest video, Google’s head of search spam Matt Cutts addresses whether or not it is a good idea for a website to use a ccTLD (country code top level domain) as a novelty domain. The video was a response to the question: As memorable .COM domains become more expensive, more developers…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google Warns Against Large-Scale Guest Posting, Advertorials & “Optimized Anchor Text” In Press Releases
Google has quietly updated the link schemes document under their Webmaster guidelines to add large-scale guest posting, advertorials and optimized anchor text in articles or press releases to the list of types of links that violate their guidelines. Th…
Google’s Matt Cutts On Hidden Text Using Expandable Sections: “You’ll Be In Good Shape”
In the latest video answer from Google’s Matt Cutts, the head of Google search spam, Matt answers a question about “hiding” text in JavaScript/AJAX-like expandable menus. Matt said that generally this practice is acceptable within Google’s webmaster guidelines, if and only…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google Confirms Panda Update Is Rolling Out: This One Is More “Finely Targeted”
This morning I noticed a possible Panda update was rolling out, one that seemed to be “softer” in nature than the previous updates, where many webmasters who were originally hit by the algorithm are now claiming recovery. Google has confirmed a Panda update is rolling out and this…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google: Authorship Bug Affects “Very Few Sites,” Actively Working On A Fix
Google has confirmed that there are current issues with displaying authorship rich snippets on “very few sites.” A Google spokesperson told us “it’s something we’re actively working on” but that “it affects very few sites” on the Internet. This is a…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google’s Matt Cutts: Linking 20 Domains Together Likely A “Cross Linking Scheme”
A common question I see from webmasters and SEOs is how many sites in my network can I link together without getting in trouble. Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, answered a question on that topic in a recent video which asked “If I have 20 domains, should I link them all…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google To Take Action Against Fake Search Results Injected Into Browser History
Google made a clear stance late Friday on the Google Webmaster blog that they will not tolerate webmasters pushing deceptive search results to searchers through the use of browser history spamming techniques. The technique uses a method of detecting a click on the browser’s back button. When…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
The Perils Of Parallax Design For SEO
First it was Flash, then AJAX, and now…. parallax design. As SEOs, we often find ourselves butting heads with Web designers over website design and usability. Certain design approaches and techniques, while helpful for usability, may not be ideal for SEO purposes. But that doesn’t mean…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
Google’s Matt Cutts: Rankings Won’t Drop If Site Goes Down For Short Period Of Time
Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts, posted a video explaining the consequences of a site going offline and how that can negatively impact that site’s ranking in the Google’s search results. In short, a site that temporarily goes offline for a short period of time, such as…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.