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Top 7 SEO Myths You've Been Told Myth 1: There is duplicate content penalty Duplicate content is part of the web. Google understands that. And tries to rank the highest in quality content so that the searcher doesn't find the same results repeatedly. It won't hurt you unless you try to manipulate Google algorithms. Myth 2: For indexing, Google thinks that "URLs with canonical > any other URLs" Another myth. The thing is, you should understand the difference between signal and directory. Signal = is what you ADVICE Google to do. Directory = is what Google must do. Myth 3: The Google Sandbox The theory of the so-called sandbox is that a newly created website won't rank until Google understands what that is about. Some SEO pros still think this concept exists. However, the sandbox is the result of a wrong correlation. There is no such thing as sandbox (source: John Muller). Myth 4: Domain age is a ranking factor It's true that some websites with older domain age tend to rank better, but this is connected with some other reasons (e.g., backlink profile, topical authority) Again John Muller on Twitter says domain rating helps nothing. Myth 5: Longer content ranks better If SERPs show you on the 1st page a web page with 3245 words and on the 10th, a web page with 1467 words, it does not mean that you should create <3245 words to outrank the top spot. Content is not ranking based on these primitive and sometimes irrelevant metrics. (let's just forget for a minute that Forbes, NYTimes, and Reddit dominate the SERPs) Content ranks when it's helpful and has quality. Myth 6: Keyword in URLs is a ranking factor Ok. I'll be straightforward here. Most people search for stuff on Google with their phones. Most of the time, URLs cannot be seen on the phone. That's it. It's not about user experience, it's about wrong collaborations. Again. Myth 7: You can disavow unwanted backlinks Some SEOs tend to add every spammy (even less spammy) backlinks to disavow files. And they think it'll work. First of all, if Google removed/disavowed every backlink every website owner adds, it would have cost heaps of money or more. So to make it clear - no one at Google pays attention to that file. You should use the disavow tool if: - there was a manual action to your website - if someone from the webspam team saw it and they are going to take manual action towards your website That's it.

Top 7 SEO Myths You've Been Told Myth 1: There is duplicate content penalty Duplicate content is part of the web. Google understands that. And tries to rank the highest in quality content so that the searcher doesn't find the same results repeatedly. It won't hurt you unless you try to manipulate Google algorithms. Myth 2: For indexing, Google thinks that "URLs with canonical > any other URLs" Another myth. The thing is, you should understand the difference between signal and directory. Signal = is what you ADVICE Google to do. Directory = is what Google must do. Myth 3: The Google Sandbox The theory of the so-called sandbox is that a newly created website won't rank until Google understands what that is about. Some SEO pros still think this concept exists. However, the sandbox is the result of a wrong correlation. There is no such thing as sandbox (source: John Muller). Myth 4: Domain age is a ranking factor It's true that some websites with older domain age tend to rank better, but this is connected with some other reasons (e.g., backlink profile, topical authority) Again John Muller on Twitter says domain rating helps nothing. Myth 5: Longer content ranks better If SERPs show you on the 1st page a web page with 3245 words and on the 10th, a web page with 1467 words, it does not mean that you should create <3245 words to outrank the top spot. Content is not ranking based on these primitive and sometimes irrelevant metrics. (let's just forget for a minute that Forbes, NYTimes, and Reddit dominate the SERPs) Content ranks when it's helpful and has quality. Myth 6: Keyword in URLs is a ranking factor Ok. I'll be straightforward here. Most people search for stuff on Google with their phones. Most of the time, URLs cannot be seen on the phone. That's it. It's not about user experience, it's about wrong collaborations. Again. Myth 7: You can disavow unwanted backlinks Some SEOs tend to add every spammy (even less spammy) backlinks to disavow files. And they think it'll work. First of all, if Google removed/disavowed every backlink every website owner adds, it would have cost heaps of money or more. So to make it clear - no one at Google pays attention to that file. You should use the disavow tool if: - there was a manual action to your website - if someone from the webspam team saw it and they are going to take manual action towards your website That's it.

Google August 2023 #CoreUpdate hit hard around August 25th many sites. Have you chcked your #website #traffic and #rankings? just read it👇👇 and go now. #googleupade #googlecoreupdate #googlebroadupdate #content #googlesearch #seo #seoupdate #seorankings #googleupade2023 #googleAugustUpdate2023 #greatcontent #googlesearchcentral #seotips

Wondering why you’ve lost your top-ranking keywords? What if your rankings are tanking because you did something to upset Google. SEO is a challenging and intricate endeavor. The larger your project, the more demanding the SEO work becomes, involving tasks such as generating high-quality content, building backlinks, ensuring user-friendliness, and ongoing performance monitoring. However, with increased complexity comes an elevated risk of mistakes. No website is immune to issues; the key is detecting and rectifying them promptly. To identify issues with your site, consider a comprehensive scan. Here are some SEO problems and ways to address them: 1️⃣ Manual Actions & Penalties By Google: ➡ Reason: Violating Google's guidelines or unintentionally posting spam and harmful content. ✅ Solution: Check Google Search Console for penalty notifications. Any message other than "No issues detected" indicates trouble. Google typically provides reasons for penalties, facilitating corrective actions. 2️⃣ Inefficient Internal Linking: ➡ Jobs of Hyperlinks: Transfer authority between pages and shape the user journey. ✅ How to Improve Links: ✔ Optimize internal links with descriptive anchor texts. ✔ Link from high-authority to lower-authority pages. ✔ Use a navigation bar and footer. ✔ Create topic clusters for enhanced authority. ✔ Make the user journey as short as possible within a 3 clicks 3️⃣ Poorly-Optimized Images: ✅ Optimization Tips: Optimize image file sizes without compromising quality. Use optimal formats, set height and width manually, merge images when necessary, and compress images. 4️⃣ Website Caching Issues: A cache is where browsers store a website’s elements upon visit. For example, a website’s logo is the same on every page, so once it’s stored, your browser doesn’t need to load it anew – instead, it will just retrieve it from the cache, and your site will load faster. ✅ Check the .htaccess file to ensure proper caching. Set expiration dates for cached resources to optimize site loading speed. 5️⃣Failing To Match User Search Intent: ✅ Strategy: Consider user search intent when choosing keywords. Categorize intent into types such as informational, navigational, commercial, transactional, locational, and seasonal. Align content and keywords accordingly. 6️⃣ Accumulation Of Harmful Backlinks: Please check and remove potentially harmful backlinks regularly to maintain site authority. 7️⃣ Failing To Follow SEO Trends: Stay informed about SEO trends, especially those related to Google's core algorithm. Regularly read SEO news to adapt strategies to industry changes. By addressing these SEO issues and staying vigilant, you can enhance your site's performance and maintain a strong online presence.) #seotips #seostrategy #seostrategy

# Links No Longer Matter in SEO? Those in SEO would know that Google has been downplaying the importance of links in rankings for years now... This latest “slip” by Gary Illyes saying “Google needs very few links to rank pages” is nothing new. Links do not matter to Google anymore. At least, not as much as it used to be. A bit of background… In the early days, Google heavily relied on links to determine a page's relevance and authority. It made sense; among billions of pages, links were reliable indicators of quality and popularity. But as with any system, people found ways to game it. Link spamming spread like wildfire, downgrading search quality significantly. Google caught on, of course. Today, Google's algorithms are especially good at sniffing out manipulative link tactics and link spamming. They're designed to ignore links that are clearly artificial or meant solely to manipulate rankings. Link farms, link exchanges, and other shady practices are effectively ignored (and even penalized) by Google. The advancement in Google’s algorithm has also made most backlinks useless because it's low quality and doesn't bring value to users. Despite being very expensive, backlinks often give minimal results. In fact, numerous case studies have shown that you can outpeform competitors in ranking even without backlinks. So does this mean links are completely irrelevant now? Not quite. Google's stance has shifted, but links still play a role - just an evolved role. Now, the emphasis is on linking for users and search engines in ways that enhance the user experience and signal relevance. Here’s what that means: **1) Link for Users** * Facilitate easy navigation of your website * Enhance users’ understanding of topics by connecting to more information * Drive engagement and conversions **2) Link for Search Engines** * Improve crawlability so bots can discover your pages easily * Establish niche relevance so Google gets what your website is about * Build topic authority Natural & relevant linking is still valuable. But the days of spammy link tactics are over. To succeed today, you need to prioritize user experience, relevance, and authenticity when linking. Avoid shortcuts and focus on providing genuine value through your links. That's the key to stay ahead in SEO today. **TLDR; here's some SEO linking best practices:** 1. Keep your linking natural, organic and relevant. 1. Use links to drive traffic and enhance user experience. 1. Only include links that are relevant to your content. 1. Avoid link spam at all costs 1. Don't link just for the sake of it; make each link count. 1. Avoid thin content with tons of links. 1. Use keywords wisely; avoid stuffing them into anchor text. My 2 cents on this article by Search Engine Journal: [https://lnkd.in/dyn_FNSq)

Choosing the Right One for You Everybody wants to rank high in Google because ranking high leads to more organic traffic. But to understand where you rank in the first place, you’ll need a rank tracker. In this guide, you’ll learn how to choose the right rank tracker for you, and how to use it to improve SEO. But first, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. Rank tracking is the process of checking search engine ranking positions for certain keywords over time. A rank tracker is the software or tool that automates this process for you. Why is rank tracking important? Rank tracking helps you understand which keywords and pages need your attention most. But that’s not the only reason it’s important. It also gives you some insight into whether your SEO efforts are paying off. For example, our visibility for all our tracked keywords is improving over time: This tells us that our SEO efforts are having the desired effect on the whole. If visibility were declining overall, that might be something we’d want to investigate further to hone our SEO strategy. Most rank trackers also give you various ways to slice and dice the data for even more actionable insights, which we’ll talk about shortly. Why can’t you just check rankings yourself? Rank trackers save time by automating the rank tracking process. But if you only have a few keywords to track, you might be wondering why not just type them into Google and check ranking positions manually? The answer is that manual rank checking rarely gives an accurate view of reality because Google’s search results are heavily personalized based on things like your: Location Browsing history Language Device (desktop/mobile) For example, these are the search results for “how to make flapjacks” in the UK: If we use Ahrefs’ SEO Toolbar to simulate the exact same search from the US, the results are completely different: This happens because the definition of flapjacks varies between nations. In the UK, it’s an oat bar. In the US and Canada, it’s a pancake. What about going incognito? Using an incognito browser tab solves the issue of personalization based on browsing history, but it doesn’t solve anything else. Your IP address remains visible, so Google will still personalize the search results based on your location and inferred language. For example, here’s that “how to make flapjacks” search in an incognito tab: Google still shows recipes for British flapjacks because it knows my IP address. Bottomline: even if you just want to check rankings for one or two keywords, you should use a rank checker. If you’re not ready to pay for… #ahrefs #seo #semrush #digitalmarketing #seotools #marketing #domcop #moz #searchengineoptimization #seotips #longtailpro #google

I Just hit another Google Ranking jackpot with my 2000-word article!  🎉 No fancy SEO tricks, just good old common sense 🧠✨ Here's how I did it; → 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐊𝐞𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 & 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Notice I didn't mention 'Keyword Research Tools" because truth be told, I didn't use any for this article. (I love going untraditional) First, skim the Google search page for keywords that you think are relevant to the topic. Remember to always niche down!!  Eg. I could choose a keyword like "top castles in Romania" but I niched down to "top castles in Transylvania". *Fast forward to 13 tabs, 2 YouTube video tabs, and 1 music tab* Then there was organic human research, article by article. I noted the common keywords in the top-ranking articles and listed them by their usability. And of course, key information as well. Do not abuse the keywords. Wisely spread them throughout the article. → 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 I'll say this louder, fancy words do not help with SEO!! In fact, it's the opposite. Write at a native level, it's just an article not the Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes. Take it as your chance to talk to your new friend at the office, but they can only listen to you and not reply ha! Not too formal, not too casual. → 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 Add life to your subject; characters, plot, setting, theme, narrative. Most importantly; give the readers fascinating visuals & experiences. For example, I used "The colourful walls of small Citadel houses and rusty churches will make you time travel to the 12th Century among the Saxon Settlers."  in the first half. Let out details by painting a picture that gives the readers a visual to engage with. For example, here is how I built the characters, plot, setting, and theme in the very first paragraph to HOOK the readers. "Transylvania, also known as “The Land Beyond the Forest”, is a tourist’s dream come true! The bloodthirsty vampires and wolf howls call for adventurous tourists to explore the rich medieval architecture and breathtaking castles. So– pack your garlic in handy!" → 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 Here's one golden rule for sentences; keep them short. Not all, but most of them. The second important rule is short paragraphs. No more than 3-4 lines each. → 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 Structure the article, by breaking it into small, bite-able bits. Small enjoyable headings of information readers can digest. Take care of the heading format from header tags (H2-H6); know when to use which one. Don't use primary keywords in these header tags. →𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 Now this is the technical part, where you'll have to smoothly link your previous articles, or other websites into your article. P.S. - If you're interested in ranking your website on the first page of Google, without all that hassle; I'm your writer!

I Just hit another Google Ranking jackpot with my 2000-word article! 🎉 No fancy SEO tricks, just good old common sense 🧠✨ Here's how I did it; → 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐊𝐞𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 & 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Notice I didn't mention 'Keyword Research Tools" because truth be told, I didn't use any for this article. (I love going untraditional) First, skim the Google search page for keywords that you think are relevant to the topic. Remember to always niche down!! Eg. I could choose a keyword like "top castles in Romania" but I niched down to "top castles in Transylvania". *Fast forward to 13 tabs, 2 YouTube video tabs, and 1 music tab* Then there was organic human research, article by article. I noted the common keywords in the top-ranking articles and listed them by their usability. And of course, key information as well. Do not abuse the keywords. Wisely spread them throughout the article. → 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 I'll say this louder, fancy words do not help with SEO!! In fact, it's the opposite. Write at a native level, it's just an article not the Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes. Take it as your chance to talk to your new friend at the office, but they can only listen to you and not reply ha! Not too formal, not too casual. → 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 Add life to your subject; characters, plot, setting, theme, narrative. Most importantly; give the readers fascinating visuals & experiences. For example, I used "The colourful walls of small Citadel houses and rusty churches will make you time travel to the 12th Century among the Saxon Settlers." in the first half. Let out details by painting a picture that gives the readers a visual to engage with. For example, here is how I built the characters, plot, setting, and theme in the very first paragraph to HOOK the readers. "Transylvania, also known as “The Land Beyond the Forest”, is a tourist’s dream come true! The bloodthirsty vampires and wolf howls call for adventurous tourists to explore the rich medieval architecture and breathtaking castles. So– pack your garlic in handy!" → 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 Here's one golden rule for sentences; keep them short. Not all, but most of them. The second important rule is short paragraphs. No more than 3-4 lines each. → 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 Structure the article, by breaking it into small, bite-able bits. Small enjoyable headings of information readers can digest. Take care of the heading format from header tags (H2-H6); know when to use which one. Don't use primary keywords in these header tags. →𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 Now this is the technical part, where you'll have to smoothly link your previous articles, or other websites into your article. P.S. - If you're interested in ranking your website on the first page of Google, without all that hassle; I could be your SEO Expert and your content writer ! ✍️ Mah Noor

The temptation to cut corners in SEO can be high, especially with aggressive competition and the allure of quick gains. Employing blackhat SEO tactics may bring immediate gains but will be disastrous in the long run. That being said, try to not fall into the trap of following these shady SEO techniques: 🔡 Keyword Stuffing Stuffing your text with the same keyword is like explaining what a cat is by just saying “cat” over and over. It’s not cool, it doesn’t add value, and it’s just plain bad for your site’s vibe. Plus, Google’s algorithm will totally flag your site for low-quality content if you overdo it. 🤖 Content Automation Automating content means letting AI or scripts spit out articles for you without lifting a finger. This robot-generated stuff is mostly fluff, lacks any real purpose for users, and is missing all the goodies like images and examples. 🎣 Clickbait Clickbait is that super catchy headline that tricks you into clicking but then delivers something totally different. It uses phrases like “You won’t believe…” or “Shocking news…” to reel you in. But let’s be real, it’s a quick way to tank your site’s credibility and annoy users who are looking for genuine content. 🔗 Link Farms and PBNs Link farms and private blog networks are basically a group of sites that are all interlinked to boost each other's link profiles. Google isn’t a fan because it views this tactic as spammy. Back in the day, link farms were all the rage for gaming Google’s Page Rank, but now? It’s a fast track to getting slapped with penalties because those links aren’t for humans, they’re just for algorithms. ↪️ Shady Redirects Some folks use expired domains to snatch up all that leftover link juice by redirecting the old site’s traffic to their own. Using 301 redirects can wander into gray hat SEO territory pretty quickly, especially if the expired domain isn’t even relevant to your site. And yeah, Google might just penalize you for this sneaky move. 👾 Parasite Hosting Parasite SEO involves creating a page on a legit site, cramming it with keywords and links that point back to a black hat SEO’s money-making page. They piggyback off established domains to boost their own site’s traffic and earnings. 🌐 Typosquatting or URL Hijacking Ever stumble upon a site that looks like your favorite brand’s page but something feels off? That’s typosquatting—creating a domain that mimics a famous one, banking on you not noticing a small typo or weird URL. The goal here is to cash in on the real brand’s fame and maybe even trick you into thinking they’re the real deal. Let's stick to ethical SEO practices. It requires more effort and patience but will yield sustainable growth and help build trust with your audience and search engines.