Tag: SEO advice

Google Keys: E-A-T and YMYL, Are You an Expert?

google search logoIt’s nearly impossible to figure what Google does to rank pages. Most of us will never come close to deciphering the keys to the kingdom. In addition, as soon as you do figure something out, they usually change the rules.

Google search algorithms have gotten so complicated that even Google engineers have a difficult time understanding how it all works. Thus, a couple of months ago, Google released a 160-page document that explains search quality evaluator guidelines. If you’re a glutton for punishment, you can read the whole thing right here.

Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Continue reading “Google Keys: E-A-T and YMYL, Are You an Expert?”

Search Engine Optimization Update 2015

SEO updates for 2015Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is key to raging fans finding your website, brand, and even your books. In my last post, we examined the new Google algorithm that changes everything. You can read about mobile optimization and its impact here. I thought this would be a good time to review what good SEO looks like and bring you up to date on the tweaks you can make to stay visible.

Like most things in technology, the tricks that worked in the past may not work so much in the future. Here are some tactics that are important to keep in mind when optimizing your site. Continue reading “Search Engine Optimization Update 2015”

Snooping Around the Engine Room – Web Source Code

We looked last time at how to assess the traffic a website receives when deciding whether it’s worth your attention and/or hard-earned cash. But suppose the idea is so new that the website hasn’t been around long. Or maybe traffic isn’t vital for you; perhaps you’re happy in a niche where the right people will find you, even if that’s not very many of them. In that case it’s handy know how SEO-savvy the website you’re considering advertising with, or writing for, really is. And yes, there’s a dirty little snooping tool.

When you look at any website, you have access to its source code and here’s how to find and assess it.

To get into the code you need to right-click somewhere on the web page. Make sure you’re clicking on the body of the page and not a picture. Right-clicking on the picture will give you a completely different menu. When you click on the actual site, you’ll see these options: Continue reading “Snooping Around the Engine Room – Web Source Code”

Keys, Tags and Penguins (Part 1)

What’s a penguin got to do with anything?

When I mentioned yet another post about SEO to the fellow minions they suggested, relatively politely, that I might explain why anyone should care. We have already had splendid examples of great SEO advice, here for example, but it bugs me that most writers still aren’t playing the SEO game to its full advantage. And I care, so there.

I know that most of us are on Amazon, Goodreads etc and people who like books find us that way. We have lively blogs, they gain loyal fans and your fame spreads by word of mouth…but people Google for books too. If they already know your name or your book title they can usually find your website but suppose they just want ‘fantasy fiction’? I just Googled it, not a single author on page 1. And yet 165,000 people Google for fantasy books per month. Book Reviews? 1,500,000 searches per month, and not a single reviewer’s blog on page 1. People are looking for you and they can’t find you. How do I know? I’ll show you later.

Why say it again though? And why now? Everyone’s read loads of articles on SEO and they all disagree with each other. Here are a few secrets: Continue reading “Keys, Tags and Penguins (Part 1)”