google

How To Use Index Status in Google Search Console (GSC) to Diagnose SEO Problems

{Updated on 3/28/16 to reflect the name change from Google Webmaster Tools to Google Search Console.} In late July, Google added Index Status to Google Search Console to help site owners better understand how many pages are indexed on their websites.  In addition, Index Status can also help webmasters diagnose indexation problems, which can be caused by … Read more

Local Remarketing – 6 Remarketing Strategies for Local Businesses

Have you ever visited a website, researched a product or service, and then left only to see that company’s ads as you browse the web?  I bet you have.  That’s remarketing in action, and it’s darn powerful when implemented correctly.  Sure, there can definitely be a creepy factor, since users are being followed around the … Read more

It’s Official: Google Wonder Wheel is Back, and It’s Called the Contextual Targeting Tool [Tutorial]

Keyword research is a critical component to a solid and rounded SEO strategy.  When you break it down, you need to know what people are searching for in order to target the right terms.  Keyword research fuels your content generation strategy.  I use a wide range of tools when conducting keyword research and each has … Read more

+1 Reports in Google Webmaster Tools – How To Analyze the Search Impact of +1 Annotations

Google+ has now been around for close to a year, it has grown significantly since it launched, and Google is integrating its new social network across products.  Based on what I just listed, many business owners are wondering how Google+ has benefited their companies.  Unfortunately, I think many of them wouldn’t know how to answer … Read more

The Pandeguin Penalty: What to do if your website has been hit by both Penguin and Panda

If you’ve been following my blog recently, then you know how much Penguin analysis I’ve been performing.  Since the algorithm update first hit on 4/24, I’ve been working hard at analyzing websites impacted by Penguin.  You can read my previous posts to learn more, including my most recent post detailing my findings based on analyzing over … Read more

7 More Penguin Findings: An Update From the Over Optimization Front Lines

After Penguin first hit on April 24th, I started performing a lot of analysis on websites that were affected.  I ended up quickly publishing my findings in two blog posts here on the Internet Marketing Driver.  The first explained how exact match domains could be susceptible to penalty based on how those domains were being … Read more

Penguin 1.0 Initial Findings – Unnatural Inbound Links Heavily Targeted, Other Webspam Tactics Await Penalty?

The past few days have been fascinating for SEO’s.  Google’s latest algorithm update, now officially named Penguin, has been rolled out.  The update was originally called the Over Optimization Penalty, then the Webspam Algorithm Update, and now Penguin.  As you can imagine, there have been screams from webmasters far and wide about the update (from … Read more

Google’s Over-Optimization Penalty and Exact Match Domains

Yesterday, we found out that the latest Google algorithm update was underway (dubbed the Over Optimization Penalty).  Google posted about the update on the Webmaster Central Blog.  By the way, Google is officially calling the update the Webspam Algorithm Update and not the Over Optimization Update (although I like the sound of the latter).  There … Read more

How To Use Fetch As Google In GSC To Submit An Updated Page To Google’s Index [Tutorial]

{Updated on April 18, 2016 to cover the latest changes in Google Search Console (GSC).} Any marketer focused on SEO will tell you that it’s sometimes frustrating to wait for Googlebot to recrawl an updated page.  The reason is simple.  Until Googlebot recrawls the page, the old content will show up in the search results.  … Read more

A Guide to Using Social Extensions in Google AdWords | What They Are, How To Set Them Up, and How To Analyze Performance

Google+ is in full force now, it continues to grow, and its impact can be felt in both organic and paid search. This is readily apparent as +1 buttons have spread across the web, similar to what happened with Facebook Like buttons. One of the ways that Google is enabling businesses to benefit from +1’s … Read more

The 5 Minute Guide to Identifying Spammy, Paid Text Links Using Open Site Explorer

It’s 5AM and I launch Outlook to check my email. There’s one email in particular that catches my eye, based on the subject line “SEO Help”. It’s from a Director of Marketing that’s reached out to me for SEO assistance after reading one of my blog posts. Her organic search traffic just got blown away … Read more