GSQi Blog

Avoiding Dirty Sitemaps – How to Download and Crawl XML Sitemaps Using Screaming Frog

SEO Audits are a core service I provide, including both comprehensive audits and laser-focused audits tied to algorithm updates.  There are times during those audits that I come across strange pages that are indexed, or I see crawl errors for pages not readily apparent on the site itself.  As part of the investigation, it’s smart … Read more

SEO Findings From Google’s Phantom Update on May 8th, 2013 | Was It Penguin 2.0 in the Wild?

In early May there was a lot of chatter in the webmaster forums about a major Google update.  Google wouldn’t confirm that it occurred (big shock), but the level of chatter was significant.  Not long after that, Matt Cutts announced that Penguin 2.0 would be rolling out within the next few weeks, and that it … Read more

AdWords for Twitter – How To Set Up Keyword Targeting Campaigns in Twitter Ads [Tutorial]

There was a big announcement on Wednesday in the advertising world.  Twitter finally launched a keyword targeting solution for Twitter Ads.  Yes, that means AdWords-like targeting for Twitter.  Many in the industry (including myself) have thought for a long time that Twitter should launch something like this… and it’s finally here. As soon as I … Read more

You Might Be Losing Out – How To Make Sure Sitelink Extensions in Bing Ads Are Tracked Properly [Tutorial]

Bing Ads released sitelink extensions in October of 2012, which enables advertisers to provide additional links in their text ads.  Google AdWords has had ad sitelinks for some time, so this was a great addition by our friends at Bing Ads.  For example, if you were an ecommerce website selling sporting goods, you could provide … Read more

Facebook Graph Search Update: Facebook Now Passing Keywords to Destination Websites, Can Track in Google Analytics

Facebook Graph Search launched in January, and I was fortunate to have early access.  Upon gaining access, I began heavily testing Facebook’s new social search capabilities.  That research led to my first post covering my initial thoughts about Graph Search, including its impact on local search, privacy, reputation management, etc.  You should check out that … Read more

How To Properly Demote Sitelinks in Google Search Console (GSC)

{Important Update on 10/13/16: Demote sitelinks has been removed from GSC.} Google just announced that they have REMOVED the demote sitelinks setting from Google Search Console (GSC). The announcement on Google+, which is now shut down, explained that Google has gotten much better at surfacing the correct sitelinks, so they believe the functionality isn’t necessary anymore in … Read more

Enhanced Campaigns and Local Search | How To Use Bid Adjustments with Radius Targeting to Customize Bids Per Location [Tutorial]

On February 6th, Google AdWords released a major update to its platform called Enhanced Campaigns.  Advertisers can upgrade to enhanced campaigns now (as an option), but all campaigns will be upgraded by mid-2013.  Enhanced campaigns provide a radically different way to target by device, adjust bids for various targeting options, set up versatile ad extensions, … Read more

How to Combine Custom Audiences in Facebook Ads to Enhance Your Targeting [Tutorial]

Facebook recently released a powerful new option for advertisers called Custom Audiences.  Using custom audiences, advertisers can leverage their current in-house list of customers for targeting ads.  By uploading a list of emails, phone numbers, or UID’s, you can create a custom audience that can be used for targeting Facebook campaigns. In my opinion, this … Read more