Content Quality is an integral part of Google’s search algorithm. A page with high value content tends to rank better in the SERPs. Google has gone to great lengths to make this happen. So for SEO purposes, delivering only high quality content is our goal.

Optimizing content should be part of any SEO strategy. There are many ways to go about this. But in this article, we’re covering the scoring system we use internally, which we refer to as CQ (Content Quality) Scores.

The purpose of the CQ Scoring System is to efficiently improve a website’s overall content quality to increase rankings and SEO potential.

I’ll go through exactly how we score content quality (along with scoring examples), and steps to take for better content and better rankings.  We’ve seen great results using the methods below. So definitely give this a try.

I’ve also created a shared spreadsheet template, which is essentially the same as what we use. So feel free!

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“Good writers borrow, great writers steal.” – T.S. Eliot

When people search for a particular service, they are more likely to land on a dedicated service page than a generic page that has a bunch of services listed. Creating dedicated pages for each service you offer lends you a lot more SEO opportunities, and will help your site rank higher in search engines when users are looking for your specific service. Read more →

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Twitter share counts have returned!

This is an update on a post we did back in November 2015, when Twitter removed the share count button and left a lot of bloggers and webmasters wondering how they were going to keep up their social cred. Well, it’s been a hard road to travel without those tweet counts, but, thanks to NewShareCounts, the tweets are returning.

You have to work just a bit for them, but, with a few steps, you can return share counts back to your site without too much fuss! Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to do to get those share counts back on your website posts…

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Not all of us can be as popular as @justinbieber or @katyperry, so we have to find creative ways to increase our Twitter visibility and engagement. There are two ways to be seen on Twitter; have a lot of followers ~or~ leverage trending hashtags. When used correctly, hashtags can boost your tweet impressions and skyrocket engagement, leading to higher profile views and website conversions.

What are Trending Topics/Hashtags?

A “Trending” hashtag is a topic being talked about by a lot of people. Trending topics often begin organically, by a popular current event, or are created by users of high Social Authority (or popularity).

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UPDATE 8/26/16 — TWITTER SHARE COUNTS HAVE RETURNED! CHECK OUT HOW TO GET YOUR SOCIAL SHARE COUNTS BACK

 

Hey, What Happened to My Twitter Shares?

If you’ve noticed that the hot new article that you just posted received zero Twitter shares, don’t get too upset:

It’s not you, it’s Twitter.

As of November 20, 2015, Twitter discontinued access to its Tweet share count API endpoint data. More simply put, the Twitter share counter icon stopped counting. So if you’re using a social share counter like Share Tally or AddThis to track your FB, Twitter, or Pinterest popularity, pour one out for your Twitter tallies. Now you will no longer be able to watch the number of shares tick up next to your little Twitter icon as readers share your article or story, so it’s time to start searching for a new way to fuel your ego.

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MadeLoud.com is an indie music site that started back in 2005.  The site has been a great resource for many unsigned artists to gain exposure over the years.

Unfortunately, it was hit by Google’s Panda Update, drastically reducing its organic search traffic for many months.

Panda was released by Google on February 23rd, 2011 in an effort to reduce the amount of “thin content” sites ranking in the search results.  Since that time, they have released numerous updates.  So, even if you escaped the wrath of Panda when it was first introduced, you can still get nailed by a later iteration.

Panda hit MadeLoud.com twice, once with Panda 3.5 (update #13) on April 19, 2012 and again with Panda Update #21 on November 5th 2012.Google Panda Recovery

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There are many reasons why a company or small business would want to start a blog – brand reinforcement, customer engagement, positioning yourself as a thought leader in the industry.  All of that is excellent, and are actually points I push on clients.  But today I’d like to talk about the SEO (search engine optimization) value of small business blogging and how to optimize for organic traffic to your site.

Most companies and small business owners know what a blog is.  In my experience, most fall into one of these categories…

Blogging for SEO

1)    No Blog – You know about blogs, but you aren’t sure how effective it could be as a marketing tool, so you haven’t tried it

 No Blog

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