SEO
Our huge library of search engine optimization articles addresses strategies and tactics for ecommerce businesses. Our 12-part “How-to” series explains the basics. Advanced topics include faceted navigation, crawling and indexing, cross-border optimization, and much more.
Keyword Research | Link Building | On-page SEO | SEO Tools | Technical SEO-
SEO Tools
Local SEO: 9 Free Tools
June 2, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Consumers increasingly use the internet to locate and scrutinize local businesses before visiting. Thus SEO for brick-and-mortar retailers is critical for walk-in traffic.
-
Technical SEO
SEO: 2 Good Ways to Remove Duplicate Content, and 8 Bad Ones
May 26, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Duplicate content is not subject to a Google penalty, but it does split link equity and thus impact rankings. We explain in this all-new update to a 2019 post.
-
Keyword Research
How Keyword Clustering Powers SEO
May 19, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Keyword lists for SEO are often cluttered and seemingly endless. "Clustering" can help by grouping keywords by a common modifier.
-
SEO Tools
3 Keyword Tools for Search Intent
May 12, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Optimizing content for organic rankings requires knowing how Google will interpret searchers' intent — informational, commercial, or navigational.
-
Link Building
15 Tools for Link-building
May 8, 2022 • Sig Ueland
Link building can be a daunting task. Here is a list of tools to assist in link prospecting, outreach, competitor analysis, and more.
-
SEO Tools
Free SEO Tools for Do-it-yourself Analysis
May 5, 2022 • Ann Smarty
The ability to fix basic SEO glitches can save time and money. Here are five free tools to help.
-
Link Building
3 Tools to Connect with Journalists
April 28, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Generating inbound links remains a cornerstone of search engine optimization. But link-building is difficult and becoming more so. Developing relationships with journalists can help.
-
SEO Tools
SEO: How to Super Search with Advanced Operators
April 21, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Specialized search queries can help identify missing keywords, specific content, competitors, and much more. Here are 18 essential "operators" with examples.
-
SEO Tools
SEO: Using Wayback Machine, Google Cache
April 14, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Wayback Machine and Google's cache have important SEO benefits. The former helps monitor changes to competitors' pages. The latter confirms Google's assessment of a page. We explain.
-
SEO
Ukraine-based Serpstat Perseveres Amid the War
April 11, 2022 • Daria Ahieieva
The Ukraine-based SEO platform Serpstat strives to maintain a level of normalcy for employees and customers.
-
SEO
SEO Impact of Google’s ‘Deduplicate’ Algorithm
April 7, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Google's policy to not duplicate URLs on page one of search results is likely bad news for publishers. Here's our primer on "deduplication" and tactics (if any) to overcome.
-
Keyword Research
Keyword Gaps Are SEO Opportunities
March 24, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Keyword gap analysis can identify search queries to target for organic rankings. Contributor Ann Smarty explains the concept and two tools that make the analysis easy.
-
SEO Tools
How to Diagnose Organic Traffic Losses Using Search Console
March 17, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Diagnosing a loss in organic search traffic starts with identifying the affected queries and pages. Search Console can do that and more. We explain in this terrific tutorial.
-
On-page SEO
What Bounce Rates Mean for SEO
March 10, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Bounce rates only indirectly impact organic rankings. High bounces could indicate slow page loads, poor content, and other flaws — all of which do affect SEO.
-
SEO Tools
How Google Trends Improves SEO
March 3, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Google Trends and autocomplete both use data from actual searches. But unlike autocomplete, Trends is not personalized or filtered. It's a valuable source of keyword optimization opportunities.
-
Technical SEO
How Domain Names Impact SEO
February 24, 2022 • Ann Smarty
SEO myths surrounding domain names include age, registration length, embedded keywords, and more. Contributor Ann Smarty debunks those while addressing a name's importance in this helpful piece.
-
SEO Tools
SEO Tools from Google and Bing
February 17, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Many independent tools emulate the behavior of search engine crawlers. But the best tools come from the search engines themselves: Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
-
Link Building
Stop Using Domain Authority for SEO Backlinks
February 10, 2022 • Ann Smarty
SEOs have devised metrics, such as "domain authority," to assess a site for backlink solicitations. Those metrics have nothing to do with Google, however. That's the problem.
-
SEO Tools
My Favorite SEO Keyword Tools
February 3, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Keyword research is knowing what consumers are searching for and their words to describe those items. Contributor Ann Smarty lists her go-to tools, with explanations.
-
Technical SEO
How to Use Google Autocomplete for SEO
January 27, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Google autocomplete is a staple for identifying keywords to optimize organic rankings. The tool's functionality has expanded to include refinements and entities.
-
SEO Tools
SEO: 6 Critical Search Console Reports
January 20, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Google Search Console provides essential tools to improve traffic from organic search. The data comes from the source: Google itself. Here are six reports to monitor frequently.
-
Technical SEO
SEO for Google’s ‘People also ask’
January 12, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Google's "People also ask" section is a treasure trove of questions from potential customers. It's an optimization opportunity — for rankings in Google as well as conversions on an ecommerce site.
-
On-page SEO
SEO: How to Optimize Title Tags for Ecommerce
January 6, 2022 • Ann Smarty
Google once relied heavily on title tags to match search queries to web pages. That's no longer the case, as Google can discern a searcher's intent and deliver results accordingly. Nonetheless, titles remain important, as contributor Ann Smarty explains.
-
Technical SEO
How HTML Headings Help SEO
December 30, 2021 • Ann Smarty
HTML headings are phrases or short sentences introducing a new section of content. Google has confirmed that headings help communicate the content's purpose. But search engine optimizers often debate how, exactly, Google uses those headings.
-
Technical SEO
SEO: Drive Clicks with Video Rich Snippets
December 23, 2021 • Ann Smarty
Video rich snippets are enriched organic search results in Google. They're an opportunity to generate more clicks, especially on mobile. Publishers often mistake video rich snippets with video carousels.
-
Technical SEO
SEO for Brand-name Queries
December 16, 2021 • Ann Smarty
Organic search results on brand-name queries can influence the buying journey. Brand-driven search results on Google appear in multiple sections, although brands have limited control over their appearance and ranking.
-
Technical SEO
SEO: Updating Content for Higher Click-throughs
December 8, 2021 • Ann Smarty
Google claims that it shows dates in organic search snippets when its algorithm determines they would be relevant and helpful. In reality, dates are extremely common and have a big impact on click-throughs. Google offers clear guidelines as to how to communicate dates to its algorithm.
-
Technical SEO
How to Generate Traffic from Google Discover
December 2, 2021 • Ann Smarty
Google is not just a search engine. It's also a discovery engine. The difference is huge. Searchers have an idea of what they are looking for. They know what they need. But the discovery engine attempts to discern the interests of searchers regardless of their queries. In a sense, Google Discover informs searchers of what they need before they realize it.
-
SEO Tools
3 Ways Google’s Search Console Improves Organic Clicks
November 25, 2021 • Ann Smarty
Google's Search Console is one of the most helpful search-engine-optimization tools. Moreover, Search Console provides data straight from the source: Google. It is also free. Here are three ways to use Search Console to generate more clicks from your organic listings.
-
Technical SEO
SEO: Google’s Video Carousels Are a Big Opportunity
November 18, 2021 • Ann Smarty
Google's search result pages have greatly changed over the past decade. In addition to clickable listings, we now see highly visible, often interactive results in diverse formats. One of the newer sections is video carousels.