Tuesday, December 18, 2012

How to address Negative SEO links pointing to your site

In this video clip, Matt Cutts, Head of Webspam and distinguished Engineer at Google talks about negative SEO and backlinks from competitors who try to sabotage your website's rankings on Google.

You'll learn how to use the Disavow tool to counter attack the tactics of jealous competitors.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Does a Keyword-rich domain help get my website on the 1st page of Google?

The Power of Keyword Domains

Does having a Keyword-rich domain help my website rank and get to the 1st page of Google and other search engines? 


View this short video clip with Matt Cutts, Head of Google's Webspam team to get a better understanding of rich-keyword domains and brand marketing strategies to get the best results.

Website Marketing Testimonials From Lawyers - SEO for Law Firms

Internet Marketing for Lawyers

Are you wanting a better return on your website marketing dollars? The best form of marketing for attorneys is having a dominate Internet web presence on organic results.  If your firm's website is not visible on the 1st page of Google and the other search engines, you are wasting your money.

Click on the link below and hear testimonials from attorneys who have tried big name SEO companies, print media, TV ads, and other forms of marketing but did not have results until working with iLawyer Marketing. 

Click HERE to hear attorney testimonials

Please contact me (Hector Perez) 24/7 at 714.883.1831 for a free consultation and review of your website marketing strategy and show you tangible ways that I help attorneys increase lead generation results.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Did Google sent out 700K warnings to websites about unnatural black hat links?

Unnatural or Black Hat links

A rumor is going around stating that Google sent warnings to 700K plus websites about Black Hat spam links. Is this true, or not? 


Hear what Matt Cutts from Google has to say in the video clip

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

How does Google detect spammy sites?

How does Google detect and penalize spammy websites?

1. Google's Googlebot detects spammy websites by using on-page signals  such as:

In addition to Google's On-page signal, they also use the backlink profile of a web page to detect spam by analyzing backlink components like:
  • How many links are there in total?
  • What is the quality of the pages that they are coming from?   
  • Are the pages “genuine” or do they just host links?
  • What anchor texts are being used? (Link text is also known as anchor text)
  • What is the ratio of commercial versus non-commercial anchor texts?

2. What are Commercial anchor texts or Competitive keywords and how do they influence backlink profiles? 


A commercial keyword is a competitive keyword term that has HIGH monthly search volume or a HIGH financial value, such as: "Injury lawyer" or "Accident attorney"

  • If 80% your anchor texts on a page are backlinks to commercial or high competition keywords, it is likely that the page of content on your site will be seen as spammy
  • A natural backlink profile usually has non-commercial keywords in the anchor texts

3. On-page optimization is very important and plays a key factor for your SEO strategy:


Good on-page SEO tactics must be part of your online marketing strategy which is being detailed about the basic elements on the pages of content such as:
  • Title Tags
  • H1/H2 headers
  • Meta descriptions
Off-page SEO (link building) is like filling your car with premium gas but on-page SEO elements are like the wheels on your car.

 

4. What type of link building practices work with Google? 


Think of link building like relationship management. If your website is about asset management laws, acquire backlinks that are relevant to financial and legal industries.
  • The quality and relevance of backlinks are key to PageRank.  
  • One backlink from authentic page will do much more than 500-1000 links from spam blogs. 
  • Quality is always more important than quantity when it comes to backlinks. 

Andre Weyher is an Ex-Search Quality Team Member of Google who shares additional insight to their quality signals. Click HERE to read more.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Does Google Have A Parked Domain Detector?

Does Google have a parked domain detector and should I have content on a parked domain that I buy from GoDaddy? The answer is "yes." 

Google does have a “parked domain detector," says Matt Cutts from Google that avoids trying to show those pages in their search results.

If you buy a domain that you intend to use later on, it is always best to write some type of content on your placeholder page so it can be indexed by Google's Googlebot.

You may want to include:
  • A paragraph or two on your company 
  • Product you will be offering 
  • Services you provide 
  • Social links 
  • Newsletter or email subscription 
  • Add a few links to relevant or informative websites that relate to your business 
Watch this two minute Webmaster Help video clip from Matt Cutts regarding a parked domain and pitfalls that you should avoid.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Does using Google Adwords help with my organic ranking results?

Recently, Matt Cutts from Google was asked if customers who have a website and buy Google AdWords get special treatment and ranker higher in organic results. 


Listen to this 1 1/2 minute video clip and response from Matt Cutts regarding Google AdWords and website rankings:



Saturday, October 20, 2012

Google's new tool help sites "DISAVOW LINKS"

Google's new tool to help disavow links

Google introduced a tool allows you to "disavow links" that are considered unnatural and may be hurting the rankings of a website. 

According to Matt Cutts, the new disavow tool is designed to help webmasters clean up their sites if they have been notified of a manual spam action based on “unnatural links” pointing to their site. 

The tool is for POWER or ADVANCED users and should not be used If you haven’t gotten a notification from Google. 


To learn more about the disavow feature, watch the video below and check out Google's Help Center




Click HERE to read more about Google's Disavow tool

Monday, October 8, 2012

Google makes 65 quality changes in August and September

Click HERE to see the list of Google's 65 quality updates in August and September

Why does Google make so many changes to their algorithms? 

Google's passion and goal is to build the perfect search engine of the future that is highly intelligent by understanding what a User is looking for on the Internet and deliver exactly what the User wants. Click HERE to read more about Google dream search engine...

What is Google's Knowledge Graph? 

Watch the video clip below to learn more and click HERE to read more about the Knowledge Graph.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Do Links That Point To My Site Really Matter?

Do Links That Point To My Website Really Matter with SEO and Rankings?

Yes they do. Ranking results in Google are partially based on the backlinks of other websites that point or link to your site. 


Google looks at three link factors: 
1. The quality of a link
 2. The quantity of links
3. The relevance of a link

These three link factors will effect your website ranking results in positive or negative way. Lots of links used by SEO companies are from link-farms which are intended to manipulate a website's ranking results and will jeopardize the trust and popularity of your site.


CLICK HERE TO READ MORE more about Google’s guidelines regarding links, link schemes, linkwheels, and spammed links that may impact your site in a negative or profitable way. 

Hear what Matt Cutts has to say about analyzing links or removing links that look spammy

 

Hear what Matt Cutts has to say about links from article marketing, widget links, etc.


Hear what Matt Cutts has to say about effective techniques for building quality links.

Does freshness of content help my website rankings on Google?

Lots of opinions are expressed by SEO guys who say that freshness of content helps your website rank higher.  Watch this informative video clip from Matt Cutts who explains the freshness signal called QDF and how it impacts or benefits website rankings for certain types of websites.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Matt Cutts from Google announces a new exact-match domain (EMD) algorithm change

Exact-Match Domains (EMDs) 

Matt Cutts, Google’s head of webspam broadcasted on Twitter that a new exact-match domain (EMD) algorithm change was implemented. The algo update is designed to help reduce the amount of low quality Exact Match Domains in Google's search results.

What is an Exact Match Domain (EMD)? 

An EMD contains a keyword term that matches the search query. Below are some sample EDMs:
  • Personal Injury Law Firm = www.InjuryLawFirmInLosAngeles.com
  • Wine Store = www.QualityWinesForLess.com  
  • Designer Suits = www.Designer-Suits_For-Less.com
  • Cheap Prom Dresses = www.CheapPromDresses.net

Most search engines gave a greater weight in ranking results to a domain name that associated with a keyword search term result. Some individuals seek to “trick” the search engines into listing a website on the 1st page or getting a higher ranking by having an Exact Match Domain. The update will affect 0.6% of English-US queries. 

The new Exact-Match Domain (EMD) algo update affects 0.6% of English-US queries to a noticeable degree. Unrelated to Panda/Penguin. — Matt Cutts (@mattcutts) September 28, 2012

Google Analytics and descriptors for Key Performance Indicators

What is Google Analytics and what factors should I be looking at for my website?


Click HERE to see details regarding Google Analytics and descriptors for Key Performance Indicators or KPIs.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Is your business or law firm listed in YELP?

Why should I create a listing in Yelp? 

Yelp has fast become a great digital directory used by thousands of consumers every day to find 5 star rated restaurants, quality retailers, local businesses, hotels, shopping malls, gas stations, and 5 star rated attorneys.

As an example, my wife and I used Yelp the other day to find a local Japanese restaurant. The first thing we did was read the reviews left by consumers. If the restaurant had a poor quality rating (3 stars or less stars), we went on to the next 4 star listing until we found one that had excellent reviews by past customers.


If your business or law firm is consumer based and provides services such as: Personal injury law, criminal defense law, family law, asset protection law, probate law, estate planning, etc. You should  take 5 minutes to create an account listing if you don't have one.

A listing in Yelp can help your law firm pick up new leads when people are searching for an attorney for your particular niche or practice area.

Secondly, past clients can post a review about you or your firm even if you don’t have an account listing in Yelp. Take a minute to visit www.Yelp.com and do a search for your firm or business to see if anyone has written something about you. If you have a Yelp listing and no reviews, ask satisfied clients to log in and rate you

Yelp Star Ratings

1 Star = Eek! MeThinksNot
2 Stars = Meh. I've Experienced Better
3 Stars = A-OK.
4 Stars = Yay! I'm a fan.

5 Stars = WooHoo! As good as it gets!


How can I create a Yelp Account?
To create a Yelp listing for your firm, is very easy. Simply click HERE to be redirected to the Yelp Sign Up page.  It's important to add a photo, firm details, and you may want to try offering a special incentive to help engage and compel consumers to act. If you are a law firm, remember to select "Professional Services (professional) in the Category List.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Does Google ignore "Punctuation and symbols in search?"

Lots of people are wanting to know if Google ignores punctuation and symbols like: - dash, + plus sign, $ sign, _Underscore, # Hashtag Number Sign, & Ampersand sign, etc. in a search result.  

Some symbols and punctuation marks may cause the search engines to produce poor results. Its important to minimize using symbols and punctuation on pages of content if you want better results for your website content. 


Click HERE to read about about punctuation and special characters in a Google search. 


Monday, September 10, 2012

Tips on how to market my firm on FaceBook

How can I get referrals and leads for my law firm on Facebook?


Social media has become a fast growing trend to advertise your firm and business at a minimal cost. Getting "Facebook Likes", or "Twitter Followers" is mouth to mouth advertising that is cost effective and believable by having personal endorsements from people that have used your  products or services. Social media marketing takes time and constant effort, however, it's easy to learn and cost effective if you want to market your law firm on Facebook or Twitter.

10 Sample Facebook Pages That Attract Fans

Invest 3-6 hours of your time and you will gain excellent knowledge on new ways of generating leads through Facebook and other social media that may result in new clients!   

Click HERE to read HubSpot's FREE ideas on how you can Master Facebook Marketing in 10 days.  

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Why is it important to learn Social Media Marketing?

"Social media marketing"; "Social marketing"; "Continuous change"; "Rapid advancements"; "Complex solutions"; "New technology breakthroughs" 

These words create fear and uncertainty for many business people who are not up to speed with social media trends and the technology world. We all need to face the reality that "social media marketing is here to stay" and rapidly growing at an alarming rate. 

Its not difficult to learn the fundamentals of social media marketing strategies, however, it does require time.

Click HERE to read HubSpot's free online book about The Future of Social Marketing and how you can leverage revenue generating opportunities for your firm or business on Facebook, Twitter and other social sites. Social media marketing is the new platform for mass marketing so get on board the new ship before you get left behind. 

Monday, August 13, 2012

Google's Penguin Update Will Shake Things Up For Black Hat SEO Tricksters

The Next Penguin Update from Google Will Shake Things Up

August 10 2012. Read Google's latest article regarding their Penguin algorithm update. 
Click link to read more... http://insidesearch.blogspot.com/2012/08/an-update-to-our-search-algorithms.html

Matt Cutts responds to questions regarding Penguin Update. Comments from the SEO Roundtable Conference.
Click link to read more...http://www.seroundtable.com/google-penguin-warning-15577.html#comment-621250469


Saturday, August 11, 2012

How many algorithm updates did Google make in June and July?

Google's official blog post site states that they made 86 algorithm updates in June and July to help improve search quality results for their customers. For a complete list of algorithm changes visit their blogpost. Click here to read more... http://insidesearch.blogspot.com/search/label/search%20quality

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Google Dominates Search Marketshare at 66.76% in July, 2012

What percent of market-share does Google have on searches? 


According Experian Hitwise's research, Google had 65.7% of all U.S. searches in July, 2012. For a detailed report on the top search engines, market share, and percetage of U.S.A. clicks by number of keywords click on the link to read more... http://www.experian.com/blogs/hitwise/2012/08/10/searchenginesjuly2012/

Information Source: Experian Information, Inc.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

How to develop and deliver compelling 15 second pitch with a Message Map process

Can you deliver an effective pitch on what you offer prospective clients in 15 seconds? 

 

Watch this 5 minute video that walks you through three (3) simple steps on how to develop a clear, compelling, and concise "Message Map" for your law firm or business.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Should I use Underscores or Dashes (hyphens) for a URL-Domain?

How does Google search engine index URLs with Dashes or Underscores?


"Wow, now that's a good question!"


Its always best to go directly to the source who are the true experts. Take 3-minutes to view this short video clip with Matt Cutts from Google who provides an excellent explanation on how Google's search engine indexes URLs (domains) with Dashes (Hyphens) and Underscores.

Before you view the video clip, what do you think is best to use?

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Four Key Factors That Drive SEO


1.Technical Components: 
Website architecture that aligns with Google's quality standards
 Under the hood stuff: Title Tags; META Tags; Meta Descriptions; etc. 
Google’s primary goal: Best search experience for users
2.Custom Content:
Google rewards quality content that is unique
      •No duplicate content
      No keyword stuffing
•Content that you want to showcase based on geography
Thought provoking content that is helpful, not a rehashed article
Google’s Panda Update - April 24, 2012; Penalized sites with duplicate content; Keyword stuffing; Excessive Anchor Text; etc.
3.Backlinks (most important factor for ranking):
Quality of links vs. Quantity of links that point to your website
Relevancy of link  = The right types of backlinks pointing to your site
Exclusivity (Where the link comes from. Not diluted) 
Back linking is both hard work & time consuming that requires specialized knowledge.  
Google's Penguin Update was both jarring & jolting for 65%+ of SEO companies who used Black hat tactics
4.Age of your URL/Domain 
•Is it trusted?
Is it credible?
Is it popular?
Is it informative? (Helpful to visitors)

Saturday, June 23, 2012

What happened to my Google Places account?

Google is making lots of improvements in their search algorithms to help businesses with Local Listings and Maps. They have updated their rating system to enhance search results and improve User experience.

The Google Places is now called Google+ Local.

Learn more by clicking HERE 


How can I move my Google Places content into Google+ Local? Read more HERE 

Click HERE to learn more about Google Places Quality Guidelines.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

How Can I clean My Site After A Penguin Update?

Thousands of spammy websites were impacted and will continue to see a decline in rankings with Google's Penguin update. 

Click HERE to get ideas on how you can clean your website.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Panda Update

Panda update from Google and what it means to you. Watch this video clip regarding high quality websites and their new signals that will impact the quality of your website. 



Saturday, May 5, 2012

How can I design a Quality website that Google likes?

How can I design a quality website that Google and the other search engines like? 

This is a GREAT question. If you are truly interested in developing a quality website that is successful on the Internet, make sure you adhere to Google's guidelines.

There are thousands of web developers that do not have a clue about SEO and how your website architecture is impacted with the latest algorithm updates.

Below is a checklist with 12 critical factors that will help you design a quality website for the search engines
  1. Make your site crawable
  2. Great content that is well written, informative and interesting
  3. Keyword research to ensure that the right words are on your pages
  4. Cutting edge website design with a hook - What sets you apart from the competition? Why should people return to your site and bookmark it?
  5. Link and website architecture is critical
  6. Sitemap
  7. Correct Title and Meta description tags
  8. Page layout
  9. Minimizing keyword stuffing
  10. Relevant or Natural backlinks for search engine optimization or SEO
  11. Easy navigation  and fast page downloads


Click HERE to learn more about Google's Quality Guidelines and guidance on how to build a  website that works.

Google's makes 52 Algorithm Updates in April, 2012

How may updates did Google make to their algorithm in April?

According to Google's Official Blog Post site, they made 52 Algorithm updates in the month of April, 2012.

Click the link to read more... http://insidesearch.blogspot.com/2012/05/search-quality-highlights-53-changes.html

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Penguin Update - What Happened?

Google's Penguin update 

- A new algorithm on-page sifting filter. 

  • What happened with the Penguin update?
  • When did the Penguin update happen?
  • What sites were affected and how can I know if my site was impacted?
  • How can I recover from Google's Penguin update?
  • Can I get help from Google?
  • What is the Panda 3.5 update? (off-page)
  • Can I sabotage my competitors with the Penguin update?
  • What impact will the Penguin update have on my firm or business?
Watch this video to get a better understanding of Google's Penguin update.

Google rewards high quality websites

What is a high quality website is a question that lots of people pose to developers. 

 Google has made it very clear that a quality website will make a site more crawlable and make individual pages more accessible and easier to find. Below is 12 point checklist that will make your site effective with search engine optimization, or SEO :
  1. Make your site crawable
  2. Develop GREAT or quality content that is informative and interesting to site visitors
  3. A hook - What sets you apart from the competition? Why should people return to your site and bookmark it?
  4. Keyword research to ensure that the right words are on your pages
  5. Link and website architecture is critical
  6. Sitemap
  7. Correct Title and Meta description tags
  8. Page layout
  9. Minimizing keyword stuffing
  10. Relevant or Natural backlinks for search engine optimization or SEO
  11. Easy navigation 
  12. Fast page downloads
Watch this brief video clip from Matt Cutts on  Qualities of a good site



Click HERE to read the article on Google's Blogspot on why "High Quality Websites" are rewarded by their search engine.   

Click HERE to read about Google's Quality Standards for website design.

What is a landing page and how do I create one?


How do I develop a quality landing page?

Developing a quality landing page is critical to the success of your website. Google looks at various items to determine if your landing page will give visitors a great experience. The three main factors for a landing page are:
  1. Original content (no duplicate) and Relevancy. Is your content informative, clear and useful?
  2. Transparency. Can visitors easily find your products, services and contact information?
  3. Ease of navigation. Is your site layout simple or do you have lots of links or information all over the page that makes it confusing for visitors?   
For additional information from Google, on how to build a quality landing page, click on the link...http://support.google.com/adwords/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2404197