17
May 13
Coming Soon: Penguin 2.0
Matt Cutts announced on Monday that there are some pretty big changes in the Google algorithm coming down the pipes, as Cutts calls it: Penguin 2.0. Exact release date is TBA, but it sounds like it will be coming in the summer months.
In the past, algorithm updates have only been revealed when they are significant. This one was announced ahead of time and labeled with a 2.0, not a 1.6,7,etc. – so we can expect that the SERPs will be shifting indefinitely pretty soon. Some brands will likely see improvements in their search performance, while others less fortunate may fall off the radar completely. (more…)
07
May 13
St. Louis Shout-out: Content Marketing
Saint Louis is a pretty remarkable city. We all know how its residents unabashedly love Cardinals baseball and consuming craft beer in ungodly quantities, but there’s more to The Lou than that. From budding Internet-savvy start-ups, to the Fortune 1000 companies that have adopted new digital modus operandi, St. Louis is home to a myriad of brands doing incredible things in the WWW. We even joined the ranks of the fastest growing cities for tech jobs (according to Fortune). Watch your back, Seattle.
Local Showcase: Content Marketing
The inspiration for this post might have stemmed from the long-awaited spring weather, but Derek asked me to break from our clients and own brand agenda to recognize the solid work a couple local agencies are doing, specifically in content marketing. Atomicdust and Gorilla 76 stand out as two shops that excel at producing great work and sharing their achievements with the digital realm. No agency is an island; without the inspiration and support from these guys across town, we wouldn’t be where we are today. (more…)
25
Apr 13
Simple .htaccess Tricks for On-Site Optimization
This post goes out to all the site owners/developers out there who are running a site using the Apache server. You want to optimize your site for search results, but the whole task seems rather daunting. We’ll be honest, it can be. But before doing keyword research, building landing pages, and perfecting your internal linking structure, there are some basic on-site modifications you can make first.
This list represents some of the most common on-site mistakes SEOs encounter. Luckily, they are also some of the easiest to repair. All of these changes can be implemented by simply adding a few basic lines of code to the site’s .htaccess file.
How to Edit the .htaccess
Using an FTP client, you can log in to your domain and edit the .htaccess file from there. (My preferred FTP client is Filezilla.) Your FTP login should be available from whatever host you are using (e.g., GoDaddy, Bluehost).
(more…)
23
Apr 13
Help Us Welcome Kai to the Crew!
For the third time this year, we’re elated to introduce a new member of Team Evolve. Hailing from Festus, Kai Alcazaren is officially on board as an SEO Manager.
Kai brings with him an impressive portfolio of digital experience, including having developed custom mobile applications for higher education. His interest in lead generation and user experience made Kai an ideal candidate for the position, in which he will assist clients and our own brand in building a stronger digital presence. From generating content strategy to fixing on-site errors, Kai is going to contribute in a myriad of ways. We can’t wait to get started.
Kai has already adjusted swimmingly, dodging our sarcasm with charm and impressing us with his dietary self control (he willingly snacked on a plain baked sweet potato as the rest of us enjoyed sangrias and jerk chicken at Boogaloo for HIS induction lunch). That’s dedication.
(more…)
18
Apr 13
Connecting with Consumers through Search
Today Derek spoke at IABC’s seminar, The Communicators’ Toolkit, about the ability for brands to use Search as a means of connecting with consumers. The purpose of using keywords on a website isn’t to bait people online; it’s to match your brand’s services and products to the needs of a searcher.
If your website is receiving primarily branded traffic, you are missing out on the opportunity to connect with the larger audience that is unaware of your brand – yet has needs your services or goods can fulfill.
Derek talked about the importance of understanding a buyer persona before diving into keyword research, then making sure a website is able to rank for terms that attract audiences in all stages of what we call the “sales funnel.” To break it down simply, most people start searching with a vague problem in mind. As they perform additional research, they refine their queries to be more specific and often inclusive of a brand name.
Check out the presentation below:
15
Apr 13
Digital Passive Aggression: A (Silly) Guide to Negative SEO
Your gym charged double for last month’s membership. The site from which you bought textbooks never shipped them, nor refunded you. Whatever the reason, you’re mad. But as you know, it’s 2013. And if there’s one way we love to lash out, it’s passively, dammit. I’m here today to present a list of ways you can do so without having to actually confront anyone.
Disclaimer: I don’t condone sabotaging a brand’s reputation or success online. These are merely hypothetical, highly passive aggressive scenarios that you could feasibly carry out if you were burning with an undying passion and needed to do something about it before you snap (by the way, try yoga first). Anyway, this is simply a lighthearted post about reverse-SEO tactics. Why so serious?
Fair, but firm:
Forget the customer service line. Passive aggression is about attempting to teach a lesson without actually having to talk to anyone about it. Here’s where you can start:
28
Mar 13
Keyword Research for the Novice
Our job as SEOs is to teach our clients how to be experts in online marketing. We know we have done our job when our clients no longer need us; we like that. (Even though we hate to see them go.) Hence the purpose of this post: to show non-experts how to fake it until they make it with keyword research.
Keyword research is an important concept for SEO, arguably the most important. It ultimately serves as the basis for all online strategies that follow.
But it is a pretty daunting task for some of us non-keyword research experts, including me. For some of us, navigating Excel or drawing takeaways from data are not easy tasks, much less getting into the mind of consumers in search.
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14
Mar 13
Fundamentals of a solid company blog
Most of the websites I scour on a daily basis are other marketing sites – and for the most part, they have it together. The blogs of other industries, however, are a different story; the brands don’t always see the value. I’m so used to stumbling upon a company’s blog that hasn’t been updated since its “Welcome to our blog!” post circa 2007, it often takes me by surprise to see a non-marketing company investing time and effort into its web log (a little trivia for you there). This post features three seemingly dull industries that are actually doing a great job with content creation.
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12
Mar 13
Welcome to the Team, Laura!
This week we’re excited to introduce another member to Team Evolve. Laura Poole is our Paid Search and Analytics Manager; she will dive into data to help us orchestrate and implement paid search campaigns for our clients. If you’ve ever explored our PPC pages on this website, you know the extent of the services – they require a lot of attention to detail and tedious research. So you can imagine how thrilled we are to have another member on board!
27
Feb 13
Are your link building efforts outdated?
Last week we mentioned how to use keyword research organically. While it may seem elementary to some, the reality is Google’s algorithm has changed in the past couple years, forcing some brands to think twice about the way they are using (and sometimes abusing) SEO elements like keywords. (If this is you, be sure to check out the post so you know where you can safely use keywords on your site.)
Today we’re going to dig into link building, or outreach, as it’s often referred to in 2013. Even if you haven’t purchased links for your site, there’s a pretty good chance your old methods are quickly fading into oblivion. So let’s look at a brief overview of which tactics are losing their relevancy and what you can do to get back into the game. (more…)
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