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Great to hear you have recovered Adam.
Also, it is worth remembering that as good a job as MOZ do, they aren't Google so you can't really use that as a definitive gauge of how well you are doing in that department. It's a 3rd party indicator (albeit a good one), nothing more.
If you wish, I can run a quick scan of your backlink profile to see how it looks?
-Andy
Hi Christina,
Some are better than others, but all tend to be limited in functionality. They are free for a reason. SEMrush is probably the best of the free bunch (personal preference) but there is no substitute for a complete site audit.
Just take what you see when entering your URL as an indicator and use that to dig deeper into the problem. Be careful of those that only look at your homepage, as this can lull you into a false sense of security and not show what is going on with the rest of your site.
Screaming Frog and URL Profiler are my tools of choice these days. They cover everything needed to perform SEO & Content audits.
-Andy
I did wonder the same myself but with so many sources talking about bounce rates, I thought it prudent to err on the side of caution.
Doing nothing is not really an option as I never leave things to chance (and this has worked in my favour more times than I care to remember in the past).
I am leaning towards my 3rd option of pulling part of the registration process back into "Site 1" so a click on a job, will keep you within the primary site for a second page.
Hi,
Structuring pages to best make us of keywords is a multi-step approach, but here are a few key points to keep in mind.
In terms of the structure for your site, this is a bigger discussion, but don't just add all of your links into the footer of your pages. Use a nice clean structure from the menu at the top of the site that then leads to other key pages. Link to other pages internally with a normal anchor text link if you think that it will help your visitors.
This is a good article that will explain it in a lot more detail.
-Andy
If everything is in place Megan, then you should have no problems. Google will be able to work the links out without penalty. As JCurrier said, expect a little movement when you make changes, but it doesn't sound like anything much and should right itself. If it doesn't, then there may be something else going on as well.
No problem at all. I will set a crawl going and see what I find when it finishes 
-Andy
I have shared this question with Dan from Screaming Frog for you
-Andy
Completely agree with David here - your approach to link building is quite a dangerous one that might see an initial bounce, but I wouldn't expect that to last.
I wrote an article on ethical link building that might be worth a read but you should know that Google have stated that they don't want to see poor links fromArticle Marketing, so I would cease with that immediately. Especially with the spun content. If I were in your shoes, anything that has been spun and republished, I would go back over and remove.
If yours is the sort of business that can carry off a blog / news section, I would write this great content and keep it all on your own site.
Setup Authorship from your site to your Google+ page (set one up if you don't have one) and then start posting links to articles in there. Then start building a network of others who will also be interested in sharing your content. You need to get your content out as much as possible, but this has to be handled the right way.
Hope this helps.
Andy
mywebsite.com/essays-writing than mywebsite.com/student-help/essays-writing
The structure of your site is unlikely to make a big difference, but where possible, smaller sites where there is no required structure, should try and opt for a flat site, as in your first example.
I would only post in a structure like option 2 if there is a benefit to users (and Google) by doing so.
-Andy
The first thing to remember is to point all old pages to the new ones using 301's. Am I right in thinking that the basic content for each page will stay the same? If so, that is quite straight forward.
If you are removing pages altogether, then try to find the best matches for a redirect. Doing this should minimize any loss.
As to what Google will think, that is a little awkward to second guess. Sometimes there are no issues and the site will just carry on, other times you may see a drop or rise in the SERP's. No easy way to determine this.
Andy
Dropped you a PM with some specifics Adam, but isn't looking too healthy.
-Andy
If the site has only been live for a few months, then it's not that long because trust will be built up over time.
One thing I would do is sort out the page speed. I ran this though Google's Page Speed Test and it came back with a 17/100 (12/100 for mobile). This is going to make a huge difference. Page speed can affect all kinds of issues and make people leave the site before it loads.
-Andy
You might find this from Matt Cutts of interest.
-Andy
Keyword strategies are quite in-depth when you get started so it's good to know from the outset, what you are trying to promote from that page.
From your examples, both phrases give a very different set of results, so I would be looking to create 2 different pages for these. However, you will need to do some research on how to make these pages more targeted for Google.
For example, for Made to measure furniture, I would be looking to add keywords and phrases that you know Google associates with them, such as:
Depending on the pages you are looking to promote, you could add some of these as headings or talk more about them as part of the page content.
But as always with keywords, make sure it all makes sense and don't just drop keywords and phrases into a page without giving them a reason to be there.
Such a big subject, but I hope this helps a little.
-Andy
The only way I can imagine they may receive a report is through the notifications in Webmaster tools.
That said, I am not sure about this as I haven't had to go through this procedure, so have also Tweeted this out to my followers to see if anyone there knows.
Hi Issac,
In these circumstances, there are a few things to look at.
See how you get on with those. There are other lesser possibilities, but these should give you some good starting points.
-Andy
Hi,
What you have there will work absolutely fine with a little tweak. And no need to leave spaces between lines.
Disallow: /numberOfStars=0
However, no need to add the wildcard at the end if there is nothing more after that.
The best way to test what works, is before you go and add it to live, use the Robots.txt test tool in Search Console (Webmaster Tools), add in the lines above and then check to make sure none of your other pages are blocked. They won't be, but it's a great way to test before going live.
I hope this helps
-Andy
I don't know or any issues with webmaster tools at the moment, but that doesn't mean there isn't. Perhaps post a request on the webmaster forums if no-one here is aware of anything?
If traffic is stable though, I wouldn't worry at this stage.
-Andy
Hi,
Google is pretty smart, so it knows that when someone types 'Voucher Codes', that is can also mean 'Coupons', 'Promo Codes', 'Discount Codes', et al.
I would be looking to create as much great content as you can and in that content, do some keyword research and use these variants to help Google understand more about the page.
That is a very simplistic way of looking at it because you also need to look at primary and supplementary content and how you distinguish yourselves as a specialist site.
Have a look at MOZ's Keyword Tool to help with the keyword research.
-Andy
Here is one reply I have received Catherine.
"On the defamatory site. Google will remove the site url BUT, they will also inform the site owners that a complaint has been received about the defam content. However, the best way to get a result is through a solicitor (ironic) but if the remarks are truly defamatory, i.e. untrue, then the site can be asked to remove the content by court order."
Andy
You need to be careful with how this is handled otherwise it won't read right and just end up looking spammy.
When looking at keyword research, look at your main phrases (I choose 4-5 important ones) and then look at synonyms of these.
For example, if I was looking to optimise for the word "glasses", I would try to feature some of the following words in the content too:
This will give a good spread of meaning to word and show that thought has been put into the copy.
-Andy
Hi David,
Spam scores like this are based on algorithms, so without seeing the links, it would be very difficult to advise correctly on this. There are other factors to take into account as well.
Would you like to PM me the information and I would be happy to take a look for you.
-Andy
OK, so I contacted John Mueller from Google for you, pointed him at this question, and this is what he said:
"Your site is currently indexed as https (yay!), do you have the https version verified in Webmaster Tools?"
-Andy
Hi,
You never want to create multiple pages that are too similar as this will probably result in a penalty.
The best way to do this is to create your main page and then talk about the different aspects of the content and you can use these variants in there - but don't keyword stuff. Use a word or phrase if it fits, but never just try to shoehorn it in.
However, if they are very similar, you might not even need to do this because Google is good at knowing which words are similar and if your pages are good enough, it will see this.
-Andy
But your keyword variations are for personal gain and to try and get as many people to your site as possible. Wiki's is just to correct what people search for. Trust me, Google will view this practice the same way.
I would never suggest using a redirect for trying to enhance a site in this manner. Use a 301 only to push someone from a page that no longer exists, or that has a genuine reason to be there.
Refer to Googles reasoning on redirects rather than Wikipedia's in this situation.
-Andy
Hi Alex,
This really depends on how the mobile site is created, but I would suggest you have a read of this MOZ post that talks about optimising a site for mobile.
-Andy
That's good news on both fronts.
Just remember with the disavow file, to add to the file that is there. It's too easy to overwrite a file and reverse work you have already done.
-Andy
As per my last response Isaac, if you ask this in Moz product support, you will get an answer much quicker from one of the team
-Andy
Hi,
I quite like this one personally but I can't say for sure if it will ever get it wrong. Seems to be pretty decent though
https://totheweb.com/learning_center/tool-test-google-title-meta-description-lengths/
However, I tend to keep meta descriptions purposefully shorter than I need as I like to try and get the point across as quickly as possible.
-Andy
I wouldn't worry too much just yet. There is often a period of adjustment when lots of changes have been made and there is nothing there that would give me cause for concern.
My only suggestion would have been to try a smaller number of pages first of all before committing to all / lots of pages, but hindsight is a wonderful thing
I would wait it out for a little bit and just monitor keyword positions in the SERPs for now.
-Andy
Hi,
You are correct that both can help. However, you don't want to artificially inflate pages with keywords or filler content that is only there to try and serve a purpose, as this will come back and bite you. If you can enhance your current pages, then this is a great way to improve what is already there. If you think that a subject requires a dedicated explanation though, then this can also help.
The example you gave 'does voltage optimisation work in hotels'... if you can write an article based on this without it just being the same as 'does voltage optimisation work', but with the word 'hotel' added in now and then, then yes, it's worthwhile. Also, don't write for Google - write for your viewers. Make each page as good as you possibly can.
-Andy
Peter - I have tried Yell myself and over 12 months, I never had a single enquiry - Not a one!
You won't be penalised for being in there, but I urge you to put your money into something different. Find something around your niche that people visit, and don't fall for the stories they tell you at Yell. I am in the progress of going through the complaints procedure right now to get my money back. I was warned about this myself and wish I would have listened.
-Andy
If it were a larger jump, I might have been concerned about it, but a few points are nothing really. If you still have concerns though, you can always mail the help desk and ask them for a little extra advice - if it continues to drop though, then this could point towards a problem.
-Andy
Hi Marina,
How are you trying to verify it? Meta Tag? Upload a file? DNS / Analytics?
Are you seeing an error message when you are trying to do this? You could also check here to see if it helps answer your question.
-Andy
Hi David,
I can run a quick scan for you and tell you what sort of shape your link profile is in, but what 'could' have happened is that since the penalty, another algorithm has come along and hit you for something else. A little awkward to guess exactly though, but have seen this happen on a number of occasions.
Edit-- OK, your link profile isn't too healthy I'm afraid David. One even listed as Malicious... If you want to drop me a mail over, I will give you a little more info info@inetseo.co.uk
-Andy
Hi Isaac,
It isn't always about exact page matching in this manner - Google knows that a diary and 5-year diary are related and will deliver the page that they think is best suited - in this case, the homepage. However, I would be tempted to look at internal linking from the homepage to the 5-year diary page, and perhaps other related pages from within the site. It's all about creating a self-explanatory structure that gives weight to a page.
You could also look at strengthening this by building some backlinks to some of these internal pages too.
Also, you have a dead page that Google has indexed at the moment: http://www.toaddiaries.co.uk/shop/5-year-diary/castelli-5-year-diary
-Andy
Hi Arnout,
Dr Pete has a post that runs through these areas here and is well worth a read. Search for the word HOTEL on that page.
Some Local Knowledge Panels for hotels allow you to check availability dates and link directly to booking services. Google is actively expanding both organic and paid hotel elements, including amenities data.
Google is always testing these kinds of things and they are definitely rolling this out - sounds like a test in your area perhaps?
Have a read of this article from Google on how the hotel finder works along with inclusion suggestions via your Local page.
-Andy
Is Google reporting just the main domain, or specific pages where the links are coming from?
-Andy
You're welcome John. Glad I could help.
If you want to keep an eye on these, I don't mind setting you a login up and you can track the phrases from my system? Let me know if you do and I will drop this over on e-mail to you.
Andy
if you drop me a quick mail over David (address above) I can give you a little more detail. Wouldn't be something I could do here.
-Andy
Hi,
You will find a number of different views on how to do this but I always try and give the H1 to the more important message on the page. In terms of SEO, this really won't make much (if any) difference. However, try not to copy the actual page title and use this as the H1 as that is considered bad form.
-Andy
Hi Rick,
If you noindex a page, Google can and will still crawl it. They just won't index it.
If you disallow the page, then Google just won't see it. This is the safer option if you have other similar landing pages.
-Andy
Hi Brian,
First of all, remove all of those 301's to the homepage. This will cause you nothing but a huge headache (like now, you have redirect loops). Redirecting pages en-masse to your homepage is a big no-no in general.
Hop back into Webmaster Tools and mark the 404's as fixed and hopefully this should appease Googlebot as it doesn't look like those pages actually exist on the site anywhere, unless you have captured each one with a redirect.
You can block all of those pages via the robots.txt file as well by adding the following:
Disalow: /?post_type=crown_enquiry&p=*
I would also block the /wp-content/ folder via robots.txt while you are at at as well.
My robots file looks like this:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Disallow: /wp-includes/
Disallow: /wp-content/
Sitemap: http://www.inetseo.co.uk/sitemap.xml.gz
That said, 404's won't really do anything to your rankings - it is more of a warning that something isn't there than anything else. Of course, if you had a site that had 10,000 pages then you suddenly got 9,999 404 errors, this might be a little different 
-Andy
This is a resounding yes. It will cause you untold headaches with the same content on both sites.
Presumably you are wanting both sites to rank for various phrases? If not, and you only wanted the marketing site to rank, you could completely close out the sales site from Google, but then it would only ever be a shop. You wouldn't be able to link to it or do any SEO work.
The only safe way to do this is to have separate content written for each site. You are sure not to annoy Google at any point then.
I forgot to mention, that this is one of the reasons that ecommerce / affiliate sites have had such a hard time recently.
Spend a bit of time and money and have someone re-write this for you. Depending on how much there is, it shouldn't have to cost the earth.
-Andy
You are fortunate to be in one of the few market areas where you can actually do this with with a good degree of success and not have to handle it all manually Jeffrey!
So that aside, I can't see issues with what you are planning, but as above, do remember that some link juice loss will happen with any 301.
-Andy
Google says to place the canonical tag in the HTTP header, and that to me, would suggest that this is where they look for it.
Someone else might have a work-around, but I don't don't think it makes for a good strategy.
-Andy
Edit - As Dirk said
You're welcome
It makes interesting reading, doesn't it And a very effective way they use to come up with those that are most profitable.
Hi Lisa,
If you want to verify a website, then you need access to their Webmaster account. They will need to set you up as an admin, or you will need to add them to your own profile.
As an admin, you can do most things, but you will never be able to do things like send a disavow file - this needs the owner to do it.
-Andy
Absolutely Jeffrey. It is just an identifier so should be no issues with this at all. I have a large client who have done a very similar thing and 18 months on, SERP positions are still in the top 2
-Andy