Welcome to the Q&A Forum

Could there be something of use on this page -  https://developers.google.com/webmasters/control-crawl-index/docs/robots_meta_tag (specifically the heading "Practical implementation of X-Robots-Tag with Apache" which talks about blocking images via the http header).

Agree with Devanur - you need to use a 301 permanent redirect not a 302 temporary redirect.

If you find that the other mentions of the phone numbers are on directory sites like DMOZ (which can take along time to get edits) you can add this code to the head section of the homepage:

Hi -

A good question to ask is do you have 400 pages that are relevant, up-to-date and useful to visitors. If you have duplicate content, empty pages and so on a decrease in indexed pages is not necessarily a bad thing. You don't want your SEO efforts diluted across multiple pages when there is only one best page and you don't want your visitors to go to a bad/old page because this would be a poor user experience for them.

My first check would be to look at your XML sitemap. If you don't have one start there (be sure to upload to Google Webmaster Tools). If you do have one check there are no issues (in Google Webmaster Tools) and also have a manual check to ensure that it is using correct tags, indexed all of your pages etc.

Also have a look at your robots.txt file - have you made any changes lately? Blocked sections from being accessed?

Content - do you have lots of pages with similar content. If so you should use rel-canonical tags so that search engines know which page should be indexed.

Find the true amount of webpages you have (and want indexed), tidy up the what and how pages get indexed and then use that number as your benchmark for amount of pages indexed.

Hope that helps,Davinia

Hello,

I assume you want the 301 redirects so that you can carry over any SEO goodness the old site had to the new site. I wouldn't recommend using redirects for your entire site, the benefit is not often worth it. This is what I'd recommend:

I'd place 301 redirects on the old homepage (to new homepage) and same for top entry points of secondary pages only. All other pages I'd use canonical links (https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/139394?hl=en) from old site to new site. And, be sure to use Google Webmaster Tools to inform of the new domain name. Over next few months go to the websites that drive high levels of traffic to your website (i.e. referral sites) and ask them to change the domain name from old to new.

If your CMS is up for it you can also build into the platform a canonical module which can stop the URL changing when the title of the page changes. Highly recommend you sort this particular issue quickly.

Hope that helps,Davinia

I think 2nd edition is the latest one.

Hi all,

I am trying to set up a Google Analytics segment with the location as 'Kurdistan'. I have tried all location groupings (city, region etc) and am unable to locate it.

Anyone else not able to locate it? Or does anyone know why I can't?

Thanks,
Davinia

Best way to learn is to do. But if you need some inspiration I'd also recommend the book "Art of SEO". One of the Authors is my old boss, and he certainly knows his stuff and even though the book is a couple of years older now it is still relevant and a great read. I'd also recommend heading along to a Search conference (I found this one to be fantastic http://sesconference.com).

Hi Kerri,

I use Firefox as my main browser, but I do have a handful of Chrome only toolbars and extensions that I will use if the need arose. Personally I prefer all my favorite tools on my main browser (especially the PA and DA on MozBar) but it's not the end of the world if I need to head over to Chrome for a session.

Thank goodness for multiple monitors!
Davinia

Hi Marc,

This might also be of use - 'Check my links' extension for Chrome (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/check-my-links/ojkcdipcgfaekbeaelaapakgnjflfglf).

Once you have located the page you can use this tool to pin-point where on the page the broken link is.

Thanks,Davinia

Hi,

What you are referring to is orphaned pages. These types of pages offer no SEO value as search engines can't find them. So my advice to you would be, if you want these pages to rank and can't add the link to the main navigation then add the link to the html and xml sitemap and if possible within body copy of your website (search engines should still find your pages). If you are building these pages just for Adwords and other advertising and you don't want search engines to find them then use noindex meta tags on each of the pages - https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/93710?hl=en

Good luck,
Davinia

Refreshing your sitemap wouldn't help SEO unless you had a sitemap that was incorrect or didn't have one at all. If you have a website that adds new pages often, like an eCommerce site, then you should use a dynamic XML sitemap (not a static xml sitemap). This will ensure that as your website changes the search engines are able to find the new pages.

It's also good that once you have upload your sitemap (via Google Webmaster Tools) that you monitor it for a while to ensure that all of your pages are being indexed and that there are no issues with how your website has been constructed.

Good luck,
Davinia

Hi Pete,

I may have misunderstood your question but it sounds like you are trying to use the tool for an incorrect purpose. Followerwonk is a tool for you to analyses your followers rather than see your mentions.

Also, when you add your organizations name are you adding the @ symbol first? Just put in your exact twitter handle. This will allow you to access your information.

Hope that helps a little,
Davinia

Hi Marc,

This might also be of use - 'Check my links' extension for Chrome (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/check-my-links/ojkcdipcgfaekbeaelaapakgnjflfglf).

Once you have located the page you can use this tool to pin-point where on the page the broken link is.

Thanks,Davinia

Hi Roger,

I’m a believer in quality over quantity, so having a website indexed for a relevant search query is important.

You could deindex this image, or you could use this as an opportunity to ‘fix’ the current placement and increase your visibility on search engine result pages to those specifically looking for a magician in Cornwall and those looking for event ideas in Cornwall.

I’d recommend changing your image name from “map-of-cornwall.jpg” to something more in line with what you do e.g. “magician-in-cornwall.jpg” and also change your alt tag from “Map of Cornwall” to “Magician hire in Cornwall” – or something similar. You could also add a call-to-action link for “Booking events in Cornwall” and don’t forget to update the heading of the map image as well. This will help search engines to better understand your websites relationship with Cornwall.

If you want to deindex you can use the robots.txt file (just add to the one you already have http://www.rogerlapin.co.uk/robots.txt) – Here is Googles instructions on how to remove images from Google image search https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35308?hl=en

Good luck,
Davinia

In additional to Federico's comments....

You might like to review the Moz guide for SEO 101 and double check that you have implemented everything correctly.

Then I'd start on the keyword targets as there doesn't appear to be a clear keyword theme and the ones you are using won't do much good as they appear spammy. Here is an example:

• In my opinion title tags aren't crafted to best practice. This page (http://www.wallybuysell.com/buying_a_property.php) has a title tag of "Edmonton Homes for Sale |Homes for sale | houses for sale | Edmonton". This page is not about 'homes for sale' nor 'houses for sale', it's about the purchasing process. Your branding at the end misses the opportunity to give context. A better title tag would be "Home Purchasing Process for House Buyers - Edmonton Property".

I would also suggest getting Google Webmaster Tools. It will help you to investigate any indexing issue your site might have that could be affecting rankings.

Good luck.
Davinia

Hi Jeff,

I had the same issue with a client last year. In a nut shell a soft 404 error is when the page looks like a regular 404 error web page but the http response header returns 200 OK. So search engines think that the page is okay (a regular webpage) but there is no content on that page etc.

Your webteam will need to identify how they are producing the soft 404 error pages (with 200OK header responses) and change that set-up in the CMS. Or, if these are old pages that are no longer required and are no longer driving traffic then archive/delete them.

Good luck,
Davinia

Hi Chad,

A domain with 'roofing' in it could be confusing if the business offers additional services, however is not the end of the world if your search engine result page snippets clearly outline what services are provided (i.e. title tag and meta description).

In an ideal world you would never change URLs, especially not the root domain as you can lose SEO goodness of that page. But if you need to then be sure to use a permanent 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one and make the links from relative pages (e.g. use a 301 redirect from www.LancasterPaRoofing.com/waterblastering and point to www.spicherhomeimprovements.com/waterblastering). You will also need to inform Google of the new domain via Google Webmaster Tools. And, you should manually go and update URLs on external websites. You will need to keep the old website live for at least 6 months.

Good luck,
Davinia