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True, that page is higher quality. If you're not set on that being the reason, then I suggest restructuring the 'People' content to be as simple as possible. Remove any unnecessary nesting, get the microdata as short, simple, and flat as possible. Then, give it some more time and see if that makes the SERP update. If so, then you know you have some kind of code structuring issue.
Are you only looking to have the person's job title available via snippet? I hope you're not looking to have the person's photo show up in the SERPs, I believe that is still a discontinued feature.
The People icrodata you've implemented appears to be correct. You could try going with microformats instead of microdata and see if that helps, https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/146897. Google's example used microformats, so maybe they favor that schema.
However, I'm more inclined that they've deemed the page quality too low and not doing much to update the SERP. I would try adding content to the agent's page, maybe highlight content pieces they are proud off, skills they possess, previous travels they have put together, locations they specialize in, testimonials from customers of the agent, and anything creative you can think of - then see if that helps it get updated in the SERPs.
"Google Shopping doesn't allow the promotion of services."
Reference: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/2770285?hl=en
I manage a large traffic ecommerce website and use Google Tag Manager to tag all internal links for review in GA.
If you want to use a query parameter, which I also actively use, you can apply settings in Google Webmaster Tools to ignore them and not cause duplicate content issues.
Hi Anthony,
It's great to see you updating your business' local information. Consistency is very important in local search.
I suggest editing the old profile to have the same, consistent information as your current profile. Then, find the old local listing on Google Maps and click 'Suggest an edit.' There you can submit feedback to let Google know the old listing should be removed in place of the new listing and information.
I don't think canonicalization would be inappropriate here. Each page is different, but each page of a forum topic is supporting the OPs' main post on the first page. You can canonical the subsequent pages and pass the authority to the main page so it ranks highest.
If someone uses a specific search term that another person used on page 4 of the topic, that page will still show in Google's SERPs and direct the user to the deeper page, rather than the main page. So, we're not applying a canonical tag because of duplicate content issues, but to support the forum topic's parent theme.
I suggest adding rel/next logic to your site's theme and let Google rank the subsequent pages accordingly. Once proper canonical and rel/next tags are implemented, I wouldn't worry about duplicate meta information.
What SEO plugin are you using? If Yoast, there should be settings you can apply to differentiate subsequent pages' titles.
However, your blog should have canonical and/or rel/next settings added to properly inform Google (and other SEs) that the page being viewed is page 2..3..4..5..ect. Then, the SEs understand that this is a continuation of the original page and factor on-page SEO into the ranking accordingly (i.e. do not count the duplicate titles against you).
I do think you would be working against yourself, given the scenario you've outlined. You may find more success if you include zip code content into the landing page of each city you've created. I.e. We service the following zip codes - and provide a table of zip codes your business area services.
You'll want to make sure that each location your business has/services, also has its related local information in the local directories (Google business, Moz Local, ect). Also, be sure to include a proper, consistent NAP (name, address, phone number) on your websites.
Get creative with your content to satisfy all related keyword terms. For example, if you know people will search 'plumbers near me' then you may want to include a headline and content section about Plumbers near Dallas, Texas and talk about all the plumbing related services you provide near the Dallas city (Dallas and plumbing are only used for examples).
I suggest focusing less on Keyword Density (the amount of time that you use a keyword on a given page) and more on creating value-added content around your keyword - including synonyms and closely related keywords.
Do not worry about overuse of the word in your image file names. However, your image file names should represent what the image is. I.e. Sussex catering team, Sussex catering chef Joe Schmoe
Overusing a single keyword, or group of closely related keywords, could be viewed as keyword spamming. I would worry less about this in your image file names and worry more if the same keyword is used throughout your page copy. If you're reading your content and finding that you're using the word Sussex in ever sentence, that's going to be too much.
Create copy that is easy to read, quick to understand, and focused on your keyword terms.
If your company plans on having the acquired domains redirect to your primary domain, then 301 redirects would be the proper method to use.
You'd set those up in the acquired domains' .htaccess file.
You should choose a single URL and 301 all other versions to that single chosen URL. If you keep them the current way, they are seen as duplicate content.
Make sure to configure your Google Webmaster Tools for the single domain, as well as, adjusting your Google Analytics to read the home page properly.
The next most popular WP SEO plugin would be All in One SEO (AIO)
Yes, the host you use for your website can have an effect on your SEO.
Bryan mentioned some aspects of website hosting that would impact SEO:
The last point is particularly important, you don't want to be dragged down by a low quality network of websites and their suspicious activity simply because your site is hosted in the same environment.
As much as copy that is needed to add quality information to your readers and clearly communicate your value proposition.
The industry has moved away from 'a minimum of 300 words is needed' to focus on the quality of content provided to the readers. Branding also influences a home page - some brands prefer a clean, minimal interface and already have the traction (word of mouth, referrals) needed to keep themselves sustained.
I recommend adding enough content to your home page that clearly explains why someone would want to use your product and the benefits they will receive from using the product. If I can get that from your home page, then it is a successful user experience.
Of course, keep that content targeted to your main topic / terms, but don't think that optimizing only the major on-page components will keep you high in the rankings.
Is this a legit approach?
No, not really. Google has never confirmed the use of CTR as a ranking signal for their search rankings. And, services such as these point to the fact that if Google did use CTR as a heavy ranking signal, it could easily be manipulated. That's what this service is proposing they are doing, manipulating the search results.
Now, does CTR actually impact search rankings? It's only speculation at this time and does seem like a logical factor to influence ranking. Google wants to show the most relevant results to the user; the results that answer the users search query the quickest and most complete. However, I don't think it could ever be a heavy impact ranking factor because it can be so easily manipulated.
A single URL for both desktop versions and mobile versions is the recommended best-practice from Google (https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/mobile-seo/overview/select-config?hl=en). So, I believe your client should first understand this if going the non-responsive option.
If responsive is still ruled out, then I suggest creating a m.domain.com subdomain for the main domain. You'll want to make sure you integrate the correct canonical tags, so Google understands that the main domain is the authority and unique content. Including rel="alternate" tags that point to the mobile versions is also recommended.
I agree that you should have consistency. I'd suggest going with Page Title - it's the industry standard.
Also, browser title limits what you're actually speaking to since the Page Title is more than just the Browser Title.
Hi BobGW,
Wow, what a question to ask; it's fairly subjective and dependent on quite a few variables (like experience, life cycle of the campaign, ect), but that means we should get lots of answers!
Here is my Top 5 contribution (in no particular order):
Optimize Your Landing Page
I like to optimize the bottlenecks first and that means making sure that my website and landing pages are ready to receive paid search traffic.
Ask yourself these questions:
Make it Easy to Purchase & Proper Ecommerce Tracking
Make sure that your purchase funnel is simple and easy. Only capture the necessary information (save the extra for follow up emails and visits) and reduce any unnecessary steps in the checkout process.
Have thorough and accurate Google Analytics Ecommerce tracking integrated (make sure to link your Adwords account to your GA profile as well).
Develop an Efficient Adwords Account Architecture
A proper account infrastructure highly impacts the success of a campaign. Take the time to brainstorm how it's best to lay out your company's campaigns and ad groups. Many times referring to the website's navigation (sitemap) can help develop this portion.
Keyword Research & Maintenance
Once you have your campaigns and ad groups decided, you can begin to fill them with keywords (often times keywords will help you identify new ad groups or campaigns needed too). Remember to keep the keywords focused and tightly grouped.
Consistently set time aside to go through your keyword reports and matched search query reports in order to improve your keywords, add negative keywords, and identify new groups of keywords.
Research, Experiment, Promote, & Improve
Learn as much about Web Analytics as you can and how it applies to your Ecommerce strategy. Invest in the appropriate marketing tools for competitive research, SEO, and analytics. If you don't already love digging huge data, then you should get acquainted with it as quick as possible.
Make sure to continually test new ads, ad copy, banners, ect. Find the higher performing ads and ditch the ones that are costing you money.
Have campaigns ready to go for special occasions like Flash Sales, holidays, graduations, ect.
Making sure to keep a disciplined routine with your PPC campaigns will have a high impact on their success. The consistent, incremental improvement is usually what contributes the most for long-term success.
Bonus: Understand Your Customer Lifetime Value
"Our competitors are buying PPC leads based on gathering long term customers that only have to get bought once and then they are repeat customers with no more cost."
It sounds like your competitors have an understanding of the customer Lifetime Value of their customer's. In addition to Sales Revenue, as a metric for measuring success, they could be using the CLV of all the new customer's acquired.
I would highly suggest an ecommerce company compute its CLV to most accurately understand its Customer Acquisition Cost, which will enable the marketer to do a better job in the PPC market.
Hi VC,
Unfortunately, I do not think there is a default reporting option to sort a compared Source/Medium report by % changed. Absolute change is available (although sometimes doesn't sort properly) and may give you a good idea of the traffic differences - Absolute change may even be better since it could identify a low %, but high traffic change.
To find exactly what you're looking for I suggest:
Now, you can calculate percentages, absolute values, and sort/filter the data as you see fit. Google Analytics provides a lot of the necessary data analysis tools, but it doesn't replace the power of MS Excel :)....yet.
Well, that puts you into a tricky situation. Google's goal is to best understand the natural language and semantics behind the user's search query. However, it is a very difficult task since natural language is widely different among humans and locations and intent is whole other issue that Google is trying to solve.
So, yes, Google does understand words like 'and' and how they impact a query/content. Those words are commonly called 'stop words.' Google understands the relationship of stop-words and keyword terms. However, it is an ongoing improvement process.
In your situation, I still think Google has a hard time equally weighing the titles you've exampled. While **Industrial and Electrical Supply **is more natural and fluid, Industrial Supply and Electrical Supply will probably help the overall rankings for both terms. However, it may be best to include the natural language in the title and add headings/content targeting both specific terms. It's something you should consider for your readers and continue to experiment with, tbh.