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Thanks Natalie-Alexis

But where is that link? I don't see it in any footer, sidebar, etc. It is as if it is meant to be obscured>

Thanks

I sent an email a few minutes ago to support@moz.com but don't know if that is a usable address or not.

I would prefer an answer from a Moz staffer.

Thanks,

Hello Miriam,

Yes, the firm name conflicts with same term for B.Sc. I am readying a document where I suggest we change the business name and at first I thought, "we could just go to a different URL," but then I realized that doesn't change all the content with BSC in it.

I agree the key is searcher intent and that is what validates at least having a discussion about changing the company name.

Thanks as always for your great insight.

Robert

I am currently perplexed over a client's search results. They are an established company and well known in their field. (Unfortunately, I am not comfortable providing a link or their name.) The company is a consulting firm and let's assume it is an accounting firm, which it is not. When you search on BSC Accounting the results give them the first result but the next 18 results are around education - BSc Accounting. Consider the DA on the site is 34 and the PA for homepage is 39.

Is there a chance that when someone is searching on accounting firms that having the BSC in the name skews what they are able to rank for? Forget about searches for their exact name, I am more interested in thoughts as to how the BSC effects general searches for their specialties.

OK Fine. You are right and I hate it. 
As I started to read, I went duhhhh. Yesterday I blocked third party cookies when I was testing something and forgot to change it.

Thanks for the assist and double thumbs up to you!

Anyone having issues with the Moz bar? Lately no matter how many times I log in, getting data is difficult as it keeps asking me to create an acct. or log in. Even logged into Moz and on Q&A it is asking me to log in.

THanks

I was doing some KW research for a client and noticed something interesting with regard to Yelp and Justia. For a search on DWI Attorneys, they each had over 300 character meta descriptions showing on the SERP without truncating. Everyone else was either truncated or within limit of roughly 160 characters. Obviously if there is a way to get something other than a list to show that way you can own some real estate. Would love to hear from some of you Mozzers on this. Here are two images that should assist.

Best

Edit: I found one that was not a directory site and it appears it is Google doing it. The site has no meta description for the home page and this is what is being pulled by Google. There are 327 characters here! The truncation marks are showing it being pulled from different parts of the page. Image is Killeen DWI Attorney.

NOTE None of these are clients, etc. I also changed the cities so this is a general search.

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Yes, a page can rank well even when there is no direct link to the homepage. Don't worry about how much authority is passed from the homepage it is not nearly the issue you think it is. If you want it to improve in terms of ability to rank and it is ecommerce, you need good content written and images and I would suggest ensuring product markup, review markup, etc. 
There is no way any site with even a reasonable number of pages can have everything originate from the homepage. You have to look at the homepage as more of a: how do I get there now that I am on your site? 
Having looked at what you showed, you can do the menu either way without a significant SEO effect in and of itself (menu choice). Follow good SEO principles, URL, title tags, H1 etc. for your on page and you will get there.

Hello Becky,

I saw no one had responded to your question and I want to assist you. I looked at the slide with the sub categories and the issue is more of a UI/UX issue and not an SEO issue per se. If you have a massive number of products under each main category, it can be unwieldy to some searchers to have it all in a single row. Does the site break it down anywhere else? So, currently, under office do you have these sub categories on the site? office/office-supplies, etc. ? Or is each item its own category? .com/cable-management, .com/presentation-and-displays, etc.? (I am guessing it is the second option here and each is its own category.)

IMO, the main thing is how does your searcher use the site currently and are you improving it by adding sub categories - for current customers? to get new customers? Also, I would ask your dev team about the URL structures for each and how they are changing. Remember, if you change them you have to do 301 redirects for each affected url. If you have thousands of products that could become a bit of an issue for your dev team, but there are ways to deal with that.

If you are changing urls then I would pay attention to what keywords are important and use that as a guide for category vs. sub category. If you have any questions, ask and I will respond to you.

I do hope this helps.

Robert

I was putting a URL into a Google Spreadsheet and wanted to link to the url. The domain is a .legal domain and when I put it in I got instant search suggestions for a VF-Law.com (different firm in different state) but nothing showed for the .legal domain. I believe the site has only been up a few months but it is indexed in Google.

I wondered if there is an issue with these newer domain extensions and Instant Search? Thoughts?

I have attached an image here.

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Not a bad question at all. I own an SEO, SEM agency so my answer comes first from ROI: Did the investment bring me a reasonable return. Current one year pro is around $950 or $99 a month. We charge our clients a fee for ongoing SEO. The Pro Tools allows us to utilize less people to provide that service and to provide the written deliverables to the client. (For us, we have no contract and we are not cheap. Every client is told at the moment we begin they only need give us 30 days notice and we will leave without a fight. We follow that with this, "If we are not providing you what we promised or what you needed, the greatest thing you can do for us is to fire us - that will be a wake up call that we have lost our way." 
Obviously, I do not want to lose a single client and I do not want to see a single client lose. By having so many tools and resources (such as this Q and A) available to me on a moment's notice, I can deliver as promised. _Just the Q and A alone has been worth every dime I have spent.  _

I have only asked one private question in 17 months, but I had a top staffer continually answer follow up questions for about a ten day period. The insight gave me what I needed to conquer the issue. (And, it has never recurred.)

Beyond that, I have in the last month ended two other relationships with a similar fee structure. I just did not see any evidence that the $139 and the $79 was giving me really actionable data. One was actually mentioned multiple times on SEOmoz, but I found the data too broad and too irregular in timing to assist me in assisting clients. So, I am not bashful about pulling out if it does not work.

Now, I do have a beef with SEOmoz. As it stands now the membership "levels" are too rigid and in no way help me. I am pro, will be going to Pro Plus in the next few days, but am disappointed in the way campaigns are geared more to large sites. Pro = 5 campaigns and 10K pages with 300 keywords. Pro+ = 12 campaigns, same 10k and 1K keywords. Pro Elite is 30 campaigns, 3500 keywords, and 20K pages. So Pro = $100 per 10K pages, Pro+ = $199 for same, and ProE = $500 for 20K pages. Or P = $20 per campaign, P+= $17 per campaign, and PE= $17 per campaign.

We have a lot of clients with multiple small sites (less than 10 pages). Most are focused on not more than 5 to 10 keywords generally. But, for us the 5 campaigns equal 45-50pgs. and roughly 50 keywords - counting dupes among sites. Someone with one site and 5K pages with 250 keywords gets a better deal. Yet, I am still here and increasing my spend.

The reason for me is that the package of tools (some are available elsewhere for free) along with quality staff and phenomenal members is just a no brainer. I make at least a ten to one return on what I spend. No BS.

Hope you join Pro and give it a try. Would love to know your before and after opinions.

Jared,

As I got my coffee and realized the news of the world had not changed I opened up the computer and saw your question. I immediately thought of one not mentioned in your list: WordTracker. I just started using it so jury is out and I still like keywords tool. James Norquay did a nice post on youmoz on advanced keyword research that is worth the read. 

Before I wrote a response to your question I was struck by how it was Christmas and I was looking at work. But, it really isn't work to me. (And we do our celebrating on Christmas Eve for any who think I may be a Grinch). So, I started writing about keywords and Christmas. Sorry, I just couldn't help myself.

As the family rises for Christmas,,,much slower than me,
I jump on the moz to see what could be key.
One clients a lawyer, another sells skis,
I just gotta wonder what words will be keys?

To find one a case or the other a sale,
Then my clients smile brighter, and don't send me hate mail.
My PPC group has it easy you see,
Just send them some money as leads they aren't free!

I tell clients slow down, analyze and take heed,
If you slow down a bit - less money you'll need.
I understand well, you just want it now,
but you gave me a field, and it has to get plowed.
It's a field full of holes and rocks, and nothing that matches.
but we'll find a way when an idea catches.

Then you'll call me brilliant, "those records he smashes!!"
But it just took some digging so your money's not ashes.
Then back to the moz, to Shah, to Ryan, to EGOL, and associate's one through thirty three,
Gianluca, Rand, Keri, Alan, Cyrus, don't forget Dr. Pete,

Some I didn't name cause my wife's coming down the stairs,
When she sees me at 'work', it will be stares!
But thanks SEOmozzers for the help small and in batches,
More questions tomorrow about words and matches!!

It so easy for the others, NUMBER ONES GUARANTEED!!
But with me and you Mozzers
Next year's guaranteers, damn well better take HEED!
**Wishing each of you a wonderful, prosperous, New Year. **

I realize this is not a highly technical question, but I just read over the post by Trevor Klein on the new Beginners Guide to Link Building by Paddy Moogan at Distilled. I cracked up when I saw the post had 31 Thumbs Up and 1 Thumb down. I see this regularly on very good posts where someone just had to thumb it down. I wish there was a way that person could anonymously post why they did so just so we could discover their wisdom that we are obviously missing.

It kills me that I cannot find the time to produce such quality work and post it to Moz. I start a ton of posts, but am just too busy with client work to finish them. I finally finished one around ugly directory sites blocking link tracking tools and patted myself on the back for days (Thank you Keri Morgret for your editorial assistance). But, really, is it just that there is someone who woke up from a really rough night and thought, "Why the ___ are all you people so ____ happy?! Arrrrrgggghhhh!!!"

Obviously, there is no correct answer and you are more than welcome to thumb this into hell if things are that bad. Peace.

I am going to start putting the wrong keywords in. So on a physician site for lipo, my keywords will be: Saw 2, barbequed ribs, Halloween 3, Dexter, cannibals, etc.

Can't wait to see that competitor rank now!

Thanks EGOL!

Nico,

The short answer is you do not unless, you want to create a massive problem for yourself. In Local - and most attorney sites are Local - you want to take care of the NAP. Name, Address, Phone. If you have the same address and phone number but different business names, you create the possibility of merge listings, etc. which cost massive time and money to fix.

I understand how it would at first seem logical: If "x" strategy worked for us in employment law, let's use it for these other areas. But, the other problem I think you can create is brand confusion. (We work with large and small law firms in the US and groups of law firms though we are a full service agency.) I think, there are two methods you could follow:

- If the firm is situated where they can have an address that is Ste. 101, 103, 105 and have 3 distinct phone numbers (I caution against even close to the same), you could possibly do what you are talking about without a problem arising around duplication and merging.

- If not, your options are a bit more diminished given how specific ... employment lawyers is. This becomes a bit of a branding issue. If over three years, in Sydney people assume anything with Anton Forrester is employment law you will have a hill to climb without some rebranding work. (Trust me, this is a better choice than tearing down all you have done with citations, etc.) You could use another Masthead attorney in the firm with Property Law and a third with Conveyance. (Knowing attorneys, I leave it to you to handle the ego issues. Typically that is something handled by written agreements.)

As to the site, you could do it with three sites and no matter what you choose, you still have to have different enough address and phone number with each entity. Typically, I would say you could use the employment law site and build out pages for the other areas; I am not as sure in this case based solely on the branding component tied to the local merging issues.

Please understand, we have dealt with many merged local listings for a long time and are very, very, strong in Local. You really are risking a lot with trying to use the same name (Anton Forrester), Address, and Phone.

I hope this helps,

Robert

Will,

I appreciate your dilemma, but will start with a why are things as they are: I had a few quotes from firms who used this and they basically tried to sell me the world for £500 a month.

So I have done my own SEO over the past 5 months and I think the figures are slowly going up, as are visits and sales (albeit slower than the visits).

There is a reason that there are fees associated with SEO. There is a lot of work involved and there is a lot of learning involved. A corollary to this is medicine. As an RN I would often hear someone saying: They charged me $1,000 and all they did was look in my throat and and write me a prescription. No, the hospital bought land and built a facility, the nurses, doctors and techs all went to school for many years at a high cost and the hospital has to pay them based on that and their value in the marketplace. So, you paid $1,000 for the convenience of coming into a trauma center for a quick diagnosis of a flu or strep throat and for the ability to be given a prescription as opposed to having one of us kill a chicken, smear you with blood, and shout oba doba do while another one throws rocks at the moon. (Not really sure that would cure the flu, but I sure as hell wouldn't complain about it anymore).

So, there is a reason for the costs of SEO. I am going to give you a quick glance audit that will hopefully provide insight and assistance though. Secondarily, your second sentence re I think the figures is a bit troubling as they either are or they are not. You need to know that and how much precisely given that you are in eCommerce.

So, first and foremost, we speak often here of the www vs non www issue. You have a big issue in that when you enter your url without the www you get either web5 or a 404. This is costing you $$. I am not sure what you are built on, and the web5 reminds me of a server or platform some time back, but there are a lot of great coders who may see this and help. Minimally, you should go into GWMT and select www as your preferred domain. When there is no preferred domain and (for your situation) the non is not 301 redirected to the www, you are seen as two sites as opposed to one. Now, that said, you may have done this in some way server side or with a plug in that i am not seeing, but you have blocked visitors who do not use www when typing in a domain. (probably most mozzers and maybe 40% of population).

Next, here on SEOmoz, there are several guides you should read. Beginner's guide to SEO being the starter for you. Also this from Danny Dover on Small Business SEO.

You have overlong title tags (you are attempting to tell all in the wrong place. No more than 70 characters).

Your meta descriptions should be different for every page and should be designed to make me want to click on your site in a search. It is a sales tool for click through. So, instead of telling what you have, think of what are they searching for: men's designer shirts at great prices, easy to fit, fast and free delivery, guaranteed return for no fit, etc.

Your H-1 is the same on all pages (win a pair of creative trainers...) The H1 should apply to the page and the free offer should be side bar content.

You need to do some key word research to insure you know what people are searching on. (You can start with your Google analytics to see where traffic is coming from - what search terms.)

You have an ad for Like to Fight in the bottom left of page. When I click on it I leave your site but not for another window or tab. When I close like to fight, you are gone. This is a personal issue to me with eCommerce in that if they were searching for Armani burlap mens underwear, found you ranked, liked your meta description, clicked on it, then clicked on the ad and, not liking what they saw, closed it...well you may lose a potential customer. What if they search on same again, but see a different company they go after as opposed to browsing your store? I hope you own like to fight and it makes you more money or that they pay you a ton per visitor.

Lastly, you could use some good quality links. As near as I can decipher, your main traffic keyword is around designer menswear. I don't see you in the first 3 to 4 pages of Google.ie.... so, that isn't good.

You will need to learn a lot or pay someone to assist you. Now, I am not sure that pounds 500 per month is the best you can do there, so shop around. I would think that in pounds you could find someone to do an initial site evaluation for around 500 to 1000 pounds. Then likely about 200 to 300 pounds per month. (If they like clothes and are men, well make a trade). But, understand this, you will pay no matter what: If you do it you will pay in time to learn what needs to be done and how to do it and in sales lost during that time. Or, you can find someone and pay them.

Here is the good news, For what I gave you I ask only one thing: If you see someone who needs a hand, a cup of coffee, or pound or two to get a meal, help them out.

Good luck,

The Yahoo directory is still a good link. The question of value can only be answered by you. Do you have a site with a lot of links to it that are strong? Did your PA/DA improve with that and did you measure other links that were added over time? (This in my estimation would be the only way to determine even a quality guess).

For me, some sites - clients who are new with reasonable spend available, clients who really need all they can get, etc. it is a good spend. For smaller local without highly competitive areas, those with history (2 plus years), strong locally, i do not see the point in it as there are good ways to optimize them without the spend.

Best

I have read the comments and the frustrations associated with the recent issues and would like to suggest that with any software such as this there will be glitches from time to time. We currently use roughly 30 to 40 SaaS providers of many different types and I cannot think of one that hasn't had an issue at one time or another. Having been with Moz for over 5 years I will say that the issues are few and the response is always transparent with frequent updates. (I cannot say that for most other providers).

I would suggest to anyone who is doing client work that as soon as you can afford to have more than one service provider you do so. There are two basic reasons: if there is an issue you always have back up and second, you get the benefit of being able to compare data. Personally, I find this invaluable for client work. I do not feel disloyal to Moz, I just know that every piece of software has its own limitations.

Good luck to all with the current travails.

Well,

Sorry, your understanding is incorrect. Domain authority is just that, an overall value for the domain. So, if you go to a site where the links all come to a home page or the vast majority do, you are going to see a high PA for the home page PA. If that same site has 50 pages with few links you are going to see a lot of PA=1.

So, while the home page is important it does not outweigh the fact that overall the site is not that highly trafficked. This is a reason sites have trouble with conversions of inner pages sometimes.  All the value is placed on the home page and someone then has 500 internal links from that page so it does not even help the inner pages.

Remember this in the search engine world pages are ranked and not sites. So, PA is more important from that point of view.

Hope this clarifies,

Best

Christy,

This is a very good discussion question. I think we have to look at the test Tom Coad did and ask is it more about Brand Awareness or more about a longer-term test of "pogo-sticking?" Tom is careful to explain the limits on any test like this and his data is certainly quite interesting. The fact Tom is looking in this direction says a lot about his thinking and I like it. For me, I just don't see it as a branding awareness experiment.

I would see that type of experiment as more where we take a branded product and see how their click through rate is for non-branded searches around their products. Once you had a baseline, you would do television and radio or print, etc. over a week in a given market. Then measure two or three weeks later to see if there is an increase in searches on the branded product or an increase in click through choices of the branded product (assuming the SERPs were the same as pre test). So, having been exposed to the brand over a limited amount of time, were people more likely to now choose that brand when it appeared in non-branded searches? Note: we are not even asking did they purchase it; simply, did they choose it in search more frequently than it was being chosen prior to the brand awareness campaign?

I think Google does take into account click-throughs to sites and if being a known brand on some level is possible, one should certainly work to that. I don’t want to get into an argument on CTR and ranking here as it is not the point, but if suddenly thousands of people are searching on a given subject and going to a specific site in that search, that site page does increase in the rankings for that search query. The ranking changes even if the increase happens in a day or period of hours in the case of news events, etc. IMO.

Working in a marketing firm that does branding work, etc. along with SEO and other digital marketing I am still amazed at how few companies understand or care about branding. For me this says a lot about how aware and forward-thinking Tom Coad's research is. It would be great if more SEO firms pushed companies beyond SEO or SEO and PPC. Many companies, if not most, would rather throw large sums at PPC, etc. and mechanisms that provide an immediately measurable return than to worry about tomorrow and what having a strong brand can provide. Coming from an area years ago that was all direct marketing, I fully understand why it is difficult to want to focus on branding. I have come full circle and we constantly push more and more of our clients to consider their brand and what it means in the marketplace.

For those who might be less about general marketing, when I say the client’s brand I mean more than name, tagline, and logo. What does Nike mean? What does Jaguar mean? What does Chase mean? What emotional connection does it create when people here it? Frankly, even if I am not a fan of Chase, (assuming I have no past experience with them) if I am in a new town and looking for a bank and the only familiar name I see is Chase, I have to believe I would be inclined to at least check them out (click on their result in the SERP).

To me, building brand awareness is not unlike SEO; it is longer term, but the dividends pay off over time and can be considerable. They are both a hedge against less active advertising times, etc.

This is certainly a great question and I look forward to other discussion on it.

Best