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I have a client that would like me to support them with SEO on a Wix.com site. I was hoping to get some feedback from the community to see if there were people who had experience int he following areas:

1. Supporting the day to day operation of a WiX site?  Specifically are there any issues I need to watch out for or be aware of if I choose to support this site?

2. From and SEO perspective is this platform OK or are there some issues I need to be made aware of?

I would sincerely appreciate any input or comments on this platform.

I had a client ask me a good question. When they pull up a search result they show up at the top but only with a link to their G+ page. Other competitors show their web address and G+ page.  Why are these results different in the same search group? Is there a way to ensure the web address shows up?

I do not believe adding a second landing page with zip plus city is a good idea.  i think you might even run the risk of a Google penalty. I think a better place to focus your efforts would be long tail key word sets related to the cities you are targeting.  I would include references to local landmarks as well as any video or photo content you have that support the desired key word set.

Graham,

I would just verify that they are actually from Google. There are some firms out there that represent themselves as Google when they are not. So verify and then trust.

Ron

Alec,

Glad to be of assistance.

Ron

Alec,

As stated above the length of time vs results depends on budget, key word difficulty as well as a host of other factors. I would suggest that you get them to let you know what they are doing as well as what their overall plan is.  If the SEO is not willing to tell you what they are doing I would suggest you run. If they are willing to discuss what they are doing and what their plan is, this is a good sign. I would find out what challenges they are having as well as how they plan to address these issues.  I would also ask them what they think is a reasonable time frame for results. This is usually at least six months. The other thing I would do if you have not done so is get clearly defined goals along with a clear definition from them of  what they consider a win. You may want to find out if any of these wins can be converted to measurable conversion events in google analytics.

If what the SEO firm is saying makes logical sense I would give them some time. If they are telling you to "trust them" and not disclosing the things mentioned above consider moving on.

Hope this helps,

Ron

Kata,

I would suggest the following. I am assuming you are using Moz Pro.  What i would do is work with your client on a key word list. I would have them list the searches that they want to show up on and then enter these search strings into the key word tracker.

I would then work with the client on a content plan that is closely tied to ranking on these searches.  This works well because the content that you or your client writes that ranks is then shown as the ranking URL in the key word ranking report. This visual feedback seems to really help clients see results form their work. I had one client go from 4 ranking URLs to 67 in under six months once they had this feedback look. This tool also had them go through the web site with the page grader and make sure they had pages on their main site ranking for their most important key word strings.

Hope this helps,

Ron

I am not totally clear on the question.  If you are talking about a shopping cart on a web site there are several things you would want to do. 1) Make sure you have good alt text on all photos. 2) Write full product descriptions integrating keywords naturally. 3) Make sure the site is fast as I believe the weighting is higher on an e-commerce site (this is a personal theory I am in the process of validating). 4) Develop a web site surrounding the shopping cart with standard SEO techniques and content strategy.

Hope this helps,

Ron

I noticed in a recent Q&A response that along with Bing and Google web master tools there was a reference to Yandex. What is the relevance of this webmaster tool set? Is there a cost associated with it?  If so is it worth it? I would love to hear what the community thinks.

I agree...these pages are totally annoying and I tend to go away when I see these. Are you running something like Crazyegg to see how users are reacting to this?  Have you tried an A/B test to see how users engage with your page with and without this page?  I don't think your issue is SEO it is Conversion. This is purely an opinion without test data.

The BBB link is a good one. Their A+ certification/accreditation is worth it if your client sells to consumers.  This mainly helps on conversion not SEO because of the perceived credibility this gives the company.

No archived campaigns do not contribute to your key word count.

I think that nothing but good things can come from the kind of activity you are seeing.  The key is relevance and value.  It sounds like you have some posts that are helpful and relevant to others...This is the ultimate goal with social media. In my opinion this type of activity only sends positive social signals.

The trick is to understand that every post you make is not going to get this type of response. My belief is that the fastest way to get into trouble is engaging in tricks or spammy behavior to replicate the lightning you have created with these posts. Even though it is harder it is important to stay the course by slogging out future contributions knowing that many will not get a huge response. As long as these more minor posts are relevant to your audience you will slowly build up a base and over time your will develop a solid base that is engaged with your social media outlets.  This is the long term goal as well as the long term value you want to develop.

Enjoying lightning in a bottle when it happens is good Planning on it is not ;( Building an audience that is a constant power source is the goal

Hope this helps,

Ron

Mark,

The knowledge graph is driven by schema.  I would go to schema.org. Learn it, live it, love it ;). If you are on the word press platform there are several plug ins that will help you set up your schema for you. If you have not read this link it does a good job explaining why this resource wad created and what Google's goals are: http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/search/knowledge.html

The other source of this information is the Google+ Page for the company.  I strongly recommend that you fill this out completely. I would strongly recommend your client upload relevant pictures with good alternative text for each shot.  This information can get replicated to  the knowledge graph as well.

Hope this helps,

Ron

If the site is on Wordpress you might want to check out a mobile plug in.  This is a simple way to set this up without committing to a redesign.

An aspect of the software people do not utilize enough is the key word tracking combined with the page grader. If you look at the keyword tracking you may notice a URL on the right hand side to some of the key words.  That is the specific URL that is ranking for that key word. I use this to see what key words I have ranking and then use the page grader to optimize pages for each key word or key word set and make sure that each key word I care about is ranking on a specific URL. just keep going through this process until you are ranking on all the key words you are targeting.

As SEO is a "no one thing" art form you need to fix all the crawl errors on the site as well as build up your domain authority in the background. An aspect people often do not think about on the front end is bounce rate and conversion. Right away I would set up conversion events on the web site itself and tie these to Google Analytics.  I would also add Crzyegg heat mapping software to your pages, While tracking the traffic to your web site look at what that tracking is doing once they are there.  i

As said above you need different targets and objectives for the site. You also need to write new content with whatever your new positioning is.  To avoid duplicate content penalties you should also use different pictures and descriptions as well.

Michael,

A technique we have used with success is to do a follow up call to see how things went for the customer. what is great about this is that you also find out about anyone who is unhappy so you can deal with any issues they may have. If you run into happy customers validate them and ask them if they would mind writing a quick review.  Find out what review sites they are comfortable with and send over the link. People are usually happy to do this if they are happy. overall customers feel lie your company cares and this enhances their overall experience.

If you are on word press there are several review and testimonial plug ins to keep this easier. optimally you would put in a review plug in that would link to external review sites as well as a testimonial plug in so that people who are not comfortable with external review sites.  The plug in should preferably do automatic schema mark up on testimonials so that these are properly indexed.

Ron

Dean, I sen you a private message. I would want to know more about your challenges as well as what has already been done to try and get you search results. I would also want to know more about your goals as well as what your conversion rate is. If I can help I will let you know. If I cannot I will try to refer you to someone who can. All the best! Ron

This is an interesting problem.  I would take your Yelp idea a few steps further by creating a full set of local directory listings for both entities either through Moz local or manually.  If one of the entities is wholesale and the other retail I would definitely consider highlighting this when you write up the descriptions for these directory listings. If they are addressing different markets I would highlight this as well.

Another thing you may consider is signing up both businesses with one of the USPS business services as these require you to put in a unique FEIN number for each entity.  The fact that these are different entities will be highlighted in the USPS database as a result. The USPS database is key reference point the search engines utilize. So making it clear that these are separate entities in the USPS database should be helpful as well.

I have been trying also to verify a business. I have had the give me a PIN 3 times to no avail. Each time I recieve a "The verification code you submitted was incorrect. Please enter the correct verification code." message. I have tried to copy and paste the pin as well as manually enter it. I have also tried logging out and back in. Nothing works and I'm getting frustrated as heck with their obvious glitches. To make things worse I read that yahoo won't provide support to their free listing service. What a scam.

thank you Sam. I'll look more closely at the alternates. I thought I had covered the bases there but I see, like anything, there's going to be a learning curve to get the most out of the service. Thanks again for the response.

Ok, I don't know what happened the first time I responded but I have a feeling it was because it doesn't want me to post the screenshots. That's rather frustrating. So, anyway, my issue is this: when I do a search for my clients listing through the MOZ/Local check listing tab, I see 6 listings to "choose the closest one". when I go to the dashboard (having signed them up for the moz/local service) and check the duplicates tab i only see one "possible duplicate" and even that duplicate it says I have to delete manually. So, my questions are:[1] why don't I see the other 5 duplicates in order to delete them and [2] I'm wondering at this point what I'm actually paying for with moz's service if I have to go out and manually delete/update the various listings myself. That's what I was doing before signing up. This client is a test of the Moz service to see if it is value added service that we want to recommend to our clients. If you'd like to see the screenshots, I could email them to you.

Second attempt to respond. The first had an error that said "unable to bank" Whatever that means.                                 If this goes through, then I'll retype the rather lengthy response I just tried

When I do a MOZ/Local search on the search listings tab I see all the listings with different information but they don't show up on the moz dashboard for the subscribed listing.

MOZ links to your Google Analytics so there is no snippet to install.

Like everything it depends...If the domain has good quality links, has generally performed well and is relevant to your category it might make sense.  If you are considering this you should evaluate the links closely to make sure that there is not a predominance of spammy ones.

If this is a locally relevant domain Local directory links are OK as long as they are relevant. Links from blogging or other attractive content are more valuable.  I would value the domain based on how much time it would take to get your domain to the same place versus what you think your time is worth.  A directory takes about 22 minutes and a higher value link(attractive content)  takes at least one hour on average.  I would add up the time and multiply this by your least expensive hourly rate and see if it makes sense.

I know this is a somewhat general response but the situation is somewhat fluid and requires some judgement calls.

All the best!

Ron

I was speaking with someone today who was spreading out their link building because they were afraid that getting too many too quickly would incur penalties from Google and Bing.  Is this a real thing?  I have always been under the impression that if they are high quality links and directories that there was no limit to how many you could add other than the limited availability of the high quality links and directories themselves. I would appreciate some input on this.

I have a site I am building that has information that shifts based on weather conditions and location.  Is there a way to have information sort based on a users geographic location? I am trying to figure out the best way to do this.

I appreciate your taking the time to answer this.  If it is helpful I found out that the Google carousel is most often populated from pictures on relevant Google + pages.

Thanks again for your input!

I appreciate everyone's input. This was very very helpful ;)!

If this link is relevant to what you do and is useful to your target customer base do it.  A baseline rule I have is that anything that helps users get the information they need or makes their internet experience better it is worth doing.  I can't see how this would hurt as it looks like a credible link.

On a side note pay attention to the description you put in.  If it makes sense include references to your area or the areas that you like to provide services.  This will help this listing show up where you want it to:).

John,

Yes! In search marketing today everything is about an edge. Anything you can do to make it easier for search engines to quantify that giving your company as a result is better increases the possibility that you get a higher ranking.  Well over 50% of search is on mobile devices today so serving this traffic well is a priority.  You should also take some time to look at your menu on mobile devices to see if they are organized in a way that would be convenient for a mobile user.  I would highly recommend getting a smart phone with a smaller screen to make sure the buttons are convenient to use.  Although these UI adjustments don't directly affect your rankings they do effect your user engagement which in turn decreases your bounce rate and improves your conversion rate.  This in turn is factored into your rankings.

Going back to my first argument I would recommend that If you have video or audio that you submit site maps for these as well.

Hope this helps,

Ron

I set up a web site to raise funds for my nephew(www.helpmatt.org) and social media randomly picks a picture on the share.  Unfortunately this picture is from happier times and sends a different message than we would like to prospective contributors.  Is there a way to set the picture that is used when this web site link is shared on social media?

www.helpmatt.org

Google is now showing menus on select searches.  Any idea how they are getting this information? I would like to make sure my clients get visibility this way.

Branden,

My company has spent a lot of time evaluating different hosting companies.  We finally settled on these guys: http://pressable.com/

Here are the reasons we selected them:

1. Really easy to use interface for the developers as well as good backup/restoration tools

2. automatic patch updates and testing

3. Quick support response

4. Extensive f5 load balancing network through Rackmount  to improve performance

5. Rackmount is physical back end so there is easy integration with any of Rackmount's higher end hosted database services etc,, if needed.

We are still in progress but we are moving all of our clients sites to this platform. We have been with them as our primary provider for about a year.

Ron

Sarah,

I have been using this tool: www.spyfu.com , specifically their recon files application to do competitive key word research.  Once I extract key words form this report I use their Keyword smart search tool.

Hope this helps,

Ron

I came across this tool: http://whereisthefold.com/

I would like to add this to my bag of tricks but want to see if anyone has actually taken the time to verify that this tool presents an accurate representation of where things are placed on different screen sizes?

I would appreciate any input.

Ron

I think you are referring to long tailed keywords. So instead of "exterminators" you might say "Portland organic exterminators".  This more detailed phrase targets your customers while creating a phrase that people are going to actually type in.  With the hummingbird update using natural language and descriptions as well as citing places in your area if you are a local business has become increasingly important.

This is really a question of labor versus value.  You can use tools as well as contact other sites that have bad links and disconnect that way.  It can be done but it takes a lot of time.  If it is worth the labor cost do it.  If it is not, don't

it really depends on whether or not you are using Google Authorship.  You cannot really attribute your work to more than one company per Google Pus account.  If you are blogging personally I would set up your business blog with attribution to your business Google Plus account.  otherwise I do not think it really matters.

I put key words in as it cannot hurt.  If it gets a few more leads per year why not :).  As far as the previous string goes I think these comments are truly silly as there are many good tools to figure out the key words you are targeting without the meta key words. So if "why not" is a good enough justification then you should do it.

I agree with Jonathan.  I would also look at the quality of links as all links are not the same.  You may want to use Spyfu recon files to look at the specific content your competitor is ranking on.

Jonathan,

From the screen shot I am not exactly sure what you are referring to.  If you are looking at how the web site is broken down into sections you might want to look into the Yoast Plug in if you are on Word Press as well as Google Webmaster tools. If you are referring to the Google listing on the side of the screen shot you need to get your company set up with Google. If you are needing to get these directories set up I might suggest Getlisted.org.

Ron

My web development company (Everbearing Services) moved all of our clients off of Godaddy several years ago because of performance and security issues.  There are several other good web hosts out there.  The one that I feel is a true gem is one called Zippykid which only hosts word press web sites. They also provide security and malware scanning automatically.  They also do all the patches and updates you might need.

They use Rackspace as their back end infrastructure.   If your web site is not on Wordpress you might consider these guys.  I have read in other posts that a provider Firehost is really good.

I have not seen any good reports on Godaddy lately.

That is my two cents if this helps. If you do not get your questions answered here and need any further help on this feel free to call me tomorrow or Monday.

Ron

To have or not have breadcrumbs does not affect SEO directly it affects it indirectly.   Part or what is monitored when a site is ranked is the user experience.  The analytical way that this is monitored is through your bounce rate, exit rate, time on site and your visitor flow.  Anything that makes these stats better and improves your user experience is going to improve your rankings.   So even if you don't have breadcrumbs but have very good navigation that eliminates the need for bread crumbs you will have the same positive effect on your SEO.  So it is not this type navigation in particular that is important it is providing the best navigation for your traffic.  Happy traffic = good rankings

Hope this helps,

Ron