So with minneapolis massage I'd get great benefit for the keyword "minneapolis massage".   But for every other keyword, the infinity of long-tails, I'm at a disadvantage for

EXACTLY! This reasoning is why I strongly recommend a short, branded domain name as the primary URL. My preference is to compete with great content and SEO strategies rather then trying to purchase an assortment of keyword domain names. That tactic is primarily for those who lack the proper SEO knowledge, or who have deep pockets to create a solid web page for each domain name and properly redirect it to the main site.

If you found a very high traffic perfect match phrase, you could consider acquiring the domain name and trying a couple things, but overall your best bet is a solid primary domain.

You have the disadvantage of a long city name (Minneapolis) along with other variations (Twin Cities) used. I would suggest focusing more on the "Fitness" aspect and allowing your physical location and other factors to establish relevancy for the location.  "WalkerFitness", "SunshineFitness" or whatever brand seems to fit you best.

When trying to brainstorm names, engage your current clients. Make a poll, take a survey, give out a prize to whomever picks the best name! The process can generate publicity for you "Free 1 hour massage + 1 month fitness membership".

I just took a look at Yoast's site and I now better understand the option to remove the variables. I recommend selecting that option. From the Yoast site:

method remove_reply_to_com [line 939]

string remove_reply_to_com( string $link)

Removes the ?replytocom variable from the link, replacing it with a #comment- <number>anchor.</number> Tags: access:   public Parameters: string   $link   The comment link as a string.

Example: http://yoast.com/user-contact-fields-wordpress/#comment-110294

What do people not using this plug in do? I'm assuming not many people do this, right?

I presume they accept the WP default options. Our practice and understanding of SEO is what allows us to analyze and make decisions regarding tidbits such as the one you mentioned.

You think there is any benefit to doing it, or just one of those "hey why not" sort of things?

I do think there is a benefit. You are impacting a LOT of links. Every comment on your site. It may be a tiny 1% benefit type of thing, but the change applies site wide and will presumably be in place for years.

Unless your client specifically requests (or rather demands) to be referred to by their complete name I would suggest simply using "Holiday Inn". Google's KeyWord tool shows the following traffic for the terms:

Holiday Inn and Suites - 1900 searches/month

Holiday Inn & Suites - 590 searches/month

Holiday Inn - 1 million searches/month

By adding "and Suites" or "& Suites" you are diluting your main focus "Holiday Inn". Literally 99.9% of your traffic is from "Holiday Inn". I would highly recommend dropping the rest. If you have to include it, I would use the text "and" version. Not only does it have more exact matches but when converting the text to a URL software will often replace the & symbol with the letter "a". Holiday Inn & Suites becomes /holiday-inn-a-suites which is less desirable.

The meta description has absolutely no impact on rankings, at least not for Google. When your page's meta description is actually used for a search result, it may impact Click Through Rate but it definitely has no impact on ranking position.

I did a lot of research on this topic for you Storwell. I read articles from Bing, Duanne Forrester, Q&As on Bing Webmaster's area and checked a few other sources as well. There are several non-credible sources that discuss the topic so be careful if you go searching online for the answer. There is even an article on Sphinn which is titled "Bing Says Goodbye to META Description as a Ranking Factor". The article simply has no credibility and serves as an example of what leads to so much confusion in the SEO world.

Bing does not definitively state meta descriptions are not a ranking factor. It would be my best guess that Bing either does use meta descriptions as a ranking factor or it is an extremely low weighted factor.

Indirectly, Bing does weigh CTR as a ranking factor and a meta description does influence CTR so it can have an effect that way. In this sense, I would suggest writing a meta description tag for users. Write the most compelling and accurate description you can which will entice readers to click-through to your site. I would not make any attempt to modify a meta description to improve rankings. Focus CTR.

Monali,

As a general rule, I strongly discourage your submission to either link directories, article directories or blog directories. I would also discourage your linking to your site from various other websites you create be they from tumblr, blogger.com, wordpress.com, etc. These methods as you are describing them at worst would be deemed manipulative links, at best would add little-to-no value to your site.

Instead, create the maximum amount of value you can for users on your site. Create content that others will WANT to share, tweet, like, +1, and link to. You did not share your site URL so I'll use the Joomla extension concept you mentioned. Let's talk about that for a moment. Take your extensive knowledge of Joomla and think about how site owners wish to extend the core functionality in ways the software does not support. This gap creates the market for extensions.

When we look for extensions to add to client websites, we have a few considerations:

1. Who is behind the extension? Some extensions are produced by a single individual, others by development companies, and still others are produced by larger companies. For example, Janrain is a major provider of social integration software and they produced an extension for WordPress. The support they provide for their extension is world class. They have a ticketing system where experienced techs promptly respond. On the other hand, some extensions are produced by individuals or companies who are completely non-responsive to support requests.

2. How much experience does the producer have with the extension's purpose and the platform. Ideally, you want to work with an author who is experienced in both Joomla and the particular area (let's say an SEO extension produced by a SEO company for example). Is this extension the first one produced by the individual or company?

3. Joomla has extension standards. Were these standards met and is the extension listed on Joomla Extension Directory (JED)?

4. Does the extension fill a gap which adds value? Let's say you make a 404 log extension. That adds value by offering site owners a way to understand more about broken links. The basic extension can be greatly improved by adding more features such as:

• having the 404 log accessible via the admin panel rather than a regular log file which is otherwise difficult to read

• having the 404 log update live

• capturing the referring URL so the site owner can see where the link came from

• capturing the search term used (practically an outdated concept now, but still...)

• possibly automatically redirecting users to the most closely related URL

Such an extension could add real value to users. If you review posts on Joomla.org or various SEO and forum sites, you may step into a conversation where users are discussing problems and add value to the conversation by mentioning the extension as a solution. The site can also categorize extensions by their ratings and other factors.

Understand Joomla already provides an extension directory so what added value does your site offer?

My recommendation is spend 100% of your "link building" time and effort addressing the above areas. If you do a fantastic job, you will EARN better links then you could have ever built yourself, and none of the earned links will be viewed as manipulative.

TLDR - build VALUE, not links

[What are the] SEO benefits of linking logo to homepage?

It depends on the site. Take a look at: www.vzw.com. Notice their logo in the main navigation bar? This site does not offer a "home" button. The logo link is the only link to the home page.

As you navigate the site, if that logo did not exist, there would not be a reasonable way for users to return to the home page. Users would have to either use the sitemap link in the footer and select the home page, or use the Back button. From a functionality perspective, the linking logo is huge in this example.

Another consideration is the flow of PageRank. The home page is often the most important page of your site. It should normally be linked to from every page of your site. Again using the verizonwireless.com site example, if that logo link did not exist the PR of the site would be highly disrupted. It is of huge importance.

If you consider an average site with a "Home" navigation option, the importance is greatly diminished in comparison. The logo would simply represent a secondary link to the home page.

Below are the results of the keywords you shared (and more) from SEMrush (www.semrush.com).

Based on those results, I would focus on "dentist los angeles". That is tied for first place as the term with the most traffic. Next, you have a choice as to which you place the most importance upon..."dentist" or "los angeles". I prefer your niche rather then your location. Why? It is far more relevant to capture searches for "Dentist ???" then for "los angeles ???".

In competitive niches, you usually need to focus a single keyword target per page. If you focus more then one, you can or will be beat by others who practice more focused SEO on their page.

| Keyword | Δ Volume | CPC | Com. | Results | Trend | |
| dentist los angeles | 1,300 | 14.69 | 0.87 | 19,500,000 |

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

|   |
| los angeles dentist | 1,300 | 15.52 | 0.89 | 19,800,000 |

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

|   |
| cosmetic dentist los angeles | 590 | 22.86 | 0.98 | 2,050,000 |

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

|   |
| dentist in los angeles | 480 | 11.62 | 0.94 | 21,900,000 |

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

|   |
| los angeles cosmetic dentist | 480 | 20.84 | 0.90 | 3,940,000 |

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

|   |
| los angeles dentists | 480 | 12.24 | 0.85 | 9,600,000 |

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

|   |
| dentist in los angeles ca | 260 | 10.57 | 0.90 | 8,740,000 |

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

|   |
| los angeles cosmetic dentists | 260 | 11.18 | 0.92 | 3,730,000 |

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

|   |
| dentists in los angeles | 210 | 10.85 | 0.85 | 9,600,000 |

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

|   |
| dentist west los angeles | 210 | 9.22 | 0.88 | 7,800,000 |

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