SEO Blog
Here you'll find a selection of articles that I've written over the years, mostly about Search Engine Optimisation, although there are a few general marketing and technical blog posts too.
Dates on the blog posts are the original dates however many have been updated to reflect current trends in SEO where appropriate.
What is Search Engine Optimisation? [8 Jan 2024]
STRATEGY
In this article, I’ll explain what is search engine optimisation, why it matters, and share key practices for 2024.
Using SEO To Get More Visibility in New Regions or Countries [18 Oct 2023]
STRATEGY
Expanding your website to new regions or countries is more than just a simple translation of your existing content.
Google Helpful Content Update: September 2023 [30 Sep 2023]
CONTENT
The Google Helpful Content Update, launched in September 2023, has significantly reshaped the landscape of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
Google Core Update: August 2023 [28 Aug 2023]
GENERAL
Analysis of the key changes and algorithm updates in Google's August 2023 Core Update.
What effect will Artificial Intelligence (AI) Have on SEO?
[11 Jun 2023]
STRATEGY
This article addresses the challenges that SEO professionals often face with Artificial Intelligence, offering practical solutions aided by AI.
How To Choose a London SEO Expert [18 May 2023]
STRATEGY
Hiring an SEO expert in London provides local knowledge and experience to help you stay ahead of the competition.
What is Time To First Byte (TTFB) and How Does It Affect SEO? [03 Apr 2023]
TECHNICAL
Understanding the link between Time To First Byte (TTFB), User Experience and SEO is crucial for any website owner.
Shopify SEO Services to Boost your Online Store [12 Jan 2023]
GENERAL
A Shopify SEO agency can offer solutions tailored to your unique business challenges, helping to elevate your site to the top of search engine results pages.
SEO for Estate Agents [18 Nov 2022]
STRATEGY
This blog post explains everything estate agents need to know about SEO - from what it is to the various benefits it has for their business.
Canonical URLs: A 2 Minute Guide [26 Oct 2022]
TECHNICAL
You may convince search engines that two URLs that appear to be identical are actually the same by using a canonical URL.
SEO for Accountants [16 Sep 2022]
STRATEGY
In this blog post, I'll explain what SEO is, why it's important for accountants, and how you can optimise your site for maximum results.
Wordpress SEO Consultant: What You Need to Know Before Hiring One [19 Jun 2022]
GENERAL
It's important to hire a Professional Wordpress SEO Consultant - someone who can help you make your Wordpress site as search engine-friendly as possible.
How Can A Specialised B2B SEO Agency Help Your Company? [05 May 2022]
STRATEGY
By blending excellent content, onsite SEO services and tactical link strategies to drive meaningful results for the B2B companies that they partner with.
Adding Context To Structured Data Issues [02 Apr 2022]
TECHNICAL
Google have announced that Search Console is now adding more context to its structured data error reporting.
4 Things To Consider When Writing Content [23 Mar 2022]
CONTENT
When planning, writing and editing content for the web for digital marketing purposes, what are the most important things to consider?
An International Content Marketing Strategy [05 Mar 2022]
STRATEGY
Putting together an international content marketing strategy isn't easy, here are some pointers to help you on your journey.
How To Publish Content On Google News [03 Feb 2022]
CONTENT
Make sure you're regularly producing original news content and are high in expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
How To Optimise For Featured Snippets [14 Oct 2021]
CONTENT
Featured snippets may be found within Search Results, within the "People also ask" section, or along with Knowledge Graph information.
Images Don't Help Google Ranking [04 May 2021]
GENERAL
Contrary to popular opinion, here we have confirmation that images don't in themselves help Google rankings.
What is E-A-T in SEO and How To Optimise For It [04 Dec 2020]
STRATEGY
Understanding and implementing E-A-T - Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness - is becoming increasingly crucial for a successful SEO strategy.
Google Launches Web Creators Blog [22 Sep 2020]
GENERAL
The purpose of the blog is to provide tools, guidance and inspiration for people who make content for the web.
Using Content Gap Analysis To Keep Up With Your Competitors [11 Sep 2020]
CONTENT
This article takes a look at what a content gap is, how to analyse content gaps and also how to plug them up.
How to Measure SEO Performance: A Comprehensive Guide [07 Sep 2020]
STRATEGY
There are a number aspects of website performance to measure and this article looks at all of them.
The Benefits of SEO [28 Aug 2020]
STRATEGY
This blog post looks at the benefits of SEO and why I believe its the most effective form of inbound marketing.
SEO for Lawyers [18 Jul 2020]
STRATEGY
If you're a lawyer looking for expert SEO advice, I've put together five tips that will help you improve your law firm SEO strategy.
Core Web Vitals [30 Jun 2020]
TECHNICAL
Core Web Vitals measure and evaluate the speed, responsiveness, and visual stability of websites and offer opportunities for a rankings boost.
An effective international SEO strategy is vital to establish your brand’s presence in a global market Which Type of Sitemap Should I Use for SEO? [30 Apr 2020] TECHNICAL
There are two types of sitemaps, HTML and XML, but which is best for search engine optimisation purposes?
Why isn't my site on Google? [12 Apr 2020]
TECHNICAL
A common question I get asked is: why isn't my site on Google? There are usually some simple answers to this question.
How to Pick the Right Keywords [04 Apr 2020]
KEYWORDS
The first step in search engine optimization is deciding which keywords to optimise your site for.
What is the Crawl Budget of a Website? [30 Mar 2020]
TECHNICAL
Crawl budget can be described as the level of attention search engines give your site.
How to Optimise Site Speed [17 Mar 2020]
TECHNICAL
Google sees loading speed as a strong ranking factor as it knows that popular sites load quickly.
The 4Ps Of Digital Marketing [03 Mar 2020]
STRATEGY
The 4Ps of marketing are the key factors that are involved in the marketing of a good or service.
Understanding the Three Types of Searches and How they Rank [01 Mar 2020]
STRATEGY
If you can build pages the way search engines want them, your pages will show up at the top.
What is SEO? [24 Feb 2020]
GENERAL
Search engine optimization is possible for lots of different types of products and services, including videos, images, books and news items
Internal Linking [13 Feb 2020]
LINK BUILDING
How to develop a superior internal linking system which will help improve the quality of your site.
Evergreen Content [04 Feb 2020
CONTENT
Evergreen content is content that you write once and it keeps ranking for years.
SEO Guidance From The UK Government [02 Feb 2020
STRATEGY
Last week, the UK government issued SEO advice to data publishers.
Changes to Content and their effect on Rankings [21 Jan 2020]
CONTENT
Adding new content to your site should improve your search rankings.
Identify and Fix Google Penalties [04 Jan 2020]
TECHNICAL
Google applies penalties to websites that go against their guidelines which can have devastating results on your visibility.
How to Add Content to Google [18 Dec 2019]
CONTENT
Adding content to Google is a must if you want your website or app to show up in the search listings.
What skills does an SEO need? [04 Dec 2019]
GENERAL
SEO has many different facets and consequently requires a very varied skillset.
How to Create Higher Ranking Webpages [20 Nov 2019]
STRATEGY
This article looks at the data behind the sites that rank #1 on Google and other search engines.
4 Simple Steps to SEO Success [03 Nov 2019]
STRATEGY
To get that high ranking, you must deliberately practice SEO, which involves taking these four important steps.
Anchor Text Diversification [14 Oct 2019]
LINK BUILDING
Anchor text diversification and good practise search engine optimisation go hand in hand.
Backlink Indexing [20 Sep 2019]
LINK BUILDING
SEO backlink indexing is very important for search engine optimisation.
How does Google Define Quality Pages? [13 Sep 2019]
GENERAL
This blog post looks at how search engines measure the uniqueness and quality of each web page.
Keyword Research using Free Tools [08 Aug 2019]
KEYWORDS
Find relevant keywords that will give you better results in search engines using these free tools.
Link Building: 6 Simple Tried and Tested Methods [01 Aug 2019]
LINK BUILDING
These tried and tested link building methods work really well in most niches.
Local Search Success: How to Achieve It [20 Jul 2019]
STRATEGY
Local search success means getting your business listed in Google at the top of page one.
Using the Long Tail for SEO [02 Jul 2019]
KEYWORDS
Long Tail SEO is a really useful technique to generate organic search traffic for your website.
4 SEO Benefits Of Social Media [08 Jun 2019]
GENERAL
This article looks at the different benefits that links from social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram can bring.
Offsite SEO Beginners Guide [04 Jun 2019]
LINK BUILDING
This beginners guide explains how getting links to your site from other sites can boost your rankings.
Onsite SEO Beginners Guide [27 May 2019]
CONTENT
This onsite SEO beginners guide aims to familiarise you with the basics of on page SEO.
How to Write SEO Friendly Headlines [13 May 2019]
GENERAL
Headline writing should be a key component of your internet marketing strategy.
Why SEO should form part of your Marketing Strategy [01 May 2019]
STRATEGY
You should view SEO as a part of your marketing strategy and a very inexpensive and profitable part at that.
Meta Descriptions: Best Practice [23 Apr 2019]
TECHNICAL
Search engines show the meta description in search results mostly when the searched for phrase is contained in the description.
Competitor research for SEO [17 Apr 2019]
STRATEGY
Keeping abreast of your competitors is vital for SEO marketers.
Google Merchant Center Free Update [30 Mar 2019]
GENERAL
Google have now opened Google Merchant Center up for any e-commerce store to use.
Preview your site in Google search results [28 Mar 2019]
GENERAL
Taking care over what your site looks like in Google Search Results is an important consideration.
No follow links [03 Mar 2019]
TECHNICAL
When and when not to use the no follow attribute when linking to between websites.
Why Have My Google Rankings Dropped? [23 Jan 2019]
STRATEGY
Most of the time, you can diagnose exactly why your Google ranking dropped and recover your lost rankings.
Is SEO Worth It? [04 Jan 2019]
STRATEGY
On a practical level, we can judge whether SEO is worth it by two different methods.
How to Promote Podcasts using SEO [4 Nov 2018]
CONTENT
Using SEO strategies can greatly enhance the promotion of your podcast. Find out how its done.
Should You Implement AMP? [18 Sep 2018]
STRATEGY
Will the time and effort it takes to implement Accelerated Mobile Pages be worth it in the long run?
How To Notify Google That Someone Has Copied Your Content [23 Aug 2018]
CONTENT
If you find that a competitor of yours has copied your content then one of the avenues open to you is to notify Google of this.
Defining your Ideal Customer [12 Aug 2018]
STRATEGY
By asking your existing customers questions about themselves, you'll get a better idea of your ideal customer.
Get Content Ideas from Search Console using Regular Expressions [05 Aug 2018]
TECHNICAL
Search Console is a great tool to find fresh content ideas for your blog.
Content Marketing Tools [04 Jul 2018]
CONTENT
Streamlining your workflow with content marketing tools is really important if you want to make an impact.
Top Tips on How to Improve SEO Processes [18 Jun 2018]
TECHNICAL
By improving your SEO processes, you can enhance your website's visibility in the search engine results pages.
How to use Video as part of the Marketing Mix [03 Jun 2018]
CONTENT
Video is a classic format that appeals to all audiences and is a great way to engage with consumers
Title Tags: Best Practice [04 Mar 2018]
TECHNICAL
The title tags on your pages should appeal to two readers; people and robots.
Best Practice SEO: Moving From One Domain To Another [10 Nov 2017]
TECHNICAL
If you're moving from one domain to another domain, you want to make sure that it doesn't affect your rankings.
Understanding Searcher (Or User) Intent [04 Aug 2017]
KEYWORDS
What is search intent, how it helps SEO, and how you can optimize your site for search intent.
Does Alexa Rank Affect Your Position In Google? [23 May 2017]
GENERAL
Alexa has a large traffic data panel consisting of millions of people all over the world.
Facebook Promotion by Asking Questions [04 May 2017]
GENERAL
If you want to encourage discussion on Facebook, sometimes the simplest path is best.
Where to Submit Infographics [02 Apr 2017]
LINK BUILDING
A great way to promote your website and to get links back to your site is by making an Infographic.
Choosing The Right Marketing Voice [05 Mar 2017]
STRATEGY
Does choosing the right marketing voice matter when communicating to prospective clients?
HTTP or HTTPS? The SEO Impact Of Using SSL [17 Oct 2016]
TECHNICAL
This article looks at whether switching from HTTP to HTTPS will help you achieve your search engine optimisation goals.
Google Mobile Friendly Test Tool [08 Jun 2016]
TECHNICAL
The issue of mobile friendliness and the user experience for websites on mobile devices is so important now.
How To Get Backlinks For Free [18 May 2016]
LINK BUILDING
I've been asked so many times: How do I get Backlinks for Free? So here is the answer.
Why use Pinterest for Marketing? [02 Feb 2016]
GENERAL
Pinterest has many things going for it as part of your marketing mix. Lets take a look...
A Successful Social Media Marketing Strategy [18 Jan 2016]
GENERAL
This article explains what you need to do to in order to prepare for promoting your product or service through social channels.
Benefits of Social Media Marketing [04 Jan 2016]
GENERAL
This short blog post explains the main reasons for using social media to promote your product or service.
Building Awareness Through Social Media Marketing [16 Dec 2015
GENERAL
The awareness stage of the marketing funnel is where you introduce potential customers to your brand.
Tips on choosing a domain name [11 Nov 2015]
STRATEGY
There are many things to consider when choosing your domain name and many online tools to help you make the right choice.
Successful Email Marketing [10 Oct 2015]
GENERAL
Despite major shifts in marketing practices, email has stood the test of time.
Determining Website requirements [04 Oct 2015]
TECHNICAL
Ten areas which I believe you should consider when thinking about website requirements.
Update Google Analytics using PHP [20 Sep 2015]
TECHNICAL
Add extra information into your Google Analytics tracking using PHP.
Redirecting web pages using 301 [01 Sep 2015]
TECHNICAL
How to change the address of a page that appears in Google's search engine results with no loss to rankings.
Google Mobile Friendly Update [14 Apr 2015]
TECHNICAL
How to use a mobile friendly test tool for you to test whether your web pages are mobile friendly or not.
Tips to Avoid Keyword Cannibalisation [20 Jul 2014]
KEYWORDS
Keyword cannibalisation occurs when too many pages are optimised for the same keyword.
Google Algorithm Update: Hummingbird [04 Oct 2013]
GENERAL
Last month, Google announced its Hummingbird algorithm update, focused on providing more accurate search results to the user.
Server and Hosting Issues Affecting SEO [18 June 2013]
TECHNICAL
Thankfully, only a handful of server or web hosting dilemmas affect the practice of search engine optimization.
How To Remove Bad Links From Your Backlink Profile [23 May 2013]
LINK BUILDING
If you have links in your profile from spammy sites then they will come back to bite you at some point in the future.
Life Before Google [20 Feb 2013]
GENERAL
Google's focus today is on connecting users to valuable content but who was doing this first?
Schema Markup and SEO [14 Jan 2013]
TECHNICAL
Schema markup is one of the most powerful but least-utilised forms of SEO available today.
Is it worth buying an exact match domain for SEO? [10 Oct 2012]
STRATEGY
Over the last few years, it has become common practice for marketers to buy domains that match their keywords for SEO purposes
Google Algorithm Update: Penguin [20 May 2012]
GENERAL
Last month, Google launched the “webspam algorithm update,” which specifically targets link spam and manipulative link building practices.
Google Algorithm Update: Panda [01 Jun 2011]
GENERAL
Over the last few months, Google have been rolling out a new algorithm update (code named Panda) to combat low quality sites.
What is a web crawler and how does it work? [06 Apr 2009]
TECHNICAL
Have you ever wondered how answers can be at our fingertips in the digital age? This post aims to show how this happens.
What does the Introduction of Universal Search mean for SEO? [20 Oct 2007]
GENERAL
Google has made a big change to its search listings in the form of Universal Search. What does it mean for SEO?
What are Link Farms and How to Avoid Them [11 Sep 2007]
LINK BUILDING
Link farms used to be very popular in the early days of Google and provided automated link building to member websites.
Introducing Webmaster Tools [11 Nov 2006]
GENERAL
Last month, Google overhauled Google Sitemaps and created Google Webmaster Tools. Here's what it includes.