Category: SEO Related

May 19, 2015

Domain Related, Hosting Related, SEO Related

Reading Time: 5 minutes

In this week's blog we wish to describe some marketing techniques to help you market your website for free. For free? Yes. The advent of the internet has given birth to marketing techniques now known as "inbound marketing" - that doesn't rely on funding traditional, often expensive, marketing campaigns. Inbound marketing is an overall technique that a company, or perhaps just your personal website as well, can use to market itself through blog posts, seo optimization, press releases, electronic newsletters, whitepapers, social media, article writing and other similar creative methods that you might come up with. That is a list of marketing tools that don't really require money upfront if you are willing to do the work to assemble and publish the materials. Inbound marketing is also commonly referred to as "content marketing" as well. Inbound marketing retains the benefit creating value from the very start of the interaction with prospective customers. In short, Inbound marketing is pretty much all about creating, publishing, and sharing content (also posted in a discoverable way typically through search engines) around the internet. read_more The other way to market your website is known as Outbound Marketing. Outbound marketing is basically purchasing attention for your website/business. That can include traditional print/radio advertising, telemarketing/flyers, spam (be careful though, aggressive spamming is now considered against the law in Canada), billboards, pay-per-click (PPC) search engine advertising (such as Google adwords) and perhaps even tv advertisements. In the days before the internet and search engines, outbound marketing was really the only way to bring customers in; but in today's world outbound marketing is being replaced, to ever higher degrees, with inbound methods. So inbound marketing is more preferable on tighter budgets, and can also be more effective too. If excess funds are available, a company could decide to even hire a marketing agency to do all the work for them. But inbound marketing techniques actually are lasting ways to bring more business in - as the content you produce for your website can be lastingly built into/onto your website. Inbound marketing is especially effective for small businesses that offer knowledge-based products; where prospects are prone to do prior research...

May 4, 2015

Domain Related, Hosting Related, SEO Related

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Small Smartphone screens count bigtime too! We could have entitled this article “The need for pleasing your website visitors who are using mobile device”, and perhaps that would be a better title. In any case the message of this article is to persuade you that it is basically critical to your business not only to have a website - but to also have a mobile website. So we urge you to consider the little investment in time and the little bit extra per month to develop a mobile friendly website. Would this mean that your website could require two domains? The answer to that is no. It is actually a better practice to use a single domain and then use an intelligent piece of javascript code on your website to determine if the viewing device is a smartphone or a larger device such as a laptop or a desktop PC or Mac. For example, if you go to Amazon.com on your mobile device, you will see a different layout than the larger pages you would see on a desktop monitor. If people were required to “pinch and zoom” on their small screens ( to read very small font, or to have to scroll left and right and up and down to read the site content ) - then Amazon would be losing out on many of their sales that come through iphones, and androids, windows phones, and other such devices. See for yourself if Google considers your website to be mobile friendly: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/ Go ahead and try your website in the google tool above. Did your website pass the test? read_more We understand that the prospect of another website design sounds daunting to you.It is even to us. We didn’t pass this test either: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/?url=http%3A%2F%2F4goodhosting.com Text too small to read; Links too close together; Mobile viewport not set ;Content wider than screen... However, despite how busy we are, and how we have often thought people searching for web hosting wouldn’t be doing so from a mobile device - the simple fact is that google is considering it important and is making it a search engine ranking...

March 9, 2015

Hosting Related, SEO Related

Reading Time: 3 minutes

April 21st is another 'big SEO day' around the world from a google ranking index perspective. Why a month and two weeks from the date of this article? Well, that is when Google will be changing the technique that they use to rank websites (with a higher high ranking factor given to websites that are also mobile friendly). Google started highlighting 'mobile friendly sites' in results last year. Google states that their April 21st update will have ''significant impact'' on all mobile-based searches from all around the world. Google justifies the change in saying that searchers will see better search results. Details on how ranking will effect desktop searches is yet to be seen; but it is anticipated that websites that are also mobile friendly will be given extra elevation by Google's new algorithm. These changes are good news for mobile webmasters. Also, it should help motivate webmasters and designers that still don’t have a mobile website deployed to create one. Since the middle of this past year - mobile internet users started outnumbering those who surf the web with a desktop computer (or laptop). Today's mobile users certainly expect that websites will display most effectively on their choice of device. Webmasters who want to test their website’s 'mobile compatibility' can use Google’s tools for detailed information. Overall the change means that owners of websites that are not 'mobile-friendly' as of April 21st, 2015 can now expect to see their search rankings and traffic take a significant downward hit. read_more However, 4GoodHosting - your global Canadian based web hosting provider and premium SEO service, already has the solutions for you in place, specifically a mobile siteuilder. Recently Google emailed mobile usability warnings to untold numbers of website owners, with a detailed about the ways their website is offering negative mobile experiences. For example it was said: “ These pages will not be seen as mobile-friendly by Google Search, and will therefore be displayed and ranked appropriately for smartphone users. ”- an obvious warning that they intend to prioritize mobile-friendly websites. After April 21st, 2015 , with a majority of people accessing the Internet with mobile devices, businesses and webmasters should...

February 16, 2015

Domain Related, Hosting Related, SEO Related

Reading Time: 5 minutes

This is a primer for most of you who are interested in but maybe still unfamiliar of what is meant by the the three letter acronym, SEO, which is short for "Search Engine Optimization"; its history and current day evolution. Over the past 25 years, the way we live and work has been utterly transformed by the creation and evolution of the world wide web or "internet". As the volume of online content has soared, search engines have become central and essential and critical to an infinite number of our online "web surfing" searches & experiences. SEO is an Internet marketing strategy, and takes into account how search engines are programmed (and updated) to function, what people are most likely to search for, the actual search phrases or keywords entered into search engines - and specific for each target audience. So let's quickly travel back a quarter-of-a-century to a time before tags, keywords, “backlinks”. clickthrus, and content optimization - to explore how SEO has changed and developed over time -> and what those changes now appear to tell us about the future! read_more 1991 : The first “website “goes live in a European research lab. The first webmaster goes down in history as “Tim Berners Lee”. With an immediate explosion in the number of websites, there's an increasingly pressing need to organize and index them. The earliest services to do this were “Archie” and “Gopher” — they were most primitive in how they worked, but both of those services are widely regarded as the first search engines. The “evolution” of Search Engines became: Altavista, LYCOS, Infoseek, , Excite, Ask Jeeves, Google, Yahoo Search, MSN, and Bing... There were various others such as search.com, but much less visible than the main group. As getting top or “1st page” listings has proven to be vitally important for any company marketing its products and services on the internet, SEO companies began to take root. A group at Search Engine Watch launched the Search Engine Strategies Conference (SES in 1996-1997). SES is still going strong today, with events all over the world frequently attended by thought leaders and industry experts. Now onto Google: Google...

December 22, 2014

Domain Related, Hosting Related, SEO Related

Reading Time: 5 minutes

With the release of the Web Index Rankings, that measure economic, social and political benefits from countries across the world on December 11, there are some interesting results. The United Kingdom, as well as the Scandinavian countries continue to lead the index, and Canada ranks sixteenth. The World Wide Web Foundation began to produce this index in 2012. The Foundation utilizes a wide variety of data that measure the web's contribution to the world in the areas of social, political and economic progress. The report furthers that the web has allowed a level-playing field with unprecedented access to information as allowed by Sir Time Berners-Lee and CERN when they choose not to patent the creation of the web. The report states, “Today, armed with little more than a smart phone, anyone-- regardless of where they were born and or how much they earn-- can start a business, record a music video, crowd fund an invention, take courses with Nobel Prize- winning professors, or even launch a successful campaign for office.” In this new index, some chilling statistics have come back to the Foundation. Up thirty two percent from last years numbers, political censorship has increased to forty percent. This included the blocking of political or socially sensitive content. In the news lately has been the issue of net neutrality both here in Canada and the United States, and there is a lack of net neutrality in seventy four percent of countries. It should be noted that according to the Sunlight Foundation, only one percent of the US public is opposed to net neutrality, and this is after a plea from late night show host John Oliver on Last Week Tonight. Even with an estimated 1.8 billion internet users still with little to no right for privacy nor freedom of expression, the governmental control of the web continues to this day. read_more The bad news continues, with an increase of governments bypassing legal frameworks that are in position to protect citizens from government snooping, mainly on our communications, up to eighty four percent. It was at sixty three percent in the last index, and actions like British emergency legislation that was...

October 28, 2014

Hosting Related, SEO Related

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Hi Folks. Have you checked your website rankings in google this week? The recent ‘Penguin 3.0’ update, also called a refresh, has just been completed. Supposedly only 1% or so of search queries are affected by this recent Google search index update. Simply, Google support ( support.google.com ) recommends avoiding the following linking techniques: Excessive link exchanges Buying or selling links Using automation to create links Low-quality directory or bookmark site links Forum comments with optimized links in the post or signature Links with optimized anchor text in articles or press releases Widely distributed links in the footers or templates of various sites So if you haven’t participated in ‘link spamming’, you should not need to worry, but it is always good to verify anyways, and perform any cleanup that may be necessary to improve your website’s search ranking. read_more We recommend the following free online tools to help diagnose your website’s relation to Google’s new update and guidelines. http://www.analyzebacklinks.com/ http://moz.com/tools/seo-toolbar http://www.ahrefs.com http://www.backlinkwatch.com/ http://www.opensiteexplorer.org/ http://www.linkdiagnosis.com/ & http://www.traffictravis.com/ From our review of these tools, we recommend you try Traffic Travis first. Traffic Travis offers: Keyword Tracking Backlink checker for individual pages Competition Analysis Find Keyword ranking based on different geo specific search engine Page rank checker for Individual pages Sitemap Support Domain name research SEO warning for individual pages Filters to refine your report Adsense finder Keyword research We're always interested in hearing about your experiences with various tools and strategies employed in your search engine optimization efforts. Whether you’ve encountered challenges or celebrated victories, your insights are valuable to us. If you find yourself seeking professional guidance or are overwhelmed with the SEO landscape, we’re here to assist. We offer affordable SEO link building services tailored to enhance your website’s authority and visibility effectively. Our experienced team employs innovative strategies, ensuring quality backlinks that boost your site's ranking and traffic. Moreover, we pride ourselves on offering the best white hat SEO services in Canada. We adhere to ethical and effective SEO practices, ensuring that your website not only ascends in rankings but maintains its position, offering long-term benefits. Feel free to reach out to us for personalized advice, or explore...

September 30, 2014

Hosting Related, SEO Related

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Dear 4GoodHosting customers and visitors , We have replaced the “Attracta” search engine optimization tool with a more modern and effective “seo” optimizer for your website. With this new included tool, MarketGoo, you will be able to get your website ranked faster and higher; helping you with your overall website marketing. We hope that you decide to take advantage of the new service. As with most new services we offer, this one comes with your hosting package at no additional charge. How does the Marketgoo application work? MarketGoo's unique toolset will analyze your website regularly. It will suggest from an assortment of about 200 actions and recommendations; which will be tailored specific to your website and industry. So every single task that you complete while using MarketGoo will be driving your website closer to online success. Where will you be able to find it? If you remember seeing the “Attracta” icon, you will now see “MarketGoo” there instead, in the “Marketing tools” section. How can it benefit you / your website? The Marketgoo application helps you market your website and enables you to improve your website ranking in google and other search engines by “optimizing” your website's Search Engine Visibility, Link Building, and Social Media marketing; and it also benchmarks your site against your competitors. It will help you perfect your website's structure and content and to help you with promoting the relevant keywords associated to your business. read_more Using MarketGoo SEO tools, you will be guided on submitting your website into Google. It will optimize your website to rank in the highest position attainable for the particular keywords that most people use to look your type of business. You will be able to easily and frequently test your results at Google, Yahoo and Bing. Marketgoo crawls all over your website and generates a list of optimization tasks which in turn will help you achieve your marketing objectives. It will tell you what needs to be done, and what you or your editor/webmaster will need to edit the html of your various webpages. MarketGoo's Link Building tools show you links that your ranking competitors have. This way you can at...

September 16, 2014

Hosting Related, SEO Related

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Most of us already know about backlinks, or links from other websites, and how google currently assigns a quality score to different backlinks. For instance if Google thinks many of your site's backlinks are "spammy" - or not high quality, then they will lower the pagerank score for your whole website. However, if most, or all, your backlinks have good 'link juice', or Google interprets most of them as high quality backlinks - especially from other well known or well trusted websites, then you ranking will improve more than significantly. Internal linking is another subject area. Your internal, or intra-site, links also play a role in how search engines determine the quality of your website, and give a ranking boost to those that follow the below guidelines. Tip A: Internally link your blog content (you really should have a regularly updated blog for many seo benefits) to your service and/or product pages or category pages. Essentially if you publish a new blog article that has something to do with a service or product that you are offering (on the same website; as we are focusing on internal links on your website), then definitely link to the relevant page from your article. This applies to category pages as well. The best method to get higher rankings for certain keywords or phrases is to optimized your link's anchor text for the correct category or product/service page. So, for example, if you offer 'solar shingles' as a product, and you are based in Vancouver, then linking from your article or press release to your product page with the link 'Vancouver solar shingle sales' or 'Vancouver solar shingle installation' will get your product or service page highly ranked for those keywords. When doing so, also try to make it look natural and smooth within the context of your sentence in your article. read_more Tip B: Cross link your product pages with other related products Crosslink related product pages. So say if you sell both trumpets and trombones, make sure that you have some extra links in the content of each related product page crosslinking the pages (not just in your menu atop your page)....

September 2, 2014

Hosting Related, Security, SEO Related

Reading Time: 3 minutes

One effective, yet costly, way to help drive traffic to a website is through the use of PPC (pay per click; google-adwords) advertisements. Yet google has found a way and, by the end of the this month, are enforcing us all to use the new adwords policy termed "Close variant keyword matching". But what does this really mean? This article is not authored by google, therefore we will skim over the positive spin that they would automatically inject into their new campaigns, but rather focus on some potential drawbacks. If you read google's articles about it, it sounds like a good thing; and google plays it up that advertisers already using the new close variant method claim to see an increase in traffic. That may be true: but what is the cost of all the extra ad-impressions being served out?; and perhaps also errant click-thrus by people searching for something 'slightly different '. So say that you have been used to paying google to advertise your site for keywords " women's floral skirts ". So, under the new policy, on he default close-variant matching option "Broad match", web searchers typing in "women's floral shirts " or even "colorful female shirts " might be presented with your ad. Google might *think* there is a possibility that perhaps a typographical error happened when a person typed in 'shirts' and your ad for 'skirts' might pop up. This is just one tiny example, as the total domain of possibilities is immense. Perhaps you can quickly think of your own example(s) too. read_more For a detailed description of the new policy, you can go to these two links that google has presented to the public on this important new topic: https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/2497836 http://adwords.blogspot.de/2014/08/close-variant-matching-for-all-exact.html ... together with the following exhausting, potentially headache inducing, document that google has published named "Keywords to the Wise-Cultivating Demand with Keyword Strategies": http://services.google.com/fh/files/blogs/google-keywords-to-the-wise.pdf 4GoogHosting does not always endorse Google's ranking algorithm adjustments, strategies, and new procedures that we are all occasionally compelled (by Google) to follow. A computer program that google frequently internally hacks on and tweaks is the new judge, jury, and ranking executioner for all of us. The topic...