My latest articles.

not quite perfect corn cob on white ceramic plate

Suck it up! Content is never perfect

Here’s one of the basic truths of Content Marketing: The only content that works for you is the stuff in public on your site. I believe the most important functions of website content are: SEO leverage – bringing the right people to your site Conversion – sales; other kinds of interaction such as signing up for a … Read more

Cyclist leading the pack on road

How to win in Organic Search in 2021 using Structured Data

Here’s how to occupy some of the most valuable real estate on the search results pages. Looking at click-through rates by search rankings Most of us rely to a greater or lesser extent on organic search to get traffic to our sites. And we know that the majority of traffic comes from the top places. … Read more

Categories SEO
Chain links

My rant about links and link-building

Links are a big thing in the SEO world. And they’re the subject of a significant percentage of the questions that we answer on Dumb SEO Questions, so that’s enough reason to write a blog post about them. This time, I’m going to: have a rant about dodgy link builders tell you about how Google has … Read more

Making changes for the Google Page Experience Update

Are you ready for Google’s Page Experience Update?

Google is known for its mysterious hints about what we should be doing to achieve its approval. Sure enough, there are pages and pages to help us do the right thing. But they are often difficult to interpret, leaving site owners and SEOs alike scratching their heads. “Listen closely, because your website will be tested … Read more

Categories SEO
Stories on a shelf with a cactus come to the web

Are you missing out on Google Web Stories?

Are you aware of Google Web Stories? It’s a format for posting content to the web that many site owners don’t use, and lose out on their readers’ attention. I’d say that’s because there hasn’t been an easy way to publish them. Let’s rewind a bit. Get things in context. Google announced the developer preview … Read more

Categories SEO
Eyes looking at your website

What is the single most important thing you can do to your website?

Many businesses have been looking at their websites recently and wondering what they should be doing to increase their revenue. Of course, revenue follows on from successfully implementing SEO or SEM or Paid Search or Social Media or Content Marketing. Pick and Mix. But few businesses – except the very largest – can do everything. … Read more

Categories SEO
People engaging with a blog post on a laptop

How To Make People Care About Your Blog

Eight things you’re doing wrong and seven ways to overcome them I get a lot of people from businesses of all sizes coming to me asking why their website isn’t bringing in business. By the time you finish this piece, you’ll know exactly how make your business blog sing. 1. Easy doesn’t cut the mustard … Read more

Google changes in January 2020

Has the January 2020 Google Core update affected your website?

Weighing in quickly in the new year, Google announced its latest core update last Monday, the 13 January. Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the January 2020 Core Update. Our guidance about such updates remains as we’ve covered before. Please see … Read more