Google confirms guest posts, whether paid or free, should use nofollow links

Chris Grant (he/him) June 13, 2020 0 Comments

Back in 2017, Google's John Mueller said, according to SEO Roundtable, that all guest posts on blogs, no matter how often you contribute, should have all links set to "nofollow". This past week he added, even if those links are not paid for - as long as those links can potential pass signals - they should also be nofollowed. Google has previously said guest blogging is okay sometimes and not...

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Google Search algorithm update and Search Console data lag

Chris Grant (he/him) May 10, 2020 0 Comments

As a search marketer and SEO specialists, we monitor changes in SEO outcomes and changes in Google's behavior when it comes to search results. Last week along with others, we noticed that recent broad core algorithm updates had resulted in a slow down in Google Search Console data and wanted to explain the possible reasons for this and why it might affect SEO monitoring for a short period of...

Google’s suggestions on how to avoid Meta Description rewrites

Andy Smart April 07, 2020 0 Comments

Why does Google rewrite Meta Descriptions? It’s not uncommon for Google to generate a meta description to display in place of the one provided by a web page. The most likely reasons why this would occur: The meta description is not relevant or useful (ie, just a collection of keywords). The exact same meta description is provided across a large number of pages. The meta description doesn’t...

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In times of uncertainty, SEO is one thing you shouldn’t cut back on

Andy Smart March 20, 2020 0 Comments

Like many people I'm sure, we at O'Brien Media are tuning in to the daily Coronavirus update from the Prime Minister. Yesterday (29th March), there was a cautious sense of optimism in tone, suggesting confidence that the country can "turn the tide" in the next twelve weeks. Twelve weeks is a long time and brings with it a great deal of uncertainty. What is certain, though, is businesses must...

SEO and digital trading optimisation is now more important than ever

Chris O'Brien March 17, 2020 0 Comments

You may be surprised to find out that around 73% of online activity is related to searches for local businesses. If you follow Google guidelines to get a decent amount of traffic on your site, you know one thing for sure and that is SEO changes from time to time. Right? Since Google rolled out Pigeon update in July 2014, Penguin 4.0 during 2016 and more recent updates throughout 2019, local...

Google linking to competitive third-party services in local search

Andy Smart February 24, 2020 0 Comments

Over the weekend, when people in Europe conduct a local search, Google will now direct them to find results on relevant third-party websites. Third parties can include Yell, TripAdvisor, Thomson Local, and others. There has been no official statement from Google regarding this change, but it’s believed to be a response to the €1.49 billion fine imposed by European courts for antitrust...

Google makes changes to make Review Rich Results more helpful

Chris Grant (he/him) September 23, 2019 0 Comments

Search results that are enhanced by review rich results can be extremely helpful when searching for products or services (the scores and/or “stars” you sometimes see alongside search results). To make them more helpful and meaningful, Google is introducing algorithmic updates to reviews in rich results. This also addresses some of the invalid or misleading implementations webmasters have...

Google is showing competitor ads on local business profiles (and you can’t do a thing about it)

Chris Grant (he/him) August 31, 2019 0 Comments

Google has been slowly ramping local search monetisation over time. It introduced local search ads in early 2017, which put ads in local packs, and began putting ads in local Knowledge Panels roughly two years ago. Now, the company is starting to show competitor ads in local business profiles. A ‘Local Campaign’ placement Part of Local Campaigns, the ads are designed to drive visits to...

Woman speaking into a mobile device to search

Voice search isn’t going away in 2019

Tom Furmanski December 27, 2018 0 Comments

Voice search isn’t going to go away. In fact, it’s expected to increase in popularity. According to predictions by ComScore, 50% of all searches by 2020 will be voice. At the start of 2018, voice search was defined as “an upcoming technology that allows users to access internet search results using nothing more than a smart device and their voice.” In 2019, voice search will no...

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