The Moz Blog

A Simple Guide to .htaccess

The .htaccess file on mod_rewrite enabled servers (usually Unix-based but sometimes decent Windows hosts) can be an SEOs dream (and sometimes nightmare). The small file that should be found in the root folder is what you will use to fix a lot of the crawling errors with rewrites and redirects. On small, static sites, they can even be used to create more usable, pretty URLs. An introduct...

Wrong Page Ranking in the Results? 6 Common Causes & 5 Solutions

Sometimes, the page you're trying to rank - the one that visitors will find relevant and useful to their query - isn't the page the engines have chosen to place first. When this happens, it can be a frustrating experience trying to determine what course of action to take. In this blog post, I'll walk through five potential solutions, as well as talk about some of the root causes of this problem.

Keyword Research Tools - Build Your Own Adventure

My mother used to scold me for misusing my toys, playing with my food and for having a bit too much energy. She was well within her rights, as I was a bit of a handful, but at the moment one particular phrase really sticks out in my mind “Is that what that was made for Sam? Use it the right way, please.” Whether I was riding down the stairs in a sleepin...

May 2010 Linkscape Update (and Whiteboard Explanations of How We Do It)

As some of you likely noticed, Linkscape's index updated today with fresh data crawled over the past 30 days. Rather than simply provide the usual index update statistics, we thought it would be fun to do some whiteboard diagrams of how we make a Linkscape update happen here at the mozplex. We also felt guilty because our camera ate tonight's WB Friday (but Scott's working hard to get it u...

The SEOmoz Office Gets a New Do

As you may have heard, SEOmoz has moved offices (woo hoo!). So we thought it would be nice to take you on a tour of our new digs. We're quite proud that we outgrew the old space and needed a bigger place. Pleas follow along as I take you on a tour of the new office. First, as you first step out of the elevator you may think, "Wow, this really is a cool space." But then...

The Halo Effect on SEO Campaigns

When working with prospective clients, we often talk with them about the many long-tail or related keywords that they may show up for, in addition to the primary keyword, as we optimize their website structure, increase their content, and improve their link profile. At OrangeSoda, we refer to this as the "halo effect," but it is also referred to as the umbrella effect, keyword as...

Overcome the Google Analytics Learning Curve in 20 Minutes

As recently as a month ago I was a victim of a state of mind I call Analytics Dismissal Disorder. This mindset is common after hearing about the importance of analytics, installing the tracking code and then getting overwhelmed by all of the graphs and scary numbers. When I suffered from analytics dismissal disorder (which my doctors called A.D.D. for short), I knew Google Analytics wa...

Spying on (and Learning from) Your Competitors: Step 5 of the 8-Step SEO Research Strategy

Let me start by asking you this. What makes your site: Different? Remarkable? In competitive landscapes these are very important – no – absolutely necessary questions to ask yourself. Now that we’ve gone through ...

How to Measure & Improve SEO: eMetrics London 2010 Presentation

Rand's presentation from eMetrics London on analytics and metrics for SEO. Includes the embedded slide deck and a description of the topics covered.

Google Analytics Event Tracking to Monitor Calls to Action

Analytics is one of those things that hasn’t always been at the top of my priority list until recently. Google Analytics has many features I’ve never used before because I haven’t had the time to sit down and really investigate what they can do for me and my clients. A few months ago, in one of my late night GA adventures, I found a section on event tracking, a small love soon formed.

Using PPC Data to Help Write Meta Descriptions

I want to share a technique I have been using with regards to testing PPC ads to find the ads that work best for me. There are two reasons I wanted to write this post: 1. I wanted to highlight the importance of testing the different elements within a PPC ad rather than the ad as a single entity 2. As an extension of Rand’s post on ...

SMX London: Ranking Factors in 2010

Somehow, my flight from Seattle landed just before the newest Icelandic ash cloud began shutting down airports across UK airspace. As a result, I was able to present at SMX London this morning. The presentation is included below. This slide deck focuses on things that are probably in the search engines' r...