Make sure you’re indexed by Google Whether you’re a newbie or an expert in search engine optimization (SEO), Google changes so often that it can be overwhelming to keep up with. That can be pretty frustrating since businesses of any size need to get people to their sites in order to really grow in our web-driven culture. Thankfully, here are 4 tips to improve Google indexing that are tried-and-true methods for improving your position in Google’s index and optimizing your site's ranking Go to Google.com and search ‘site:’ with your website domain listed after the colon (example: ‘site:acme.com’). If you don’t see any results from your page listed, that means Google hasn’t added your site to its search results yet. Although some advisers recommend filling out a request form that Google offers, there is a much faster way to get recognized by the search giant. Google is constantly scanning web pages for updates in content to include in their search results. When they see a link to an external site on one of their already indexed pages, Google will add that link to the queue of new sites to be scanned and indexed. If you can get your domain name linked on a popular or trusted page, you’ll start seeing your page in the search results in no time. Go out and get more links The more links to your site from external pages, the higher you climb in the search results. Other than getting affiliate businesses to link you on their pages, consider managing a blog or RSS feed. ... [Read More]
HTTPS Matters More than Ever for Your Website
HTTPS usage on the web has taken off mainly due to Google and their Chrome web browser. HTTPS has now become a requirement for many new browser features, and Chrome is dedicated to making it as easy as possible to set up HTTPS. Let's take a look at how. For several years, Google has moved toward a more secure web by strongly advocating that sites adopt the Secure HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTPS) encryption. And last year, Google began marking some HyperText Transfer Protocol(HTTP) pages as “not secure” to help users comprehend risks of unencrypted websites. Beginning in July 2018 with the release of a Chrome update, Google's browser will mark all HTTP sites as “not secure.” Chrome's move was mostly brought on by increased HTTPS adoption. Eighty-one of the top 100 sites on the web default to HTTPS, and the majority of Chrome traffic is already encrypted. Here's how the transition to security has progressed, so far: Over 68% of Chrome traffic on both Android and Windows is now protected Over 78% of Chrome traffic on both Chrome OS and Mac is now protected 81 of the top 100 sites on the web use HTTPS by default HTTPS: The benefits and difference What's the difference between HTTP and HTTPS? With HTTP, information you type into a website is transmitted to the site's owner with almost zero protection along the journey. Essentially, HTTP can establish basic web connections, but not much else. When security is a must, HTTPS sends and receives ... [Read More]
Google Search Tips To Make your Life Easier
What would we do without Google? Sure, there are other search engines out there; but let’s face it, Google has left its competitors in the dust, thanks to its speed and ease of use. What’s more, the search engine is packed with advanced search features that make life a lot easier. Here are a few of them! Include and Exclude Keywords Google will understand most of the search terms you type into it. However, at times the search engine will match only some of the words you typed, showing limited results. To avoid this, just point out which keywords are the most important by adding a plus symbol (+) in front of words you would like Google to include in the search results. And if the results you’re looking for get pushed off the page by similar yet irrelevant articles, adding a minus symbol (-) in front of keywords you don’t want to see will avoid them popping up in the first place. For example, “+cloud services -hybrid cloud” will provide search results about different cloud services while excluding results related to hybrid cloud. Additionally, searching a phrase within double quotation marks guarantees to retrieve results that include only the exact phrase that matches your query. Do a Website Search Ever need to look for information from a specific website? Instead of visiting that website and sifting through different pages, Google makes it a breeze by allowing you to add “site:url” to the end of your search query. For example, if you want to find what ... [Read More]
Using Google Posts can Attract More Local Business
Launched in 2016 at the end of the year this new product was certainly overshadowed by the presidential election, Google Posts was originally intended to be used by the presidential candidates. In response to the extreme limitation, Google expanded the service to a number of local businesses in the same year. Here’s why it gained popularity among small- and medium-sized businesses so quickly: What are Google Posts and what can They can do for your SMB? Google Posts enable merchants to share timely, relevant updates right on Google Search and Maps. Google Posts basically allow users to communicate directly in the search results. This differs from the Knowledge Panel since you can highlight content, information, products or services. These posts can be images, videos, or even animated GIFs. You can even add inline links on the posts to drive traffic to a particular page, service or product. According to Google, this enhanced format enables searchers to hear directly from you while complementing existing search results across the web. Postings Google Posts are shown instantly and show up in search results on both mobile and desktop platforms. Whether they’re texts, images, videos, or events, you can schedule the time and duration of the post with ease. Posts are shown on the default view for the first 7 days (or when the event date the post referenced has passed), and beyond that in their historical view under the Posts tab on mobile. This is a great feature that ... [Read More]
Making Sense of Google Analytics
In today’s competitive business world, it’s imperative that you have a thorough understanding of who your visitors are and what are their expectations. If you’re looking for a powerful analytical tool for your company’s website, Google Analytics one of the best options in the market. Yet trying to understand Google Analytics and its strategic use can make your head spin. If you’re just starting out, here’s an overview of Google Analytics and its key metrics that are noteworthy. What exactly is Google Analytics? Google Analytics is a free website analytic product offered by Google. It is an application that collates visitor data from your website and provides basic statistics and analytical tools for search engine optimization (SEO). The data is used to generate reports that give you insights as to how your visitors are engaging with your website. With Google Analytics, you can analyze your traffic to discover whether your target market is finding your website, how they’re finding it, and if they’re taking the actions you expect them to take while on your site. By tracking and analyzing your traffic you can increase the engagement and enhance your marketing strategies. Google Analytics’ Key Metrics Navigating Google Analytics can be mind-numbing, since you are likely to get lost in its many features, variables, and settings. Check out these basic key metrics that will help you analyze your website traffic. Unique Visitors Most people tend to confuse this metric with ... [Read More]