SEOpittfall » search tech

Measuring the Value of Page Elements for Search Engine Rankings

pittfall — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:49:11 +0000

It might seem elementary, but there isn’t much study around the value of the various HTML page elements in search engine results pages (SERPs). For SEO professionals there are always discussions about what is and isn’t indexed and used as a value for search engine rankings. In fact, it has been discussed at length as [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Measuring the Value of Page Elements for Search Engine Rankings

The Pitfalls of SEO – SEO Simplified

pittfall — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:38:57 +0000

Sometimes it is easy to get lost in the details of SEO. This is a simple game. You throw the ball. You hit the ball. You catch the ball. You got it? - Bull Durham Don’t get me wrong, SEO does require some advanced techniques to compete in most of the top areas, but it does boil down [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

The Pitfalls of SEO – SEO Simplified

Link Building 2.0 – Link Development in Web 2.0

pittfall — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:35:35 +0000

Link building has changed, specifically around the concept of Web 2.0. Here is the definition from SEW: Web 2.0: A term that refers to a supposed second generation of Internet-based services. These usually include tools that let people collaborate and share information online, such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies. Web 2.0 has had a profound [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Link Building 2.0 – Link Development in Web 2.0

How to Win Links and Influence Webmasters

pittfall — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:14:52 +0000

Direct requests for inbound links are a valuable way to build quality links to your website, however, the effectiveness of requesting links is directly linked (no pun intended) to the delivery of the request. For those who are looking for an automated means or a template that works can stop reading, because to put it [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

How to Win Links and Influence Webmasters

Further Study on the Value of Image Optimization

pittfall — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:25:10 +0000

Yes, yet another test, and I will return to the rest of the link development series soon, but I have been sitting on this test for some time and I thought you deserve to see the results. The last test on the value of image optimization was limited to Google and Yahoo only and utilized the [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Further Study on the Value of Image Optimization

Link Building Via Content Development

pittfall — Tue, 19 May 2009 03:41:07 +0000

Maybe you have heard some of the cliches about content: If you build it they will come! Content is King! Really? Yes, it is true. However, what most of the people that use these and other cliches about content development and link acquisition fail to share the details about what content development can directly impact link building. Great content [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Link Building Via Content Development

Directory Submissions for Success

pittfall — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:31:54 +0000

Welcome to the third post in my latest series, Holistic Link Building 101. When it comes to building a website for SEO success, link development is an extremely important part of an effective online marketing strategy. Two important questions about link development regarding directory submissions: 1. Are directory submissions still a relevant tactic and worth [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Directory Submissions for Success

Holistic Link Building Defined

pittfall — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:55:35 +0000

In my last post, Holistic Link Building 101, the beginning of a series of post was embarked upon and the topic is very subjective. When it comes to building a website for SEO success, however, link building or development is an extremely important part of an effective online marketing strategy. Like other SEO tactics, holistic [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Holistic Link Building Defined

Holistic Link Building 101

pittfall — Sat, 02 May 2009 15:52:13 +0000

Link building is one of the most challenging aspects of SEO and it doesn’t appear that some people really get it, but that is no different than most SEO concepts. A lot of people find a nugget of SEO wisdom, apply thought, reason and ride it like a horse until it can easily become apparent [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Holistic Link Building 101

Server Responses – The What and Why for SEO

pittfall — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:36:38 +0000

Sometimes not understanding why a website isn’t performing well can be a difficult thing to figure out. However, many times it is important to take a step back and look at what signals can be seen. When looking for technical concerns can appear to be a daunting task, however, we are going to review server [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Server Responses – The What and Why for SEO

Long Live No Follow

pittfall — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:00:26 +0000

In a recent post at SEOmoz, by Will Critchlow of Distilled, entitled Nofollow is Dying: The Impact of Micro-Blogging and Nofollow on SEO, is a review the overuse of the nofollow link attribute in online publishing by webmasters and 3rd party sites like WordPress.com, Blogger.com and Twitter and it’s impact on SEO for everyone. Before [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Long Live No Follow

Die Duplicate Content Die!

pittfall — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:41:51 +0000

What does canonical mean? According to a biology glossary from the University of Arizona it is “repetitive; repeating in different forms“. So, what does it mean to online publishers? Simply, duplicate content. How does duplicate content exist, what is it’s impact on search engines and, more importantly, how does it affect online publishers in search engine results? I know that [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Die Duplicate Content Die!

Measuring the Value of ALT and Title Elements of Image Tags

pittfall — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:00:13 +0000

Not a great title, I know, but accurate. Recently, I began a test of the ALT and Title elements in the img html tag. Here is the breakdown of the testing: Conducting the research by creating a page on the topic of “dogs” that has the same image of a Dalmatian that link to four separate pages. [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Measuring the Value of ALT and Title Elements of Image Tags

SEO for Local Results

pittfall — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:07:48 +0000

Very interesting… recently I posted about the need for Google to focus on relevancy in search results to maintain their market share that led me to look at tying a geographic location to improve relevancy and my belief that it will be the next step to reinforce universal search results. As a professional SEO consultant, [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

SEO for Local Results

Next Step in Universal Search

pittfall — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:12:43 +0000

In my most recent post, I wrote of the need for relevancy in search results and it being the biggest determining factor for switching your preferred search engine (based upon survey by JP Morgan). However, much of the changes that have impacted SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) in the past few years have had more [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Next Step in Universal Search

Relevancy – The Ultimate Google Killer

pittfall — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:54:00 +0000

A study recently compiled and released by JP Morgan, 2009 Internet Investment Guide, included some interesting insight into search, advertising and online behavior including a “potential search deal likely between Yahoo! and Microsoft.” Even as the idea that Yahoo! and anyone might happen, there is more important implications of the research data that isn’t as [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Relevancy – The Ultimate Google Killer

Bounce – Better Than SearchWiki?

pittfall — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:27:37 +0000

Looking at the search landscape over just the past few months, it can be easy to see that professional SEO is not for the faint of heart. Search engines are always trying to make adjustments to their results and offerings to differentiate themselves from their competition, just like other competing businesses. For those of us [...]

Copyright © 2010, by Stephen Pitts aka SEOpittfall.com, All Rights Reserved. Contact pittfall@seopittfall.com

Bounce – Better Than SearchWiki?

WTF – Malware in SERPs?

pittfall — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:58:08 +0000

Recently, Google Webmaster Central Blog republished a post from the Google Online Security Blog highlighting that Google is taking a step in protecting you from malware by warning you in listings (image on the right). You may be familiar with this type of warning, Yahoo! has been using a beta product from McAfee (SearchScan) to highlight [...]

Green Link Building – Part 2 of 2

pittfall — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:29:30 +0000

In the first post about Green Link Building, I explained my classification of links that make up a “greener” Internet. I expressed which sources of links I would consider to be a positive influence upon rankings and which shouldn’t be pursued. This post is the final piece of the link building puzzle: techniques to employ [...]

A Compendium of Google’s Chrome Browser

pittfall — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:12:58 +0000

What a whirlwind of activity that has surrounded the launch of a new browser. I don’t remember any browser getting this amount of buzz than Google has with Chrome. I really wanted to start posting information on Monday afternoon when the info leaked out and the firestorm got started. But I wanted to see how [...]

Is Google a Local Pusher?

pittfall — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:19:00 +0000

Back in May, I noticed what appeared to be a test by Google to add more relevancy to search engine result (SERPs) by publishing a search box for geographical modifiers to a requested search query (Google Pushing Local Results). See image below: If you used the “looking for local” search box, this would modify the SERPs [...]

Cuil is Live

pittfall — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:46:36 +0000

Back in September 2007 I posted about a new search engine on the horizon called Cuill, the next “Google Killer”. Since then, not much has come out about the engine, except additional funding and concerns with their crawlers. Now they have launched their search application and shortened their name to Cuil. Why so special? The company’s main [...]

Useful Tools for Blackberry

pittfall — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:00:47 +0000

Recently I switched from a Palm Treo to a Blackberry Curve because it offers functionality that helps me stay connected when my laptop is closed, I’m on the road, etc. It definitely offers more than the iPhone and Palm for business applications. A few of my finds (thanks to some friends) that I think are [...]

Hilltop: A Search Engine Based on Expert Documents

pittfall — Mon, 26 May 2008 04:07:12 +0000

This paper is being reproduced as a resource to my readers. The document was moved by the University of Toronto after the departure of one of it’s authors as an active professor at the institution. By no means am I trying to take credit from these individuals for the research and subsequent paper below. I [...]

Google Pushing Local Search?

pittfall — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:22:33 +0000

Today while doing research for a client, I happened to notice something very interesting in Google’s results. The given search was for “hampton inn” and further research on other geographically relevant, broad terms returned similar results like “restaurant” and “mcdonalds.” Entering a city, state or zip code returned the Google map and relevant results based on the [...]