Do Social Media Signals Help Rank in SEO?

I have been asked this a lot and I thought it was time to share my thoughts. Before I do, let me present to you what Matt Cutts says about Social Media signals and if they play a role. Well you guessed it, the answer is no. At least from what he says…..

Now let’s put yourselves in his shoes, do you really want to reveal the true works of SEO and any new signals/changes that may help? Of course not! They will spam the hell out of it and make it useless like guest blogging has become over the years. 

If you want to be the  popular search engine, you want to show something we all know is part of SEO, great content. Well what is considered great content? Content that people share and discuss about. Google knows from referall sources where traffic comes from. Even with Share This tools we can see what is or isn’t popular. So for those who think otherwise, that’s fine. I mean Matt Cutts did say it didn’t play a role.

Some interesting findings in my history of this theory was I took two pages with about the same idea and content. I sent one with traffic from referral sources and tactics with Reddit, sharing all my social media channels etc. And the other I just left as is. After about a few days I was able to determine my more popular page was indexed quicker, higher positioned and actually started getting natural comments and shares. Even my rich snippets of authorship were showing. 

For the other content, it was indexed after two days after, no little to any traffic. No rich snippets, and couldn’t be found in the top 10 pages of rankings. So to just say social media doesn’t affect SEO, I can’t say for certain that is true. 

There is however a part in Matt's video that explains in the future he expects Google to be able to better identify who is writing the content and where and place a more importance based on the influence an individual may have. So perhaps Klout score may be some thing to consider as a good source of where you stand. 

 

What kinds of social media signals have you seen on your website or blog? Has the popularity and sharing helped you? Did you see any natural comments or links come to you? Or maybe you feel that social media is just no cooralation to SEO period…. Hey I look at both sides of the fence and totally agree with all the positive and negative thoughts about this.

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Are EDU Backlinks Needed? Internal Case Findings.

I wanted to bring up an important point my fellow employee Daniel Rosenstein wrote earlier in an e-mail for work. I really thought this should be brought up since people today still feel that .edu links are gonna take higher priority than any other back link effort. Let me be honest, the findings Daniel found are incredible, and hopefully you can learn something too. Here are his findings:

Per our discussion about the importance of EDU backlinks. There are good edu backlinks to get, but to help educate everyone on the team, I wanted to point out what some people are doing to get backlinks to EDU’s and things we need to avoid so we avoid getting penalized in the future.

To my point earlier, EDU backlinks can be helpful but it depends on different factors, including the relevancy to our site or page, authority of the school, and what page it is on the site.

Below is a EDU that has a bunch of links on it, one of them pointing  to investpedia.com.  The link is a deep link on a subdomain of the site, the page looks spammy (it says on the page, “this site is under construction”, and the url also looks spammy. This page does not look like a trusted page on the site.

http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/%7Ewidjaja/

This is an example of  bad .edu link to get even though Berkeley is an authority school.

The problem with EDU links is that a number of shady SEO’s in the past have paid webmasters on EDU sites to put their link on the site or created fake EDU online schools to get EDU backlinks. Google knows this and therefore devalued a lot of .EDU links. I doubt many universities watch every page on their site.  For some universities, they allow students or non authority people to create their own pages on the site.

This link even to Harvard, one of the most prestigious universities,  has a redirect in their blog link, http://content.ksg.harvard.edu/blog/wp-content/themes/default/images/kubrick/lowratesauto.html

, really spammy. Their blog either got hacked or their webmaster is getting paid to do a redirect to another link. So getting backlinks from a subdomain or blog that has little editorial review probably has no value.

Here is another example of a  bad .edu link, http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lpt/links.htm . This page has thousands of links on it and there isn’t any valuable to this page. Why is the purpose of linking to all these sites? We want to stay away from putting our link on a page that appears spammy and/or has thousands of links on it. We want to stay away on getting on a page that  has thousands of links, it doesn’t look like there was much editorial decision making if any.

Below are examples of .edu backlinks from our competitors.  Majority of competitor links are on resource pages:

I kept this part confidential based in our competitor's and non disclosure agreement.

  

So remember not all EDU backlinks are equal and some are really bad and just because it has a .edu TLD, doesn’t give it special authority because it has an .EDU as the end of the domian. Google says about EDU links are as follows:

“In general, I would like to add that no, backlinks from .EDU domains generally do not get “additional credibility from Google.” Because of that, the whole topic of working especially hard to talk webmasters of these domains into linking to your sites seems a bit problematic…”

Getting .edu links from authority EDU sites that are finance related are good, but a low authority .edu site or an .edu from an agricultural school won’t help us. Getting links from government sites, high authority financial sites like Forbes and high authority news sites like the Wall Street Journal are probably more valuable to us than many .edu links that are out there. I do think that we get backlinks from some of the top business schools main site, will be good.

 

When it comes to backlinks diversity of high authority and diversity are important. We should not just focus on getting EDU links since they are not more important than high authority finance sites. We don’t want to only get the same backlinks over and over otherwise it looks like we are trying to game the system, and Google looks for these type of things and could lead to a penalty. There should be a purpose of people linking to us. Google keeps saying links she be natural from people liking our content, not us trying to force or pay people to put a link on their site. We need to focus more on “link earning” and not “link building” through authority/compelling content and good content promotion. When you check out the bad links mentioned in this email you start to understand why Google has cracked down on link building and nullified the value of many back links out there including EDU links.

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Looks Like T-Mobile & WebDesign.org - Link Buying

As if this wasn't an obvious reasons from Google's Policies, you know that buying and exchanging links are a "no no"....

To have a public back and forth discussion on a social media platform for others to see is so bad! I guess we know someone will be fired soon in their SEO strategies!

What makes it worse Matt Cutts apparently saw this as well. What do you think is going to transpire cause of this? Honestly, I wouldn't be suprised....

There discussion can be found here.



I was able to get in touch with them and bring this up, apparently they are "saddened" and wondering why this is happening. Well I hope Matt Cutts takes this seriously and looks further into this. If companies of this size are trying to do these sneaky tactics, they deserve to be punished like the rest of us regardless of our size or wallets..... Here was our discussion:

Let me know your thoughts about all this, do you feel they deserve punishment? Perhaps because it was an outsource or individual they shouldn't? Till next time!

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Does Mobile Search Results Affect Desktop?

This discussion today on www.seroundtable.com got me thinking and dug into a little bit deeper into the search results. Now I didn't find anything that could really verify any of these beliefs but be sure to give your opinions below.


If you are interested in the discussion, you can read it here.

In other news, I decided to start doing some video blogs about discussions, topics, questions, etc. I want to know your thoughts and always looking to connect in some way. I hope to do some more editing and being able to keep you informed of all things SEO, Paid Search, and Social Media. I do apologize for not writing or being active on my site as much, we just launched debt.com and work is going crazy! Hopefully I can have some more down time. Anyways, enjoy the quick video!

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Great Twitter Program to Build Influencers: Target Pattern

If it’s one particular program I have been invited too and enjoyed recently it’s most certainly this one!

Target Pattern is a great way to build your Twitter audience and actually have the engagement we so desperately want. I can’t express how quickly not only my targeted audience has become but how when I share my ideas and content how it’s shared throughout. 

I have seen an increase of around 30% of my referral traffic from Twitter ever since using this program. I must say I was quite skeptical at first, but was proven wrong!

One of the milestone’s was being followed and actually engaged with one of the most influential social media woman, @SandiKrakowski. She was named the top 20 woman in social media by Forbes Magazine. To be even more excited I been invited to write an article to become a influencer in the Paid search area!

I must say if it wasn’t for Target Pattern I have no idea how my reach couldn’t have made it. I am sure other programs are similar and had some great success, but I wanted to share my thoughts and success with it!

(If it's one thing I cannot stress enough is how SEO will now be about the influence and weight you carry for being a trusted source. If you can build a genuine and organic following of others who are in your industry, who wouldn't want to share your thoughts!? )

The payment plans are most certainly affordable, you can view them here. If you have any questions or maybe you had personal experiences like mine, let me know! Thanks guys!

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Tips on How to Donate Your Car

Here is another tip I felt would benefit others. Since locally here in South Florida we are having donations of vehicles to help for our local charities. So I hope you find these tips helpful if you decide to donate your car to your local charity.

Donating your car to charities will not just definitely benefit organizations in funding their research or humanitarian efforts but also benefit you as a donor as you could be eligible for tax deductions for your charitable donation. Car donating has been popularly known as one of the very feasible ways of contributing to charity while at the same time avoiding the hassle of selling it.

Donating a car to charities has been well known and practiced by some people today and individual who are trying to sell their cars but don’t want to experience the hassle of doing so also resort to donating their cars to charity. If you are one of those who are planning to donate your car, there are some things you must consider to maximize your donations. Note that there are potential pitfalls that you might experience when donating a car. Some of these are the large profits that middle men take out when hiring them while others are just scammers trying to extort money from you. Thus, to avoid having difficulties when donating a vehicle, here are some of the pointers you may follow:   

      Choose a reliable charity.

There are many charities that exist out there. When choosing a charity, pick one that accepts car donations. Make an inquiry if they are using vehicles or if they are going to sell it to fund a charitable projects and alike. There are charities that use cars for haulage or deliveries. If they are going to sell the vehicle, ask them of how much of the proceeds will be put on the charity’s fund. Also, make sure that the charity you choose to donate is qualified to receive tax deductible contributions. Organizations that mostly qualify for tax deductible contributions are churches, temples or mosque. Asking the organization of your choice about this valuable information is important to make sure that they are putting your charitable contribution into good use.

      

       If possible, avoid hiring car donation organizations and middlemen.

Middlemen and car donation organizations can help you with the paper works needed for transferring your donation. However, most of them take their own cut before the charity receives your donation. If you are thinking of using the service of middlemen, ask if how much of the proceeds the charity will receive. If the charity will likely receive a flat fee per month, your donation may not be qualified for tax deduction from IRS. 

      Make sure to transfer your car and the title to the charity correctly.

Transfer the car to the charity of your choice including the title. Make sure sign as well as date the release of the new ownership of the vehicle. Never leave the ownership title blank to avoid the responsibility of speeding fines, parking tickets that might be run up in your name if you fail to transfer the ownership title even if your car is already in the custody of the recipient of your donation.

      Make your donation successful by completing all the paperwork.

In order to be legible in receiving tax deduction contributions, complete the IRS form 8283. In cases that the charity of your choice received over $500 from your car donation, complete the said form together with the acknowledgement that the donation has taken place and received by the charity. You should also present the receipt of the vehicle’s amount if it is sold by the charity together with other documentation that it has been sold. 

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Refinancing Your Mortgage - Insights and Help

So I been asked about a certain offer we have in our business and I wanted to touch base about it cause I feel some people don't understand there options. So I was asked about Mortgage Refinancing and I wanted to touch a little bit about it. Sorry if it isn't anything PPC or SEO related.

You should always put lots of thought into making a large financial decision like refinancing your mortgage. Even though it may seem like you could get a lower rate, lower your payments or even cash out some of your saved funds, refinancing can often involve other costs as well, including additional closing costs to secure your new refinanced loan.

Ideally, if you plan to refinance, you should pick the best time and do it only once. While you aren't going to be able to predict the future, keeping an eye on the market for good pricing trends and great rates can help you pick a time when it would be the most beneficial to you.

Some homeowners choose to refinance their mortgages because they'd like to get our of debt, move into an adjustable-rate mortgage, or release equitable funds in order to purchase additional properties or mortgages.

Before you decide if refinancing is right for you, try to sit down and define what your goals are going to be. You should make a list of all of the things you hope to accomplish by refinancing your home and remember, refinancing doesn't make any of your debt go away, however it can help you reorganize it. Often times, this can be a nice break or change from the same routine when it comes to your finances, giving you the opportunity to make any changes to your accounts, since changes in your lifestyle are frequent.

Another great reason to refinance would be if you're seeking to consolidate multiple smaller debts. If you have more than one mortgage or equity loans, consider putting the two payments into one fixed-rate payment. Then you can level out your payments during the time of your loan, without putting yourself into a hardship type situation.

For those who are considering refinancing their mortgages, oftentimes the question is not why, but when. If you're currently paying more for your home than it's worth it may be possible to refinance your home loans using the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). Other types of re-financing involve cash-out plans or 'vanilla' refinancing. For any type of refinancing program, you'll also want to be sure that you put your credit history and score in order, this way you can apply for lower rates and better terms.

Refinancing your home loan or multiple mortgages can help you save more money, but it's also necessary to keep from paying into costs which will eat it. Understand that you will always pay the closing costs for a mortgage, no matter what they call them, (origination points, higher interest or higher overall loan amounts) so don't be suckered into thinking you've found a mortgage with no closing costs. Other expenses can involve private insurance or similar lenders fees.

If you have any questions about refinancing your mortgage or you'd like to speak with a professional financial adviser about your options, please don't hesitate to contact one of my good friends at Mortgage Matchers. Interest rates are currently lower than they have been in years, slowly becoming stable again after years of uncertainty in the housing market. Don't miss this opportunity to refinance your own home loan.  

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Best Practices for Sharing Content & Getting Valued Traffic

I tend to get this question a lot with my clients, “Alex, how can I take my content and be able to get the traffic quickly?”

Well, the these are some steps I take in sharing my content and being able to increase Alexa rank and overal SERP’s (search engine result position).

1.       Share your new post on all social media platforms.

 Begin sharing on all your accounts, but not just the main post. You want to also post in the groups as well. Did you even know Linked In, Facebook, and Google Plus have those? If not, I suggest you either create one in your market or look for some that are relative to not only your post…. But your audiences as well.

Don’t even forget to hashtag the discussion that may be popular for others to discover as well. I see this strategy overlooked a lot. Although it may not see immediate results from this, it’s best to conquer all areas then to question “have I done it?”

2.       Post on forums and discussions.

 The main one I find to help a lot is Reddit. This site can do wonders for traffic! I mean gaining quick traffic with people constantly browsing for things is great. You wouldn’t imagine the different topics you can find that will fit your post. So be sure to look into this one as a priority.

3.       Place photo’s on Pinterest, Tumblr, and other picture oriented sites from your content.

If you have an image that your posting about, or just perhaps something to place in the content to make it more visual for the readers… share it! There are ton of websites to work with on your image. Be sure to link it. (Sure it may not be a back link, but it’s still an outside traffic referral source.)

4.       Social bookmark your content.

Sure Digg isn’t the same as it used to be, but it is still a source. I find to use Stumble Upon Toolbar a lot more cause  I actually see the page index from it, and it's convient. But be sure to use this tactic as another source for people to share as well.


For more information I would be sure to refer to this site. I believe his outline covers mine but gives some additional tips. Best of luck and keep writing!

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New Design for Google Adwords is Here!

I noticed this morning in my Google Adwords accounts that the new design is finally here! Google announced a few months ago about it, and now it is here!

Barry Schwartz explains that, "The new design is aimed at making the AdWords console more unified with the other products, services and platforms Google offers. Google said the new design aims to also make the console  simple and beautiful user experience that helps you get tasks done quickly and efficiently."

I personally like it and it really feels smooth with the transitions of things. The ability to navigate around the platform is far superior than it previously was. Here is an example of the new design:

You probably have not seen the change yet in your account, but expect to see in the next "few weeks" Google says.

To further discuss more on this topic, click here.

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Born of the Gods Booster Box

As I promised before I want to go ahead and do another contest. I decided to go ahead and give away a free booster box to one lucky winner when the set becomes released!

What  I would like to do differently this time is that the winner actually do a video or article response showing their new box and actually opening up the packs! So if this is something that you feel can do, then go ahead and share this post!

Every entry will be entered into the contest software provided by Hootsuite. Every entry can be entered by either Google plus, Facebook share, Twitter tweet, or even blog mentions.

If you mention on twitter be sure to include @alexhemedinger. I noticed last contest that wasn't done and required me to personally find all twitter shares etc.

The contest was very successful last time, that my wife truly thanks you all for you support!

Also, if any of you have any contests in the future that you would like to see (be reasonable). I will go ahead and consider it.

P.S. I made top 8 at our recent PTQ in Florida! Best of luck to all!

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Matt Cutts "Puts a Fork in" Guest Blogging

Well it's official.... Matt Cutts has decided that guest blogging is basically gotten too spammy. Here is what he wrote on his blog today:

"So stick a fork in it: guest blogging is done; it’s just gotten too spammy. In general I wouldn’t recommend accepting a guest blog post unless you are willing to vouch for someone personally or know them well. Likewise, I wouldn’t recommend relying on guest posting, guest blogging sites, or guest blogging SEO as a linkbuilding strategy."

It really has come no surprise to me honestly. But I am glad this may tone down a bit of the spam on guest blogging. Be sure to no follow your guest posts on your site.

What this means:

Well basically now you can't even guest comment by trying to include keywords that will trigger the site you blogged in for branding purposes such as your name or company. Though honestly it may be a small such volume or change, it's still somewhat relevant.

Here are some of Matt Cutt's video over the timeline about the guest blogging. You can really feel his frustration in his writing and read more of his whole article here.

 

And then if you want to get into the big "grey" area asking him these questions:

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Warning! Top 7 Reasons for a Google Penalty! Run Away!

I am going to be brutally honest here, I am seriously annoyed with this situation on Google’s penalty! I wanted to put together a list of serious causes that your site may be hit with a manual or automatic penalty from Google.

Recently one of the site’s managing has become penalized for the second time….. That’s right the second time! I hope this list helps you so that this may never happen to you personally, or explain better to your cient what may have transpired to their penalty to begin with. Although in usual cases I would suggest to abandon the site instead of constantly trying to remove a penalty. It requires countless hours of work and I hope none of you do any of these, or begin to:

1.       Buying links – This is a tricky and grey area, cause it can and can’t be caught. But one thing is for sure if your purposely buying links to manipulate rankings, then it may catch up to you. From my experiences I would stay away from Web Directories!

2.       Duplicate Content – This one is pretty obvious: Any duplicate content on your site is going to make it less useful, end of story! So make sure content is unique and well-written. Copygator and Copyscape are great tools!

3.       Keyword Stuffing – You have to be real careful on this one. It may/may not help you. The rules aren’t proven at which percentage is the correct ratio, but just be sure to spread and it reads well. Don’t let Google find weird high numbers of keywords on a page.

4.       Too many outbound links – When linking to other websites, make sure it is kept natural. Don’t try to make high quantity of links or swapping with others.

5.       Excessive blocking of robots.txt – This is a flaw I see too common. This can bring an immediate red flag to Google. We understand you may need to do some for legitimate reasons, but don’t overdo it!

6.       Comment spam – Keep a close eye on your comments you are getting. Try to have installed an automatic system on your site.

7.       Spun Content – Oh how much I love when I see this…. This is common and will catch up to you in the future. Be sure to stay away from this tactic, especially if it seems to good to be true. Overall, don’t do it!

There are honestly tons and tons of more other reasons as to why Google penalization may be in place. Rented links, buying tons of keyword domains, 301 redirects, etc….. The best is to stay away from anything unnatural. Put great effort into user friendliness, useability, great content, and more! 

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