In this edition of the #FridayFlopFix review, I'm venturing over to Pasadena, CA in search of a jewelry store. These are the results I saw when using Google Chrome while in incognito mode. I searched for "jewelry stores pasadena ca."
For this edition of #ThrowbackThursday, I'm only jumping back about a year to a topic that has come up several times over the last 12 months: Website Over-Optimization.
In January 2015 I wrote a piece about getting ranked as number 1 in Google. In it, I bashed all those companies that send random solicitations claiming they can jump your website ranking to first place in Google. Coincidentally, this morning... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
Last month, while presenting my e-commerce seminar at the RJO conference, I was asked my opinion of the do it yourself website Weebly, and if it was good for search engine optimization (SEO). Weebly is a simple website system that you can learn really fast and build a simple website in an evening. It's a solution for those on a very tight budget, but it's easy to quickly grow out of it when it comes time for a higher level of tracking needed to help grow your business. VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
In this edition of #ThrowbackThursday, I need to jump back to my discussion about Google Website Optimizer in September 2011. In 2012, Google closed down their Website Optimizer standalone product and merged its features into Google Analytics. They now call it Experiments instead of Website Optimizer.
The old Optimizer was designed to handle A/B testing, which is when ... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
I was recently asked if I could help evaluate an SEO agency based on their email solicitation. SEO, or search engine optimization, changes so quickly it's difficult to know if an agency will be providing the most up to date services.
Here's the email I was asked to evaluate:
Reminder-SEO starts from just @99 USD per month Hi, First of all thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read and consider this, We are of... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
As I quickly approach my 1300th Daily Golden Nugget, I find myself pondering my existence. What else could I possibly write about that I haven't already?
Truthfully, a lot, but I'm also realizing that's I've never created a series of simple examples or how-to's for typical search engine optimization tasks. So, starting today, I'm going to work through several days (however many it might take) to show you how to tie together simple SEO procedures.
No matter your field of study, you have more opportunity to uncover something interesting when you have more data to analyze.
Google Has Mega Data
Google thrives on data, but they also spend an exorbitant amount of time trying to figure out how to read a website and decipher what they find on every site. Websites are nothing more than large text files until you build an understanding of how the words relate tog... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
In this edition of #ThrowbackThursday, I'm jumping back to May 2, 2011 the Daily Golden Nugget on hidden text on a web page that is not considered Black Hat SEO.
I haven't mentioned Black Hat SEO in a while, so let me briefly explain what that is. Google ranking algorithm was less complicated prior to 2012, and many people figured out simple ways to exploit that simplicit... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
Search engine optimization was once a game of pure guesswork. SEO specialists would simply watch their own efforts of what worked and what didn't work, then simply follow the same steps over and over again.
Companies like MOZ.com and SearchEngineLand.com have communities of users always trying to figure out which supposed SEO techniques work, and which don't. Search Engine Land even published their of VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
It astounds me that people still offer first place Google ranking service. Every day I still receive at least one spam email which offers me to get first place ranking on Google if I hire them to improve the SEO of any of the domain names I manage.
I started writing these Daily Golden Nuggets more than four years ago and even before then, Google posted warnings saying how first place ranking could not be achieved by simply hiring someone. Their warning is VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
Your website's contact form is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because you can protect yourself from unwanted mass email spam by hiding your email address, but it's a curse because you still get unsolicited offers of all kinds.
The typical unsolicited emails can come from random jewelry vendors, especially those trying to offer you a new source for diamonds and gemstones. You'll also get a lot of unsolicited emails from people offering you different online marketing services.
If you ever get into a conversation with a search engine optimization professional (aka SEO), they usually bring up the topic of how Google ranks your website and that there are "more than 200 different signals" that Google uses for their ranking algorithm. It's Google's standard message that they are using more than 200 signals, but they've been saying the same thing for more than 10 years now.
Surly they must be using more than 200 signals now, but they'll never admit it.
From time to time, I'm able to measure the effects of certain t... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
Welcome to the Friday retail jewelry store website review. For this week's review, I'm searching for "jewelers Tempe, Arizona" using Google Chrome in incognito mode.
If this is the first time you're reading my reviews, then let me explain that I review a different random retail store website every Friday. These are sites have no relation to me or the website agency services my company provides. These are just straight forward, cursory reviews of what a website looks like, how it functions, some SEO analys... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
For today's Daily Nugget, I'm answering a direct question that came in from one of my readers. Did you know you can send me questions? Submit them through the contact form on the jWAG site, or send them to me through Google+ or Facebook.
The answer to this question is a little technical, but this brings together a few different topics.
When Google Image Search was redesigned in January 2013, it introduced a modern way of looking at images across the web. Images were presented larger, with the ability to view just the image or jump to the website where the image was found.
I remember having a lot of trouble understanding the redesigned user interface for Image Search, but after a few months I finally got used to it.
Two weeks ago I wrote a Nugget about the potential decline of your website's ranking when you launch a new website. The scenario proposed in that Nugget assumed you transferred all your existing content and SEO settings to the new website, but you changed your URL structure, causing the decline. Preventing that decline requires the setup of 301 redirects so ... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
This week I've been explaining the differences between Technical SEO,On-Site SEO, and Off-Site SEO.
While the technical aspects of search engine optimization include a lot of analysis and analytical thinking, the on-site optimization requires a creative flair for writing, photography, and customer satisfaction that... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
Technical SEO is certainly something that computer scientists and programmers do best. Even though the technical SEO procedures are important, I don't often not... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
In its simplest terms, search engine optimization is the process of doing something for your website that will help it to rank higher in search engines. Google maintains its dominance over the entire search engine industry because it keeps its users happy.
Users... Those are the everyday people of this world, like you and me, who keep returning to Google because it offers the best search results no matter which device you use. Google pays attention to what we all look for, how we use ... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
According to Wikipedia, uptime "is a measure of the time a machine, typically a computer, has been working and available."
Interestingly enough, the Wikipedia page only explains Uptime in relation to the physical computer servers that run just about everything in the world now, but not about websites.
Every online marketing company has their own version of reports. It's one of the requirements of any marketing or SEO service. You, as the website owner, want to know what they are doing and what you are paying for.
Some agencies provide their own really nice looking reports with charts and graphs, while others provide lists of pages and keywords with percentage increases and decreases. On many occasions I've found that agencies created reports using reporting software that t... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
This short post is part of my "Grains of SEO Gold" series covering basic SEO topics and how to apply them.
Today's SEO Topic: Keywords
Once upon a time, if you wanted your website to rank for a particular keyword, you would simply include that word on your web pages a specific numbers of times in order to get top ranking in the search results.
For many years, it was a competition of keyword density between different websites that wanted to rank higher.
This short post is part of my "Grains of SEO Gold" series covering basic SEO topics and how to apply them.
Today's SEO Topic: Meta Robots Tag
During a recent website review, I illustrated how duplicate content could be created on your website when using the services from an agency that specializes in creating websites for retail jewelry stores.
Specialty marketing agencies exist in every vertical market (ones to do with g... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
Over the course of the next week or two, I'm going to supply you with a bunch of shorter Daily Golden Nuggets specifically explaining smaller SEO topics. Instead of calling them "nuggets," I should call them "Grains of SEO Gold."
Today's SEO Topic: Page Titles and Header Tags
It used to be that the website's Page Title was easily readable at the top of your web browser window, but now that most web browsers use tabs, it's very difficult to see what the page title says.
A lot has changed in the world of search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) since I first started my daily blogging more than 1000 posts ago.
The most significant SEO changes over the last 4 years are related to Google Panda and Google Penguin, but there are dozens of other notable changes, and hundreds of subtle changes throughout the entire internet.
Although I'd love to write a "then and now" post about all the intern... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
In yesterday's Daily Golden Nugget, I reviewed the most recent data for the device usage and browser usage with regard to jewelry websites. Today, I'm looking at the organic traffic that brings those users to a retail jeweler's website.
Google is the undisputed champion for search. They provide more than 84% of the organic search traffic referred to jewelry websites. I wanted t... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
Everything you add to the Internet will either help or hurt you tomorrow. Every piece of content has a long shelf life.
Your marketing strategy today could be a onetime use, or it could add to the cumulative benefit you create to build your brand awareness.
Typical search engine marketing includes paid ads or paid strategies that only have a value while you're paying for them. That value goes away as soon as you stop paying for it.
This can clearly be seen in any large marketing company service, like Y... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
As a continuation of yesterday's Daily Golden Nugget of 7 basic SEO tips, today I'd like to share with you my recent thoughts and experiences of the more advanced search engine optimization tactics.
Instead of diving into highly technical SEO tricks that only a programmer would understand, I've written these tips out based on an interesting array of circumstances. Some... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
If you're an entrepreneur, you know that the best way to grow your business is to systematize what you do so anyone can follow your directions. This systematization then allows you to move on to the next item on your business master plan so you can continue to grow.
If you own a retail jewelry store but haven't figured out how to systematize your personal daily routine then you are not an entrepreneur, you are simply a small business owner with too many daily duties.
I've never been a fan of long term search engine optimization services where a small business is expected to pay large sums of money for some type of online work that's suppose to increase your website ranking. So much of the SEO industry was built on scams and false claims that it's hard for anyone to really trust someone who says they can do the job. SEO scam artists used to give you long lists of technical jargon to explain what they were going to do for you and most people blindly trusted them because they were "the experts."
My personal philosophy has always been one where the bulk of the basic SEO work is handled immediately and then the website owner is trained how to maintain it on their own without having to perpe... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
I guess I should just admit to myself that no matter how many Daily Golden Nuggets I write and no matter how much industry exposure I achieve, the importance of all this internet marketing website stuff is just not understood by the masses.
Okay. Fine. I get it. Many website owners do not have the time or the inclination to learn about the technical things that will make a website better. We each have our own limitations. Although I'm an engineer with a technical understanding of mechanics, the only thi... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
Search engines do not like low value websites. Low value sites typically include those with 250 words or less on a page, and those that appear to have duplicate content. Does Google think your site is low value? Do you even know?
Navigate over to Google search and search for "site:yourwebsite.com." (Meaning your actual website address, not the words "yourwebsite.com") Don't include the quotes, DO NOT put a space between the "site:" and your domain name.
When you've been watching search engine optimization changes for as long as I have you tend to recognize the big neon signs that clearly tell you what you should be doing and not doing on your website.
Basically, if you want to rank well in Google's search results then you simply need to read their Webmaster Central Bog and seriously take to heart everything they tell you to do.
The blog is located here: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/
Unfortunately, Google doesn't normally smack you across the face with exact directions. Instead they say things like "we look for descri... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
Search Engine Optimization, SEO, for any website is a long and daunting task. The process is never ending for websites that are updated frequently. Even after you've optimized content, you sometimes need to go back and re-optimize it again and again when search engines make major changes in the way they rank websites.
Search engines are smart enough to know when you are trying too hard with your SEO efforts. They have ways to monitor changes on your site and measure if those changes are taking place too fast.
The curious caller ID on your phone says "Search Engine" and when you pick it up it's someone telling you they can place your website in the top ranking position in Google's search results.
This is a telephone scam.
My office has been receiving these calls since October 2011 and it seems like we still have at least one come in every month. They are quite annoying, although not nearly annoying at the "this is your Captain speaking" phone calls.
Google usually does not make telemarketing calls, and they certainly do not ... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
The topic of "Sitelinks" has come up in casual conversation a lot recently in my daily work and I realize that I've never specifically written a Daily Golden Nugget about sitelinks, including what they are and the strategy I use to create them.
Let's start with the basic explanation of a sitelink: In the Google Search Results, sitelinks are the hyperlinks to subpages of your website that often appear below your main search result listing in order to help users navigate more quickly through your website.
Thinking of sending out any last minute promotions in honor of Daylight Savings Time? Today is the day to do it, and get it done before mid-afternoon. After that there's going to be a major drop in the number of people who are using desktop computers.
This is the "Fall Back" weekend! From November 1st through December 31st every year there are only 3 times when people unplug from the internet. This weekend is one of those times. Can you guess the other two... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
The way you build your website directly effects how customers will respond to it. A product catalog site will not satisfy customers looking for custom design rings and a website with pages of information about designers will not satisfy customers looking to buy online.
Since Google is a machine, it doesn't exactly know what people are looking for when they search.
Someone searching for "Claude Thibaudeau Rings" might be looking for information or maybe a photo of the ring their friend was wearing; but they could also be searching for a place to buy a ring online.
Since Google doesn't actually know the intent of the searcher, it can only guesstimate results. The search results will return all answers with the best ranking for the phrase "Claude Thibaudeau Rings." Those results could be e-commerce sites, blog website... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
As mobile websites become increasingly popular, website owners are given more dynamic features that will work on a mobile device.
Early adopters of mobile websites were limited to simple 1 or 2 page sites with directions to the store or simply an address and telephone number. Web programmers are now learning how to provide mobile websites that are as interactive as their PC counterparts.
For the jewelry store, this means you can have your entire product catalog available on the mobile website. This also means you can have customer accounts and even mobile purchases. Setting up secure certificates for a mobile shopping cart is no different than the process for your PC website.
We've heard many jewelers say "I just don't want my product catalog online because I don't want anyone to price shop." Our answer to that is... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
One of the well known "no no's" of website search engine optimization is something called Keyword Stuffing.
Old search engines used to rank a website by the amount of times you had a phrase listed on the page. If you wanted to be listed for the old "right hand rings" you simply needed to use the phrase "right hand rings" on the page more times than your competitor.
The phrase "right hand rings" is difficult to say over and over, and that's why it's such a good example to today's Daily Golden Nugget, so let's continue with it.
The Diamond Promotion Service started using the phrase Right Hand Ring in 2005, so let's imagine it's 2005 and you are trying to sell to women that want to buy themselves an anytime gift. The common SEO strategy of that time was simply to bloat a web page with your target phrase more times tha... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
That's the battle cry of the search engines. Everything should be organically driven on the internet. Of course, us saying "organic" today contradicts what we said on Friday. For the reason behind that you need to keep reading.
If the internet was not filled with businesses trying to make money, what would it be filled with? Take out all businesses from the internet and all you're left with are bloggers, news, government and social networks.
Without businesses driving the internet there wouldn't be a need for search engine optimization. There wouldn't be a need for all this online marketing education. Instead, the internet would just be driven by interesting tidbits of the lives we lead.
In 2001, the internet bubble had already burst and some speculated that it would not last much longer. At that time, very few people had a website running with databases. The free PHP programming language that is so ubiquitous today was in its infancy back then. The few lucky websites with content management systems were mostly programmed in Pearl or expensive ASP and ColdFusion.
In 2001, if you wanted a website you had to find the smartest person you knew and pay them a lot of money to create one for you. Programmers also didn't make website management easy for you.
We've come a long way since Palm Pilots, clunky websites and search engines like MetaCrawler and AltaVista. Technology is a lot friendlier now, and even Grandma is able to send email, talk on her cell phone... VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
"...articles are easy to follow and seem to have information one can use right away." -Ann, Gallery 4, Hamden CT
"...serious kudos to you. We love your straight talk, pertinent information and plain language. I don't know how many industries have something of jWAG's caliber available, but I learn from the emails every day. Really, really nice work, and very appreciated." -Cheryl Herrick, Global Pathways Jewelry
In this edition of the #FridayFlopFix review, I'm venturing over to Pasadena, CA in search of a jewelry store. These are the results I saw when using Google Chrome while in incognito mode. I searched for "jewelry stores pasadena ca."
VIEW FULL GOLD NUGGET
As a continuation of yesterday's Daily Golden Nugget of 
If you're an entrepreneur, you know that the best way to grow your business is to systematize what you do so anyone can follow your directions. This systematization then allows you to move on to the next item on your business master plan so you can continue to grow.
I guess I should just admit to myself that no matter how many Daily Golden Nuggets I write and no matter how much industry exposure I achieve, the importance of all this internet marketing website stuff is just not understood by the masses.
Search engines do not like low value websites. Low value sites typically include those with 250 words or less on a page, and those that appear to have duplicate content. Does Google think your site is low value? Do you even know?
When you've been watching search engine optimization changes for as long as I have you tend to recognize the big neon signs that clearly tell you what you should be doing and not doing on your website.
Search Engine Optimization, SEO, for any website is a long and daunting task. The process is never ending for websites that are updated frequently. Even after you've optimized content, you sometimes need to go back and re-optimize it again and again when search engines make major changes in the way they rank websites.
The curious caller ID on your phone says "Search Engine" and when you pick it up it's someone telling you they can place your website in the top ranking position in Google's search results.
The topic of "Sitelinks" has come up in casual conversation a lot recently in my daily work and I realize that I've never specifically written a Daily Golden Nugget about sitelinks, including what they are and the strategy I use to create them.
Thinking of sending out any last minute promotions in honor of Daylight Savings Time? Today is the day to do it, and get it done before mid-afternoon. After that there's going to be a major drop in the number of people who are using desktop computers.
