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Black Hatter Backlash with Cutts Payday Loan Site The latest algorithm updates have been put in place to target spammy queries and black hat tactics. However, in a cheeky move, it appears that some black hat SEO has managed to rank on page one for “payday loans” with a blog named paydayloansfrommrcutts.blog.co.uk. more...

Content Marketing – It’s What Good SEO Has Always Been Content marketing’s something that you will definitely have been hearing about from the creative agencies and colleagues around you. It’s certainly the topic marketers are talking about at the moment. more...

Local SEO for International Companies Local SEO is all about ranking highly in local search results, with the aim of pulling in local interest and local customers. But whereas many people believe that local search engine optimisation isn’t useful for international companies, this actually couldn’t be further from the truth. more...

SEO in a Content World It used to be that producing endless reams of content, stuffed with the appropriate keywords, was a viable way of gaining search visibility in Google. But Google’s users began to complain. Watered down content was devaluing their search experience, and Google was losing users as a result. So to address this problem, Google released their Panda algorithm update. more...

What Is SEO? SEO is Search Engine Optimisation. Essentially it is optimising your website so it easy for search engines to crawl, index and understand your content. If the search engines decide your website is trusted and of good quality, relevant content, then they will increase its rankings on the Search Engine Results Page, or SERP. more...

Blog - Google

Black Hatter Backlash with Cutts Payday Loan Site

The latest algorithm updates have been put in place to target spammy queries and black hat tactics. However, in a cheeky move, it appears that some black hat SEO has managed to rank on page one for “payday loans” with a blog named paydayloansfrommrcutts.blog.co.uk.

Posted: 17 Jun 2013
Tags : SEO | Google | Penguin | Rankings | Matt Cutts

Content Marketing – It’s What Good SEO Has Always Been

Content marketing’s something that you will definitely have been hearing about from the creative agencies and colleagues around you. It’s certainly the topic marketers are talking about at the moment.

Posted: 10 Jun 2013
Tags : Internet Marketing | SEO | Google | Content Writing

Local SEO for International Companies

Local SEO is all about ranking highly in local search results, with the aim of pulling in local interest and local customers. But whereas many people believe that local search engine optimisation isn’t useful for international companies, this actually couldn’t be further from the truth.

Posted: 06 Jun 2013
Tags : SEO | Link Building | Google | Local SEO | Link Profile

SEO in a Content World

It used to be that producing endless reams of content, stuffed with the appropriate keywords, was a viable way of gaining search visibility in Google. But Google’s users began to complain. Watered down content was devaluing their search experience, and Google was losing users as a result. So to address this problem, Google released their Panda algorithm update.

Posted: 03 Jun 2013
Tags : SEO | Google | Content Writing | Panda

What Is SEO?

SEO is Search Engine Optimisation. Essentially it is optimising your website so it easy for search engines to crawl, index and understand your content. If the search engines decide your website is trusted and of good quality, relevant content, then they will increase its rankings on the Search Engine Results Page, or SERP.

Posted: 31 May 2013
Tags : SEO | Google | Meta Data

How to Make a Reconsideration Request

If your site has experienced a sudden drop in rankings, you may have fallen victim to a Google manual penalty. Manual penalties are imposed by Google on websites which violate their quality guidelines. These violations can take many forms, including buying do-follow links or using automated link building.

Penguin 2.0 Launched Today

Matt Cutts announced that the next generation of Penguin has been rolled out last night. The webspam algorithm with Penguin 2.0 technology is said to have affected about 2.3% of English-US queries. This is the fourth major Penguin launch Google has introduced but there have also been many data refreshes along the way. Some updates impact queries more than others.

Google Related Image Search

There’s one thing you can’t blame Google for and that’s standing still. It seems that there isn’t a week goes by when Google doesn’t make some sort of change to the way that we use the platform. Google are continuously trying to make improvements to the interface or roll out new stuff. However, you can't please all of the people all of the time and not every change that they make is going to be seen as a positive by everyone. One of the most recent changes is the update to the Google related image search.

Posted: 17 May 2013
Tags : Google | Google Image Search

Matt Cutts: Penguin 2.0 to be Released in Next Few Weeks

Matt Cutts has announced that the new generation of Penguin algorithmic updates is to be rolled out over the coming weeks. The announcement follows speculation that a Google update had already occurred with webmasters reporting significant drops in rankings. Cutts denied any Penguin update last week but clarified that Penguin 2.0 was due to be released later this month.

Posted: 13 May 2013
Tags : SEO | Google | Penguin | Algorithm Updates | Rankings

What Are Site Wide Links?

Site wide links are links that appear on every page of a site. Where previously webmasters gained as many links as possible to boost their SEO, this black hat practice is no longer recommended or rewarded in the SERPs. Whether you have one or fifty links to your site from a domain, Google is likely to only count it as one.

Posted: 01 May 2013
Tags : Link Building | Google | Link Building | Disavow Links Tool

Ed’s Takeaways from Ion Search

It’s interesting to see how other SEO companies are evolving and integrating SEO into other digital offerings. For example, Bronco has partnered with a PR agency and BlueClaw has grown its brand through hosting conferences. But it seems that The WebMarketing Group is ahead of the agency game with NetConstruct as a powerful acquisition into other digital realms.

What to Do in the Aftermath of a Google Manual Penalty

Over the past few months, WMG has helped many companies recover from manual penalties. In some cases, companies came to us unaware that they had been penalised, only noticing a severe decline in traffic and rankings. This is not uncommon, but it highlights the need for webmasters to stringently monitor their websites health and its adherence to the Google Webmaster Guidelines.

Link Reclamation & Why Every Little Helps

Link reclamation is the process of restoring value to broken links. It can be used to treat both internal links on your website, and any inbound links you have from other sites. Broken links can occur at any time, if content on your website is deleted or moved, or if the content linking to your site is deleted or contains an error.

Posted: 19 Apr 2013
Tags : SEO | Google | Link Building | Penguin | Link Reclamation

How to Avoid Your Site Being Flagged for a Manual Review

In SEO, a manual review is part of the process by which online spam is detected and removed from search engine indexes. All of the major search engines conduct manual reviews as a standard part of their indexing process.

Referrals from Google Images Drops By 63%

Referrals from Google images have dropped by 63% since the launch of the new Google image platform, according to statistics from Define Media Group.

Posted: 16 Apr 2013
Tags : SEO | Google | Analytics | Organic Traffic | Google Image Search

Interesting Mobile Search Stats

2013 is set to be the year of mobile search. As consumers turn to tablets and smartphones to get their search fix, businesses are forced to cater for users on a variety of desktop and mobile devices.

New Google Universal Analytics Code Coming

Users will need to switch to the next version of Google Analytics soon as they begin launching their new Universal Analytics code. A beta version of Universal Analytics has just been made available to the public which will require webmasters to replace all of the Google Analytics code on their site.

Posted: 12 Apr 2013
Tags : SEO | Google | Analytics | Instant Traffic | Universal Analytics

Facebook Marketing for Small Businesses

Facebook is inundated with businesses, both large and small. This may make it harder for small businesses, without an existing Facebook presence, to make themselves heard. However many small businesses have used Facebook to their advantage, successfully marketing themselves by integrating Facebook into their larger marketing strategy.

Posted: 11 Apr 2013
Tags : Internet Marketing | SEO | Google | Facebook | Social Media

SEO Procedure for Sponsored Content on Google News

Google recently reminded webmasters that selling links that pass PageRank violates their quality guidelines and that it doesn’t want sponsored content indexed in Google News. Websites that mix news articles and sponsored content could even be excluded from Google News entirely.

Does Google Favour Big Brands?

Big brand Interflora’s 11 day Google ban is still being avidly discussed by SEO professionals. The ease at which Interflora managed to get themselves reinstated in the rankings seems to be the main topic of conversation, with many professionals asking; would Interflora have found it so easy if they weren’t such an big brand?

Google Adwords Launches New Bulk Keyword Feature

Google’s new Adword feature allows users to upload keyword changes in bulk thanks to recent updates to its interface.

Posted: 02 Apr 2013
Tags : SEO | PPC | Google | Long Tail | Adwords

Social Network Pheed - The New FB / TW?

Despite having only launched in October 2012, new social network Pheed has experienced an overwhelming surge in popularity. This growth was largely to the app’s appeal to teenagers and tweens, and saw the network overtake both Facebook and Twitter to claim the top Social Networking spot on in Apple’s App Store by Feb 2013.

What the Internet Would be Like if SEO Didn’t Exist

SEO is present in every facet of the internet. From the search engines who demand good SEO practice, to the people who implement it and the users it affects, SEO has had a massive and long lasting impact on the way we operate online. And the very fact that we find ourselves asking this question surely speaks to the impact that SEO has had on the internet’s usability, both in terms of navigation and content.

Posted: 27 Mar 2013
Tags : Internet Marketing | SEO | Google

WMG Knock Another Penalty Out of the Park

The WebMarketing Group has successfully revoked manual penalties for two clients. After suffering dramatic losses in traffic and rankings, the two businesses sought our advice. There is a lot of information already available online for lifting a manual penalty by Google, but having revoked a number of penalties for clients already, we had to form our own recovery strategy.

Integrating Paid and Organic Search Marketing

Paid search and SEO principles seem to remain largely separate entities when it comes to online marketing according to Expedia’s Director of Inbound Marketing, Martin MacDonald. Speaking recently at the Performance Marketing Insights Conference, he stressed the importance of combining the two search marketing disciplines.

Next Generation Paid Search – How Prepared Are You?

The way people search online is changing. More and more customers are searching and buying across multiple devices. From smart phones to desktops and tablets, it is estimated that by the end of the year, 90% of us will search in this way.

Can Chrome’s Autofill Increase Conversion Rates?

Chrome overtook IE in May last year to become the world’s most used browser. With its popularity still on the rise, its Autofill feature could technically be used to improve conversion rates.

Tablets Overtake Smart Phones in Web Traffic Stakes

Tablet devices have overtaken mobile smart phones for global web traffic, according to the latest research by Adobe Digital Index. Analyzing more than 100 billion visits to 1000+ web-sites world-wide, Adobe discovered that websites are now getting more traffic from tablets than smartphones.

Google Reminds Webmasters about Selling Links

Scandal rippled across the web in February when Interflora plummeted in the rankings for its own name.

Posted: 05 Mar 2013
Tags : Link Building | Google | Link Profile | Rankings | Rich Snippets

WMG to Host SEO Breakfast Seminar in Leeds

Join The WebMarketing Group on the 20th March for a complimentary breakfast seminar on “Generating a Return on Investment from SEO”. Learn how the right investment in search engine optimisation can radically and rapidly transform your business.

Google Revamps Adwords PPC Platform

Google is making some fairly big changes to Adwords, the PPC platform. Google are revamping Adwords in what they are calling ‘Enhanced Campaigns’. It’s means the approach, structure and strategy of PPC accounts will change. The changes present both opportunities and threats to all advertisers within the PPC world.

Exclusive SMX London Discount Code

WMG is offering discounted tickets to this year’s Search Marketing Expo. Save 15% on the price of your SMX London ticket by entering our exclusive discount code when you purchase at www.smxlondon.com.

Google Plus Page Results for Big Brands

Google is returning a new result type on the right hand side of searches for brands with Google Plus accounts.

2013 Digital Marketing Trends

Digital marketing evolves and grows more and more every year – and if you’re following Forrester, then the word ‘digital’ is about to disappear – and with the explosion of Pinterest and Instagram in 2012 along with the debatable online popularity of ‘Gangnam Style’ we’ve certainly had a year to reflect on. But, what are the things that we feel are going to be important in 2013? What are the things that you can expect to be big in the year to come?

SEO at Christmas: Seasonal E-Commerce Trends

A good SEO strategy will always take in to account seasonal e-commerce trends. Most businesses expect their sales to increase over the Christmas period but there are further trends to be found within these seasonal movements.

Posted: 05 Dec 2012
Tags : Internet Marketing | Google | Ecommerce | International SEO | Mobile SEO

Making Memorable Infographics the Simple Way

What Makes a Memorable Infographic? Below is a quick guide to creating a simple yet memorable infographic

WMG Successfully Revoke a Google Manual Penalty

A prominent online pharmaceutical retailer came to us for advice when they found they had been hit with a manual penalty. Following a thorough back-link profile cleanup, WMG successfully managed to revoke the manual penalty against the site.

Google Refresh Penguin 3 Algorithm Update

There was refresh of the Penguin algorithm on Friday 5th October, its being called Penguin 3 and it’s the first refresh of the Penguin Algorithm since May.

Fred's Favourites from the BrightonSEO Conference

It has been yet another fabulous year of quality conferences for the WebMarketing Group and this month, we sent our esteemed colleague Fred Gray, to the aptly named BrightonSEO conference.

Posted: 18 Sep 2012
Tags : Internet Marketing | SEO | Google | WMG | SEO Conference

Google Announce Panda 3.9 Refresh

Having only just recovered from the panic that the latest wave of link warnings brought, webmasters are facing a new challenge today as Google rolled out its Panda 3.9 refresh.

Posted: 25 Jul 2012
Tags : SEO | Google | Panda | Google Penalty

Google to Announce Zebra Update?

We've had Panda and Penguin, the next black and white beast to be released could well be a striped one...

Posted: 28 Jun 2012
Tags : SEO | Google

Use Pinterest to Find Brand Advocates and Link Building Targets

Pinterest continues to pick up momentum. Here we've identified a great way to build relationships with potential brand advocates on this great platform

Posted: 20 Jun 2012
Tags : Google | Social Media | Link Building

A Beginner’s Guide to Video SEO

Video SEO presents a great way for small businesses to gain a presence on page 1 for competitive phrases. This guide gives you the basic tips on how to optimise for video SEO.

Posted: 24 Apr 2012
Tags : Internet Marketing | SEO | Google | Social Media

Rankings Disappeared? How to Recover from a Spammy Backlink Profile

Had a fight with Google and come off worst? Here is a checklist of activities to help you kiss, make up and recover your rankings

Posted: 19 Apr 2012
Tags : SEO | Google | Link Building

Google’s 50 March Updates – The Death of Anchor Text?

Last week Google released the latest list of updates made to its search algorithm, with some significant link building implications included.

Posted: 10 Apr 2012
Tags : Link Building | Google

The Google Panda Update – A Timeline

Google’s Panda Update has rocked the online world. Here's a timeline of its various iterations.

Posted: 30 Mar 2012
Tags : Internet Marketing | SEO | Google

Panda 3.3 Strikes – Is Your Website Losing Business?

Google recently announced a summary of its latest algorithm updates, including the latest incarnation of the dreaded Panda. Have you been hit?

Posted: 05 Mar 2012
Tags : Google

Best Practices on Google+ for Maximum SEO Benefit

Google + has been with us for a while now, though it has recently become more apparent how Google are planning to incorporate it into search. We've broken down some of the key points to get the most SEO value from it

Posted: 26 Jan 2012
Tags : Google | Social Media | Online Reputation Management

HMV Announce 2011 X Factor Winner’s Single: Fix, Mistake or Sneaky SEO?

HMV unwittingly published Amelia Lilly as the winner of the X Factor 2011 5 days before the final. But was it a mistake or some SEO trickery?

Posted: 07 Dec 2011
Tags : Internet Marketing | Google | Ecommerce

You & The New Google Analytics: It’s Time to Make Friends

In April Google unveiled the new version of Google Analytics. This will become the default in January so we look at some of the positives and negatives.

Posted: 22 Nov 2011
Tags : Google | Analytics

The Latest on Google Plus: The Google+1 Button

Roll out the red carpet. The Google+1 social feature has finally arrived. This long awaited feature allows social networkers to post interesting content to their Google+ account using the ...

Posted: 31 Aug 2011
Tags : SEO | Google | Social Media

Has the Latest Google Analytics Sessions Update Affected Your Data?

The latest update to sessions in Google Analytics has caused a little bit of a stir in our quiet and humble world of SEO. Just when we thought the storms had subsided post Panda, we’re hit ...

Posted: 26 Aug 2011
Tags : SEO | Google | Analytics

Submit to Google Products and Optimise Google Product Feeds

Google Shopping is the new way to search for internet shoppers, and it’s essential that e-commerce sites optimise for this. This can be done very easily through Google Merchant (sign in with your ...

Posted: 25 Aug 2011
Tags : SEO | Google | Ecommerce

Google Analytics Tracking for Google Shopping Visits

This is Google Shopping. It makes life easier for internet shopping addicts who don’t want news articles and other information clogging up their search results. This function was most ...

Posted: 24 Aug 2011
Tags : SEO | Google | Analytics

Google Realtime Search Disabled: What About Twitter and Rankings?

One of the most eminent relationships of our time has come to an end. Like many famous couples throughout history, every breakup comes with an aftermath. So what changes have occurred since ...

Posted: 22 Aug 2011
Tags : SEO | Google

How to Build a High Quality Site, One that Panda Likes...

Building a high quality website (one that Panda loves) can be done at all skill levels. Whether you’re a professional webmaster with a number of established sites or a beginner blogger discovering ...

Posted: 20 Jul 2011
Tags : SEO | Google | Content Writing

Google Plus Launch: Are you on Google+ Yet?

A few people in the WMG office have received their Google Plus invites and have already started testing out Google’s social networking platform. Some of us haven’t but we’re still ...

Posted: 19 Jul 2011
Tags : SEO | Google | Social Media

The Google Timeline of Algorithm Updates

Google perturbed the SEO world with their latest algorithm update, known as the ‘Panda Update’ or the ‘Farmer Update’. Sites with low quality content, over-optimised SEO ...

Posted: 03 Jun 2011
Tags : SEO | Google

Online marketing developments in 2010

2010 will bring greater development to mobile search, real time search and convergence of social media. What else will 2010 bring?

SEO Predictions for 2010

What will 2010 bring for SEO: real time search, two main search engines, speed & Caffeine among others

Google Wants To Speed Up The Internet

Google Speed looks to make the internet work faster as though "flipping through the pages of a glossy magazine"

Posted: 16 Dec 2009
Tags : SEO | Google

Google Link: Command – Understanding How it Works

Link: Command in Google is a good gauge of links but make sure you really measure the number of links using comprehensive analytics

Posted: 23 Nov 2009
Tags : SEO | Link Building | Google | Analytics

Life of a query – understand how a Google query is run

A Google query takes a fraction of a second to be processed - discover the life of a query

Posted: 15 Oct 2009
Tags : SEO | Google

Bing Badda Bings Google with Bing Tweets

Bing have added Bing Tweets to search both Bing and Twitter. Excellent tool for reputation management

Posted: 07 Oct 2009
Tags : Google | Bing | Social Media

Make Your Website Work – how to convert visitors into customers

Make Your Website Work - how to increase conversion and reduce bounce rates

Does the Vince Google update favour big brands?

Are you getting squeezed out by the big brands? Let WMG have a look at your site

Posted: 17 Aug 2009
Tags : Google

Display URLs: Google Strives To Give Users What They Want

There are noticeable changes to Google search results.

Posted: 16 Jul 2009
Tags : Google

Learn About Doorway Pages

Webmasters should take note of doorway pages...

Posted: 18 Jun 2009
Tags : Google | Content Writing

How To Improve: Search Engine Ranking on Google – Part 1

Find out what you can do to improve your search engine ranking...

Posted: 03 Jun 2009
Tags : SEO | Google

How To Improve: Search Engine Ranking on Google – Part 2

Here we detail what you should avoid doing in order to make your site a success and improve your search engine ranking.

Posted: 02 Jun 2009
Tags : SEO | Google

Keep Track With Google Analytics

It's the most comprehensive free statistics provider on the web.

Posted: 28 May 2009
Tags : Google | Analytics | Web Management

How To Stop Google Using DMOZ Meta Data In The SERPs

Here is the meta tag you need...

Posted: 06 May 2009
Tags : Google

Google Reading JavaScript – A Possibility?

It used to be unheard of, but now Google reading JavaScript is something we're all talking about...

Posted: 01 May 2009
Tags : Design and Development | Google

How To Solve The Yahoo Tracking Issue In Google Analytics

Essential info on how to rectify the cpc / organic tracking issues.

Posted: 29 Apr 2009
Tags : Google | Analytics

Frames and Search Engines

Help the search engines spider your site.

Posted: 16 Apr 2009
Tags : Website Design | Google

Google Analytics vs AdWords Conversion Tracking

Google explains the difference between the two.

Posted: 15 Apr 2009
Tags : Google | Analytics

What Does The Evolving Search Engine Mean For SEO?

Search is changing…and it’s getting personal.

Posted: 14 Apr 2009
Tags : SEO | Google

Get To Grips With SEM: Search Engine Marketing, UK

Find out more about the power of search engine marketing in the UK.

Posted: 14 Apr 2009
Tags : Internet Marketing | SEO | Google

Google Spelling Tips

A couple of handy hints to bookmark.

Posted: 09 Apr 2009
Tags : Google

The Key To Google Rankings

What factors are relevant today?

Posted: 09 Apr 2009
Tags : SEO | Google

Have You Seen The Google YouTube Channel?

Brush up on your Google knowledge.

Posted: 07 Apr 2009
Tags : Google

Big Snippets For Long Tail Searches

Google rolls out exciting new technology.

Posted: 27 Mar 2009
Tags : SEO | Google

Hidden Text Spamming - Big Mouth Ban

Big Mouth Media have been penalised for hidden text spamming.

Posted: 19 Mar 2009
Tags : Design and Development | SEO | Google

The Site: Command vs The Sitemap

Google shows us the difference between the site:command and the sitemap report.

Posted: 16 Mar 2009
Tags : Google

Links On a Page: Look At The Google SEO Tips

Keep the links on a page to a reasonable number, according to Google SEO tips.

Posted: 09 Mar 2009
Tags : SEO | Link Building | Google

Internet Reputation Management: WMG Style

Talk to WMG about internet reputation management.

Posted: 03 Mar 2009
Tags : Internet Marketing | SEO | Google

The Emphasis Is On Branding

Brands overtake the rest in the search engines.

Posted: 26 Feb 2009
Tags : SEO | Google

Show A Current Title In Search Results

Just a little bit of advice for the webmasters...

Posted: 11 Feb 2009
Tags : Design and Development | SEO | Google

Get Ahead With Google Analytics

Here's some advanced uses...

Posted: 22 Jan 2009
Tags : SEO | Google | Analytics

Easy Sitemap Generation

Generate a super quick sitemap with a new Google Tool

Posted: 21 Jan 2009
Tags : Design and Development | SEO | Google

The Canonical Link Element

This is big news in the meta tags industry

Posted: 21 Jan 2009
Tags : SEO | Link Building | Google

Prevent Hacking With Google Tips

Make sure your business doesn't get caught out...

Posted: 13 Jan 2009
Tags : Internet Marketing | SEO | Google

When To Track Rankings - SEO Video

Is it worth obsessing over rankings? Watch this SEO video to know when to track rankings.

Posted: 13 Jan 2009
Tags : SEO | Google

The Google Search Technology: An Insight

How exactly does Google return search results to you? Lets look at the Google search technology.

Posted: 13 Jan 2009
Tags : SEO | Google

The Value Of Google Rankings

Essential info for everyone to read.

Posted: 13 Jan 2009
Tags : Internet Marketing | Google

Google SEO Tips - Boost Your Website's Profile

Want to improve your visibility in the search engines? Read these Google SEO tips.

Posted: 20 Dec 2008
Tags : SEO | Google

Google Window Dressing

Stand out in the crowd...

Posted: 17 Dec 2008
Tags : SEO | Google

Stripping Google Bare

This .pdf explores Google hyper textual searching.

Posted: 16 Dec 2008
Tags : Google

Google's Top Searches

A new Sun Online article details the most popular top 10 Google searches.

Posted: 11 Dec 2008
Tags : Google

Linking Out Is Common Sense

An insight into the world of links.

Posted: 24 Oct 2008
Tags : SEO | Link Building | Google

Google Reveals All

The patent reveals they are coming down hard on spammers.

Posted: 08 Jul 2008
Tags : Google

Single Vs Plural Search

Get your questions answered.

Posted: 10 Jun 2008
Tags : SEO | Google

Sitemap FAQs

Straight from the Google Webmaster Central Blog.

Posted: 02 Jun 2008
Tags : Google

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