Orange County SEO™ Blog

Can You Outsmart Google’s Algorithms?

The argument continues to rage over whether an SEO strategy exists that can outwit Google’s algorithms. SEO companies in Orange County are taking a close look at Google’s Penguin update and other updates that have occurred in the past year, trying to answer this perennial question.

Bruce Clay recently gave some insight into Google’s policies, and what he said boils down to one essential:  White Hat SEO is the only way to avoid being tagged as a spammer by Google. Read More »

Government Data is Useful in Marketing

Government organizations are under a different set of pressures than the private sector.  The movement toward transparency has caused many agencies to release vast amounts of data that was previous difficult to find.  Currently, 16 nations are involved in open data initiatives, and numerous private organizations are also publishing data sets.  This data is free and open to anyone who wants to use it.  The United States and the United Kingdom both encourage users to create user apps with their data: information can be found at http://data.gov.uk or http://www.data.gov on the awarding of authoritative links—a real coup for anyone who wants to build credibility with a website.

Orange County SEO can help you build a better website by using data obtained from government and private organizations to bolster your content.  Our copywriting and content development departments will help you use data correctly and earn respect and trust from your users. Read More »

Google Changes Algorithm to Include More Domains

The chatter about Google’s recent algorithm update might have been apocryphal, but the company finally confirmed that it has indeed made changes meant to allow for more domain results in its SERPs.  The changes were initially confirmed when spam fighter Matt Cutts tweeted:

“Just fyi, we rolled out a small algo change this week that improves the diversity of search results in terms of different domains returned.”

From this seemingly simple explanation, a host of question have arisen as to exactly what the algorithm change means for Google users and SEO managers in particular. Read More »

Getting More Comments on Your Posts

We all know we need high-quality content and a “call to action” to inspire readers.  What if you still do not get the number of responses to your blog or articles that you would like?  User comments are a great way to add content to your pages and may help you with your freshness score.  Obviously, getting more comments is important.

SEOmoz shares some ideas that may help you get more comments on your pages, raise your ranking, and refresh your posts.

Orange County SEO can also help you with website design and development on all levels by giving you the tools you need to maximize the potential of your web presence. Read More »

Google Algorithm Updates for Penguin

Just talking about Penguin updates gives some people a frightened look these days, ever since the one-two shot with Panda and Penguin updates in 2011 and 2012.  Nobody knows for sure exactly which algorithms Google changed, but the effects are clear for anyone who cares to look.  Like Pluto, we establish the existence of Penguin’s new algorithms not because we have seen them but because of the effect on the “orbits” of certain types of sites.  Study the sites that were slapped by Penguin and you have the basis for the new algorithm, right?

To a certain extent, this is true.  We know that Penguin targets websites that have overused anchor text or overused sitewide links.  On the other hand, there are things about Penguin that remain undiscovered.  How does it value content?  Does it have the capability to recognize semantic relationships?  These questions are still being bandied about.  In the meantime, there are things you can do to Penguin-proof your website. Read More »