Google Panda Survival Tips

by Alyssa Ast

Just about every one has been hit hard by the release of Google Panda-- from long standing websites to small business owners. Many people remain anxious about how well their website will continue to perform and if they will even be able to stay afloat. Apprehension over these changes continues to grow, even months after the release of the new guidelines as websites continue to be knocked off of the 10 results page ranking. But, there are Google Panda survival tips you can use to climb back up the ladder to maintain a decent SERP ranking.

1. Don't put all of your eggs into one basket.- We all know Google is one of the 4 major search engines, and it's expected your receive a lot of your referring traffic from them. However, you want to keep your referring traffic diverse. Google should only make up about 40 percent of your referring traffic. Your referring traffic should be spread out because should you receive a penalty from a search engine, your website won't completely drop off of the face of the planet.

2. Quality over quantity.- It can't be said enough, quality content ranks over the quantity of content on a website. Quality content that's relevant and an interest to readers will prevent your website from becoming lost within the thousands of other pages. Develop a niche that appeals to a certain audience and go with it. Try to find a niche that's unique and sets you apart from other websites that are similar in topic, and then fill it in with great, intriguing content. Nothing will hurt your ranking more than low quality content.

3. Don't lose your traffic.- Your website needs to be easy to navigate to keep from loosing your readers and increasing your bounce rate. Google now looks at the navigation abilities of a website; therefore, your website must be easy to navigate and load quickly. Resolve any confusing issues with your website to index well and to keep your traffic. Pay attention to where ads are placed on your site and how quickly your website loads. Sometimes, simpler is better.

Do you have any Google Panda survival tips you would like to share? Lets hear them!

Don't forget, you can follow the Fundamentals of SEO on Facebook for even more SEO/SEM tips!

6 Keyword Usage Tips

by Alyssa Ast

Properly optimizing web content involves the correct placement and usage of keywords. The correct keyword placement and usage is equally as important as choosing the correct keywords and using the correct keyword density level. There are 6 simple tips to ensure you're maximizing the benefits of your keyword usage.

1. It's important to use 2-4 keywords/phrases. It's best to use at least one long tail keyword phrase and a couple of short tail phrases. Make sure you establish a primary and secondary phrase, which should be used in your title and META descriptions.
2. Anchor text your keywords/phrases. You want to try to anchor text one of each keyword or phrase to a relevant source. This will help link build and will aid with your internal linking-- if done correctly.
3. Each keyword or phrase should be used 2-5 times. If your word count is around 250, this will give you a density of 3%-5%. Make sure your keyword usage makes your content flow naturally and doesn't sound pushed or stuffed.
4. Never duplicate keywords on different web pages because it will decrease your SERP ranking.
   
5. Some people find it beneficial to bold or italicise their keywords/phrases. I haven't found this to make any drastic results with traffic or ranking, but it won't hurt to try it.
6. Use your primary and secondary keywords/phrases in the first and last paragraph of your content. Many people prefer to use them in the first and last sentence.

What keyword usage tips do you have to share?

Don't forget to follow The Fundamentals of SEO for the Average Joe on Facebook for more SEO/SEM tips!

Save 20% off of your copy of The Fundamentals of SEO for the Average Joe using coupon code SEPTEMBER305. Hurry, offer ends soon!
*Offer only valid when book is purchased from Lulu.com

Guest Post- Discover Google+: Will it be Facebook’s demise?

By Kristine Serran

Google has hit the market with a punch straight to Facebook. They revealed Google+ which turns Google into a huge social media website. They kicked it off by allowing a limited number of people into the network by using invites (as they’ve done with the launch of other Google services). However, they have capped new signups which limits just how many people can get on Google+ for the time being.

One big thing that’s circulating the online world is whether or not Google will be able to take the spot as the #1 social media website that Facebook has held for quite some time. While this is still unclear, Google does have the ability to grow into something that Facebook may not see coming.
With that said, let’s take a quick look at what Google+ has to offer its users.

Google+ Stream
The Google Plus stream is Google’s version of the news feed that Facebook uses to share updates of those within your network. Simply put, those who are in your circle will have their posts placed in your stream for easy access.

The stream also integrates the +1 feature which will provide posts that you like with your personal endorsement. You can think of this as Google’s version of the “Like” feature on Facebook which has proven to be a very popular addition for any social media website.

Google+ Profiles
The profiles that are used aren’t really showing anything extraordinary just yet. Although Google is known for saving the best for last when they’re launching various services which makes one think that the profiles will receive a remarkable update in the near future.

The best thing about Google Plus profiles is that it does contain a tabbed featured. Currently, you can only use the tabs to share your +1s and data from your Google Buzz account on your Google+ profile.

Google+ Circles
This is one of the best feature implementations that Google has come up with so far. This is similar to the lists functionality of other social websites which allows you to categorize your Google Plus connections into certain circles that you can create. Adding someone to a circle is as easy as dragging and dropping them into the appropriate circle and watching the cool animations that go along with it.

Google+ Hangouts
The Hangouts feature of Google+ allows users to hang out with people in their circles via video conferencing. It’s a great way for people to interact with each other online as well as encourage a new level of social networking. As long as Google can become established as a premier social media website, this feature can open the door to a whole new outlook of online networking.

Google+ Photos
This is a way that you can share your photos as well as edit them online. It’s very simplistic and it provides a great opportunity for those who love putting photos on their social media profiles.

Google+ Huddle
This feature allows you to send messages to the circles that you create within Google +. It’s a cool feature, but it’s really nothing to run home and tell mom about.

Google+ Mobile
It can easily be seen that this is a first attempt at developing a mobile experience for Google Plus. The mobile version provides a capability that enables an auto-upload of your photos to your profile as well as Huddle integration. Not much, but there’s still a lot of time and room for Google to improve this feature.

Google+ Sparks
Sparks is something that many webmasters are underestimating. It’s simply a way for you to recommend things on the web to those within your Google + network. Honestly this just might be a way to ensure valuable information on the web is shared like it should be, as long as Google can get the ball to the end of the field for a touchdown of course.

The Outcome
Whether or not Google can dominate Facebook in the world of social media is yet to be seen. However, they have already seen a great amount of people utilizing Google + during its testing phase which means that it just might be the next Facebook of the internet. We’ll only be able to see whether or not this is true as time goes on and Google developers scramble to ensure this is a truly useful resource.

More About Kristine Serran
Kristine Serran currently works as a search engine optimization specialist specialist from a reputable SEO company.

Would you like to guest post on The Fundamentals of SEO? Email Alyssa at alyssa_ast@yahoo.com