We all know old habits die hard. Unfortunately, in the world of SEO using, old methods could mean major consequences.

In a world where the only constant changes, SEO’s are forced to kick old habits and evolve their strategies. Here are 5 techniques to leave back in 2013.

1. Over-optimized anchor text links

SEO’s got hit hard for spammy links in 2013. Any link that has manipulative characteristics could be devalued, or even worse, provoke a penalty. One of the many things Penguin 2.0 focuses on is over-optimized anchor text links. Google gives this example:

There are many wedding rings on the market. If you want to have a wedding, you will have to pick the best ring. You will also need to buy flowers and a wedding dress.

It is apparent that these links are for the sole purpose of search rankings and not geared towards informing users. Focus on natural linking that helps users better navigate your website. Your users and the search engines will thank you for it.

2. Using advertorials and press releases for backlinks

Documents that are exposed to mass distribution online, like press releases and advertorials, offered a quick and easy way for SEO’s to obtain backlinks and it worked; for a while. Google caught onto this quickly and listed the practice as a ‘link scheme’ in Google’s Webmaster Tools Guidelines.

Should you still use press releases and paid articles? Absolutely! Press releases and advertorials can still be a great way to bring in traffic to your website and increase your brand awareness, and including a link to your site is crucial. However, it’s a good idea to add the rel=”nofollow” attribute to your link so that it does not pass PageRank; and therefore is not a threat.

3. Optimizing for keyword searches

The way that users search has evolved and so has the way that search engines comprehend queries. Users are more inclined to use conversational queries such as “Where is the best place to buy an iPhone?”. As a result, search engines like Google are accommodating those queries by delivering more relevant answers. In fact, Google’s newest algorithm, Hummingbird, is made for just that.

If users and search engines are evolving, that means SEO’s who don’t evolve with them will be left in the dust. Instead of focusing strictly on keyword strategies, SEO’s now need to pay close attention to keyword themes and the latent semantic technologies that search engines are now using.

4. Bundling your mobile and desktop SEO strategy

The agenda used to be optimizing sites for desktop users, while mobile users became an afterthought. This isn’t the case anymore. Mobile users have different needs and expect a better mobile experience. Desktop and mobile are two different strategies and both need to be taken into account when optimizing for usability. It’s also important that your mobile site doesn’t redirect users to different content or pages. Doing so will likely result in a penalty.

5. Writing content for the sole purpose of inflating the site

When a bigger site has more content, it has typically proven to be beneficial. However, more content does not necessarily equal quality content. Creating content solely for the purpose of maximizing your website usually comes at the expense of inadequate, irrelevant content; which doesn’t benefit anyone.

Content has become increasingly more important, not only to promote organic links but as a mechanism to connect with your audience. While content has always had a place in SEO, SEO’s are now responsible for taking on a more intricate role that includes writing appealing content for the target audience.

While SEO has seen changes throughout the year, the New Year offers an opportunity to implement some new strategies and extinguish old habits; and we are more than happy to see these strategies go.

There has been a whirlwind of changes in 2013. If you have any questions about these changes, would like advice on ethical, white hat strategies in 2014, or would like to pursue an SEO strategy with Titan Growth, feel free to contact us!

Submitted by Erica Machin, Titan Growth

New to SEO? Understand the lingo with this fundamental search engine terminology.

If you’re new to SEO, you’ll find that the terminology is a language all on its own. Improve your SEO vocabulary and knowledge with these 10 essential and basic SEO terms.

Anchor text – Anchor text is the SEO industry’s term for hyperlinked text, being that it is the anchor to the link. Anchor text is prevalent because SEO’s found that by using keyword rich anchor text, it could help enhance rankings. While it is okay to optimize anchor text internally (as long as it’s relevant and isn’t excessive) optimizing anchor text for articles and press releases that will be distributed at larger scales could be considered a link scheme. Best practice is to keep anchor text natural in any articles or press releases.

Title tag – A title tag, or page title is a tag in the .html denoted by <title>. The title tag represents the page’s title and can be seen on the tabs in your browser or in the headline of a search result. Title tags help both the search engines and internet users identify what your pages are about. Best practice for title tags is to create unique, relevant titles for each one of your pages.

Meta description – A meta description is another .html tag, but its purpose is to describe the page. While meta descriptions do not have any effect on rankings, they can help increase click-through rates since they do show up in the search results. Like title tags, it’s important to have unique, relevant descriptions for each page and make sure to include a call-to-action!

301 redirect – When you delete pages or change URLs, they don’t just dissipate into the digital universe. So when users try to search for a URL that no longer exists, they receive a 404 error, or ‘Not Found’ page. To avoid confusing users and to pass on any ranking authority from retired pages, it is best practice to use a 301 redirect. 301 redirects will redirect users and search engines from the old URL to another active page that you specify.

SERP – SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page. A SERP is what is returned to you after typing in a search query. In essence, it’s a page of results after you search. SERP is a coined SEO term that you’ll hear frequently.

Keyword – Keyword is another SEO term that is frequently used. A keyword or keyword phrase is a word or set of words that exemplify the brand, its services, or products. Keywords are important because they help users and the search engines better identify what your web pages are about. Using relevant keywords in your title tags, headlines and throughout your content can help to give the search engines a better idea of what your page is about. Just be careful not to overuse keywords, or it can actually hurt your rankings.

Indexing – Indexing is the search engines’ process for collecting and storing data across the web. The search engines are constantly scouring the web for updated and new pages to add to their massive databases of information. When the search engines to find new pages, they ‘index’ it, meaning they add a copy of it to their database, so that they can retrieve it during searches.

Links – There are two types of links that you will hear SEO’s talk about. Internal and external. Internal links are links that occur between pages inside of your website. For example, all links on the navigation bar of your website are internal links. External links are links coming or going from your website, either someone has linked to your website or yours to theirs.

Both link structures are important, although links coming to your website are seen as more of an authority signal. Best practice for links is to have an organized and convenient internal link structure so that both users and search engines can easily find your pages. A good rule of thumb to follow is that every page should be at most two clicks away from the homepage. For external links, it’s important to create great content that users would want to link to. Any unnatural links or link schemes could end up in a penalty.

Rel=”author” – Google’s Authorship Markup, also known as rel=”author” is a tag that is used to associate authors with their Google+ profiles. This helps to put a face behind your brand, can help increase click-through rates in the search engines, promote thought leadership and can be seen as a ranking signal to Google.  Rel=”author” is a great tool for any author that creates content online and has many benefits.

Canonical URL – Canonical URLs are used in cases where there is duplicate content. Say you sell a product that comes in several different colors, and you have a page for each of those colors. The search engines wouldn’t be sure which one to index since they’re all the same, so by using a canonical link you are able to specify which page should take precedence in the search engines. While it is not a guarantee, it is the best practice when you have multiple pages with very similar or identical content.

While that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to SEO terms, these terms give a general understanding of some of the fundamentals of SEO. Still have some unanswered SEO questions? We’d be happy to clear them up. Contact us anytime and pick our brains!

Submitted by Erica Machin, Titan Growth

We are pleased to announce that Titan Growth’s own Danny Shepherd has been selected as a finalist for the San Diego Business Journal’s 9th Annual Most Admired CEO Awards for the second year in a row! The awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, January 28th, 2015 at Paradise Point Resort & Spa where some of San Diego’s most inspirational leaders will be recognized.

Most Admired CEO finalists were selected based on their outstanding leadership characteristics and ability to drive a business, group or institution within the San Diego business community. These leaders have not only made a significant impact on their companies but have positively affected the community of San Diego as well.

About Danny and Our Company
Danny realized a growing need for effective and strategic SEO, and in 2004, Titan Growth was founded. Since then, Titan Growth has serviced businesses all around the world, helping them receive the vast benefits of sophisticated SEO and Pay Per Click marketing.
Danny and several engineers also helped to create Titan Growth’s proprietary search engine technology TitanBOT. TitanBOT emulates search engine behavior, allowing for the effective testing of updates while monitoring the results before ever taking them live. TitanBOT has proven to be a tremendous advantage for and helps Titan Growth provide excellent SEO results for their clients.

Thanks to all who nominated Danny, and for your continued support!

Submitted by Erica Machin, Titan Growth