We’re all aware of the expression ‘first impressions mean everything,’ a theory that has been proven time and time again. Whether you’re selling a property, a piece of art or even yourself during an interview, first impressions count – and the same goes for your website. When it comes to your website, first impressions are […]

It’s easy to start with Google Ads, set up a campaign and then start advertising online. However, it’s even easier to pay a lot more per click, and cost per acquisition than you actually should when your campaign is not optimised to increase Google Ads conversions. But where to start? There are many ways to […]

Running your own online business could pay dividends in the long run – Australia’s growing ecommerce industry is set to generate north of $30 billion by 2019. It is predicted that by 2020 1 in 10 items will be purchased online. There’s no reason why you can’t take your slice from this lucrative industry, but […]

If you haven’t started optimising your content for voice search, now is the time to do so. Research continues to show that voice search is on the rise. Thrive Analytics, for example, found that over 70% of 18 to 29-year-old smartphone users utilise their voice-activated personal assistants. In fact, nearly 40% of smartphone users aged […]

If you want to boost the performance of your online marketing campaigns and SEO strategies, you need to use data analysis tools such as Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics. The first two of those free online tools essentially let you study the way in which search engines interact with your site […]

Google is the world’s most popular search engine and most-visited website, and we all use at least some of its apps on a daily basis. However, hidden within Google’s apps are some fun features called Easter Eggs, which are designed to put a smile on your face – and almost nothing more. Actually, Google creates […]

As recently as 2010, the key to earning the top positions on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) was to gain as many backlinks as possible while ensuring your content was packed with the keywords you wanted to rank for. Nowadays, such tactics are unlikely to get you very far, largely thanks to the rise […]

During the first week of September 2018, Google unveiled its newly updated Chrome browser, Chrome 69. Now, you can view answers to queries as you search for them using the omnibox, which is the bar at the top of the browser used to type URLs. Even though Google has stated that this is a new […]

Google has now confirmed that it released a broad core update to its search algorithm around the beginning of August, which many figures in the SEO industry suspected after noticing dramatic gains and losses in website ranking positions. Some webmasters seem to be overjoyed by the update whereas others have reported their rankings have been […]

What is commonly unofficially known as Google Posts or Posts by Google is a feature within Google My Business that allows local businesses to create content directly on Google. Those who feature in the Google My Business search results section will rank highly on the first page, and they can now add information such as […]

Google recently announced that it will soon unleash mobile-first indexing, which basically means that Google will index the mobile version of your website before the desktop version. The update doesn’t mean that your desktop website won’t appear in search results – it just means that the mobile version of your content will be given priority. […]

From October 2018, Google Chrome and all other Chrome-based browsers will highlight unsecure websites by displaying a red icon with the words “Not Secure” next to the URL at the top of the browser. At the moment, secure websites display a green lock icon and the word “Secure” next to the URL, but that will […]

For the first time, Google has officially announced the rollout of mobile-first indexing, which aims to make it easier for mobile users to find websites that are optimised for their screen. Even though Google has only just officially announced the release of this new feature, mobile-first indexing existed before the announcement. Google has stated that […]

Google has rebuilt a new version of its Keyword Planner tool, which is now available to everybody who uses the new AdWords experience. The layout and appearance of the Keyword Planner tool have been simplified and cleaned up, yet it gives users access to more robust data and boasts new analytical and forecast tools. The […]

One of the world’s most popular Q&A websites, Quora, will now have its answers displayed in a carousel feature on some Google results pages. For now, Google appears to be in its initial stages of testing the feature, but given that we’ve already seen similar updates, we may soon see top answers, reviews and other […]

Early in March, Google’s John Mueller participated in a Webmaster Hangout, during which time he discussed techniques and tactics for getting your content indexed as soon after it is published as possible. You can view the hourlong Hangouts session here on YouTube, but we’ve also compiled some of the high points of his discussion in […]

Today’s consumers buy more of their products online than in brick-and-mortar shops. That means more sellers than ever are struggling to find their footing on e-commerce platforms. This proliferation of online markets is exciting, but it also places a burden on search engines. They have to maintain pace and guard their users from spammy or […]

Google has added a new feature to its popular website auditing tool Lighthouse. The addition of an ‘SEO Audits’ category to the Chrome extension has been met with a positive response from the SEO community, though experts warn that the new feature is no replacement for a professional SEO audit. So, what is Lighthouse and […]

The vast majority of interested parties will, of course, already be familiar with the search engine giant’s suite of tools for webmasters, marketing executives and SEO professionals but if you are not, you can check out a beginner’s guide online, to get you up to speed. The big news today for users of the latest […]

With the holiday season well and truly behind us, it is only natural, for those of us involved in the search engine optimisation industry at least, that our thoughts turn to the trends we expect to dominate SEO in 2018. Which existing trends will gain even more momentum over the coming year, which current practices […]

Google has confirmed that its long-awaited Speed Update for mobile devices will be released later this year. In July, webmasters will for the first time have to have to factor mobile page loading speed when optimising their websites. Loading speed as a ranking factor was introduced in 2010, but it only applied to desktop searches. […]

SEO experts who wish to target rich snippets, rich cards and other rich content – the small content elements that are featured at the very top of the first pages of search results – now have access to a new tool that will make their task a little easier: Google’s Rich Results Testing Tool. It […]

It has been over 5 years since Google first promised to provide webmasters with a year’s worth of search data for analysis purposes but the wait is finally over. The Google Search Console beta now includes the option to select a whole 12 months of data in the performance report section and whilst this feature […]

WordPress is known as an SEO-friendly platform in the blogging community, making it a popular choice with bloggers from all over the world who are interested in driving traffic to their website and capitalising on the content they produce. Whilst there are other choices with built-in search engine optimisation functionality, WordPress is the most widely […]

It’s easy to see how retailers can capitalise on the festive season, especially if their products make ideal gifts. However, it’s not just retailers that can take advantage of the season of spending. With the right digital marketing strategies, which usually incorporate elements of PPC,  SEO and social media, you can increase your customer base, […]

This article was updated February 2019: With the release of Google’s ‘Pigeon’ update back in 2014, local SEO suddenly became a lot more important for webmasters and developers. Optimising a site to pick up local searches was no longer simply a good strategy, it was suddenly an essential way to ensure online success. Fast forward […]

Almost every web developer in the world has to deal with Google’s crawl errors, and it’s better to remedy problems quickly to prevent being penalised by Google’s ranking algorithm. Crawl errors let Google know that certain elements of your website aren’t working as they should, such as broken links, and, fortunately, most issues are easier […]

Not so long ago, major sporting events such as the Melbourne Cup, the biggest handicap race in Australia’s horseracing calendar, were promoted primarily via traditional printed media: newspapers and magazines. However, in recent years, digital channels – in particular social media sites – have taken centre stage in the promotional arena for sporting events and […]

If you’re reading our blog, it’s probably safe to say that you’ve embraced the value of search engine optimisation (SEO). But even after acknowledging that this is an indispensable aspect of online marketing, figuring out where to start is still a challenge. Fortunately, I’m here to help. The single most important (and most challenging) thing you […]

If you’re currently looking for ways to improve your website’s local SEO, then you’ve probably come across the need to accumulate citations. In this post, I’ll explain what a citation is and how you can leverage it to boost your standing in local search rankings. What is a citation? A citation in and of itself […]

Google is updating its user interface with a Facebook-style news feed that will be featured on its homepage. The feed will show users content they may be interested in viewing based on their browsing habits. In particular, these custom newsfeeds will feature the following types of content: News stories Feature stories Sport highlights Videos Music […]