Hey everyone! The Eagle is back after a looooong flight. And he is sorry for going dark without warning. Looks like this particular pigeon tried to take his place, but pigeons can never fly as high as eagles, can they? So without further ado, here is this week’s round-up…
HTTPS as a ranking signal
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.in/
By far the most important and easily the most discussed development of this week. Any sound with “ranking signal” in it has endless echoes in our world.
What You Can Learn from KISSmetrics’ SEO Strategy
http://okdork.com/2014/08/06/a-complete-audit-of-kissmetrics-seo-and-inbound-marketing/
Quite a lot, obviously, as Eli Overbey proceeds to show. The man has developed a high class ability to take apart the big boys’ sites and lay their workings bare. Keep doing it, Eli!
Competitive Analysis for Panda Using SEMrush [Tutorial]
http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2358949/Competitive-Analysis-for-Panda-Using-SEMrush-Tutorial
Glenn Gabe is one of the most respected penalty recovery professionals around. So what happens when he gets down to business with one of the most powerful SEO tools known to marketers? Find out on Search Engine Watch.
Pro Tip: First Thing I Do When My Guest Post Is Published
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MarkTraphagen/posts/fNKdgu2k4Ch
If you’re a guest blogger (God help you!), Mark Traphagen has a profound tip on how to invite engagement from the community as soon as your post goes live. I won’t reveal it here. Click.
Special Symbols for Social Media Updates
http://www.thesocialmediahat.com/article/special-symbols-social-media-updates
Our friend Mike Allton has a nifty list of little symbols that display well on Google+ (and therefore, can be expected to work on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and elsewhere) just like text. Can’t wait to try some out? Reach for your Ctrl+C!
ENTITY MENTIONS ARE GOOD: BRAND MENTIONS ARE NOT THE NEW LINK BUILDING
http://www.seobythesea.com/2014/08/brand-mentions-not-new-link-building/
Don’t believe all you read in the “major” publications. Bill Slawski decimates false assumptions and interpretations made in an article on Forbes, which claims brand mentions act as implied links, leading to more authority. If only eagles could roll their eyes!
How To Make Mobile Convert: The Most Common Mobile Store Mistakes
http://conversionxl.com/make-mobile-convert/
Michael Mace has put together a comprehensive list of app usability mistakes and smartphone “features” that actually hurt conversion. Information like this is what keeps us going back to Conversion XL for more.
Hotel Threatens to Charge Guests $500 for Every Negative Review
http://gawker.com/hotel-threatens-to-charge-guests-500-for-every-negativ-1615977935
There’s no end to offline woes caused by online review systems and discussions. Hotel threatens Yelp user, user leaves bad review, other users jump in to flog the dead horse, and more Hobbesian online bashing follows from all sides.
What Happened after Google Pulled Author and Video Snippets: A Moz Case Study
http://moz.com/blog/traffic-case-study
CTR went down? CTR went up? CTR remained the same? Should you still optimize for authorship and videos? Cyrus Shepard reveals Moz’s awesome post-snippet-disappearance findings here.
Using AdWords Sitelinks to Promote Social Media Accounts
http://www.thesempost.com/use-adwords-sitelinks-promote-social-media-accounts/
The title says it all. Jennifer Slegg at the SEM Post has advice on how to go about doing this. The caveat here is, you should try this only if you can follow up with great execution and engagement on your social networks.