Should you use rel=canonical or 301 redirects for Search Engine Optimization

• By: John E Lincoln
• Categories: Search Engine Optimization
• Comments: 0

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As an SEO company, we run into questions like, “Should you use a rel=canonical or a 301 redirect” all of the time. While we are quite versed in answering these topics, it is always nice to hear information straight from Google. In this video, we hear Matt Cutts, head of WebSpam at Google, address the difference between rel=canonical and 301 redirect.

301 Redirect vs. rel=canonical for SEO

As mentioned in the video, you only loose a tiny bit of link juice if you do a 301 redirect. Google has configured the 301 redirect this way because if you didn’t loose any link juice, webmasters would implement many more 301 redirects opposed to internal links. It is also mentioned that link weight from a 301 redirect does not change over time.

Making AJAX Application Crawlable for Search Engine Optimization

• By: John E Lincoln
• Categories: Search Engine Optimization
• Comments: 0

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Making an Ajax application crawlable by the Google search engine is not incredibly complicated if you take the time to ensure the necessary technical requirements have been met. In this post, we will cover some of the key concepts in AJAX application search engine optimization.

Overview of AJAX SEO

Google and other search engines have a very difficult time crawling AJAX applications. Because of this, Google allows HTML snapshots to be delivered from the AJAX URL. The HTML page should be optimized for the terms that related to the AJAX content. In order to make this happen correctly we must follow the guidelines below. This information has been taken from documentation supplied by Google to ensure accuracy.

Indicate to Google that you have an AJAX site Ready for Crawling

First we need to create a URL that Google sees as being crawlable. In order to do this, we need to add a special character after the hash fragment.

Current URL

www.example.com/ajax.html#key=value

Correct URL

www.example.com/ajax.html#!key=value

By adding this relationship to your URLs it will now become SEO friendly and Google will pay attention to the information following the !.

SEO Inc. Research Shows 10% of Traffic from Mobile Devices

• By: John E Lincoln
• Categories: Mobile Search, Search Engine Optimization
• Comments: 0

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From the time period of 8/20/2011 to 9/20/2011 Search Engine Optimization Inc. performed an analysis of traffic data on 41 websites. This research was focused on monitoring mobile traffic vs. non-mobile traffic during the time period. The websites used in the study came from a wide range of industries. It should be noted that none of the websites featured in the study were sites primarily based on news content creation.

The research looked at the current state of mobile traffic, and in particular, the amount of traffic that came from iPads and iPhones. iPads and iPhones were focused on primarily due to a trend that was found when evaluating the data. In every case but one, iPads and iPhones were the largest drivers of mobile traffic to each of these websites. The one website that did not have iPhones and iPads as the largest drivers of mobile traffic experienced the lowest amount of visitors in the study. Due to this, this website is seen as an outlier.

SEO Inc. is publishing a few results from this study below for our loyal blog readers.

Is Too Much Personalization Destroying the Internet?

• By: John E Lincoln
• Categories: Search Engine Optimization, SEO Inc News
• Comments: 0

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Personalization and artificial intelligence on the Internet is advancing rapidly. On websites, we can detect the location of your IP address and then deliver information based on location. We can detect the user agent (iPhone, iPad, desktop, etc.) you are using to access the Internet and provide you with a version of the site that makes the most sense for your device. Social media sites and search engines are also detecting various types of user information. The result of which, an Internet experience that is unique to you and you along. Everyone does it, especially the big sites like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Bing.

In this video we hear some really interesting commentary on the subject. After watching the video let us know what you think. Should this type of data manipulation be controlled? Should it be more transparent how it is determined? Let us know you thoughts!

Search Quality Observation No. 1 (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Google)

• By: sean
• Categories: Search Engine Optimization
• Comments: 0

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Good computer security strikes a balance between security and usability. For example, a fifty character password might be more secure than one with less characters, but it would also be an impediment to usability. Not having a password could be easy, but it would also be unsecure. Rather than either extreme, a compromise should be made between what is secure and what is practical.

In internet search there is a similar dynamic. It involves usability and usefulness. There is an impetus for usability but there is also a question, will this come at the expense of usefulness? This is an example of where it may:

How Does Bing Adaptive Search Affect Search Engine Optimization

• By: John E Lincoln
• Categories: Bing, Search Engine Optimization
• Comments: 0

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Adaptive search! Yes, that is right, Bing search results are now modified based on user interaction (they always kind of have been of course but this is a whole new element in the process). Bing adaptive search will have implications on search engine optimization. It has the ability to limit or enhance the amount of times your site surfaces in search queries, and this means dollars are jeopardized for online businesses. First, let’s watch a quick video on Bing adaptive search and then we can throw around some ideas on the subject.