Google recently rolled out changes to their algorithm and called the new change "The Helpful Content Update". We talk this week about what these changes mean and what you need to know about them.

IN THIS EPISODE...
[00:40] What are Google Updates?
[01:11] Meredith ate the wrong gummy
[02:01] The "Helpful Content Update"
[02:57] Pandas, Penguins & Humming Birds
[04:12] Why this update is different/important
[06:55] What does this mean for us?
[09:15] Our goal
Topics: google updates, organic rankings, seo content, 

MEREDITH'S HUSBAND SAYS...
"Meredith is high as a kite right now."
"Be careful of gummies that say CALM."

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Meredith's Husband
https://www.meredithshusband.com

What should you put in your image "alt tags"? I still see advice about this that's surprising. The short answer... Don't stuff your keywords into your image tags! This makes you look like a "pushy salesperson" to Google, trying to improve your rankings by being sneaky. Just be honest and use the tips from this episode.

IN THIS EPISODE...
[00:40] Question from a listener...
[01:10] Alt Tags... How to make them effective?
[02:40] SEO is partly just avoiding the Spam Team
[03:57] How to think about SEO conceptually
[05:01] How are images ranked
[07:00] What to include in image tags
[12:31] Accessibility lawsuits
[13:50] Tagging design elements
Topics: image tags, alt tags, keyword stuffing

MEREDITH'S HUSBAND SAYS…
“You can eat ANY burrito, trust me."
“Monkeys don't like to be juggled.”

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Meredith's Husband
https://www.meredithshusband.com

With so many image-driven websites and social media platforms, it's more important than ever to protect your images from being used elsewhere. We talk about a method today that can help you get out of minor jams without proceeding to legal issues.

Note this is NOT legal advice or a method to legally protect images.
This is an easy method to help demonstrate that you were the first to publish an image. If you need to legally protect images from being used elsewhere, connect with an attorney. 

IN THIS EPISODE...
[01:17] Notes about legal copyright & image protection
[03:28] My Own Story: Image Rights
[06:17] An Easy Approach 
[11:50] Sharing Images on YOUR Site Before Social Media
Topics: how to protect images, photographs and demonstrate publication

MEREDITH'S HUSBAND SAYS…
“Just putting an image on your site doesn't stop others from taking it & saying it's theirs. 

LINKS MENTIONED...
Archive tool:  https://web.archive.org/

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Meredith's Husband
https://www.meredithshusband.com

Yelp can be a powerful tool for local businesses. If you have a Yelp listing, you probably want to learn how to make make the most from it, without having to pay for advertising. Luckily, you can optimize your listing to get benefits without paying a dime. With these tips, you can optimize your listing to please the algorithm, appear on search results, and get more traffic to your page.

IN THIS EPISODE...
[00:24] How to benefit from Yelp without paying for it
[00:57] Yelp's aggressive sales methods
[03:35] Two ways Yelp is valuable
[04:00] Steps to optimize your Yelp listing
[07:03] 1. Choose the correct category
[09:53] 2. Complete as many fields as possible
[10:32] 3. Respond to reviews
[12:16] 4. Create links to your Yelp listing
[13:24] 5. Use optional features
[13:46] 6. Get reviews
[15:21] 7. Optimize your text for voice search
Topics: Yelp, Yelp listing, optimizing yelp listings, Yelp reviews, Yelp algorithm, Yelp advertising

MEREDITH'S HUSBAND SAYS…
"Choosing the correct business category is most important."
“Complete as many fields as possible, including optional features & image captions.”
“Respond to reviews - not just the bad ones!”

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Meredith's Husband
https://www.meredithshusband.com

In this episode, we talk about creating blog content by "documenting" rather than "creating" new content from scratch. This should (hopefully) remove some of the stress and anxiety involved in producing good content for SEO.

IN THIS EPISODE...
[02:03] Meaning of “document" instead of "create"
[03:40] A secret to easy keyword research
[06:01] What makes a blog successful over a long period
[08:07] Link to appropriate sites when useful for your visitors
[10:55] Don’t be scared of sharing your secrets   
[16:12] In summary
Topics discussed: keyword research, URL slug, photography blogs

MEREDITH'S HUSBAND SAYS…
"The most successful blogs on SEO are often updated regularly."
"A blog should be a resource. It should be informative and provide value."

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Meredith's Husband
https://www.meredithshusband.com

Your conversion rate is the percentage of people who take action on your site, like submitting a contact form, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading an ebook. Optimizing your conversion rate is probably the fastest and easiest way to get more business with your website.

IN THIS EPISODE...
[01:58] Make your website clear & easy to use
[03:08] Three  questions your site must answer for users
[03:39] 1- Where am I?
[04:03] 2- What am I supposed to do?
[04:22] 3- What decision do I need to make?   
[05:16] How to quickly answer these questions
[09:27] Best practices for CTA's
Topics: website conversions, conversion rate, lead generation, H1 tag, website headline, calls to action, CTA best practices

MEREDITH'S HUSBAND SAYS…
"Websites are not created for beauty. They are built to generate leads."
“Visitors get confused when you present them with competing options.”

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Meredith's Husband
https://www.meredithshusband.com

Title tags and meta tags are used to describe the content, and they are often the first impressions users will see when they visit your site. Title tags are short snippets of text seen in blue lettering in Google search results. Meta tags are the longer snippets of text shown beneath the title tag in search results. Title tags and meta tags can both be optimized for readers, but only title tags have an influence on your SEO and, when done correctly, can help improve search engine rankings. 

Today we talk about some practices to help you optimize your title tags for SEO and meta tags to avoid being penalized by google.

IN THIS EPISODE...
[02:30] The importance of title tags
[03:06] Seven ways to write your title tags for SEO
[03:16] 1-Make your title tag unique for every page of your website
[03:36] 2-The right length of a title tag
[06:47] 3-When to put your brand name on your title tag   
[08:49] 4-How to put keywords in your title tag
[11:12] 5-Characters to avoid on your title tag
[12:29] 6-Characters to use on your title tag
[14:03] 7-When to put your geography in your title tag
[15:27] Meta description tag and the best way to write them
[17:37] Meta keyword tags and why they are NOT important
[20:12] How to do your image alt-tags or image attributes
[23:17] H1 tags and how to optimize them for SEO
Topics: Title tag, Meta tag, meta description tag, image alt tag, meta keyword tag, H1 tag.

MEREDITH'S HUSBAND SAYS…
“Title tags are probable single most important elements for SEO.”
“There’s no penalty for long title tags, but Google will shorten them.  Longer title tags also dilute the strength of your keywords. Keep your title tags to a maximum of 60-65 characters."

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Meredith's Husband
https://www.meredithshusband.com

"Keyword Stuffing" is a term used to describe the practice of adding a large number of keywords in website pages in an attempt to get higher rankings. This spammy practice negatively affects search rankings and can lead to penalties such even removal from Google's index. In this episode, we talk more about keyword stuffing and how to avoid it. We’ll also give you tips on how you can better your rankings without spamming your site with keywords.

IN THIS EPISODE...
[01:08] What is keyword stuffing and its dangers
[03:17] Why Google stopped using the Keyword Tag
[05:03] Handling keywords the right way
[08:00] Other types of keyword stuffing
[11:00] In Google's best interests
[11:50] Don't repeat keywords in Title Tags
Topics discussed: keyword stuffing, Google penalties, how to correctly use keywords

MEREDITH'S HUSBAND SAYS…
"Google gets better every day. Trying to trick Google will only cause problems."
"Honesty, authority, quality, and clarity are what Google wants to see."

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Meredith's Husband
https://www.meredithshusband.com

Google uses an algorithm to penalize websites that do not follow their Quality Guidelines. This is how Google improves search results for its users. Each instance when a website does not meet the quality guidelines, it's "penalized" by Google's algorithm and rankings decline.

IN THIS EPISODE ...
[00:44] Google Myth: The Ranking Algorithm
[01:30] The Google ‘Spam Team’ 
[03:10] Don't buy links for SEO
[06:43] "Spamming" leads to penalties
[07:29] Semrush identifies potential penalties
[10:04] Tips to avoiding penalties
Topics discussed: Google Myths, Google penalties, how websites can be penalized, dangers of buying website links, Semrush. 

MEREDITH'S HUSBAND SAYS …
"Recovering from a single Google penalty  can be very costly."
“A good foundation of purpose will be the best secret to your website’s success.”

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE...

SEMRUSH Free Trial
My favorite tool for any SEO work

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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Meredith's Husband
https://www.meredithshusband.com

Marketing, sales, and advertising are concepts that are often mixed up. Marketing involves getting people's attention. Advertising is one type of marketing. Sales is the process of convincing people to take action after you've captured their attention. 

Marketing can be done with or without advertising, but advertising cannot be done without marketing. Good marketing can also reduce the need for "sales". With better  marketing, potential customers will need less convincing. 

IN THIS EPISODE ...
[00:57] What Meredith wants to know for her birthday
[01:04] Marketing vs Advertising
[03:10] Examples of website "marketing"
[03:39] Marketing vs advertising in search engines
[05:12] The good, fast, and cheap rule 
[11:08] Use  client references to justify higher prices
Topics discussed: Marketing Vs. advertising, sales, investing your time and money, Pricing vs quality.

MEREDITH'S HUSBAND SAYS…
"Marketing it's like leading a horse to water, and sales is making him drink."
"It's capturing somebody's attention and get them to look at your product."
“If you want to do something, you need to invest either time or money.”

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ...

Raising a Family Business
Raising a Family Business is a 3+ week course designed to help you lay the foundation for a family p

Legacy Sales
The client-centered, print-driven business model & sales support system.

SEMRUSH Free Trial
My favorite tool for any SEO work

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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Meredith's Husband
https://www.meredithshusband.com