We have searched the internet and determined the most popular questions about SEO. As we are all short on time, I have answered these questions in 140 characters or less.
Of course a lot of these questions do need more than 140 characters to explain in full but I hope these answers give you a good snapshot and provide a baseline for further research.
Enjoy these SEO tips!
1. Is HTML5 SEO Friendly?
Yes we would say it is, as it can describe a lot more about the page’s content.
2. Is HTTPS bad for SEO?
No it is not but try to avoid the trap of your site being duplicated in HTTP and HTTPS.
3. What are H1 tags in SEO?
The H stands for Header; it is used to identify headers on a page. They should be used for clean mark-up but have no SEO benefit.
4. What is Google Local SEO?
This is the process of getting businesses ranking higher when a local search is triggered. To start, create a Google+ local page.
5. Is Flash bad for SEO?
Traditionally yes, however Google has made a lot of improvements when it comes to indexing it. Use sparingly and think of the user first.
6. What is EMD?
Exact match domain is when a keyphrase is in the domain name in an attempt to rank better. Select one that’s right for you not Google.
7. What is External SEO?
SEO comes in two parts onsite and offsite (external). External usually means link building, guest blogging and other offsite strategies.
8. What is a Link Exchange?
This is when two websites agree to link to each other. A good idea if the user gets value.
9. What is Search Engine Submission?
When you manually or automatically submit your website to a search engine. Please do not do this and never pay for it.
10. Is Duplicate Content bad for SEO?
Yes it can be. Google does not want to list pages with the same content. Try and avoid duplicate content whenever possible.
11. What are Directories in SEO?
This is an old SEO tactic which involves submitting your website to various online business directories. Not used as much these days.
12. Is Blogging Good for SEO?
The better question would be ‘Is blogging good for your business?’ In most cases the answer is a massive yes.
13. Is a sitemap Important for SEO?
It is a good way for search engines to crawl your website but don’t forget to submit an xml sitemap to the search engines too.
14. Is Article Submission Good for SEO?
Yes and no. Yes if it is unique and on a website that is relevant to the content. No if you’re submitting the same article to 1,000 sites.
15. What is Anchor Text?
The text that is clickable on a webpage. Example this is anchor text.
16. How Does Facebook Help with SEO?
We think Facebook helps with SEO by making your content more discoverable. Meaning more people may find, link and share it.
17. How Long does it Take SEO to Work?
This can only be answered after a website’s been analysed and data is available to give an accurate timeframe. (Every site is different).
18. How do I choose Keywords for SEO?
If you have the data, check your analytics and see which keyphrase are converting. If no data, then experiment with a small PPC campaign.
19. How Long for SEO Changes to take Effect?
Changes can take anything from minutes to weeks. It depends on how often your website gets crawled.
20. How does Social Media help SEO?
See point 16 above. Using Google+ may directly affect what website you see in the rankings.
21. How do you Build Links for SEO?
Don’t. Build totally amazing content that your audience would pay for instead and give them it to them for free.
22. How do I use WordPress SEO by Yoast?
The best place to find this answer is from Yoast. This is a highly recommend WordPress plugin.
23. How to write SEO Articles?
Don’t. Write articles that will inform, amuse and help the people who are reading it.
24. Is SEO better than PPC?
They both have their advantages and disadvantages and really should be used together.
25. Why are Keywords Important in SEO?
Keywords help you understand the language of your audience and in SEO are used as a guide to what content is important.
26. Why are 302 Redirects bad for SEO?
From a search engine perspective this is seen as a temporary measure. If the redirect is permanent use a 301.
27. Why are backlinks Important for SEO?
How many quality backlinks you have is one factor in many that search engines use to rank a web page. Earn them, don’t build them.
28. Do Hyphens in URLs affect SEO?
We would say no, but try and keep them all uniformed throughout your site. Matt Cutts from Google explains below
29. Do HTML comments help SEO?
No, comments in Html are ignored by search engine crawlers and have no affect at all on your SEO.
30. Does Google AdWords help with SEO?
No it will not directly affect your SEO, Google does state that if you rank highly both for PPC and in the natural results this may help click through rates.
31. Do Facebook likes help SEO?
See 16 and 20. There has been research conducted that there is a collation between likes and rankings but nothing concrete.
32. Do Friendly URLs help SEO?
Yes using descriptive URLs can help SEO, but more importantly can make it easier for users to understand the nature of the content.
33. Do Ezines Articles help SEO?
We would say no, E-zines have a lot of good content. If your audience uses E-zines then it may be good. See also 11.
34. Do blog comments help SEO?
Most comments are ‘no followed’ so no SEO benefit, but great to increase awareness and engagement.
35. Do Cloud tags help SEO?
No, but some users may find it helpful. Test and see. I will let Matt Cutts from Google explain.
36. Do Breadcrumbs help SEO?
Breadcrumbs can help SEO as it help your webpages get crawled and can give a good indication of your navigational structure.
37. Do Alt tags help SEO?
Yes, alt tags can help your SEO if only a tiny bit. Avoid stuffing keyphrases in alt tags let them describe the image.
38. Where should I publish Articles for SEO?
You should not publish articles for SEO, publish articles if they are fulfilling a need. The best place is your own website.
39. Where is the best place to Host a Blog for SEO?
We would recommend /blog if you can, as this will help strengthen the other parts of your website.
40. Does Hosting affect SEO?
Hosting can affect SEO. Try and host in the country you are targeting and one that has a fast server.
41. Does having a mobile site help SEO?
Mobile sites may help you rank on Google’s mobile site. Look at your visitors. Are more than 20% from mobile? Then consider a mobile site.
42. Does Hosting Location affect SEO?
Yes, try to host in the country you are targeting. See also 40.
43. Does HTML Validation affect SEO?
No, but it is controversial see Matt Cutts from Google and Danny Sullivan’s explanation below and decide for yourself.
44. Does Google Analytics affect SEO?
No, but it can help you make sensible SEO decisions. If you don’t have Google analytics get it now here.
45. Does Google Places/Local affect SEO?
Yes it can help you show up for a local search. If you are a local business see point 4 and claim your local listing now.
46. Does Domain Name registration length affect SEO?
Google says not to worry about it too much (see below). But we think it can’t hurt and can add credibility to your website.
47. Does Changing URLs affect SEO?
Yes, if you are changing your URLs you must redirect your old URLs with a 301 redirect. Your pages will vanish out of Google if you don’t.
48. Do Bounce Rates affect SEO?
On your website no, but if someone clicks from a Google search result to your web page then bounces back to Google then yes.
49. Does Bold Text affect SEO?
No, we believe there is no evidence to support that it does. But do bold text to highlight words but don’t overdo it.
50. Does bit.ly pass SEO credit?
Yes bit.ly redirects to your web pages and credit does flow through a redirect.
51. Does a 301 Redirect affect SEO?
Yes by using a 301 you will pass on the SEO strength to your new page. This will pass slightly less SEO strength.
52. What is Google Indexing?
Google will take a copy of your web pages and store them in a database/index. When a search is performed on Google the database is accessed.
53. What is Guest Posting in SEO?
A guest post is when you contribute a guest blog article to another website. This usually contains a link back to your website.
54. What are Citations in SEO?
Citations are mentions of your business or website and these can help your Google local page rank.
55. What Does SEO Stand for Online?
SEO stands for search engine optimisation and is a lot more than rankings and keyphrases.
Looking for more SEO tips? Let us know your questions in the comments below.