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Earlier this month, we launched our annual State of Link Building Survey, which aims to give the SEO industry insights into the way link building is currently being done, how it’s measured and perceived, and the future of link building. This year, we asked a bunch of additional questions related to the content-led link building process, one of which asked respondents to tell us which steps of the process they found most challenging. Here are the results: Today, we’re going to talk through each step of this process and look at ways to make them less challenging, thus leading to more successful results. 1. Getting links from outreach targets I wasn’t too…

We're thrilled to welcome Joy Hawkins back to the MozCon Virtual stage! Local SEOs know Joy as a GMB expert, and for her work leading Local Search Forum, Local U, and the amazing team at Sterling Sky. Ahead of the show, we talked with Joy about her research into Google Posts, what she loves most about her work in local SEO, and what she’s looking forward to at MozCon Virtual 2021. Check out the interview below! And don’t forget to grab your ticket to see Joy and our other incredible speakers at this year’s MozCon! Secure Your Seat Question: 2020 was quite a year, how did the Sterling Sky team adjust? What were some of your favorite projects? Joy: W…

As we anxiously await the return to in-person conferences, with a little ingenuity and virtual elbow grease, we can still forge new professional relationships over an internet connection rather than a ****tail. Read on for tips on how to bring your best self to digital events, and for networking while remote! Speaking of online conferences, don’t forget to snag your ticket to MozCon Virtual 2021! Secure Your Seat 1. Set your intention To get the most out of your online event, you need to go in with an intention. That way you’ll be more likely to gain something from the experience. Ask yourself, what are you hoping to achieve? Some examples could be: …

Google Analytics is a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes. When used properly, it generates important information that can help to make valuable business decisions in online marketing or SEO efforts. In this week’s Whiteboard Friday, guest host Alex Ratynski goes through five important steps that local businesses can take to configure Google Analytics efficiently. Check it out below! Click on the whiteboard image above to open a larger version in a new tab! Video Transcription Hey, Mozzers. My name is Alex, and I'm the founder of Ratynski Digital. We are a local SEO consultancy for small and medium-size businesses. Today what I want to talk a…

Fixing broken links has long stood as an SEO best practice. But if you've run into situations where you've fixed a broken link and nothing happened, you’re not alone. In today’s episode of Whiteboard Friday, SEO expert Cyrus Shepard discusses whether these fixes still matter, and takes you through steps to increase your chances of seeing the benefits. For more link building tips, be sure to check out our recent update to The Beginner’s Guide to Link Building: Read the Guide! Click on the whiteboard image above to open a larger version in a new tab! Video Transcription Howdy, Moz fans. Welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. I'm Cyrus Sh…

Exciting news, Moz fans! We are thrilled to announce that Moz has been acquired by iContact Marketing Corp! Our readers know how critical SEO work is when it comes to the success of marketing strategies, and as an industry leader, Moz was the natural choice for iContact's expansion into the SEO space. If you’re not familiar with them, iContact and its sibling brands —Campaigner,SMTP, andKickbox — together operate as a subsidiary of J2 Global (NASDAQ: JCOM). They help small and mid-sized businesses reach and retain loyal customers with advanced email marketing automation tools. As part of the iContact family, Moz will be even better equipped to assist our subscribers wi…

Wir sind stolz darauf, die erste öffentliche Beta-Version der WoltLab Suite 5.4 anzukündigen. Aufbauend auf dem Erfolg der Version 5.3 haben wir viele durchdachte Verbesserungen und nützliche neue Funktionen einfließen lassen, um auch weiterhin die bestmögliche Lösung für Ihre Community zu bieten. Systemvoraussetzungen Für die Installation und Nutzung von WoltLab Suite 5.4 müssen die folgenden Voraussetzungen erfüllt sein: Webserver mit PHP 7.2.24 (PHP 7.4/8.0 empfohlen) MySQL 5.7.31 oder neuer / MySQL 8.0.19 oder neuer / MariaDB 10.1.44 oder neuer Aktueller Webbrowser (Chrome 91+, Firefox 89+, Safari 14+, Microsoft Edge 91+) Installationsanleitung La…

We are proud to announce the first public beta of WoltLab Suite 5.4. Continuing the successful version 5.3 and featuring many sophisticated improvements and useful new features, this version once again delivers the best possible experience for your community. System Requirements WoltLab Suite 5.4 requires the following prerequisites to install and run the software: Webserver with PHP 7.2.24 or newer (PHP 7.4/8.0 recommended) MySQL 5.7.31 or newer / MySQL 8.0.19 or newer / MariaDB 10.1.44 or newer Current Webbrowser (Chrome 91+, Firefox 89+, Safari 14+, Microsoft Edge 91+) Installation Guide Download the installation archive onto your computer. Extrac…

Over the past ten years, XenForo has grown its market share consistently, helping all-new communities to spring forth and giving those previously running on other software platforms the opportunity to migrate and take advantage of the stability and rich functionality offered by our platform. But there has always been a barrier to entry. Prospective community managers had to organise their own web hosting, manage the download and installation of the XenForo software and supervise any... Read more Continue reading...

Hey folks, this is Russ Jones, Adjunct Search Scientist here at Moz and Principal Search Scientist at System1. I want to talk today about a long-standing theory in search engine optimization, which generally goes like this: reviewers, aggregators, and non-manufacturing retailers will, over time, push makers and manufacturers out of the SERPs. The recent Google Product Reviews Update is just one further step down this long path leading away from makers and manufacturers. Let’s dive in. Who’s who? Before we get started, we need at least a few definitions. What is the difference between a reviewer, aggregator, distributor, non-manufacturing retailer, and a “maker”? …

Image credit: Yoshihide Nomura If you’ve ever had the privilege of being present for a baby’s first joyful encounter with a household pet, you’ll have noticed the profound wonder and excitement of the little one’s reaction. Once upon a time, that was each of us beaming and bouncing up and down with the thrill of meeting our first dog or cat. Don’t lose that joy — be like these Canadian women watching whales from their garden: From our earliest days, most of us have simply loved animals. We fill children’s books with tales of them and choose them as life companions. In many cultures, animals are sources of sacred power, and in all parts of the world, wildlife is…

Well, friends, what a journey we've been on since we started work on Invision Community 4.6.0. With 11 developers accumulating 934 commits over 3,157 files changing 120,281 lines of code, we're ready to show it to the world. Along with over 260 bug fixes, this new release contains some great new functionality. Let's take a look at what's new. Achievements Achievements, badges, ranks, rules, gamification, whatever you want to call it, this is the most significant feature for Invision Community 4.6.0. This brings a whole new level of earning and showing trust to other members while gently nudging more quality contributions to your community. Zapier integr…

The next XenForo Insights episode, on the subject of Communicating with your users, will be live at 9am Central | 3pm UK | 1400 UTC on Thursday, June 24th 2021 via Zoom. Please do come and join us live on Thursday 24th... Read more Continue reading...

Whether you recognize his iconic tweets or have read one of his content exposés on some of the world’s most powerful brands, Ross Simmonds has certainly made a name for himself in the content world. Through his experience working with clients both large and small, Ross has discovered the perfect recipe for developing and distributing content that will drive real results, and he’s ready to share it with our MozCon audience! We're absolutely thrilled to welcome him back to the MozCon stage, and we connected with him ahead of the show to discuss how he broke into the industry, his content philosophy, and what he’s looking forward to at MozCon 2021. Question: You’ve…

If you’re currently working to make your website accessible to all users, you’ve probably already heard about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This piece of US federal legislation was passed to prevent discrimination against disabled individuals, either by government agencies or private companies. Even though the ADA was created before most organizations had an online presence, recent legal precedent shows that the act applies to the accessibility of websites and mobile apps just as much as it does to physical locations, such as stores, restaurants, and movie theaters. The ADA itself doesn’t set out any specific criteria for web and mobile accessibility. I…

As SEOs, our goal when we're creating content is to provide equitable access, which means that content isn’t just available to search engines, but also to people of all abilities. In the second installment of his three-part accessibility series, Cooper shows you how to ensure that your amazing content is accessible by bots AND people. Click on the whiteboard image above to open a high resolution version in a new tab! Video Transcription Hey, Moz fans. Welcome to the latest edition of Whiteboard Friday. I'm Cooper Hollmaier. I started doing SEO in 2016, and today I worked at a large outdoor specialty retailer helping make our strategies for technical S…

There's plenty of room for paid tools in the SEO space — Moz is a prime example — but if you’re just getting started or lack the budget necessary for fancy tools, there are still many resources available. In this piece, we’re going to cover five of our favorite FREE Google tools, and how they can help you step up your SEO game. 1. Google Trends Google Trends is used to track the “trends” around search queries. This makes it a great tool for keyword research. Finding new keywords When you go to Google Trends, you’ll see a search bar where you can input a broad topic or specific search query. Upon entering your query, you’ll be presented with a trend char…

It doesn’t take a pro to do SEO. But hiring one can certainly help. For business owners who are ready to take their SEO efforts up a notch, it may be time to move beyond the DIY approach and onboard an SEO provider that can get the job done. But the question is: How do you find and hire the right SEO company that can generate real, tangible results for your business? Here are our top tips for smart SEO hiring — from weighing the pros and cons of outsourcing to knowing what questions to ask during the hiring process. Benefits of hiring an SEO company While there are countless resources online to help you implement SEO on your own, there are also many pe…

This year's MozCon Virtual is right around the corner, and we couldn't be more excited! If you've never considered it before, it's high time you became acquainted with the idea of a "couchference" — a full-fledged conference held from the comfort of your home office space, real office space, or even your sofa. On July 12th, 13th, and 14th, join Ringmaster Roger under the MozCon big top for insights and tactical presentations from industry leaders, plus the opportunity to connect and network with fellow attendees! Tickets are just $129 for Moz subscribers until May 31, including access to the professionally produced video bundle (a $350 value!), providing incredible …

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series on SEO and accessibility. In the final installment, Cooper shows you how the technical SEO strategies you implement across your site can help make it more perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Click on the whiteboard image above to open a larger version in a new tab! Video Transcription Hey, Moz fans. Welcome to the latest edition of Whiteboard Friday. I'm Cooper Hollmaier. I've been doing SEO since 2016, and today I work for a large outdoor retailer helping our technical SEO strategy come to life. Thank you so much for attending this series on SEO and accessibility. I hope that you've gained a broad pe…