No problem sir!
Posts made by PatrickDelehanty
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RE: Not Adding Fresh Content Daily Did Got Me Penalized?
Hi there
Just a quick side note - the post Andy is referencing above is located here.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Queries vs. Organic Keywords in GA
Hi there
According to Access Search Console data in Google Analytics:
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Some tools define "keywords" differently. For example:
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The Keywords page in Search Console displays the most significant words Google found on your site.
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The Keywords tool in Google Adwords displays the total number of user queries for that keyword across the web.
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Analytics uses the term "keywords" to describe both search engine queries and AdWords paid keywords.
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The Search Console Search Queries page lists shows the total number of keyword search queries in which your page's listing was seen in search results, and this is a smaller number.
There's a section called **Why doesn't Search Console data match Google Analytics data? **- read through it and see if you have anymore questions!
Keep in mind, Google Search Console only passes along data to Analytics in rounded increments of 5, 10, 100, 1000.
For instance, one of my clients has a branded term in Search Console for March 2015. I checked the same one in GA:
Search Console - 15,167 impressions
GA - 15,000 impressionsFor another term:
Search Console - 1 impression
GA - 5 impressionsIf it's not zero, but less than 5, it's 5.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Index problems
Hi Gianluca
My apologies here. I can see where my answer lacked when failing to bring up there not being a hreflang tag for the /nl/. My suggestion was to review the hreflang tag resources given, but I failed to mention that putting that hreflang tag in place would be a help to the site.
I understand my error, I appreciate you bringing it up and calling me on it. It won't happen again. Not taken personally at all - I appreciate you doing so, it helps me be more clear moving forward.
Patrick
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RE: Odd 404 pages
Hi there
I would check and see if this resource link needs to be updated, and if you still use it, update it in your template.
If it's no longer useful or available, remove it.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Multiple Blog Postings
Hi there
There's really no yes or no answer to this. It really depends on your audience, how much content they consume, and also how often you think you can write without repeating or creating duplicate content.
If you feel you can write a quality blog post everyday that will help your users in an entertaining and informative way without burning yourself (but mostly them) out, then I say go for it.
To me, it doesn't sound very necessary unless you have a huge site with a huge audience that spans multiple facets of your industry, but I don't know, only you know that.
I would focus more heavily on writing unique content that has a clear goal in mind for the user. I would distribute that content more meaningful ways that actually reaches your target audience and they can see it when they need to.
If you can nail the steps above down, then creating THAT much content isn't necessary, because the pieces you ARE creating are thought out and have a clear agenda and are easily measurable.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: How to interlink 16 different language versions of site?
Hi there
The most natural way I can think to do this from a linking perspective - I would have a URL that is the "main" URL of the website. I would have on this page a way for users to select their country or language for the most optimal experience.
Otherwise, I would read the following:
International SEO (Moz)
The International SEO Checklist (Moz)You should read these anyway. The resources above will tell you how to properly tag your websites for regional targeting, and also how to let Google know in WMT which regions should see what version of your site.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Index problems
Hi there
First, I would make sure that you review international SEO resources and that you have everything tagged properly. Your /fr/ site is being indexed, and your .com has a hreflang tag pointing to the /fr/ page.
I would review your hreflang tags, canonical tags, and your geo-targeting in Search Console for all of your sites. Make sure that all of that is spot on and resubmit your sitemaps to Google.
Hope this helps - good luck!
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RE: Google Indexing of Site Map
Hi there
Did you read through Google's indexing resources?
I would also try doing a quick "site:yourdomain.com" and see how many pages Google pulls up - that's a more accurate representation of what's indexed from your site. This is reflected in the resource above:
"Sometimes the data we show in Index Status is not fully reflected in Google Search results." I suggest reading through the resource and also performing that search. Google indexing your sitemap is a waiting game, you're on the watch, just be patient!
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Using on two pages a keyword in alternative language in the title
Hi there
Ideally, if you're trying to capture regional or international traffic, you would have different directories or ccTLDs dedicated to targeted content for specific audiences in different countries.
You can learn about how to do so here:
International SEO (Moz)
The International SEO Checklist (Moz)By following the resources above, you can target your site and content more specifically which would see you having much better chances of success in international visibility.
To me, it just creates a confusing user experience (most important) and can also confuse crawlers, decreasing your chances of visibility, especially if it's not targeted. It could potentially be viewed as spammy as well, since the site is in English, and you're trying to capitalize on foreign traffic. Review the resources above and those will help guide you.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Where do we focus from an SEO perspective?
Hi there
I answered a similar question recently in another Q+A thread - you can read that here.
But, if that's not possible for knowledge or resource reasons, some of the above will require a professional and technical expertise. I highly suggest you take advantage of the Recommended Companies from Moz - there are a TON of experts there that can help you take care of these issues if you're not equipped to do so yourself.
If you are interested in learning some tactics yourself, Moz has a great learning section to read through - it will help you immensely going forward.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Is there some reputed company/person which can fix the SEO issues for me?
Hi there
Based on your report, here's where I would focus:
Duplicate content (Moz)
Fixing your crawl errors (Moz)
Meta descriptions (Moz)
Title tags (Moz)
Redirects (Moz)
Also - line your organic GA traffic up against Google's algorithm history (Moz)I would review this and discuss with your web development team.
If that's not possible, some of the above will require a professional and technical expertise. I highly suggest you take advantage of the Recommended Companies from Moz - there are a TON of experts there that can help you take care of these issues if you're not equipped to do so yourself.
Hope this helps!
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RE: Blogging on multiple domains
Hi there
I would check out the following resources:
International SEO (Moz)
The International SEO Checklist (Moz)...for reasons of proper tagging and targeting.
I would also heavily consider your audience. What I mean by that is users have different intentions when searching for the same products, and that tends to extrapolate when you add a regional element to it. I might not find the same content as someone in the UK or South Africa beneficial, and vice versa. You have to be mindful of how your audience is different in different regions, so make sure that the content, if not anywhere else then make it the blog, is targeted and unique to the regions it's supposed to be reaching.
If you're an eCommerce site, I highly suggest this resource from InFlow.
That would be my main focus - develop content for specific regions so they feel like it speaks to them. If you have three sites, keep the branding consistent, tag them properly, but give a personalized regional experience to each.
Hope this helps - good luck!
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RE: Internal Links Catalog (too many links)
Hi there
As long as your internal link structure is natural and your information architecture is natural, I wouldn't be too concerned. From the sound of things, all of these links fall into relevant categories for their respective brands and models.
One thing I would be on the look out though, depending on how your URL structure is set up, are potential duplicate content issues. I would run through that resource with your web development team and try to tackle any of those you see, if they exist.
Google can pass equity through PDFs, but I would be careful, because at the end of the day, just make sure your user experience is the best it could possibly be for your audience. If you want to learn more about optimizing PDFs, check out this resource from Search Engine Journal.
Lastly, I would run a comb through your on-site SEO - your title tags could use some work and you could also optimize your eCommerce experience as well. InFlow has a lot of great resources for this sort of thing if you want some reading and ideas.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Direct from one website toanother but different domain name
Hi there
I wanted to put a couple of resources here that can help to add to Everett's already great answer.
Check out these:
Should I Rebrand and Redirect My Site? Should I Consolidate Multiple Sites/Brands? (Moz) Web Site Migration Guide - Tips For SEOs (Moz)Hope these help answer your questions! Good luck!
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RE: I just took over a site with 100k visits per month, where do I start?
Hi there
I would start with:
- Running an audit
- Run a technical site audit
- Check traffic against Google's algorithms
- Running a backlink audit
- Running a content audit
- Check ranking history over time
- Run a competitor analysis
From there, you should be able to prioritize your work pretty easily and see where the easiest wins are. You'll also begin to see the landscape from the content standpoint and be able to help out in developing an editorial calendar as well.
You should also check out Moz's blog for some great categorized content that can help immensely. I would also make sure you get a routine going from a weekly, monthly, quarterly, 6 month, and yearly standpoint so you have a system in place.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Site Merge Strategy: Choosing Target Pages for 301 Redirects
Hi there
I would check out Moz's migration resource as it has a lot of great tips for you to consider and check off.
I would also check out Google's Move your site resource, as they have best practices for you to follow as well.
Lastly, I would check out Rand's Whiteboard Friday regarding this topic called Should I Rebrand and Redirect My Site? Should I Consolidate Multiple Sites/Brands?
Whatever you do, focus on the user and what would work best for them. SEO and appeasing the search engines is super important as well, but if you figure out what works best for your audience and their experience on your website, then the search engines are usually cool with what you do, as long as your actions fall within their best practices in the resources above. Usually redirecting pages to their most relevant new page is the best way to go.
I would also make sure you conduct a proper backlink audit and figured out if there are any backlinks to update, remove, or disavow.
Hope this all helps! Good luck!
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RE: Local Listings - where to manage?
Hi there
I would check out this resource from Moz Local to get a better understanding of where Moz sends your information.
From the looks of things, yes, Moz would send this information to Yelp and Trip Advisor.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: SameAs Markup for Google Knowledge Graph
Hi there
I think it can help indirectly. Especially as Google associates your brand and website to particular topics (if you are optimizing properly and writing great content). If you are killing it from a topic association level, I can see having "SameAs" markup possibly benefiting your brand on a non-branded level as those topics are associated with your site and Google (and other search engines) notice those SameAs connections to your other platforms or areas, and possibly return your site or other channels in non-branded search.
That's my take. Excited to see what everyone else says - great question! Good luck!
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RE: How to track in Google Analytics 2 different subdomains (one for website, the other for PPC landing pages)
Hi there
Google has resources on this - check out Tracking Multiple Domains - Web Tracking (ga.js).
Also, Moz has a great resource called How to Quickly (and Correctly) Track Google Analytics Across Multiple Domains.
Hope these help! Good luck!
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RE: Is this Link Black Hat SEO Cloaking or is it OK?
Hi Gary
No problem, I am happy to help where I can!
Another thing - "The apparent value that I am told it does is it gets the site indexed quickly. I am using another partner who is implementing this program for me. They assure me that it is legal and valuable." Pew.
Trust your gut, man. If you're just starting out and you're seeing stuff that doesn't feel right, that's great intuition to have and will get you far in helping your clients out. Sadly, a LOT of people in this industry take the other road and get a lot of people/companies burned in the process.
You're going to do great, just keep following your instincts and learning as much as you can!
Now go school those other guys
Good luck!
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RE: Is this Link Black Hat SEO Cloaking or is it OK?
Hi there
One thing to note:
"I want to do my business above board and this doesn't feel right."
If it doesn't feel right, it's not right, especially in SEO. That's just something to live your life by - if it doesn't feel right, don't do it.
If it were me, I would change this. Not only does this not add any value whatsoever, but I would consider this a form of cloaking, even if it is relatively the same content. To be sure, I would use the Fetch as Google tool to make sure. But even then, lose it and create a good user experience by not having that.
I just would get rid of it, and play safe with good content on your homepage.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Seo for international sites
Hi there
I recommend you run through the following:
International SEO (Moz)
The International SEO Checklist (Moz)I also recommend reading up on Google's International resources - ALL of this will help you get started from a Google standpoint.
Bing also has ways to geo-target your website and target languages.
All of the above will help you immensely, I recommend reading all of it!
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Moz Local - City Search
Hi there
Moz pushes your information to Infogroup, who sends information to Citysearch. You can see that information here.
When did you send your information to Moz Local? If it was recent, it may not have updated, but if it's been a long time, you may have not updated your information in Moz Local. Try doing that, and it should update.
Hope this helps - otherwise a Moz Staffer will be by soon I'm sure! Good luck!
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RE: Value of internal links like this
Hi there
Based on your Home > Category > Product Page layout above, yes, this is logical. I would also make sure that your URL structure follows this as well. Also, make sure your sitemap is up to date and submitted to Search Console and Bing.
I would also look into breadcrumbs as they help structure your site and can help users understand where in the website they are.
Hope this helps - good luck!
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RE: Duplicate content, the distrubutors are copying the content of the manufacturer
Hi there
You can do one of two things - either have them put a canonical tag on their page to your original content page, or have a link to your original content as the original source. I'd prefer the first option, or both.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Unfamiliar Meta Description Tags
Hi there
I would search the page in Google and see if the meta description is reflection. I would also make sure that ScreamingFrog is seeing those as well.
I have had clients that used this and it worked, so I wouldn't be too concerned. But I would definitely search and see if it appears. If it doesn't, I would go with the standard method of implementation.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Blog.website.com or website.com/blog
^ Linda nailed it here. I highly recommend you check out that Whiteboard Friday as it gives a lot of great pointers and tips when it comes to this issue. Good stuff in there.
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RE: Migration to https
Hi there
Along with the great points above, I would check your internal links, as well as your sitemap, to make sure URLs now reflect the https:// structure. Don't worry about updating your external backlinks.
If you have any major structure or URL structure changes, I recommend reading this migration guide.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Can someone help me understand why this page is ranking so well?
Google has the ability to change title tags, and does so often. Again, this is just the way it is.
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RE: Can someone help me understand why this page is ranking so well?
^ Answer, in the simplest form.
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RE: Can someone help me understand why this page is ranking so well?
^ Echoing EGOL, here.
You put the link in. Legal Zoom is a HUGE company that has great metrics. Anything that lives off the domain (legalzoom.com) is going to rank pretty well for industry topics. The site is respected and trusted, and search engines know the brand.
That's your answer. I would focus on making your site the best it possibly can be for your audience's intent and see what other opportunities you have.
I would focus on building your brand and engagement with your audience. Let Legal Zoom rank for what it is, that's just the name of the game.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Can someone help me understand why this page is ranking so well?
Hi there
It would honestly help a lot more if you linked the page you are talking about. It will help the community better help you!
Let us know - thanks!
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RE: Schema Markup Errors - Priority or Not?
Hi there
Yes, I would consider this a priority as you want to have the most upto date and relevant markup on your site, so that crawlers can better understand your important information and attribute the right properties to your site/content.
I would also focus on Schema, as it's recognized by major search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex, so you are pleasing multiple crawlers at once. Pages that have this markup also tend to rank four positions higher than pages without. So it is definitely worth the investment of time.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: How long until an address changes after verification on Google My Business?
Hi there
According to Google:
We'll send a postcard with a verification code to the business address you provided. Make sure your address complies with our address entry guidelines.
Computer
If you're returning to verify after creating your page, visit Google My Business, choose the business you'd like to verify, and click Verify now.
- On the postcard request screen, make sure your address is displayed accurately. You can also add an Optional contact name to help your postcard reach you.
- _Click Send postcard. _
- _Check the mail for your postcard--it should arrive in one to two weeks. _
- When you receive your postcard, enter your verification code into your dashboard.
This article can help with missing or lost verification codes.
Does the PIN happen to be out of date or expired? You can contact Google either via phone, chat, or email (upper right hand corner).
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: When Content creation isn't an option...
^ This! Great stuff Linda, as always!
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RE: Can I leave off HTTP/HTTPS in a canonical tag?
Hi again
To be clear, I think this would populate http://www.domain.com//www.domain.com as the where the canonical should be attributed to.
Hope this makes a bite more sense. Good luck!
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RE: Can I leave off HTTP/HTTPS in a canonical tag?
Hi there
According to Google...
Avoid errors**:** use absolute paths rather than relative paths with the
rel="canonical"
link element. However, they then say (under "Prefer HTTPS over HTTP for canonical URLs)...
Google prefers HTTPS pages over equivalent HTTP pages as canonical, except when there are conflicting signals such as the following:
- The HTTPS page has an invalid SSL certificate.
- The HTTPS page contains insecure dependencies.
- The HTTPS page is roboted (and the HTTP page is not).
- The HTTPS page redirects users to or through an HTTP page.
- The HTTPS page has a
rel="canonical"
link to the HTTP page. - The HTTPS page contains a
noindex
robots meta tag
Although our systems prefer HTTPS pages over HTTP pages by default, you can ensure this behavior by taking any of the following actions:
- Add 301 or 302 redirects from the HTTP page to the HTTPS page.
- Add a
rel="canonical"
link from the HTTP page to the HTTPS page. - Implement HSTS.
To prevent Google from incorrectly making the HTTP page canonical, you should avoid the following practices:
- Bad SSL certificates and HTTPS-to-HTTP redirects cause us to prefer HTTP very strongly. Implementing HSTS cannot override this strong preference.
- Including the HTTP page in your sitemap or hreflang entries rather than the HTTPS version.
- Implementing your SSL/TLS certificafe for the wrong host-variant: for example, example.com serving the certificate for www.example.com. The certificate must match your complete site URL, or be a wildcard certificate that can be used for multiple subdomains on a domain.
Since I don't know how your SSL is configured, I can't tell you one way or another, but if you have a https version of your pages, then head that direction. Having a relative protocol won't seem to work here for what you're asking.
Read the above and let me know if that helps! Good luck!
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RE: Can I leave off HTTP/HTTPS in a canonical tag?
Hi there
According to Google, they want you to either use relative URLs or use absolute URLs. You can read more here.
I recommend reading this so you can see the types of common mistakes they find and how to resolve those.
Good luck!
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RE: To redirect or not to redirect, that is the question
Hi there
Based on your research, if you feel it's better to repurpose than to redirect, then go for it! Especially if you feel the content does have value and it's merely some on-site optimization and making sure your content / goals / on-site factors align with your audience goals.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: To redirect or not to redirect, that is the question
Hi there
I would first run a content audit to see if pages are worth keeping, updating, consolidating, or eliminating.
From there, I would check out this migration resource from Moz to make sure you properly move your website.
Also, take a Google's move your site resource.
All of the above will take some research and conversations, so make sure that you take an inventory, vet it, and know what to do with that content once you do your research.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Local SEO for National Brands
Hi there
I would check out Moz's post Local Landing Pages: A Guide To Great Implementation In Every Situation, particularly in the section National company desiring a local presence.
I would also take a look at Google's Service area maps resource.
Hope this all helps! Good luck!
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RE: Redirect social media links to https?
Hi there
Just a quick update here from Google. I recommend reading!
Hope this helps more - good luck!
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RE: When Content creation isn't an option...
Hi there
No content creation or link building at all? Do they want to do any brand building or community nurturing? What's their social like?
I would be interested to hear some ideas from the group here. If you are SEO and limited in what you are able to do, at that point I would say, check the following:
- Crawl issues
- PageSpeed
- Metas & tagging
- Backlink audit
- Internal & external link checks
- Search Console issues
- Mobility issues
- Authority metrics
I would just keep tabs and make sure that nothing falls apart - if you're limited to that, you're limited to that. But I would also make sure, to get buy in, that you provide them benchmarks and information about how if they DID create content and did natural link building, that their SEO efforts would be so much more fruitful. Like a chat to show "If we did do content creation and proper distribution for ________ keywords/queries" and "If we did not do content creation and proper distribution for ________ keywords/queries".
Usually showing competitive analysis in that case and their performance will help sell the idea quicker.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: I have a recipe food blog and use wordpress, but my recipes are usually in more than one category...?
Hi there
I would noindex your category pages and also canonicalize all tags or category post variation URLs to the proper post URL. From there, I would run through this resource from Moz on WP optimization.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Do sites with more pages rank better?
Hi there
I would focus on your competitive landscape and the size of their sites/content landscape (and if they are missing any opportunities). You know your audience and industry better than anyone, so the amount and quality (MOST important) is completely up to you and the demand for it.
A SearchMetrics Ranking Study for 2014 says longer content and more content ranks higher, but I have to stress that this is NOT universal or telling that your site will rank higher if it has those two things. So take those studies at face value - you need to test assumptions or hypothesis.
I would research your industry and make sure that you are building content for relevant searches and user goals. If you can align that up with your business goals, you should know the exact amount of content to write - there is no right or wrong answer to your question - completely depends on the industry and searches.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Redirect social media links to https?
Hi there
These are fine - Google claims to not crawl these and even then, Google doesn't devalue redirects any more or less than a link (but it can overtime or if there are multiple), so one from on site won't hurt you.
I would be more concerned about updating backlinks from other relevant sites and making sure your internal links / sitemap.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: OSE Getting Less Accurate
Hi there
First, always check Moz's health section to see if there are any issues that may be giving you odd information.
Second, I would go through a few backlink sources to get more data than just Search Console:
Majestic
OSE
Ahrefs
KerbooAll of the above can help you get more data sets and score your profile. I would check all of your backlinks and see if there are any you can remove or even disavow. I would make sure you vet links by asking the following questions:
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Does this link help my website?
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Does it send quality traffic?
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Is this link relevant to my website?
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Would I trust this site (that's linking to me) if I landed on it?
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Is the website or content in which I am being linked from topically relevant to my website?
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If you check metrics - does anything about the metrics (domain authority, page authority,Majestic, SEMRush traffic/ranking data, etc) make me feel uneasy?
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Are the links from directory templates? (example)
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Inspect URLs with blatant spam words
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Free
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Porn
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XXX
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Submit
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Directory
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Paid
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Links
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URL
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Sex
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etc.
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Check for multiple domains and URLs on the same IPs
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This can usually show link farms or spam
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Don't be quick to discount nofollow links - nofollow's do provide value, so as long as they pass your sniff test, don't remove them simply because of this tag
It sounds like there could potentially be issues with your backlink profiles, so I would give those a run through and see if there are any issues that arise. I also noticed that your top linking website is a redirect from legendzelda.net - so, you're inheriting all of their backlinks as well - I would make sure you run through those as well as you are potentially taking on their issues.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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RE: Should I disallow all URL query strings/parameters in Robots.txt?
Hi there
I recently answered a question in a similar question in the Q+A that references resources that can help you help Google understand these parameters and categorize them. You can read that here.
That being said, blocking these parameters in your robots.txt will not affect your rankings, especially if those parameter or query strings are properly canonicalized to the proper product page.
That being said, I would make sure you understand the resources above and the options, as you understand your users and website better than anyone - test on a few pages to see what happens and go from there.
Hope this helps! Good luck!