Big Data, Big Problems: 4 Major Link Indexes Compared
Size isn't all that matters when it comes to measuring links, how proportional the whole link graph is to Google's is essential. So, how good is your data?
Search Engines
Understanding how search engines work, Google in particular, is important when working in SEO. The basics of crawling and indexing are amazingly useful to understand if you want to rank your own content.
Additionally, Google updates its algorithm several times a year. Understanding the more significant updates, and how they work, can help you to craft content and SEO strategies that are up-to-date.
We've written extensively about how search engines work, and included some of the top resources here. You can also browse the latest posts on search engines from the Moz blog below.
How Search Engines Work : New to SEO? Start with the basics of how search engines operate with our free beginner's guide.
Search Engine Ranking and Visibility : Learn the fundamentals of how search engines rank content on search engine result pages.
Google Algorithm Update History : A complete history of Google algorithm updates since 2000. This includes important links and references for understanding how Google works.
How Search Engines Value Links : Search engines work off a number of signals, but two of the most important are content and links. In this video, Rand Fishkin explains the basics of link evaluation.
MozCast : Is Google updating it's algorithm as we speak? MozCast is the Google algorithm weather report, so you can see how much Google results are changing each day.
Most Recent Articles on Search Engines
How Google May Use Searcher, Usage, & Clickstream Behavior to Impact Rankings
The amount of data Google has about our habits on the web is absolutely astounding. In today's Whiteboard Friday, Rand explores the implications of a recent patent, offering views into how they might be using that data.
The Colossus Update: Waking The Giant
June 16, 2015 marked one of the hottest days on MozCast. Was this a change in Google's HTTPS algorithm, or the aftershock of waking the Wikipedia giant?
Can You Rank in Google Without Links? New Data Says Slim Chance
For years, we've heard the drumbeat that marketers should stop focusing on links. While it's certainly true that marketers should avoid manipulative link building, the popular narrative would have us believe that external links aren't important in Google's ranking algorithms, and that link building can be safely ignored. Is there any truth to this? Does data support the notion that you can successfully rank in Google search results without links?
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Deconstructing the App Store Rankings Formula with a Little Mad Science
This deep-dive look at the Apple App Store and Google Play highlights some interesting nuggets any app developer would find useful, in particular the information surrounding rankings.
How to Use Server Log Analysis for Technical SEO
Your server log files, though they may seem bland, contain a wealth of information that you can use in your SEO work. In today's post, Samuel Scott shows you how to find it and take full advantage.
Has Google Gone Too Far with the Bias Toward Its Own Content?
Has Google crossed the line from playing favorites to being downright deceitful? The way the search giant is handling some images in the Knowledge Graph certainly makes it a fair question.
Search Trends: Are Compound Queries the Start of the Shift to Data-Driven Search?
We increasingly use apps, wearables, smart assistants, smart watches and smart TVs for searches, and none of these are returning the 10 blue links of days gone by. These technologies and trends are intersecting and converging, giving rise to a new paradigm of search: Data-Driven Search.
7 Days After Mobilegeddon: How Far Did the Sky Fall?
After the dreaded Mobilegeddon update from Google, what terrors have befallen the SERPs? Dr. Pete will regularly update this post with the latest from the Mobile Mozcast.
How Google's Evolution is Forcing Marketers to Invest in Loyal Audiences
As Google changes the SERPs, building a loyal audience is more important than ever. Learn effective tactics to create relationships and trust before you focus on SEO.
The Incredible Shrinking SERP - 2015 Edition
First, there were 10 results, then sometimes 7, and now as few as 4. In the past year, Google has changed the page-1 landscape entirely, and we barely noticed.
9 Things You Need to Know About Google's Mobile-Friendly Update
My colleague Emily Grossman and I wanted to cut through the noise and bring online marketers a clearer picture of what's in store later this month. In this post, you'll find our answers to nine key questions about the update.
Music SEO - 7 Lessons in Brand Optimization for 2015
For B2B or ecommerce, people often discover your brand with commercial queries like "dining room lamps" or an informational search like "how to fix a dishwasher". Then they look around your site, your social profiles, get retargeted—before ever making a purchase—but in many cases that journey started with an non-branded organic search.
How Google Pulls Structured Snippets from Websites' Tables
There are many pages on the Web that are filled with data in the form of tables, and Google is including some of that tablular data in search results in places that may surprise you. Here's how it works, and how you can take advantage.