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Aug '20

7 Appealing Design Elements of the Best Veterinary Websites

As a veterinarian, your job is to help animals. But how can you help any animals if their owners can’t find you? If you seem to have few patients walk through your doors, the problem may be with your website. A lot of veterinarians overlook the importance of an attractive and functional website. But in the digital age, your online presence can make or break your business. That’s because an astounding 97% of consumers use the internet to research local businesses and services – this includes veterinary offices.

It may seem counterintuitive but in order to help as many animals as you can, you need to focus on digital marketing – namely, your website design. Your website should be inviting, easy to navigate, and have all the information your patients (and potential patients) may need to make their animals well and keep them healthy.

In the following guide, we will be going over the most important design elements that veterinary websites absolutely need to utilize.

1) Pet Insurance

A growing number of Americans are investing in pet insurance. With nearly 70 billion dollars being spent on pet medical bills in the United States annually, pet owners and employers are wising up. More and more companies are offering pet insurance to employees as part of their benefits packages. So what does this have to do with your website? When a pet owner visits your site, they should be able to find out whether you accept their pet insurance. Be sure to have a page or section of your website that lists all the pet insurance plans you accept.

2) Practice Photos

We all love our pets. And as pet owners, we need to feel comfortable with the veterinarians we bring our furry friends to because they can’t speak or choose for themselves. Some high-quality photos of yourself with some animals you have treated, happy patients, and your smiling staff will go a long way in instilling trust in potential patients.

3) Exceptional User Experience

While this design element isn’t exclusive to veterinary websites, it is still very important. The fact is that every website, including yours, needs to be responsive. It has to load fast, be easily navigable, and be accessible across all platforms. Invest in a UX designer to help you with your site. Things like first contentful paint, mobile device access (being able to easily navigate your website from a smartphone or tablet), and flat architectural site design are some points of emphasis you should discuss with your UX designer.

4) Essential Pages

There are a few pages that every veterinarian should have on their website: an about page, a contact page, and a services page. The about page should be written to convey what it is that makes you stand out among other vets in the areas. This is a good opportunity to list your credentials, certifications, education, and areas of expertise and to tell patients about your bond with animals. The contact page should have all the necessary info like office hours, email address, phone number, physical address, and any other contact information. The contact page should have links that enable a visitor to send an email or make a phone call with a single click (if they are on a mobile device). You may also want to install a message reception system where people can simply type in a message right on your website without having to send an email. And your services page should provide a clear list of all the medical services you provide (check-ups, x-rays, vaccination shots, emergency care, etc.).

5) A Blog

One interesting phenomenon that is occurring among pet owners is that more and more, they are turning to the internet for help concerning their pets. In a recent study, it was revealed that 70% of participants (pet owners) have used the internet to research information about pet health. In fact, many pet owners take to the internet first before they consult vets, general practitioners, or even friends and family. So in order to capitalize on this trend, you may want to start a blog that focuses on pet health topics. This will draw a ton of traffic to your site form concerned pet owners seeking your specialized knowledge.

6) Local SEO

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is a method of getting your website noticed and ranked on internet searches. But as a veterinarian, you are probably focusing on your local market. So your website should emphasize local SEO. Localized keywords (a good example would be something like “veterinarians near me”) are a good place to start. But schema markup, geo-location functions, and review management are also helpful local SEO tools that will bolster your click-through traffic.

7) Patient Reviews

While your business should be claimed on all relevant third-party review websites like Yelp and Google My Business, you should incorporate patient testimonials on your own website as well. Patient testimonials go a long way toward instilling trust in the minds of potential patients. In fact, 84% of people surveyed in a poll run by Inc reported that they trust online reviews as much as referrals from their friends and family. Having a healthy amount of reviews readily available for visitors to read on your website will not only make your website look more attractive but draw in new patients as well.

Digital Marketing for Veterinarians

So what makes us qualified to talk about the most appealing design elements of veterinary websites? Here at Nolan Walker, we specialize in digital marketing for veterinarians. The veterinary industry is one we have a lot of experience with. We have helped hundreds of veterinarians all around the country implement effective digital marketing strategies and expand their practice – and we can surely do the same for you. We know what goes into effective marketing for veterinary practices so put our team to work for you right now!

Jul '20

Crawl Budget: How Does it Impact SEO in 2020?

Google is always looking for ways to improve its service. One way they have done this is by introducing the concept and practice of the Googlebot. The Googlebot essentially looks at millions of websites when someone enters a search query. This is how Google is able to turn up relevant results for the searches we perform every day. But Googlebot is not omnipresent. Believe it or not, Google has limited resources.

And that is why crawl budgets exist. So what is a crawl budget anyway? A crawl budget refers to the number of pages or documents on your website that the Googlebot will crawl and potentially index on SERPs. If your site is given a high crawl budget, the Googlebot will spend more time and resources looking for relevant content on your website. If your site has a low crawl budget, the Googlebot won’t allot as many resources towards indexing your pages.

How Does Google Determine your Crawl Budget?

The concept of crawl budget first came around in 2017 when Google laid out the Googlebot protocol. When they did this, they also explained how they determine the crawl budget of any given website. There are basically 2 factors that will determine your crawl budget.

1 – How much traffic your website can handle. If Google determines that your server will be hampered by frequent crawling by the Googlebot, it will assign your site a lower crawl budget. This is referred to as the Crawl Rate Limit.

2 – How popular your website is. The number of external links pointing to your website, how often the content is updated and how much it is frequented by web surfers all play a part of how popular your website is. This is referred to as Crawl Demand

Google takes Crawl Rate limit and Crawl Demand into account when determining your site’s crawl budget. Again, it is important to keep in mind that the motivation behind crawl budget and many of the other components of the Google search engine is to improve the user experience. And in most cases, improving the user experience means pulling up the most relevant and helpful web pages possible.

They want to be able to pull up search results from the sites likely to have the most reliable (or popular) websites. So they allot more of a crawl budget to authoritative websites. They also don’t want to waste any resources on websites that can’t connect or handle the traffic. These are the basic principles of Crawl Rate Limit and Crawl Demand.

When Should you Worry About Crawl Budget

So obviously, you want as high a crawl budget as possible. The higher your crawl budget, the more pages on your website that Google can scan and potentially pull up on search queries. But at what point do you need to be concerned with what your crawl budget actually is? Luckily, most small websites don’t ever have to even worry about crawl budget.

Google does a great job of scanning and indexing sites very quickly – so long as they are under around 10,000 pages. If your website has a pretty basic homepage, about page, contact page, service page, blog section structure (let’s say around 20-50 pages) the Googlebot can quickly index any of your pages.

When you need to start thinking about your crawl budget is when you have around 10,000 unique pages on your site. These are usually sites that have lots of different product pages, user-generated content pages, and location-specific pages.

So for those of you do have large websites like the ones we just mentioned and are feeling a bit hot under the collar right now, don’t panic. We are going to explain how your crawl budget affects SEO.

Crawl Budget and SEO

As you may be able to imagine by now, your crawl budget can affect your site’s SEO in a number of ways. To understand the effect that crawl budget can have on your search engine optimization, take a look at some of the most important links between these two concepts:

Load Speed – Load speed will have a significant impact on your SEO. If the Googlebot can’t scan your pages quickly because your website’s load speeds are slow, simply put; it will not index your pages. At least, it is less likely that it will index your pages. Things like first contentful paint and first meaningful paint are also aspects that can affect your crawl budget. Your site’s load speeds therefore become integral to SEO.
Fresh Content – You may already understand the value of updating your website’s content and posting new content. But having fresh content also affects your site’s crawl budget. If Google detects that your site hasn’t been touched (part of the Crawl Demand criteria that focuses on popularity) for a long time, it will not waste crawls on it. Posting new content and updating old content also becomes very important to SEO in this regard.
Linking – Getting back links for as many of your website’s pages as possible is always a good thing – but especially for raising your crawl budget. External links are signals to Google that your website has something to offer. Likewise, making sure that you don’t have any orphan pages (pages that don’t have any internal links leading to them) is another good way to make the most of your crawl budget because it is harder for the Googlebot to find orphan pages.

Improving in the above-mentioned areas of website design are the most effective ways to increase your crawl budget. And if you would like to know your current crawl budget, Google makes this information readily available for any webmaster.

Increase Crawl Budget and Improve SEO

It can be difficult to increase your crawl budget on your own. But here at Nolen Walker, we offer a thoughtful and comprehensive list of services aimed at all-around website performance. We can help increase your crawl budget for the benefit of SEO so contact us today.

Jul '20

What is First Contentful Paint and How Does it Impact SEO?

Google has been in a ceaseless war with shoddy UX for over a decade now. User experience means pretty much everything to Google, and they have the resources to throw at it. And since Google’s job is to organize and display what the internet has to offer, their crosshairs may be pointed at your site. In the past, we have talked a lot about the different factors that affect Search Engine Optimization and Google ranking. So today we want to continue that discussion by explaining something called first contentful paint. And in explaining first contentful paint, it would help to familiarize and refresh our memory as to what user experience is.

First Contentful Paint and User Experience

First contentful paint is an important aspect of user experience. First contentful paint has to do with the loading speed of your website. When someone types your URL into their address bar or clicks on your link from a search engine or other source, the first contentful paint is the first element of your website that begins to render on their monitor. Usually, first contentful paint is your website’s header or top navigational menu.

This is the first thing that people see when loading your website and it lets them know that the content that they came in search for is on the way and will render soon. You may be starting to see what first contentful paint and user experience have to do with one another. When your site loads fast – when the first contentful paint shows up quickly and in turn, renders first meaningful paint quickly – Google considers that part of good user experience. When people have to wait multiple seconds for your website to start showing signs of life, Google considers that you guessed it, part of bad user experience.

The New Era of Google Ranking

We are living in a significant era as far as digital marketing and SEO are concerned. On Thursday, May 28, 2020, Google announced that they would be using a set of metrics called “Core Web Vitals” to incorporate into their ranking algorithm. Core Web Vitals are criteria that judge websites based on user experience. This includes “load time, interactivity, and the stability of content” as Google puts it. And while these changes are not set to roll out until 2021, smart marketers will begin to adapt right now so that they are ready to rank when Google officially makes this change.

Introducing upcoming ranking signals for Google Search based on various aspects of page experience–combining Core Web Vitals and previous UX-related signals.

Read our pre-announcementhttps://t.co/L3IrB2dOnM

— Google Webmasters (@googlewmc) May 28, 2020

In essence, though, Google will now be looking at SEO and the overall user experience when ranking websites. That means that first contentful paint is going to be a huge decider on how high your website gets placed on Search Engine Results Pages.

This represents a shift toward more “human-centric” metrics that Google is using to rank websites. You can probably see how this is going to have an effect on the current standards or Search Engine Optimization.

What FCP this Means for SEO

Before you throw out all your SEO textbooks, understand that current SEO practices are still very much valid. As Common Places Interactive lays out in their article, SEO is still going to be the first signifier to the Google bots. In other words, just because Google is getting more UX and human-oriented, doesn’t mean that they are going to start using humans to comb through the millions of search engine hits it pulls up on a single query.

In short, this means that computers are still going to be used to index your website, and what do these computers use to index? That’s right, SEO signals. In 2021 the process of Google rankings is going to go something like this:

A search is made using keywords
The Google algorithm will scour the internet in search of those keywords and relevant data
Google will then comb the sites based on Core Web Vitals and other metrics
Google will display results based on the relevancy of SEO and Core Web Vitals

So as you can see, SEO is still very much part of the game. As things stand now, it looks like SEO will still be the initial signifier for the Google algorithm. The results that are indexed in this initial search will then be further scrutinized using Core Web Vitals.

Going Forward With FCP

While this may sound like a bit of frustrating news to a lot of webmasters out there, it should nonetheless come as no surprise. Google’s job since its inception has essentially been to improve the way their system provides relevant content to its users. One just needs to take a look at Google’s update timeline to see how much effort the company has put into improving its search engine. It’s obvious to see that Google is an ever-changing machine. So not only should this latest update come as no surprise to you; you should also expect more changes very soon.

But don’t stress out. There are some very helpful tools out there that you can use for free to improve the speed of your first contentful paint. Google itself launched Lighthouse in 2008 which lets developers test their website loading speed and see how it loads as visitors experience it. Lighthouse will essentially audit your page based on SEO and UX and let you know where and how you can improve.

Adapting to SEO’s Evolution

If you haven’t figured it out by now, it really pays to be adaptive when it comes to digital marketing. The value that Google has placed on first contentful paint and UX, in general, is just another shift that the company has made to keep developers honest and to keep their own users happy. It was preceded by past changes and it will be succeeded by future ones.

Here at Nolen Walker, our job is to help you be adaptive in the ever-changing digital market. With our tools and guidance, you can stay on top of the latest changes in search engine algorithms.

May '20

Top 46 Best SEO Keywords for Churches

What are Church SEO Keywords?

Chruch SEO keywords, sometimes known as church marketing keywords, are common terms or phrases that users search for on Google. When enough people search for the same term or phrase it becomes known as a keyword. You can measure the volume of these terms through tools like MOZ Keyword Explorer and SEMRush. Some keywords are more competitive than others, and therefore more difficult to rank for.

Why Keywords Matter for Church Marketing

Church SEO keywords can work wonders for the growth of your congregation. SEO is a modern tool that a lot of preachers, ministers, pastors, and clerical organizations have been a bit slow to adopt. But no matter how you prefer to do things it is an undeniable fact that SEO and digital marketing, in general, are becoming essential to congregation growth. Church Leadership lays it out in plain English. There are 4,000 churches that close their doors every year and only 1,000 that take their place. And one of the things that churches that close down fail to do is utilize digital marketing.

The churches that are thriving are those that are adopting modern outreach methods. One of the most important of these techniques is SEO for churches and digital marketing. SEO (search engine optimization) is what makes your website visible to people who search on Google and other search engines.

And more and more people are relying on online search results to help them find local services – including church services. It is estimated that Google alone gets 30,000 search queries a month that are related to local churches, church services, and even online church services. And that number is expected to grow as the digital age marches on with ever-increasing vigor.

So how can you leverage this trend to reach more people and expand your congregation? One of the most effective and essential SEO tools are SEO keywords. Here at Nolen Walker, we have taken the liberty of researching and listing the best church SEO keywords. We offer digital marketing and SEO services for a wide variety of niches including churches and religious organizations. Take a look at this definitive list of the best church SEO keywords that you could be using to grow your church right now.

Church SEO Keywords

church near me
church near me now
church near me open now
church near me catholic
church near me Christian
churches near me
churches near me now
best churches near me
contemporary christian churches near me
church services near me
find a church
protestant churches near me
christian churches near me
evangelical church near me
bible based church
protestant church near me
church near me hours
open churches near me
american church near me
cool churches near me
christian church near me
best church near me
good churches near me
church service near me
contemporary church near me
bible churches near me
new churches near me
community church near me
late church services near me
churches near here
baptist church near me
non denominational church near me
contemporary church services near me
church open near me
house churches near me
churches in my area
born again church near me
churches near my location
small churches near me
modern churches near me
churches near me with evening services
bible based church near me
local churches
evangelical churches near me
black churches near me
catholic church near me

Making Sense of Church Marketing Keyword Terms

As you can see, there are some church SEO keywords that are used a lot more often than others. And what you should also take note of is that most of these keywords end with “near me.” Churches are a local service so naturally, people want to find a church they love that is close to where they live.

Another reason the “near me” tag is so widely used is because people who travel for work often look for church services to attend while they are on the road. So you must include keywords like this in the copy of your church’s website. Utilize longform keywords that include a “city, state” tag at the end to specify your church’s location as well. Using the above keywords will get more eyes on your church and more people through your doors.

How Nolen Walker Can Help Optimize Your Congregation

At Nolen Walker, our digital marketing services are among the best in the United States. We have over 250 clients who trust us to expand their online presence and help them generate clicks through organic search results. Our methods are tested and proven, and we are always on the hunt for new information. Not only do we help organizations optimize on traditional organic search results, but also on the Local Map 3-Pack. For phrases like “churches near me” the Map Pack can be very effective.

Call Nolen Walker at 866-356-8198 to Learn More about SEO

May '20

The #1 Escape Room SEO Guide (2022 Edition)

What is Escape Room SEO?

Escape Room SEO is the process of ranking your web properties on Google for relevant keywords with the intention of acquiring more customers through online channels. SEO can be applied to your main website but also to your social media profiles and business listings, especially Google My Business. SEO differs from PPC (Google Ads) because it costs nothing to rank organically.

Why Escape Rooms Need Digital Marketing

Escape rooms are popping up everywhere you go now, and it’s easy to see why. Escape rooms offer a wide array of opportunities to come together and bond. This means that an escape room can provide the perfect forum if you are looking for a fun night out on the town with your friends or need a unique bonding exercise for your corporate event. The first place people look for escape rooms is online.

The idea of escape rooms is fresh, and people are flocking to them right now. There are all kinds of themes and interactive experiences to choose from, and proprietors are getting more and more clever about it. But if you run an escape room, there is no amount of creativity or cleverness that will cover for your lack of online presence – namely SEO. For example, SEO can drive traffic to your escape room’s webpage, and once patrons are there, they are that much more likely to make a booking.

Is SEO Common for Escape Room Businesses?

in a survey conducted by SEO Orb, it was found that more than half of all escape room owners operating in the United States received 80% or more of their bookings online.

To tap into the ease of online booking, you need compelling, organic, and effective SEO. This post discusses various methods to enhance your escape room SEO process.

Our team of marketing educators focuses on industries like escape rooms, so we are better equipped to help you tackle the unique challenges you face as an escape room owner. But to begin with, let’s discuss the basics of escape room SEO.

A Crash Course in Escape Room SEO

Escape room SEO is all about getting your escape room noticed by as many people as possible. And in this industry, you need all the help you can get. As recently as two years ago, more than half of all escape room owners expected to expand their business and add more rooms. This means that the market is becoming saturated. Escape Room SEO allows you to stand out above the jostling crowd by helping you rank higher on Google searches.

When your website appears near the top of the list of a Search Engine Results Page (SERP), people will be more likely to click on your website. Studies constantly show that the amount of clicks that websites get when they are on just the 2nd page of a Google search is close to zero. Escape room SEO will ensure you don’t get lost in the shuffle.

By using analytic data of search trends, composing original and useful content, leveraging media, and engaging with your clientele, you can create an SEO-friendly webpage that more people will see.

SEO will get your webpage noticed and approved by Google, which means a higher ranking. Those are the basics of escape room SEO.

Escape Room Keywords

Some top escape room SEO keywords include:

escape room near me
escape room near me groupon
escape room near me for kids
escape room near me prices
escape room near me nj
escape rooms near me
groupon escape room near me
best escape rooms near me
escape room deals near me
escape room locations near me
cheap escape rooms near me
escape rooms near me cheap
escape room prices near me
room escape near me
escape rooms near me groupon
scary escape rooms near me
best escape room near me
mystery rooms near me
2 person escape room near me
escape room for two near me
escape room groupon
escape room coupon code
escape room coupons
panic room near me
scary escape room near me
escape room price
escape room prices
groupon escape room
escape games near me
escape room coupon
escape room locations
escape room rooms
scary escape room nyc
best escape rooms in usa
escape room price near me
escape room 60 promo code
escape room coupons near me
escape room promo code
escape the room promo code
horror themed escape rooms near me
best escape rooms in the world
escape the room near me
cheap escape room near me
escape rooms for kids near me

SEO Outline for Escape Room Businesses

The problem that many escape room owners have is that they don’t know where to begin with escape room SEO. After all, you probably didn’t get into the escape room game because you have a passion for marketing. But that is where we can help. There are some basic steps that you can take right now to help you improve your ranking. Some of these steps include:

Set up your Google My Business Profile

Google My Business Profiles are what show up when people perform extremely common searches like “escape rooms near me.” So having a GMB profile is the first step you should take. You will want to keep some things in mind when setting up your GMB profile: using good pictures of your business, posting your full phone number often, including reviews from patrons, and including a thoughtful and descriptive blurb about your escape room.

Keyword Research

One of the ways that Google pulls up and ranks websites for SERPs is by keywords. Google is always trying to provide relevant search results for its users; keywords are one way it does this. Google Analytics provides a wealth of helpful resources for researching hot keywords related to your business. Implement these keywords and variations of them in your website content.

You can also use longtail keywords which are popular keywords followed by your city and state name to show up in more local searches. For example, if you operate your escape room in Austin, Texas, you might use the longtail keyword of “escape room in Austin, Texas.

On-Page SEO Content

There are certain ways to tweak your on-page content to rank better on Google. Pictures are great to have on your website, but if there is no alternative text or captions, Google will not know how to categorize them. Having a descriptive caption is imperative for pictures. Framing your content in a table or list will also help you rank higher. For example, you can have a “what is an escape room” page on your website in which you answer this question in curt but concise detail as a bulleted list.

A bit of a side-note regarding keywords: be exact. Google doesn’t like to guess, so if you choose a hot keyword relating to escape rooms, try to use it exactly as it appears on Google searches. For example, if “fun escape rooms” is trending, try not to saturate your content with the term “escape rooms that are fun.”

Link Building for Escape Rooms

Building links helps your escape room website rank for keywords faster. The quickest way to build links is to submit your business information to local directories. Platforms like Yelp, BBB, and Facebook all provide nofollow links which help build website authority. These directory placements are known in the SEO industry as NAP citations.

While nofollow links are the best place to start, your website should eventually garner dofollow links from endorsements, business partners, guest posts, and local reporters. You can speed up your link-building process by publishing high-quality blog posts, especially those with relevant statistics. As more reputable websites link to your domain, you’ll find that ranking for optical keywords becomes easier.

Become an Escape Room SEO Expert

Nolen Walker Academy provides extensive training for escape room SEO in 2022. If you own or operate an escape room, you can benefit from the Nolen Walker Academy curriculum. Our SEO methods are proven over over a decade of successful optimization work with dozens of industries across the U.S. Nolen Walker Academy graduates won’t need to hire an SEO company to get results because they will have the skills, tools, and insights to get to the top of Google on their own.

Apr '20

Orthodontic SEO: The Premium (2022) Guide for Orthodontists

What is Orthodontic SEO?

Orthodontic SEO is a method of optimizing your orthodontist practice to show up on Google search results for relevant keyword phrases. SEO stands for search engine optimization and applies to both your company website (if you have one) and your Google My Business listing. The more keyword terms you show up for, the more inquiries you can get from prospective patients.

SEO Keywords for Orthodontists

Some high-volume keywords for orthodontists include:

best orthodontists near me
top rated orthodontists near me
best orthodontics near me
board certified orthodontist near me
dentist orthodontist near me
orthodontist near me with payment plans
best invisalign orthodontist near me
child orthodontist near me
orthodontist near me invisalign
free consultation orthodontist near me
orthodontist
invisalign near me
braces near me
orthodontist salary
smile orthodontics near me
free braces for students
best orthodontist
medicaid point system for braces
smile direct club cost
how much are braces for kids
does medicaid pay for braces in texas
invisalign specialist near me
orthodontist meaning
invisalign
braces cost

Orthodontist SEO Basics

Orthodontic SEO is needed to draw in new patients for those orthodontist offices. Those search keywords related to orthodontist SEO can be heavily competed over, and properly optimizing your website means getting your office at the top of those search engine rankings.

This also means a ton of potentially organic traffic that can draw more eyeballs to your website and, by proxy, your orthodontist office.

Still, there are definitely challenges when it comes to orthodontist SEO that many local orthodontists deal with on the regular. There is also a fine line between a general dentist and an orthodontist that some people don’t understand, and creating separation is essential.

Online vs. Word of Mouth in 2022

Word of mouth is still a huge part of any business; it has just changed in presentation. Instead of physically talking to someone, word of mouth is now done online. This is through referrals that let potential customers know whether or not they can trust a certain orthodontist or not.

There are times, though, when certain dental services are being done by a general dentist, even though an orthodontist has the specialized training needed in that particular area. This means that the referrals are not necessarily passed from dentists to orthodontists.

Having a strong orthodontist SEO game and a strong content strategy means that your services are clearer than ever. This helps get more referrals for your practice, which leads to more business patients. That is how money is made.

Creating The Best User Experience

This doesn’t just go for the services provided in an orthodontist’s office. It also means that your digital marketing and orthodontist SEO strategy has the same synergized goal that Google has when it comes to providing results.

The latter aims to provide the most relevant, interesting results possible to its users, and by optimizing your website, you can provide those things to the search engine. This can be done through relevant, useful content and proper optimization throughout.

The website presence that you present is your opportunity to help inform those potential patients why it is they should choose an orthodontist over a general dentist, especially for things like tooth alignment. It is also your chance that you have to show why your practice should be the first choice over other similar practices in your given area.

The most important first step in providing the best experience is ensuring that users can find you. Name, address, and phone number are essential aspects of orthodontist SEO, and it is imperative that your information is plastered all over the website.

User experience is all about convenience and ease of use. Never make the user have to look for things or take any more additional steps than they need to. When you make things as easy as they can be, your users will appreciate the ease of use here and return to your website repeatedly.

Optimizing for Specific Services

There is an understanding that orthodontic patients differ from general dental patients. This means that instead of being seen for things like cleanings, an orthodontist is seen for braes and correcting alignment.

Since general dentists have a different relationship with their patients, it also means different SEO strategies to succeed. Having a successful orthodontist practice means targeting and reaching as many patients as possible.

Optimize your website to illustrate all of your services to make it clear to your audience what you do. Combined with proper orthodontist SEO, this can help get the leads you need to keep a business going and help to convert those leads into paying clients.

This should be the central focus of digital marketing, and orthodontist SEO helps that digital marketing effort without breaking the bank. That makes SEO an effective marketing tool for businesses of all types and sizes.

Performing Keyword Research

No SEO campaign can begin without identifying proper keywords (we showed you some of the best ones at the top of this post). This is done through thorough keyword research. Knowing what relevant orthodontic terms are necessary to target is the place to begin for search optimization.

This also helps to adjust your website to target the best possible searches in your industry. Ranking well in those keywords, the ones that people are actually looking for, can help keep your business at the top of the search rankings and in the eyes of your audience. And that translates into dollars.

The biggest thing is to avoid meaningless keyword wins. Your orthodontist SEO should target keywords with a heavy search volume to get some of that audience. Your orthodontist site won’t win all those viewers, but even a fraction can go a long way towards boosting the number of leads you generate and converting them into real dollars.

Much like a small alignment can make a huge difference in the smile and bite of a patient, subtle changes to your orthodontist SEO can have a huge impact on your website, which can have a huge impact in terms of online visibility and on your bottom line.

Orthodontic SEO Strategy

Several orthodontist SEO features must be addressed to optimize your website properly. One of those is internal linking. This is where those links point from one page to another across the web.

Backlinks for Orthodontists

Having a solid backlink catalog means improving your authority across the web. That means having other, reputable sources that point back to your website. This can be done through partnership linking agreements but mostly through solid content.

Website Content for Orthodontists

Speaking of content, site content is one of the most important elements of orthodontist SEO that there is. Any web page online needs to have content, and it needs to be written well. Google will punish a website with poorly written content, complete with mistakes along the way.

Quality content can be added through web pages or through a blog on your website. Best of all, the content doesn’t have to be written. Good content can encompass infographics and videos that can grab the user’s attention without having to inundate them with a wall of text.

Quality content is what can draw a consistent, organic audience to your website regularly. Maybe they aren’t looking to use your service right now, but with consistent, informative, authoritative content, you can turn those users towards your services over time.

Orthodontist Website Speed

Of course, none of that matters if site speed is not optimal. Several studies have shown that if a website doesn’t load in just a few seconds, visitors will abandon it and move on. So if your website is not loading within 2-3 seconds at most, your user experience will be limited and can damage your site’s reputation.

Not only that, but Google’s rankings also consider site speed. So if you do not have a fast-loading page, that can hurt your site’s rankings. Take the time to optimize images on your site, making them as small as possible, using advanced cache configuration, and any other methods to keep your website running as fast as possible.

Mobile Optimization

Maybe the most important aspect of orthodontist SEO and SEO, in general, these days is optimizing for mobile. More and more users are beginning their searches on a mobile device, and many users are visiting those businesses on the same day.

If your website is not optimized for mobile, you could be missing out on a huge chunk of the audience. Arguably, you need to optimize your website to meet mobile standards first and foremost. Having a solid mobile base means that you can draw in the most traffic possible through ease of use.

UX Optimization

Your overall user experience is a huge way to draw in more patients to your orthodontist practice. Making certain that your website meets all orthodontist SEO criteria means that your business will have more referrals and more conversions.

These create the perfect situation for any orthodontist to increase their patient list and bring more money into their practice.

Learn Orthodontic SEO Strategy from Nolen Walker Academy

Learn a proven SEO blueprint from Nolen Walker Academy, LLC. We provide SEO training for orthodontists so you can improve your online rankings manually. Stop paying for subpar orthodontist SEO services and learn to master Google rankings on your own terms.

As with any local business out there, presenting your orthodontist website in the best way possible is imperative. That means having the best orthodontist SEO game plan that you can have to keep your site at the top of the search rankings.

Quality orthodontist SEO can increase the value of a typical orthodontic office. This is especially true in areas where there aren’t many orthodontists practicing, as it can become possible to dominate the keywords for that location.

This is huge because when a parent looks for someone to straighten their child’s teeth or they need a cleaning, they can Google your business in short order and bring in more business than ever before for your orthodontist office.

Apr '20

6 Unconventional SEO Tips for 2021 (Boost Rankings + Traffic)

SEO can be helpful to businesses throughout the United States. However, it is also one of the least trustworthy businesses out there. Why? Because an SEO is a person who guesses for a living. While those guesses may be educated and based on real-time data, there are times when they are manipulative and selfish.

Another problem with “SEO” as an industry is that it is vulnerable to groupthink, rumor, and innuendo. Since nothing is empirically provable in this industry, and because Google is always tweaking their precise ranking factors, theories and rumors get perpetuated for years, when the tactic may not even work anymore.

That’s why unconventional SEO tips can be exciting and a berth of fresh air. Check out Nolen Walker’s unconventional SEO tactics:

1) Focus More on Brand than Content

While content is certainly important to the SEO game, an unconventional approach is to value brand above content. Why would you do this when content is one of the most important aspects of a sound SEO strategy.

Brand is one of the most valuable marketing tools there is. It can be seen in the biggest companies out there. When thinking of computers, Microsoft and Apple are the names that come to mind. For fast food, it’s McDonald’s.

But a brand is so much more than just a logo and a tagline. Building a brand takes consistency, subtlety, and a distinct message that you want to convey. Most importantly, it means sticking to your color scheme and using secondary marketing to promote your message across your website, business cards, print marketing, etc.

There are far too many companies out there that have no synergy between their logo and the rest of their website. The colors should be complementary and should be present throughout. Secondary marketing is taking aspects of your logo and implementing it throughout the rest of your website.

Establishing your brand is getting your audience to recognize your brand even when they can’t particularly pinpoint why they do. It is with that secondary marketing – that consistency in color, image implementation, and overall delivery of your message and brand – that the most successful brands thrive.

Develop your brand and make it your main focus and it will go from an unconventional SEO tip to a major anchor for your business.

2) Let Quality Services Drive Reviews

Reviews are definitely not an unconventional SEO method. As a matter of fact, having a successful SEO strategy means that you have a litany of positive reviews across several review sites. You can post them on your own site, but being able to refer to them on those review sites is what really makes your website stand out.

More importantly, reviews building brand trust with your target audience. And that level of trust is one of the most valuable things that a brand can have with its consumer base. But like garnering quality reviews, it takes time and quality services.

The single best way to get positive reviews is to deliver positive work each and every time. Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews if you feel you have provided exemplary service because your customers will be more than willing to leave a positive review if you’ve done a good job.

Building up those positive reviews will be one of the pillars of a quality SEO strategy. It may be “unconventional SEO” but really it is just about developing consistency in the quality that your company provides.

Feature those positive reviews proudly, let visiting users see them so that they can be aware of the quality of work that your business delivers. There is no taking shortcuts in the business world and there truly is no shortcut when it comes to getting positive reviews for quality work.

3) Ignore the SEO “Experts”

There are a ton of so-called SEO “experts” out there proclaiming that they have what it takes to put a business at the top of its class for the keywords that it is targeting. But the fact of the matter is that there is only so much real estate online and everyone and their mother is likely practicing the same methods.

Sure, there are definitely tried and true methods for raising your overall search engine ranking, but those same methods being implemented by everyone will level out your results. This means taking a unique approach and trying some unconventional SEO methods.

That isn’t to say that you should ignore everything that has proven to be successful when it comes to SEO. But throwing in some unconventional SEO methods into the mix can give you a unique SEO perspective.

Having that unique approach – so long as it is effective and done consistently – can give you an edge on some competition for some keywords that you are targeting. Any kind of leg up on the competition gives you an edge, an advantage.

While there are a few true professionals out there that can definitely deliver results each and every time, taking a unique and personal approach to your own SEO strategy can help your company stand out not only from an SEO standpoint, but as a business in general.

4) Start a Podcast

While it certainly seems like everyone and their mother has a podcast (spoiler alert: they do), podcasting is proving to be an effective marketing tool and an unconventional SEO method. The thing about it is that SEO does not have the kind of impact that traditional SEO does.

Still, there are more than a few ways that podcasting can help with your SEO strategy. The most direct impact that you can see is if you place a player on your website. Those listening to the podcast on your webpage will stay around longer, helping your bounce rate.

If your podcast has well-written show notes that accompany your episodes, the text side of it can have some impact through traditional SEO. Keep in mind that any SEO benefits felt here are not directly from the podcast but from related content.

Another thing that can help is if you have an easy to remember name for your podcast on iTunes and other podcast directories. When your podcast is easily searchable, it gets your target audience searching for both your podcast and website.

Not only that, podcasting makes for an excellent possible marketing opportunity. The fact is that the podcast advertising market still has not been saturated like other forms of marketing. There is room to target the 18-49 demographic that is so coveted in the marketing world.

When you combine all of these things together, podcasting can be an extremely effective if unconventional SEO method. In any event, it will have very real benefits for your website (and the podcast will benefit from it all, too).

5) Comment on Other People’s YouTube Videos

This unconventional SEO method is not quite as effective as some others, but there are definitely benefits to be had if it is implemented properly.

The strategy works as such: open up YouTube videos for relevant keywords. Commenting on these videos with links to your page, website, or video can help to create unique, organic traffic if done properly.

One thing to keep in mind is that you want to be careful and not overdo it. Should you overdo it on the commenting, it will come across as spam and that will lose credibility in the eyes of not only the creator of the video but other users commenting as well.

Use this practice sparsely and you can get unique, organic additional traffic. This is more of a method for smaller online ventures that need all the exposure that they can get. Don’t put all of your eggs in this basket as it is not meant to have major results.

When implementing with discretion and an eye to avoid being labeled as “spam”, this is just another unconventional SEO method that can add some organic traffic to your numbers and potentially develop some backlinks that could prove valuable to your SEO strategy down the line.

These are all strategies that offer their own unique benefits to your overall search engine rankings and can help make your business and website as unique as possible in a crowded marketplace.

6) Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment

Ultimately, the only thing that matters is how SEO applies to your business. Something that works for many other people, may not work for you. In an industry like SEO, you cannot fear experimentation. If you find that a particular tactic works for you (like not blogging at all) then you shouldn’t start blogging because someone told you to.

The success of your campaign should be measured in dollars. If you are generating quality leads online, continue to do it “your” way as long as it works. The upsells in the SEO industry are ridiculous as companies will try to make you pay for stuff that you don’t actually need.

As a business owner, you may not have the knowledge to begin an SEO experiment, and that’s ok. The key is investing in an SEO company that you actually trust to put you first. They might experiment with certain tactics that have worked for other clients, even if some guy on Twitter thinks it doesn’t work.

Apr '20

Which Industries Need SEO The Most in 2021

If you have a website and an online business, there is little to no doubt that you have heard all about SEO at some point. It is preached that SEO is an essential part of any business online and that’s because it is the truth.

SEO is there to help give smaller businesses a fair shot at generating consistent organic traffic through related keywords. Being able to capitalize on a strong SEO game means keeping your business competitive even with the smallest of budgets.

Still, there are companies out there that do not need SEO as much. For these businesses, digital marketing channels like Facebook ads, PPC ads, or organic social media followings can generate more clicks and revenue than even the strongest SEO game.

The thing is that there are definitely some industries that rely more heavily on SEO than others. Understanding which industries need SEO can provide you with the information necessary to ensure that your business, should it fall into that category, meet proper SEO standards.

It is all about return on investment (ROI) for your business. Getting the greatest bang for your buck means finding methods of reaching your target audience without having to break the bank to do so. This is why determining which industries need SEO is so important.

Which Industries Need SEO?

As it stands, there are so many marketing channels available to businesses, both on and offline. This can range from television ads and billboards to more modern methods like interactive video or PPC ads. The point is that there are a ton of different ways out there to spread the word about your business to garner new customers.

But it is important to keep in mind that different industries will get different results from different types of advertising media. Knowing which industries need SEO means determining what kind of product or service that you are offering, where your target audience is spending their time, and a whole other list of factors.

There are industries, however, that are so highly regulated that their methods of advertising are severely limited. Knowning which industries need SEO is so important: it helps to mitigate the limitations put forward on those regulated industries.

Home Services

Home services like plumbing, roofing, and HVAC all need SEO to survive. They generate many of their leads through Google’s Local Map Pack and would be unlikely to survive in today’s climate without some sort of optimized online presence. Other examples of home services include water restoration, construction, garage door repair, lawn care, tree trimming, etc.

Lawyers

Law firms need SEO in a highly-competitive field. The reality is that lawyers can be ruthless and that includes their SEO campaigns. As is the case with home service businesses, lawyers will show up on the Local 3-Pack for relevant search queries. The difference in review generation, listing optimization, and website optimization can determine which lawyer generates the most local leads.

Dentists

Like law firms, dental practices tend to go after SEO pretty intently. SEO for dentists is a growing business and many practices have found measured success that would have not been otherwise possible. Building a dental website for SEO is fairly straightforward if you know the basics. With that said, local optimization will be just as important, as it is with home services and local law firms.

Other SEO Industry Options

Low-Competition Industries

If there isn’t a ton of pre-existing competition, the search engine results pages can be ripe for the taking. When it is easy to rank for low-competition keywords that also reflect the intent of what your audience is planning to buy, investing in SEO is definitely something to do.

Understanding which industries need SEO comes down to a variety of factors, but access to keywords is one of the biggest. If you’re in a hyper-local market, you can achieve better rankings through a local SEO effort instead of striving for those national rankings that can be difficult to obtain.

But if you are in a low-competition industry, implanting a strong SEO strategy is an excellent decision to make. It keeps your business at the forefront of those localized searches and makes your business the one that comes up for those relevant Google searches.

Brick and Mortar Businesses

Local SEO is a great way for those geographically restricted businesses to better reach their target audience. Instead of competing for national rankings, sometimes with heavyweights within a given industry, targeting that local audience can be highly beneficial.

Determining which industries need SEO might be a bit of a broad stroke. Think of it like this instead: local businesses definitely need SEO. After all, it is the quickest way into the minds of your target audience as that target audience is localized.

SEO can be a great source for brand new, localized customers and can be beneficial for businesses of all kinds across all industries. If your business is brick and mortar, you don’t need to know which industries need SEO; you definitely will need to.

There are a ton of examples of why local SEO is so essential for those brick and mortars. Maybe you’re a local service company. When toilets overflow and pipes break, people will get onto Google and find the nearest repair service.

Using SEO, your business can be on the first page for those local searches in your given area. That is a major asset because more and more people are performing Google searches for needs like these and choosing from options on the first page of results.

This applies across a number of industries as well. Again, people are getting onto Google to either find a business for a service they haven’t needed before or looking to find more information about a business that they have considered using.

With SEO, you can get into the consciousness of those users as they Google for relevant results. This is a great way of bringing in new, organic traffic to continue building your customer list.

Niche Online Retailers

Of course, determining which industries need SEO can also cover niche online retailers. E-commerce is extremely popular for small businesses and since there is no physical storefront, using digital marketing and SEO can be the driving force when it comes to getting new customers to visit your shop.

Using SEO can be a huge part of that. And since most online stores aren’t these massive entities like Amazon or eBay – where something for everyone is offered – using SEO to attract that niche audience is a must.

Because there is no brick and mortar involved, it becomes less about local SEO and more about finding factors like shareable long-form content that is meant to funnel into purchases. This is what has the biggest impact on the bottom line of these e-commerce shops.

Ultimately, determining which industries need SEO is a good place to start to know if your business needs to be implementing SEO strategies. In any event, it can’t hurt to do so but it can be much more beneficial in some industries as opposed to others.

Those strong SEO strategies can make all the difference for small businesses from those specific industries.

Mar '20

How Coronavirus (Covid-19) Will Impact SEO & Digital Marketing

With predictions of Google seeing a 15% decline in travel ad revenue as well as a 20% drop in the second quarter thanks to the outbreak and Facebook facing serious drops in their total ad revenue in those travel and retail sectors, it begs the question as to what coronavirus (COVID-19) means for the rest of the internet in terms of digital marketing, SEO, and digital budgets.

To say that coronavirus has made quite the impact would be putting it very lightly. Schools have been closed, public events of the highest magnitude (hello, NCAA tournament) have been canceled, and even the NBA and NHL seasons have been suspended.

Seeing the impact that this virus has had on the physical world is substantial enough. But it leads to questions about what kind of impact that the coronavirus can have on the SEO and digital marketing worlds.

Ad spending is expected to fall in a lot of sectors and analysts expect that giants like Facebook and Google will see ad revenue declines for things like travel or areas that are affected by global travel issues.

What does this mean? Ultimately, media buyers and marketers are re-evaluating the short-term advertising strategies that the coronavirus has had an impact on. The outbreak has resulted in serious issues that could persist for up to six months based on the predictions of experts.

Google’s Pivotal Role

Since the United States and many other parts of the world are essentially on hold, many wonder whether Google’s major algorithm updates will also be temporarily suspended. At times like these, it would be devastating for businesses to lose major rankings while also combating the adverse economic impact of the outbreak. But the flip side to this rationale is that a frozen algorithm could invite targeted manipulation by digital entities with the assets to execute such a plan.

Aside from SEO as an industry, Google will need to step up as a community aid during this time of crisis. They have already been tasked with creating a website to help manage the coronavirus outbreak (although there’s been some confusion about what the site will actually present). Aside from this special task, Google is also populating COVID-19 related queries in the autosuggest mechanism of its search engine.

Concerns about Supply and Demand

There is little question that the supply chain impact on inventory is beginning to be felt in advertising spending. With so much production based out of China, there are concerns about maintaining inventory. This means that ads that run digitally may not be viable if the current stock cannot keep up.

If key products go out of stock, that means that Google search and shopping budgets could be cut as much as 40% based on anticipation. For example, a luxury international travel business has faced budget cuts of more than 50% from previous months and this is across all digital channels. Though there is flexibility to move some of that remaining budget to other channels and campaigns that many be more effective, there is definitely less to work with at the moment.

There are some businesses that have put a complete stop on their digital ad budgets as well. In the hospitality and events industries, advertising budgets have been effectively turned off since coronavirus restrictions on gathers has played such a monumental impact.

Another big factor to consider is the suddenness of all of this. The outbreak had people concerned initially, sure, but the banning of travel, the restrictions on gatherings, and all of these other cancellations and bannings have sprung up in the last week alone.

As the outbreak continues, and we learn more about it, that will lead to adjustments in the way that these situations are handled. The same goes for digital marketing and ad demand in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. It may take time, but the budgets will come back around at some point, even if they are aimed at different niches.

A Feeling of Uncertainty

It is the uncertainty of everything right now that has most businesses of all types on edge. Not knowing what’s coming, not knowing the impact that it will have, keeps businesses from making the plans that they need to move forward and remain successful and profitable.

In some instances, demand hasn’t dropped, but trends from around the globe have marketing clients feeling wary and cautious. Amazon revenue, for example, is clearly down, but there is uncertainty about whether this is a trend or a lasting effect.

Budgets for marketing agencies and digital advertisers remain something of a day-to-day plan. Some clients have not changed their marketing strategies while other budgets have to be handled delicately as the coronavirus outbreak unfolds and more bans are put into place.

And even though some of those marketing firms have seen clients stay the course, there is a distinct feeling that they are definitely nervous about where things are headed and the drastic changes that we have seen in just the last two weeks.

There are sectors of the marketing world that seem to be unaffected by everything, but those clients still remain rightfully cautious. Seemingly overnight, the coronavirus outbreak has had a tremendous impact on some of the biggest names in retail, both online and offline.

That cautiousness has led those seemingly unaffected clients to tell their brand managers and e-commerce managers to be prepared to pull back spending. This is because the rapid movement of coronavirus restrictions and bans can change the game for any industry at a moment’s notice.

Bucking the Trend

Having said that, not everyone sees budget-cutting to be the answer in these trying times. For those who operate heavily on trade show circuits, there is an effort to find a way to digitize the experience so that they don’t lose the leads they would normally pick up at those events.

Essentially, it has created the need to adapt, not avoid. Cost-cutting is understandable in some arenas but there is room for tweaking and adjustment. This can mean reallocating budgets elsewhere in the short-term to provide the answers that are needed to keep business moving without a substantial drop off.

For those aforementioned tradeshow circuits or businesses that rely on touring, putting more money into digital marketing and SEO can be the solution to that obvious deterrent. For companies that have aggressive goals to meet this year, that shift to digital marketing (and thus increase digital budgeting) can be a way to increase revenues in the face of a potential downturn. It really depends on the niche, the company involved, and the way that they attack the problem.

Shifting budgets will certainly be one strategy that many companies implement during the course of the year. That, in turn, could drive up competition and prices for media. That means that advertisers could continue to feel something of a squeeze even after the coronavirus panic fades.

The Biggest Impacts

Where the greatest impacts will be felt as far as digital marketing is in the travel industry and that should go without saying. Even if there hadn’t recently been a ban on international travel from President Trump, people will be more and more reluctant to want to travel. It only increases the chances that they catch the virus and that alone has everyone panicking.

Major outlets like Expedia expect to lose in the range of $30-$40 million because of the effects of the coronavirus outbreak and the widespread panic that has ensued. What isn’t realized is the effect that this has on businesses in the hospitality and restaurant niche.

Think about it: if far fewer people are traveling due to restrictions and fear surrounding coronavirus, the hotels, and restaurants that those travelers frequent will see less business as well. It is a domino effect that is spreading into the digital budgets of those companies and continuously trickling into other areas.

The impact on SEO is clear as well. Most see SEO as a means towards ranking in the top of the searches, but that isn’t the only reason. The reason is sales and a recession in sales can have a wide-reaching impact on the SEO game.

Search marketing can be heavily impacted because clients tend to drop off if they can no longer afford to pay for consulting. There have been lessons learned from similar situations in the past to not be completely caught off guard by a global panic such as this, but those lessons can only teach so much.

In the end, patience and adaptability will be the biggest keys for digital marketers and SEO specialists. Clients will panic and some will pull their marketing and advertising budgets. But the smart ones will tweak their approach and find other avenues in the short-term.

These adjustments may not prevent losses from occurring, but they can help to stifle those losses that would be larger in other situations. Besides, the coronavirus outbreak is not expected to be a long-term issue, just one that could last the next six or so months.

Conclusion

While the initial impact felt by digital marketing agencies and their clients is apparent, things have shifted into a “wait and see” attitude for the most part. Budgets being cut seems like a temporary solution to combat restrictions and difficulties put forth by coronavirus-related restrictions and bans, but there are definitely limitations on where these impacts are felt.

The industries that are most heavily affected by these restrictions and bans will likely shift their advertising dollars to other areas, though the impact remains to be seen as the internet has created the most powerful marketing tool out there.

Until we know more about the impact of the coronavirus will have and how long these restrictions and bans will be in place, the best thing that digital marketing agencies can do is to wait and see. Shifting funds may work in the short term but who knows how it will look over a six-month period or longer.

Mar '20

Does Google Still Use PageRank in 2020?

It is not out of the norm for Google to make substantial changes in the way that their search engine rankings, as well as other aspects of their search algorithms, operate.

And in the 1990s, there was a tool that they had implemented known as Google PageRank. There have been rumors that Google PageRank has died off, no longer implemented by the search giant in any way, shape, or form.

The short answer, according to Google itself, is that Google PageRank is still used internally. We will get more into what Google PageRank is, its importance, and any other pertinent issues surrounding its existence.

Source: Twitter

What is Google PageRank?

Putting it simply Google PageRank is a mathematical formula that is used to judge the value of a page by looking at the quality and quantity of other pages that link up to it. This method is meant to determine the relative importance of a given page in a network like the World Wide Web.

Google PageRank was created in 1997 in a research project at Stanford University and was created to improve the quality of web search engines. And that is because search engines back then were nowhere near as efficient as what Google is today.

The aim of Google PageRank was to solve the problem of indexing and washing out “junk” results that didn’t have anything to do with what the user was looking for. It attempted to do this by making use of the “citation (link) graph of the web”.

The inspiration for Google PageRank was derived by the way that scientists gauge the importance of a scientific paper or the number of other papers that referenced them. This ideal became

How Does Google PageRank Work?

We won’t give you the formula and explanation provided in the original paper from back in 1997, instead offering a little bit simpler of an explanation. Essentially, Google takes three factors into account when calculating the PageRank for a web page.

Those three factors are the quality and quantity of inbound linking pages, the PageRank of each linking page, and the number of outbound links on each of the linking pages.

Google PageRank also has what is known as a “damping factor” that is meant to simulate the probability of a random user continuing to click on those links as they browse. The perception here is that it will decrease with each link that is clicked.

Put it another way: Google PageRank thinks of links as votes and a page linking to another page is essentially like casting a vote. This makes linking to relevant content important and the pages with more links tend to be a lot better resources than those pages that nobody links to.

Google PageRank also looks at the importance of the page that contains said links. Pages that have higher a higher Google PageRank will carry a heavier weight in their “voting” than pages that rank lower. But don’t think that more links means a better rank. Pages with fewer links actually have a higher weight than those with a ton of links to them.

How is it Important?

Here’s the thing: Google PageRank is just one of many factors out there that will determine where your page appears when it comes to search results ranking. If all things were considered to be equal, PageRank actually could have a pretty significant impact on all of your rankings.

That being said, there are certainly flaws within Google PageRank. Whenever there are implementations in the ranking system, people will inevitably exploit the data involved. You may have heard of Google Bombs; this is a form of Google PageRank manipulation and Google acts to take precautionary measures to change their ranking formula.

There is also the method of “link farming” in order to manipulate the Google PageRank listings. This is the practice of linking without considering the relevance of the pages being linked. Not only that, link farming is generally automated as well.

You may have run into a webpage in your time on the web that seemed like a random collection of links to other websites; this is exactly what a link farm looks like.

Seeing and Increasing Your PageRank

Everything in Google PageRank is measured on a 1-10 scale. Not only that, it is assigned to individual pages instead of whole websites. It is a rarity to find a page that has a Google PageRank of 10, especially when you consider the ever-increasing number of pages on the internet.

In order to increase your ranking on Google PageRank, you need to have relevant backlinks from other relevant websites around the web. The best way to achieve this is to have quality content that others around the net want to click on. This is often not something that can be achieved overnight and takes consistency to pull off.

Google has admitted that they do not use PageRank as they originally did back in the 1990s. They use it more for internal measures, though just how much it is used is still a bit unclear. Google’s John Mueller has said that they use Google PageRank more as an internal signal than anything else and that they use it in accompaniment with other aspects.

While there are certainly a wide array of measures that determine the overall Google ranking, it appears as though Google PageRank has maintained a level of importance, though it appears to be dwindling with time.

The general principles are still important – creating backlinks from other relevant websites around the net, a practice that can’t be manipulated quite like it could back in the early days. Still, it isn’t a perfect system and it is just one factor in a plethora of factors that determine where a webpage and website rank in Google’s search rankings.

Adhering to the principles set forth by Google PageRank is a great idea for web pages as a general practice to ensure that the right practices are being implemented to allow for the best possible page rankings.