by actovision | Jan 31, 2023 | SEO
It is important for website owners to understand how search engine optimization (SEO) works and the role that canonical link elements play. If you have ever asked yourself what a canonical link element is and how it impacts SEO, you are in the right place. In this blog post, we will explain everything you need to know about canonical link elements and how they can help improve your website’s SEO ranking. Read on to learn more about canonical link elements and their importance to SEO.
The definition of a canonical link element
A canonical link element, also known as a “canonical tag”, is an HTML element that tells search engines which page is the primary or canonical version of a web page. This tag allows search engines to identify duplicate content and helps them to avoid penalties for including multiple copies of the same content on their websites. Canonical link elements are used to ensure that the correct version of the content is indexed and given preference by search engines.
When used correctly, a canonical link element can help improve your SEO efforts. By specifying a single version of a page for search engine crawlers, you are telling them which version to prioritize and helping them avoid including multiple copies of the same content on their website. Canonical link elements also help prevent penalties from search engines for duplicate content. This ensures that your website is properly optimized and gets the best possible ranking in search results.
Why canonical link elements are important for SEO
Canonical link elements are important for SEO because they tell search engines which page is the preferred version of a group of pages with the same or similar content. Without the canonical link element, search engine crawlers can get confused and index duplicate pages which can cause problems with rankings.
Having a canonical link element helps ensure that all of the content from a website gets indexed correctly and that only one version of a page is being indexed, rather than several different versions. By making sure that only one version of a page is being indexed, it prevents the possibility of keyword cannibalization and boosts the chances of getting better rankings for the preferred version.
Additionally, the canonical link element can help you identify any problems with duplicate content and be proactive in resolving them. This not only helps improve your website’s overall ranking, but also provides a better user experience since visitors will be able to find the correct page quickly and easily.
In short, canonical link elements are incredibly important for SEO because they help make sure that only one version of a page is being indexed and that all of your website’s content is getting indexed correctly. This in turn can help boost your website’s rankings and provide a better user experience.
How to use canonical link elements on your website
Canonical link elements are essential for SEO, so you must use them correctly in order to maximize their benefits. To do this, there are a few steps you need to take:
1. Identify which pages should have the same content
The first step is to identify which pages of your website should have the same content. This includes pages with different URLs but the same content (e.g. sorting options on a page) as well as multiple versions of the same page (e.g. an HTML and a PDF version).
2. Add the canonical link element
Once you’ve identified which pages should have the same content, you can add the canonical link element to the head section of the HTML code for each page. The canonical link element should include the URL of the original source page that contains the content you want to reference. This will tell search engine crawlers which page is the source of your content and should be indexed by search engines.
3. Verify that it works correctly
After adding the canonical link element to each page, you should verify that it is working correctly. To do this, you can use a tool such as Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to make sure that all your pages are pointing to the right source page.
By following these steps, you can ensure that you’re using canonical link elements correctly on your website and getting all the SEO benefits they provide.
The benefits of using canonical link elements
1)Duplicate Content Prevention: Duplicate content can hurt your search engine rankings and create confusion for your users. Canonical link elements help prevent duplicate content by indicating the preferred version of a page.
2)Improved SEO: By indicating the preferred version of a page, canonical link elements can help consolidate link equity and prevent dilution of your SEO efforts.
3)Better User Experience: By consolidating similar pages into one canonical version, you can improve the user experience by reducing clutter and making it easier for users to find what they are looking for.
4)Increased Crawl Efficiency: Canonical link elements can help search engines crawl your site more efficiently by indicating which pages are duplicates or variations of a single canonical page.
5)Increased Page Speed: By consolidating similar pages into one canonical version, you can reduce the number of pages that need to be loaded, which can help improve your site’s page speed and load times.
6)Easier Site Management: Canonical link elements make it easier to manage your site by reducing the number of duplicate pages that need to be maintained and updated. This can help reduce errors and save time in the long run.
by actovision | Mar 22, 2022 | SEO
So you are all done with your Google My Business Listing but then still can’t see any results as such. This blog will help you to understand the necessities required for search engine visibility. It’s a big challenge to get results when Digital Marketing and Search Engine Optimization are concerned. So it’s always a good practice to keep your listings updated like correct address, phone details, store hours and so on. Sometimes very simple things could bring a twist to your Google My Business Listing and could make a difference globally.
Address Accuracy
Well, you have updated your store address perfectly but check if it follows recognized guidelines. Any non-uniformity could have a bad effect on search results. Always follow the guidelines of acceptable formatting of address laid out by your country.
Geocode Specification
Google My Business Listing generates geocodes to locate your store in Google Maps. So it’s very important to ensure your listing has precise geocodes which would help your customer find your store easily. Undoubtedly at times, it becomes very difficult to search for your business in a metropolitan area. So be extra mindful of this factor.
Listing Categories
Google has a smart algorithm that helps to give the best result closely aligned with customer queries. With each update, the listing visibility becomes more relevant. So it’s very important to be precise with your listing categories. Do not make overbroad categories but provide accurate characteristics of your business to get better results.
Review Response
More reviews you have more the exposure your business gets. Encourage your customer to leave feedback regarding your business service or product at Google My Business Listing. Sometimes negative feedback could leave a bad reputation for your business. So it’s always better to respond to both positive and negative reviews to share your views towards the customers. This would definitely improve your listing.
Create Content
Always try to engage your customer with new materials. Share content related to your business which is a great way to boost your local page ranking. Make use of Google Posts which allows publishing events, and promotions that directly update Google Search and Google Maps.
Upload Images
Many stores neglect or avoid uploading images in their Google My Business Listing. A relevant image upload will help the customers on their online search. Customers do like to view product images, store design, signage, and so on before visiting a business. Uploading relevant images might have a massive effect on your local ranking.
Always remember every bit helps for any business growth. Do not avoid these guidelines to get a good result in Google My Business Listing. If you are running a website and would like to boost your online presence you can always contact us for Search Engine Optimization or Social Media Marketing and would be happy to help you.
Improve your Website Today:
You have uploaded your website and you love it. But did you ever think, about what your customers think about your website? Whenever we create a website, it’s no doubt that we create it with our own choices and preferences. From design to navigation, we decide all. But if you still find that your site traffic is low, then do not panic but take a closer look at your site. A few free changes to your website would result in drastic improvements.
When people visit your site, they are looking for solutions. Give them all the necessary information they are looking for so that they do not go elsewhere. It’s very important to be focused on your business offers and answer your customer’s queries immediately.
It is very important to keep your website hassle-free and simple for your site visitors to know what you have to offer in just a few seconds. Provide the most important information at the top of your screen so that it avoids your visitors to scroll down. Put ample space between headlines, paragraphs, and graphics. Your website should be easy to navigate and read.
Content is one of the most important parts of the website. Try to write your content simple so that it’s understandable for all types of visitors. Your content should be free from grammatical and spelling mistakes. Such mistakes create a bad impression on your visitors and the site may look unprofessional.
Last but not least, provide value and an easy way for your visitors to find answers, and you’ll significantly improve the overall results of your website without spending a lot of money.
New Google Analytics:
The search engine giant, Google has come up with an improved version of Google Analytics on Wednesday. The upgraded version comes with lots of new features. In addition to faster performance and a streamlined UI, the new Analytics is full of improved and entirely new functionality.
Users now can create multiple dashboards, up to 20 per user; and each dashboard can contain up to 12 widgets. Users can also set interaction goals, graph and compare certain metrics over time, and toggle between multiple profiles and sites while focusing on a single report.
Right now, Google Analytics users can switch between the old and new versions of the product. Google is working on Analytics are soliciting feedback and is also prepping for even more new features in the future.
Optimize your Url Structure:
Discussion about URL structure for websites, in the context of SEO.
Today I would like to address one of the most overlooked issues of on-page SEO “The URL structure”. Though, many webmasters still have second thoughts regarding the contribution and effectiveness of SEO-friendly Url. But I would like to part myself from those geeks.
Even if you have a look over the Google webmaster central blog regarding Url structure you will find that they have recommended keeping your Url structure as simple as possible. I have always insisted my clients build such Url structure that itself acts as a title and can be termed as pretty Url. Let’s see, how we can make the best use of our Urls through proper Url structure.
- Using keywords in URL to increase relevancy:
We usually think about keyword relevancy while selecting the domain name but often neglect the same logic while building internal pages. Always try to have a keyword-relevant page name. This gives additional weight and relevancy to the search term you are targeting.
For example, we are having an internal service page on SEO and internet marketing.
- Hierarchy structure within URL:
A logical hierarchy-based URL structure helps users to figure out how pages are correlated with each other. It also facilitates proper categorizing of the webpage by search spider.
Ex:
a)Good URL: http://www.your_domain.com/compact-system-cameras/Sony/NEX-5-Black-18-55-lens/
Bad URL: http://www.your_domain.com/online.store/products/77650/show.html
- Canonicalise www and Non-www :
Again, I would like to address one of the tiny issues often unnoticed by developers and webmasters “duplicate content”. The non-www URL is returning the same page as the www version. This means that it is effectively creating two exact copies of the same website.
The solution is either you can use a canonical tag (<meta name=” canonical” content=”http://www.websys.co.in” />) or you can use a 301 redirect for a non-www URL.
- Handling non-Secure HTTPS pages:
This is an advanced level of correcting duplicate content that usually arises on that website which uses a relative URL structure for navigation. In such cases when a user enters into any secure pages using an HTTPS connection and navigates to other pages from there, the URL retains the HTTPS connection. So you are having the same content for both HTTP and HTTPS pages.
To overcome this issue, make sure that for all none secured areas or pages, the HTTPS versions is having a 301 redirected pointing to the corrected HTTP versions.
- The Trailing Slash:
This is another duplicate content issue. The problem in such cases arises from those websites which render the same content for both Elsie. with and without the trailing slash. Correcting the issue is straight forward and can be fixed with a simple 301 redirect rule for all pages without a trailing slash pointing to the version with a trailing slash.
- Rendering Index file:
Almost 8 among 10 websites are suffering from this issue. It happens when your root directory is projecting the same page as that of the index file (index.html or index.php or index.aspx etc.).
For example http://www.your_domain.com/ and http://www.your_domain.com/index.php render the same page that flags the issue of duplicate content
This can be corrected by canonical tag in index.php or using 301 redirects of all such URLs.
- Handling Category IDs:
Many websites especially those having CMS and shopping cart, use category id as an HTTP request for passing product ids through the header. In such cases, the Url structure becomes quite ugly.
For ex: http://www.example.com/product.aspx?ID=11526&IT=5f7d3d
These letters and symbols in a URL mean absolutely nothing to either a human visitor or a search engine spider.
My advice will be, that developers can programmatically define these category ids corresponding to their unique product name so that such type of URL can transform from an ugly URL to a pretty URL.
by actovision | Mar 5, 2022 | SEO
In order to be successful in today’s digital marketing landscape, it’s crucial to avoid the mistakes that so many other companies make. Check out this handy list of basic mistakes to watch out for in your own marketing efforts!
Not Having Enough Budget
Today, digital marketing is booming but sadly it can be a costly affair as well. The reason for that is because of its wide spread use in every industry. That being said, if you don’t have enough budget then you need to go for some cost-effective services which are both qualitative and affordable at one time. Some digital marketing companies provide those services with their own quality so make sure to check it out. If not, you can also opt for Digital Marketing Company India that provide required assistance without any delay.
Not Reaching Out to Influencers
Being an influencer is all about credibility. If your audience doesn’t know you, they won’t listen to you. While social media is important, real-life connections are key when you want them to partner with you or purchase from you. If someone has a large social following and a related industry expertise, go out of your way to reach out and let them know about what it is that you offer. Doing so can lead to benefits for both parties in terms of traffic and exposure.
Not Understanding That Content Is King
Content is King is often quoted as gospel in digital marketing, but marketers often miss what it means. The world of online marketing changes fast and if you don’t stay on top of all that’s new and improve your content regularly, chances are you will get left behind. As a Digital Marketing company it is our job to keep up with these changes and make sure our clients do not miss out on valuable advice.
Not Measuring Results
Though it may seem obvious, many digital marketers fail to measure their results. If you don’t know how your company is doing, how can you improve? The first step for digital marketers looking to increase their return on investment (ROI) is to make a concrete plan for measuring and reporting results. By having a pre-defined set of metrics that track results, digital marketers can easily identify which strategies are working and which aren’t.
Not Having a Comprehensive Plan
Marketing is a long-term game, and without a comprehensive plan, you won’t be able to enjoy long-term success. A marketing plan identifies where your business is currently, where it wants to go, and how it will get there. This includes identifying all facets of your business: what you do well, what you can improve on, and who your competition is.
by actovision | Feb 10, 2022 | SEO
What does success look like in the world of search engine optimization? If you asked around, you’d likely get dozens of different answers. Some people would point to traffic as the primary goal; others might say that sales or leads are the most important thing. For our purposes, we’re going to take a look at five (5) common factors shared by successful SEO agencies in 2022, so that you can make sure your business is on the right track this year and in years to come.
What Are Some Good Reasons to Work with the Best SEO Agency?
When it comes to your marketing dollars, it’s probably a good idea to work with one of, if not the best, SEO agencies. Here are five reasons why…
What if I Don’t Want to Hire an Agency?
Building a search-optimized website is an immensely complex task. One way to gain some of that expertise yourself is to use free tools, such as Google Webmaster Tools and Bing Webmaster Tools, which give you information about your own site’s ranking performance. You can also hire outside help, but doing so can be expensive. A common choice is hiring an independent contractor or freelancer to manage your SEO efforts on a per-project basis. Freelancers are typically cheaper than full-time employees (although you have less legal recourse if something goes wrong), but they won’t provide all of their time exclusively to your project, so they might not be able to deliver results as quickly as an agency would.
How to Structure my Website so that it can be Indexed by Google by 2022?
Nowadays, it seems every single business needs a website. By 2022, most businesses will have a website and many consumers will be online as well. In fact, Google predicts there will be around three billion internet users by that year. Naturally, you want your site to be indexed by Google so you can rank high in search results—the first place people go when they want information on a topic or company. That means when people enter your keyword into their search engine of choice (likely Google), there’s a good chance your site will pop up somewhere near (or at) the top of their list. Nowadays, it seems every single business needs a website. By 2022, most businesses will have a website and many consumers will be online as well.
How do I Increase My Page Ranking without Using any Black Hat Techniques?
The Internet is changing quickly, and that means it’s up to you to change with it. The best way to stay on top of search engine optimization (SEO) is to keep an eye on search engine news, trends, and changes. Following relevant hashtags can help you see what’s important to your industry’s online community. Use these tools and resources when planning your strategy: The Google Search Console, Moz Open Site Explorer, backlink checking tools like Ahrefs or Majestic, keyword research tools like Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest; Social Mention; Google Trends; Google Correlate; SERP Checker.
How does AI Affect My Online Marketing Strategy?
The most successful online marketers will be those who take advantage of AI to streamline and expand their marketing efforts. By understanding what AI can do for your brand, you’ll be able to use its tools to gain more customers and improve your business’s reputation. Learn more here!
by actovision | Nov 9, 2021 | SEO
No matter whether you are just entering the market or operating for some time, occupying the top rank on Google search must be at the back of your mind. However, with ever-evolving algorithms and extensive competition in the market, it’s quite challenging to occupy and retain the top places of Google.
In this blog, we will explore some smartest steps you need to adopt in order to achieve your goal.
Win the Top Rank on Google Search: Best Practices
Following strategies are preached and practised by the trusted experts of digital marketing services. It’s time that you start implementing these.
Create Long-Form Content
Let us start with blogging. These days, we can find that most of the sites occupying the top spots feature long-form content.
Don’t get us wrong. It has nothing to do with length or the number of words.
Basically, it can be assumed that long content is more in-depth and offers a comprehensive outline of the topic. Google seeks to offer valuable insights to the users. The sites that satisfy this criterion have a higher chance to win a high rank.
Further, exhaustive and engaging content drives more traffic to the site due to its varied information and increases dwell time. Since people get ample information on the site, they can share their preferred information while mentioning or linking to the site.
All these lead Google to consider the site to be a valuable source of information.
Optimize for Google Answer Box
Google Answer Box results are more prominent than all the other results. If your content appears in this section, it will gain extensive visibility and exposure. Naturally, it will drive more clicks and traffic. If you want to appear in this section, your site must have lots of merits. It’s better to engage professional SEO services instead of trying amateur hands since it requires extensive effort and experience.
Sometimes, this result is also noted as a zero-click search result. That’s because people can get adequate information right from the answer box and they don’t click. This may make you think that appearing in Google Answer Box is equal to losing traffic.
Well, let’s bust this misconception. Google Answer Box plays a significant role in branding. It helps to create a reputation, brand recognition, and reliability.
Improve Internal Linking Structure
Site architecture is crucial for the search engine bots to properly crawl and index the web pages. This is done by internal links.
A study by Moz asserts that an optimal website structure has a shape of a pyramid with links between the pages. For instance, the homepage is connected to the main category pages and those are linked with related products/service pages.
Other than creating site architecture, it also helps to float link juice from one page to another. This, in turn, will boost the SEO potential of the web pages.
This needs to be done right from the time of website development. Therefore, hire a reputed website development company to build your website maintaining proper structure.
Anchor Text Optimization
An anchor text is used for linking pages and help Google understand the motif of the page. Using keywords is a brilliant practice to guide Google bot to easily comprehend your page content and rank the site higher.
Here are 5 types of anchor texts that you may use:
Exact Match Anchor Text: Such an anchor text uses a keyword that mirrors the page you are linking to. For instance, if one of your keywords is home decor, using “home decor” while linking a page that enlists various types of decorations is an exact match anchor text.
Partial Match Anchor Text: Such a text includes a variation of the primary keyword on the page you are linking to. For instance, “DIY home decor ideas” can be a partial match anchor text as it consists of the phrases your site is trying to rank for.
Generic Anchor Text: Such an anchor text is a generic phrase that links to other pages. Some of its instances may include “click here”, “learn more”, etc.
Branded Anchor Text: As the name suggests, here the anchor text uses the brand name. Say, if your brand name is XYZ, linking “XYZ” to one of your posts will be an instance of a branded anchor text. However, overusing this type of anchor text can seem to be manipulative and suspicious to Google. So it’s better to avoid using it more than once.
Naked Link: If you use the URL as an anchor, it is considered a naked link. These are not an ideal option as they affect readability. While it’s easy to read an anchor text like “excellent home decor ideas”, reading “https://www.xyz.com/story/excellent-home-decor-ideas” is not so smooth!
Check out this blog to learn all about anchor texts.
Full-Proof Guest Posting Strategy
You all know that guest posting is essential for placing your site in front of a wide array of audiences and earning a backlink from a reputed site helps to improve your domain authority. But, you may not know that it’s not a smart move to post blogs on every guest posting site you come across.
Here are a few tips to bear in mind:
- Select relevant websites with high domain authority.
- Check out previously posted articles on the site to get an idea of their expectations.
- Pick topics that will interest the target audience of the site.
- Support your claims with high-authority sources.
- Abide by the blog submission guidelines mentioned on the guest posting site.
Make Use of Rich Snippets
Displaying rich snippets in your Google results is a great way to earn more clicks which in turn, makes Google acknowledge your demand, and improves your rank. The structured data on your page HTML will help Google in displaying proper rich snippets for the searchers. It may include ratings, price, stock availability, etc.
by actovision | Mar 10, 2020 | SEO
So you have your website running. Business is good, the sales are coming in, and everything is on track…
Then you notice something.
Your site analytics show that for some reason, your website is not getting as many visitors as it used to. True, all businesses strive for more traffic. Human nature (and SEO services!) drives us towards getting more and more traffic to our web property. This is simply because more traffic to your website means greater customer outreach, quality engagement, more sales and ultimately more business. After all, that’s what we strive for. So obviously a drop in site traffic is something that should be taken very, very seriously.
What can cause your website traffic to drop?
Drop-in web traffic can be the result of many factors, but broadly they can be classified into two types:
- Direct factors
- Indirect factors
Let us look at some of these in detail:
Direct Factors
These are factors that are directly related to your website, and can benefit should you or the digital marketing services engaged by you act upon promptly.
Ask any digital marketing company the one factor that drives traffic, and they’ll give you the same answer: high quality, relevant content. In 2019, there are 1,518,207,412 websites on the internet (source: millforbusiness.com). That’s a pretty big number! So you can imagine that the only sites which will be able to drive quality traffic are the ones providing rich and useful content to the customers. So pay close attention to your content strategy, post regularly and be active on social media.
If your site has been active for many years, chances are that you are still targeting keywords that have become obsolete. Appropriate and targeted keyword research by competent SEO agency in India will help to improve your site’s ranking on SERP’s.
Often, a site’s performance online is affected by technical glitches. Broken links, server overloads, recent site overhauls and more can affect how search engines index your site and drive traffic. So be careful.
How your users experience your site is vital to whether they become loyal patrons or not. According to Matthew Martin of Spade Design, your UX directly affects your site rankings and hence the business. To be sure to deliver a solid UX, consider hiring a professional website development company.
- Think As Your Customers Do-
would you rather visit a site with a clean, pleasing design and lightning-fast pages which clearly defines what you want from it, or a sluggish, cluttered mess that hurts your eyes? The choice is no choice at all.
Indirect factors:
This refers to factors that are not directly related to your website but can still contribute towards bringing down your traffic.
Search Engines (especially Google) are always looking for ways to deliver the most relevant results to users by making changes to their search algorithm. For example, on 12th March 2019, Google launched the March 2019 Core Algorithm Update. As with any update, the changes will have an effect on the rankings and traffic of most sites. While you can do very little regarding how search engines update themselves, you can always consult with a digital marketing company that provides SEO services in India to make sure you can take advantage of the changes and improve your traffic.
Industry trends and customer preferences will always change over time, and while you may not be able to control how they change, you can always build your marketing strategy around it. Share your brand info with your digital marketing services, and they can help you to identify the latest trends and how to leverage the same to your advantage.
