SEO
A Follow Up – Partial is the new Exact Anchor Text Link.
Anchor Text Linking
An experiment on which type of link anchor text is most effective was carried out by jamesagate and it is very interesting. He set up 
three sites, same keyword phrase used for each site, the domains being similar but not the exact match keyword phrase used in the domains, just used on each site.
The keyword phrase was a low competition phrase too.
James used certain criteria which he explains in the article on Seomoz.org.
The anchor text links were the generic ‘click here’ for one site, the exact match for the second and the partial match for the third.
He used ten links to each site.
When I searched for the keyword my results were the site with the exact keyword in the domain comes up in #1 spot. Then the experiment sites were #2 #3 #4 using the search from iGoogle.
Using Google Australia, the results were domain exact match in #1, then the sites were #2 #3 and #5.
Using Google US Exact match Domain #1, the experiment sites were #2 #3 #4
Using Google UK Exact match domain #1 then experiment sites were #3 #4 #9
The site positions were always in the same order, partial, then exact, then generic.
When I searched, the thing that I noticed with the search results, was the description of each site.
The exact domain (which wasn’t part of the experiment) had the keyword phrase as the first wording in the description so did the exact anchor link site and also the partial anchor link site but the generic didn’t have that keyword phrase as the first wording in its description.
Yet looking at the source code, the title and description of each site is the same. I haven’t gone through it with a fine tooth comb but will take a closer look.
We mostly go to some effort with the description of our sites because once getting the site into one of the top 5 search results it is that description that will entice someone to click on your site as opposed to the others.
I’m curious now as to why those descriptions didn’t all come up the same. Why did Google select differently for one site.
It is interesting…..
The link for the experiment post is below.
Posted in SEO
Partial is the New Exact!!
Off page SEO – Backlinking
This is something that is forever changing. I have never liked the idea of throwing hundreds and thousands of links back to a site from 
goodness knows where, with nothing very enlightening being thrown back. And…I have not seen much evidence of when this happens it does good things for the site anyway.
The rules are set by the search engines, mainly Google. Internet marketers come up with something that works for them and they see a way of sharing it with other internet marketers and before you know it, it has spread like wild fire, probably changed several times over like most things that spread that way.
Then Google says enough is enough, this is getting out of control and steps in, makes changes to how they search and before we know it, that ‘wildfire’ system works no more and someone had given a name to whatever change Google made.
Lots of names have been given to these changes, even new words have been ‘invented’.
Now I came across this the other day and thought it may interest you too.
It is all about anchor text for your linking, back or front whatever way you look at it, the linking that is.
Looks like Partial is the new Exact.
It made good sense to me as it is a more natural way of doing things.
Here is the link but I’ve added the video for you, it shows what this new ‘Exact’ is all about.
Posted in SEO
Want An SEO Cheat Sheet?
SEO, Search Engine Optimisation, is a full time study if it is to be done right, the search engine folk keep moving the goal posts. Just when you think you have to set up your site, along comes another bit that you either should have or shouldn’t have. And….often times the latter means your site gets penalised and you have no idea it was happening.
It is not the easiest to understand what it all means either but help is at hand or should I say mouse.
This link will take you to a site that has 7 Essential SEO Cheat Sheets and this link is for the SEO Cheat Sheet pdf
Among the 7 Essential SEO Cheat Sheets is a very handy WordPress one, while not SEO as such, it has all the .php snippets for what is in the files. So now if you are looking for something to adjust etc in the .php files, you can look this up and find the .php snippet much easier.
All in all a good site to add to your favourites to refer back to.
In the SEO Cheat Sheet PDF there are just little things that you may not know like, how many characters in your Title and how many characters in the Meta Description, think about those long tail keyword phrases that are so all the go right now, how long is too long.
The depth of the URL is another thing I found interesting, particularly with WordPress, I often use the Uploads in wp-content and sometimes a folder then another in that folder to another in that……not good!
While I know I’m never going to be an SEO expert, these cheat sheets on my desktop, will come in very handy. Hope they do for you too.
Till next time
Cheers
Carmel