It’s official – Google is now using Site Speed as a factor in determining where to rank pages in its organic search engine results pages, following on from speculation that arose in November 2009 after a now infamous Matt Cutts hint. Google has been using site speed as a ranking factor in its AdWords model [...]

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Following on from a seminar conducted a few months ago, I’m delivering a day-long training course on SEO at Netresources in Edinburgh. The course is designed for attendees who are new to SEO and will give them a grounding in a variety of principles and techniques that can be used to improve and optimise a [...]

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At long last Google this week confirmed what most of us in the industry knew already – meta-keywords are not used in organic search rankings. No real surprise there to be honest! Although, what those who still sell it as a service will do, we have no idea. The announcement was made in a post [...]

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Google is usually very hot when it comes to spelling errors and spelling suggestions when you use their search service. However, it looks like someone at the GooglePlex is having an off-day. The search giant is showing a handy summary of today’s tennis at Wimbledon, but as the screengrab below shows, they haven’t quite spelt [...]

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Perhaps it’s just coincidence, but we’ve been noticing a rather alarming trend of late, namely robots.txt files being used to block all search engine robots from accessing what should otherwise be a fully accessible web site. In each case, the discovery has come about after a client asking us why their web site has suddenly [...]

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We’ve been working hard here at Mackerel Media both to generate fantastic results for our existing clients and bring new clients on board. So we’re pleased to announce another win in the shape of Healthy Travel, an e-commerce company that sells a wide range of Mosquito Nets, Insect Repellents and other essential travel supplies. The [...]

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Link building as part of an SEO campaign is, fortunately, far from the dangerous quest that Monty Python undertook. There are no Knights Who Say Ni, nor is there a lethal rabbit lying in wait. However, it is a long and hard slog that demands patience and careful attention. The rewards for a successful link-building [...]

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Some exciting news here at Mackerel Towers as the wrapping is taken off the first design and build project we’ve handled since starting up – a new web site for Southlands Farm Cottages. Charles and Dee McGowan at Southlands Farm have three beautiful self catering Northumberland Cottages available for rental the year round. They began [...]

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As Google moves more and more towards to the concept of Universal Search, so the concept of Local Search Engine optimisation becomes more important. One of the most important tools in all this is the Google Local Business Centre. Yet, we frequently find organisations aren’t really aware of what it is, why it’s so important [...]

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Viart is an increasingly popular off-the-shelf PHP e-commerce system used by a number of fairly high profile online shops. As an application it’s very flexible, powerful and integrates well with a number of Payment Solutions Providers. However, out the box it’s not particularly well optimised for search engines. In this post we’ll take a look [...]

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