Questions created by journeybeyondtravel
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Changed to HTTPS: Do I need to update Moz?
Hi Everyone! I have moved my website from HTTP to HTTPS. I believe that I've done everything correctly. Now that I've done that, do I need to update my Moz campaign (and how to do that)? Or, will Moz handle it itself? Or, do I need to create a new campaign with the HTTPS url? Thanks so much!
Product Support | | journeybeyondtravel0 -
Losing Rankings & Need Help
Hi Guys, I am not sure if anyone else is suffering from the July 4, 2013 update. I know many of us are awaiting to see what happens once the dust settles. I have a couple of issues/questions/statements below. This is the first time any Google update has every affected me negatively and I'd love some ideas or input. 1. I have ranked quite well for nearly 10 years for all my top keywords. Now, after this update, I am disappearing for my top keywords in the SERPS - definitely getting pushed to page two, etc. Can anyone help me discover the reasons? I have a great SEO expert helping me and I know quite a bit, but this has me baffled. My website is Journey Beyond Travel.com I have read MOZ's ranking factors for 2013 and also the recently published report from SearchMetrics. In the last few days, I've added more quality text to the homepage and shortened my page title on the homepage (although Google has been changing my homepage browser title to put my brand name first in the title - and they haven't for my competitors). Over the past few months, I've really cleaned up my link profile to the best of my ability. I've never really taken part in any negative or black-hat practices. I am trying to get more links that use my 'brand' name rather than exact anchor text. I believe I have a natural profile - any thoughts? 2. One thing I notice is the higher ranking of larger brands now (at least in my field). Just because a domain with higher authority creates one page of content, how can that outrank me? I mean, I've got ten years and 600+ darn good articles of content on my website. How can one domain that is very 'general' (for example, well known in the world of travel and not specialized or niche like mine) outrank me? How can it be that Google allows larger brands to outrank smaller ones just because they have more backlinks and domain authority, but no real content to support these pages? Is content truly king? I am thinking about an article: "Google, Brands, and the Death of Small Business Online." Anyone wish to collaborate here? I am not being hatelful or resentful, but I foresee the day when an 'alternative' search engine emerges, doesn't allow crap ads, allows users more flexibility, and brings search to the next level. Not all of us want the big brands and are searching for alternatives that stand out. I ignore them when I am searching mostly. Any thoughts or elaborations? Thanks!
Moz Pro | | journeybeyondtravel1 -
Does Keyword and Location Matter?
Hi Everyone, I'm always learning, but here's a question. I would like to know if keyword and location truly matter. For example, I've been trying to rank my website for a LONG time for a UK English term. My site is hosted in the US. My site has great content and internal and external links using the keyword. I cannot seem to climb the SERPs although my "American" keywords do fine and I see results. If anyone wants to take a look, that would be great. My website is JourneyBeyondTravel.com and I wish to rank for "Morocco Holidays" (I am at about #20 currently). I am also having trouble with "Morocco travel" although I have continuously ranked well for "Morocco tours" and "trips." Along this same line, I've been doing some quality guest posting and blogging. I've used longer phrase-type keywords (3-5 words) in the article text that have keyword terms in them. Should keywords be varied like this? How long until I see results? And, should I look for blogs in different countries to keep things balanced (such as blogging on .co.uk sites so that I can get link juice for UK keywords). Thanks again! Thomas
International SEO | | journeybeyondtravel0 -
Looking to Hire an SEO Expert for Travel Site
Hello Everyone, I hope this is OK to post here. I run a travel website and we operate tours abroad. We are slowly expanding after nearly 10 years in the field. I started the company from scratch and currently do my own website design and SEO work. However, over the last couple of years I've lost the SEO connection due to being so darn busy. I started account here with SEO Moz in order to get the ball rolling again. We continually rank high for keywords, publish superb content by great writers, and overall are doing fine. I would just like to ensure this keeps happening and that we have an expert on board to help us in sustainable organic SEO practices. What I'd like to do is hire an SEO expert to help with our site. It might be part time (10 or so hours per week, perhaps?) Anyhow, I would like if this person used SeoMoz and really had their fingers on the pulse of the SEO world. I want all white-hat SEO, help with page optimization, internal link structure, and help getting quality external links. I know that over optimization is something that is now on the forefront of SEO work, so of course keeping this in mind helps. I would like to be kept up to date (perhaps weekly overviews of data and how we are doing) and am willing to make changes as quickly as needed on the site. I would like to see how we rank with competitors and what we need to do to stay on top - for the long term (no short sighted decisions). I want to learn as we progress, not because I want to do the SEO work myself, I just enjoy knowing what is going on. I will not micromanage. I am too busy for that : ) I am not sure what amount SEO experts are paid, but I have a slightly flexible budget. I really want someone will communicate when needed and is thorough in their responses. Attention to detail is a must. I would prefer an SEO expert located in the US but who also knows how to access / think about markets abroad (Canada/UK/Australia). I suppose we can discuss pay once I have a shortlisted group. I am looking to hire and work with someone starting pretty much immediately (even in May). For starters, I suppose our budget might be $500 to $1500 per month. For the first month or so, we might offer payment on a stipend basis just so we can ensure whoever is hired is the perfect fit. It would be great if this person had worked on travel sites before or has at least traveled abroad a few times. But, no worries either way. Thanks so much! Thomas at jbt@journeybeyondtravel.com
Moz Pro | | journeybeyondtravel0 -
Please Explain "Rel Canonical"
I have a travel blog that ranks well for lots of keywords. In my "Notices" section of this site, I found that every page has a rel canonical issue sort of flagged. What does this mean? How can it be fixed? It doesn't seem to bother my traffic, but it'd be nice to have it tidied up. Thanks! The site is www.journeybeyondtravel.com/news
Content Development | | journeybeyondtravel0 -
Google US vs Google UK
I could have posted this somewhere else, but I cannot find it. So, I have keywords that rank well in Google US and many that do well in Google UK too. I thought all of my keywords ranking well in the US would also rank well the UK. I have figured out today that it is not the case. Why would I rank in the top 3 in the US and not even show up in the top 50 in the UK? It is very strange. Thanks for your help! I am not super new to SEO or web business. I have had a very good company that has been ranking well since 2004.
International SEO | | journeybeyondtravel0