English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout Streamed live on 7 Oct 2016

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English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout Streamed live on 7 Oct 2016.

English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout

Add Facebook Open Graph to Magento

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How to add Facebook Open Graph Protocol to Magento the easy way. Your web store should be easy to share and your products or services have to be providing the browser with the correct details known as Open Graph Protocol data which uses “og:” tags in the source code and these need to pull in the specific data from Magento so that then the information can be shared via Facebook automatically.

You need to locate the head.phtml file located in the folder structure app/design/frontend/THEME-NAME/default/template/page/html/head.phtml

Before you do anything visit http://opengraphcheck.com/ and check a few website pages to see what the current coding is providing.

Anywhere around the existing meta data, for example:-

<meta http-equiv=”Content-Type” content=”<?php echo $this->getContentType() ?>” />
<title><?php echo $this->getTitle() ?></title>
<meta name=”description” content=”<?php echo htmlspecialchars($this->getDescription()) ?>” />
<meta name=”keywords” content=”<?php echo htmlspecialchars($this->getKeywords()) ?>” />
<meta name=”robots” content=”<?php echo htmlspecialchars($this->getRobots()) ?>” />
<link rel=”icon” href=”<?php echo $this->getFaviconFile(); ?>” type=”image/x-icon” />
<link rel=”shortcut icon” href=”<?php echo $this->getFaviconFile(); ?>” type=”image/x-icon” />
<meta name=”viewport” content=”width=device-width, maximum-scale=1.0, minimum-scale=1.0,initial-scale=1.0,user-scalable=no”>

Add the following code:-

<?php /* Chameleon Web Services Open Graph Protocol for Facebook and SEO START */ ?>
<?php if(Mage::registry(‘current_product’)): ?>
<?php $product = Mage::registry(‘current_product’); ?>
<meta property=”og:title” content=”<?php echo ($product->getName()); ?>” />
<meta property=”og:type” content=”product” />
<meta property=”og:image” content=”<?php echo $this->helper(‘catalog/image’)->init($product, ‘small_image’)->resize(200,200);?>” />
<meta property=”og:url” content=”<?php echo Mage::registry(‘product’)->getProductUrl(); ?>” />
<meta property=”og:description” content=”<?php echo strip_tags(($product->getShortDescription())); ?>” />
<meta property=”og:site_name” content=”<?php echo Mage::app()->getStore()->getName(); ?>” />
<?php elseif(Mage::registry(‘current_category’)): ?>
<meta property=”og:title” content=”<?php echo $this->getTitle() ?>” />
<meta property=”og:type” content=”product.group” /> <meta property=”og:url” content=”<?php echo $this->helper(‘core/url’)->getCurrentUrl();?>” />
<meta property=”og:description” content=”<?php echo strip_tags($this->getDescription()) ?>” />
<meta property=”og:site_name” content=”<?php echo Mage::app()->getStore()->getName(); ?>” />
<?php elseif((Mage::getSingleton(‘cms/page’)->getIdentifier() == ‘home’ && Mage::app()->getFrontController()->getRequest()->getRouteName() == ‘cms’)) : ?>
<meta property=”og:title” content=”<?php echo $this->getTitle() ?>” /> <meta property=”og:type” content=”website” />
<meta property=”og:url” content=”<?php echo $this->helper(‘core/url’)->getCurrentUrl();?>” />
<meta property=”og:description” content=”<?php echo strip_tags($this->getDescription()) ?>” />
<meta property=”og:site_name” content=”<?php echo Mage::app()->getStore()->getName(); ?>” />
<?php else: ?>
<meta property=”og:title” content=”<?php echo $this->getTitle() ?>” />
<meta property=”og:type” content=”article” />
<meta property=”og:url” content=”<?php echo $this->helper(‘core/url’)->getCurrentUrl();?>” />
<meta property=”og:description” content=”<?php echo strip_tags($this->getDescription()) ?>” />
<meta property=”og:site_name” content=”<?php echo Mage::app()->getStore()->getName(); ?>” />
<?php endif; ?>
<?php /* Chameleon Web Services Open Graph Protocol for Facebook and SEO END */ ?>

Now visit http://opengraphcheck.com/ and check a few website pages to see if the data is now pulling the information relevant to the page content.

SEO Ranking Improvements – Best SEO Company

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We get asked lots of questions from potential new clients and as an SEO Company that operates in a transparent manner we wanted to share an example of how ranking improvements move as a general rule of thumb and provide information to help understand SEO companies a little better.

SEO Ranking Graph Showing Improvements

SEO Ranking Improvements

Looking at this graph you can see that the client was already on page two position 25 in Google which makes improvements easier and quicker than a keyword that is not in the top 100.

We investigate the clients website and the competition on page one of Google for the chosen keyword. We then identify an SEO bespoke SEO plan to achieve success and then start the process.

We improve the website itself which is known as on-page SEO changes and then create a powerful link profile which will be found by Google and when the Google Index is updated with this new data the value is added to the information relating to the domain name and then Google will prefer our client over other websites for the chosen keyword. Sounds simple, what has to be considered is that all the other SEO companies are doing the same in their own way.

SEO Company Methods of Success

Each SEO company will have a slightly different way of achieving success and often they will be using a technique that has worked for them previously. We have hundreds of test sites with careful analysis tracking and monitoring to identify the Google Algorithm changes and this information is critical to us in keeping ahead of the competition SEO Companies. We use this data to identify what is required to be on page one of Google and what is required to achieve top 3 positions.

Our SEO success is a mix of mathematically calculated data and high quality content written in house to ensure no duplication occurs. All the on-page SEO changes we make are identified using our in-house SEO tools and checked against purchased software to see what other SEO companies are doing following the software guidelines. There are only a handful of decent SEO software platforms available and we use all to compare the difference’s as this gives us even more data for our analysis. If the competition SEO companies are all using the same software then the results are going to be same to a point and this is the reason we break the mould and have some of the best rankings in the most competitive sectors.

Often the SEO software will suggest changes that we don’t agree with and this is not followed and we achieve position one in the Google search results, the other SEO companies will be following these guidelines and this makes our job easier.

Birmingham SEO Company

There are various ways that an SEO company can prove their service and one of the most important is being able to achieve ranking for their own website as well as clients. Many SEO companies in Birmingham have had to change domain names following Google Algorithm changes due to problems and penalties. This is not good and if this was a clients domain name that was damaged then this leads to problems that can destroy a business if the reliance is on Google for income from search results with new clients finding them to produce revenue then this can lead to the company going under.

To compare and show an example of this if we take the keyword “Birmingham seo services” which is a keyword SEO companies in Birmingham look to achieve. If you look below you can see in Google that Chameleon is ranking in position 1 and 3. This is obviously fantastic for us due to the fact that the top three positions are the most important and to fight an SEO battle against our competition and have two out of the three position available is amazing:-

Birmingham SEO Services

Google search results change and this example is as of 29/10/2014.

So using the companies shown here which are obviously SEO Companies that are in Birmingham and in competition for the same keywords offering similar services, how can you then compare them to see how good they are at what they do?

There is one way to compare the overall number of keywords that they rank for due to this being an important factor to consider, ranking for only one keyword to prove you can achieve online success is not really proof that you can deliver results and using Google Adwords to be in the search results is a costly way to get clients and these costs will be passed down to the client in some way.

The comparison will be made using SEM RUSH a 3rd party SEO software platform that anyone can use and we will compare the following companies:-

  • Chameleon Web Services – www.chameleonwebservices.co.uk
  • SEO Silly – www.seosilly.co.uk
  • Kalexiko – www.kalexiko.com
  • UC4 – www.uc4.co.uk
  • SEO Results4U – www.seoresults4u.com
  • Essential Marketer – www.essentialmarketer.com
  • 3Sixty Search – www.3sixtysearch.co.uk
  • e-foreknowledge – www.e-foreknowledge.co.uk
  • WOW Internet – www.wowinternet.co.uk

SEO Company Rankings

Click here for the exact data from the first graph or Click here for the exact data from the second graph.

Looking at the data you can see that the number of keywords each SEO company ranks for will vary by the month and this is due to the work being carried in a highly competitive sector and also the Google Algorithm changes. We have gone back to 2011 to show a clear understanding of the changes and from our own keywords ranked you can see in 2014 it is more difficult to rank for a large number of keywords. I would point out that in October 2014 we have gained a large amount of keywords not shown in this graph due the SEM RUSH system not posting this data yet.

An example of the changes that Google made and the change to the number of keywords ranking for example we can look at Ebay:-

Ebay rankings in Google

This article on Search Engine Land talks about the changes following the Google Panda 4.0 update. READ MORE.

SEO is a complicated process and every search engine optimisation company will say that their method is best but ultimately results talk and Google makes the job more difficult each month. We carry out SEO to Google’s guidelines to ensure that our clients do not get hit with a penalty and we work to monitor negative SEO protecting clients.

Who is the Best Birmingham SEO Company

To answer this question would be wrong due to us being very biased however, who is the best SEO Company in Birmingham is something that we believe needs to the following. Has the company delivered SEO for a number of years with success following all the Google changes and do they carry out white hat SEO?

The answer to this is there are various companies in Birmingham to choose from and our recommendation is to speak with the companies and see who makes you feel comfortable. Choosing the wrong company can lead to disaster and this will be a costly fix.

Note: Nothing in the article is aimed to name or shame an SEO Competitor the and article has been written following questions from potential clients.

Use Google Alerts to Monitor your website to prevent spot hacking

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Google have been really helping webmaster coming up with great way to help spot if your website has been hacked.
One great method is to use the Google Alerting system set to monitor your domain against specific keywords you do not want to be associated with. If your site starts becoming associating with unrelated queries that are popular with spammers, for example keywords related to pharmaceuticals, payday loans or fake replica goods then you need to be aware as soon as this happens.


You can set up a Google Alerts (https://www.google.com/alerts) very quickly.

An example alert [site:www.chameleonwebservices.co.uk (viagra|cialis|casino|loans)]

Google Alerts

This will check if the domain www.chameleonwebservices.co.uk appears for the keywords requested and then Google will notify the chosen email address in the alert if this search query become active.

Google have stated:-
Monitor the Web for interesting new content, Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your queries.

Enter a search query you wish to monitor. You will see a preview of the type of results you’ll receive. Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:
•monitoring a developing news story
•keeping current on a competitor or industry
•getting the latest on a celebrity or event
•keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams

These updates can be used how you wish and monitoring for things do not want is just as important as monitoring for things you are interested in.

IP address to the main website URL

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We thought we would share this information for people using Apache Web Servers who require to redirect the IP address of a website hosting to the main website URL. If you have a dedicated IP address it is well worth checking this.

If the web hosting server IP address is not forwarding to the website’s domain name then you may find that search engines could index your website content using IP address rather than the domain name itself.

If this did occur it would mean that there is a potential of duplicate content so we recommend you check this by putting your webservers IP address in your browser.

If it does not redirect to the main website URL then you can fix this using a htaccess 301 redirect on an Apache server.


Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on
#
# Redirect non www to your www.yourdomain.com
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} .
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\.yourdomain\.com$
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.yourdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

-or-

Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on
#
# Redirect non www and also the server IP Address to your www.yourdomain.com
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^yourdomain\.com [OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^123\.456\.789\.101
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.yourdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

Be careful to add your IP address without damaging the code as it requires the “\” between the “.”