Disqus - Latest Comments for rbucich

Re: Looka lays off 80 percent of staff as failed rebrand from Logojoy cut revenue in half

Rick Bucich — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 16:59:38 -0000

Domain migrations must be 100% with nothing orphaned on the old domain. Looks like some old hosting product was left behind: https://morninggloryac.site...
There is also: https://lists.logojoy.com/l... and this type of stuff http://logojoy.com/logo-col.... Tons of content on the marketing.dev subdomain which now serves a 503, would prefer a 404 or 410 if the content is indeed permanently gone. Company needs to complete the migration before they can expect recovery. Other concerns have already been covered by others.

Re: Google Traffic Soars After SEO Drops Links From Disavow File

Rick Bucich — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 14:31:55 -0000

I'm with Michael on this, I frequently see disavow activity when the WM should be focusing attention elsewhere.

Re: Sinister 404s – The Hidden SEO Danger of Returning The Wrong Header Response Code [Case Study]

Rick Bucich — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 11:13:47 -0000

I've seen the same thing several times in the Google Webmaster Help Forum - I've learned to take it another step further and use the Googlebot user agent when auditing sites because (although rare) I've seen 200 header for users and 404 for Googlebot. I don't know how you would accomplish such a feat but it's possible.

Re: Will Matt Cutts Go Back As Google’s Head Of Web Spam When He Returns From His Extended Leave?

Rick Bucich — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 17:06:18 -0000

1) A respite well deserved. 2) Nasty comments are a great way to find SEOs you should avoid.

Re: Google’s Matt Cutts: We Don’t Have Different Algorithms For Different Web Position Slots

Rick Bucich — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 18:43:38 -0000

Skipping social signals and strictly focusing on crawl path and on-page content, Amazon does a truly impressive job. Among other things...
- Primary nav is SEO friendly and robust (there is also an all category sitemap linked site-wide in top nav)
- There is a separate breadcrumb to every category level page where a product resides
- Tons of product reviews which help differentiate copy
- Every reviewer profile creates crawl path to every product reviewed (some products have tens of thousands of reviews)
- Crawl path for reviewer classified by their rank
- They never delete products or so I'm told
- Used product version pages
- Custom built and flexible CMS
- By cross referencing products from so many angles, the PageRank flow to a single product page can be staggering

On top of that gobs of high quality links and a robust affiliate program that sends lots of referring domain traffic. Google has stated publicly that Amazon doesn't benefit from the affiliate links (pass juice) but traffic the program generates could be a measurable quality signal.

This is all pretty much top of mind, it's a pretty bullet proof SEO fortress they have built and the level of effort to replicate would be massive.

eBay does similar things as well and I've noticed them competing again after struggling for a while.

A good test is whether you can easily navigate a site with javascript off. It isn't usually very pretty but effective is a good start.

Re: RapGenius Growth Hack Exposed

Rick Bucich — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 18:15:48 -0000

Specifying exact anchor text is such a risky strategy, talk about intentionally shooting yourself in the foot! #takingapageoutof2005seo

Re: Google Warns Against Large-Scale Guest Posting, Advertorials & “Optimized Anchor Text” In Press Releases

Rick Bucich — Sun, 28 Jul 2013 02:16:52 -0000

"Previously Matt Cutts has said that press release links shouldn't carry much weight." Correct, they don't cary much weight but Google is also attempting to stem abuse from sites that do press releases every time someone farts. If you curtail the spam, it's easier to pick out the legitimate quality signal where and if it exists. Spamming makes data dirty and less reliable, this is part of Google attempt to clean things up.

If successful, they might be able to build a more reliable algo that takes PR popularity into account. So much that is happening now and the recent past is about creating cleaner data to analyze/interpret. Once a spammy link building technique is abandoned, all the legitimate entities that publish them should benefit.

Or at least that's my thought on the matter for now:)

Re: Google: Guest Blogging For Links? You Better Nofollow Those Links

Rick Bucich — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 11:45:47 -0000

All this pre-occupation over links... if folks would spend their time improving and marketing their site they'd be way ahead of the game at the end of the day. Writing guest posts on random sites with no audience in an effort to build links takes time...time better spend elsewhere.

The biggest bitching come from the folks who have no ability to do either. Heaven forbid the SBO who actually educates themselves on how to promote their own business.

Re: 11 Things We Should Never Ever Do In Link Building Again

Rick Bucich — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 19:26:09 -0000

"Similarly, link building is so much important in this time that you cannot even survive without it" bull shit!

Re: Have Keywords Stopped Being A Proxy To The Customer?

Rick Bucich — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 23:14:06 -0000

You got that right, there is plenty of gaming. Google determined that a huge percentage of reviews in the retail auto industry were purchased/contrived and wiped them all out. Some businesses lost 90% of their reviews. Unfortunately it is easier to tackle in specific verticals where patterns are easier to identify via algorithm. Another very spammy area is legal and of course the infamous lock smiths. I once saw a single law firm take up the entire first page because every attorney optimized their personal Local page for the trophy term for the firm pushing out all competition.

It isn't just quantity of reviews however, who leaves a review can theoretically make a big impact if Google can attribute it to a real trustworthy person.

I also understand that a reciprocal link from a website back to the Google Local page can help as well since it reinforces authenticity/trust. Unfortunately I can't validate that personally.

Re: Have Keywords Stopped Being A Proxy To The Customer?

Rick Bucich — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:32:11 -0000

While I agree it can be frustrating, one must also be frustrated on behalf of all the SMBs that did not hire the crap SEO firms that spammed links everywhere (which admittedly worked - past tense) but felt the need to do so to compete.

Fortunately localization and Local takes care of much of this, it is easy to forget that not long ago a local business could not possibly make it to the first page which was entirely made up of paid inclusion directories. (I've been in this business a long time)
I need only type in "pizza" to find local restaurants now, many of whom don't have a clue about SEO. For many GEO queries, nearly the entire first page is Local results.
SMBs competing on a national/international state will have a harder time naturally. Time to put on that creative thinking cap.

Re: The PC Era: 1976-2012

Rick Bucich — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 01:56:21 -0000

Sounds like some folks are long on Dell and HPW. Nothing like a little extra incentive (financial) to make a comment. Nothing about this article slanders desktop or laptop users, that's where I spend most of my time but it is naive to assume the mobile market isn't encroaching.

P.S. Right on for referencing AJ!

Re: Gmail accounts for students, alumni, retirees go live

Rick Bucich — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 19:58:18 -0000

As an alumnus, it worked for me today. Nice and thank you!

Re: Google+ vs Facebook – Infographic

Rick Bucich — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 18:00:32 -0000

Greetings from G+ - I loved Friendfeed so G+ felt comfortable like a glove. There's a reason why those who have embraced it love it.

Re: Panda Update 3.5 Is Live: Winners & Losers

Rick Bucich — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:42:29 -0000

I'm told that site has been ranking in that spot for several weeks now. Not excusable but likely nothing to do with this update.

Re: Panda Update 3.5 Is Live: Winners & Losers

Rick Bucich — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:40:53 -0000

Joseph, I see at lease three sites you control all operating in the same space under different names. If I can detect it, Google probably can as well. Something you might want to address.

Re: Google’s 2012 Phishing Expedition: When Matt Cutts Goes Fishing You’re the Fish

Rick Bucich — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:01:33 -0000

From my vantage point "In a small minority of cases rankings are eventually being affected." is not accurate. I'm seeing strong correlations between rankings plummet on specific pages (those who have substantial artificial links pointed) and the warning.
Any penalty (if you want to call it that) is not domain wide however so damage done varies considerably.

Re: louisgray.com: Writing for Social, Defending for Court

Rick Bucich — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:36:24 -0000

Great advice, sobering.
Some would say this is a case for preserving anonymity online but unfortunately or not, your seemingly anonymous username doesn't protect you from the legal process and for many encourages more risky behavior.

Re: G+ into Google Search Risks SPAM Storm For SEO Benefits - SVW

Rick Bucich — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:50:26 -0000

Spammers are incredibly easy to spot and block when both the algorithm and social network are connected. So much so that it would likely be a very poor place to begin a spamming campaign...nothing like placing your links under the noses of Google engineers.

I've seen a few try, they get booted almost instantly. Even if marginally successful, they won't attract enough authority from their actions to make the links valuable.

Disagree with the "lost some traction" bit. It's a very vibrant place. Since you don't post publicly, it's hard to tell whether you've actually try to take advantage of the platform rather than belittle it.

Re: Anti-SOPA Wikipedia Blackout - But Pages Still Available Hosted By Google - SVW

Rick Bucich — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:41:22 -0000

C'mon Tom, this is not post-worthy.

Re: Canon 7D + WFT-E5 + Eye-Fi Wifi SD Memory Card

Rick Bucich — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:46:37 -0000

I used the combination several times successfully to prove it can be done. I needed to, to satisfy my curiosity since I enjoy using Eye-Fi cards. That said, while it works I can't recommend the contraption since it is very delicate and prone to getting unplugged.

Going forward, the most satisfying result using Eye-Fi cards is with a "connected" camera like the new Canon G1X which has built-in controls for the card and an indicator to let you know images are actively uploading. I have a Fuji X100 and while the image quality is stunning, it is a hassle to keep waking the camera from sleep mode to continue uploading. The alternative is to keep the camera from going into sleep mode at all.

Re: Google Panda Has Destroyed Small Online Businesses & Jobs

Rick Bucich — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:25:56 -0000

There are a ton of inaccuracies here. For one, for every site that was harmed by Panda, another benefited. This article makes it sound like everyone was punished. Those harmed scream like crazy, those who benefit are staying quiet naturally.

What Panda does do is raise the bar for what will successfully work for organic success. Old tactics like spinning articles, buying backlinks etc now have less impact than building a rock solid destination for visitors with a strong branded presence. Why is branding important? because if people are looking specifically for your site in a search engine, that is a tremendous quality metric. Of sites harmed by Panda, very very few had any brand presence. In fact, almost every site I've reviewed claiming to be impacted had no branded term in their title tags.

Google has also been saying for a long time that they want to send users directly to the desired destination. This is a clear shot across the bow for heavy affiliate marketers and it should not be a surprise that they took action. It's still possible to succeed via AdSence and affiliate links but those links now must be secondary to valuable content. More difficult? You bet it is and cutting corners comes at a price. Consider this, if someone lands on an article written on your site and then quickly bounces to another site to complete a sale, which site is going to be algorithmic-ally more valuable? Most likely the downstream one which Google can track via Chrome and the toolbar.

Before painting me as an apologist, consider the fact that I've done considerable research on the matter because a site I manage was impacted back in February. I've had plenty of time to review hundreds of other sites including my own.

Scaring webmaster with misinformation doesn't do anyone any good, but sensationalism might be good for driving comments and backlinks:)

Re: Official: Holiday Break For Google Panda Updates

Rick Bucich — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:22:34 -0000

Per MC, an update does not necessarily include the possibility of recovery so it is wise to refrain for now and avoid additional collateral damage. Sites both becoming affected and recovering are not necessarily synonymous .

Re: Holiday Deals Sites Confirm: Bing Dropped Them Just Before Black Friday & Cyber Monday

Rick Bucich — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:56:12 -0000

Danny, correct. The timing is suspect and controversial to say the least. Guessing a tweak to the algo to counter an increase in spamming during the holidays is to blame.

Re: Holiday Deals Sites Confirm: Bing Dropped Them Just Before Black Friday & Cyber Monday

Rick Bucich — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:12:36 -0000

Just about every link on the cybermonday.com page is external but when I check the header response on the url, it is a 200, not exactly a healthy ratio for organic search success. I'd say high very risk from an algorithm perspective. Looks like cloaking to me