The digital marketing world can change on a week-to-week basis. With search engine optimization (SEO), there are so many updates and developments that staying on top of them can be a full-time pursuit in itself.
That’s where we come in. Dedicated marketers have to stay up to date with these SEO changes, and we’re happy to share what we find. This week, we’ve found an interesting story about a Google investigation into deceitful link-building practices and new functions in the Google Search Console’s change of address feature. Lastly, Bing is refreshing some tools for webmasters.
Google investigates deceitful linking practices
When an international SEO consultant took to Twitter to expose a potentially deceitful attempt to build backlinks, a webmaster from Google was quick to respond with a call for more examples and a promise to look into this further. Apparently, the practice involves an email requesting credit for an image in the form of a backlink. However, when the consultant did some investigating, she discovered there was no way the source of the email was the owner of the picture. Instead, it was a random post with the same image inserted and almost certainly a “black hat” attempt to build backlinks.
New change of address features in Google Search Console
The search giant has added two new tools in its Search Console to help make changing web addresses for your site easier. The first is a feature that validates redirects for the top five URLs that are moving to a new domain, and the second is a simple warning banner at the top of the console that reminds users that a site is moving and where it is moving to. Both features are designed to minimize errors and make the transition as smooth as possible when it needs to be done.
Bing releases information on new webmaster tools rolling out in March
To better help SEOs and webmasters rank on the Microsoft-owned search engine, Bing announced that it would be adding some important new features to its webmaster toolkit. In addition to some updates to the user interface, there will now be integrated backlink reporting that combines previous reports, integrated search reporting in the form of a search performance report and, finally, refreshes to the sitemap page. These changes should be coming out sometime in March, with Bing announcing there will be other new features to watch for in the coming months.
Ride the SEO wave with Burg & Co.
As business professionals ourselves, we know about the many hats you need to wear and the tasks you need to juggle. From understanding what the latest trends are to knowing how to put them to work for you, you don’t have to go it alone. We’ll work hard to understand your brand, audience and marketing needs and give you expert advice to help reach your goals.
Contact us today to learn more and schedule your free consultation with our team.
