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A couple Google Webmaster Tools tips and tricks

Too few webmasters move beyond Google Analytics, which is a pity. Google Webmaster Tools is all you really need to become a Google-whisperer. Why spend all this time and money on MOZ and Woorank when you could just hear it directly from the Horse’s mouth.

I have been using it a lot lately since I have been doing a lot of SEO strategy work and I have really had some serious fun working through some of the tools that Google basically begs you to adopt in order to make things super-easier for them — and therefore better for you, the site owner or manager.

This week, we’ll discuss International Targeting and HTML Improvements.

Location, location, location (International Targeting)

intlTargetingBe realistic. I know that the Internet is global and that there might well be a distant client on foreign shores but it’s really worth it to get as geographically specific as possible.

Do it for Google.

There’s two ways to signify your language and location to Google and they are through the use of Hreflang Tags and through Country Targeting.

iTThat said, if you happen to purchase a clever domain like Gerr.is, which is an Icelandic top-level-domain, Google doesn’t give you much of a choice.

Whoops. I plan to shift my primary domain from gerr.is to gerriscorp.com in order to be able to target the US in my Google Webmaster Tools.

While I admire the fine, fair, high-cheekboned people of Reykjavik, I don’t know if they’re my ideal geographic target.

iceland

Google Just Wants to Help You Help It (HTML Improvements)

htmlImproveI feel like folks are spending time and money using both free and paid tools like MOZ and Woorank when Google is pretty explicit about what it wants and needs from you.

Google does care about Title and Description duplication and is happy to help you work through it.

Google is looking for Goldilocks titles and descriptions, searching for content that is not too short, too long, but just right.

Since Google explores your site using robots, spiders, and bots, their science is inexact.

Sometimes duplication isn’t duplication at all but has to do with Canonical URLs, aliases, and things such as trailing slashes and URL variations.

Strangely enough, Google’s a little odd. It’s 2015 and Google still requires us to submit both our plain domain as well as our URL with a WWW subdomain.  So, sometimes duplication isn’t simply duplicate content but issues with how you have your site domain setup.

I have three more subjects that I will discuss next week, Google Only Speaks Structured Data (Sitemap.xml)You Can Lead a Google to Structure (Data Highlighter), and Are You Fast Enough? (PageSpeed Insights).  I look forward to continuing on our exploration of Google Webmaster Tools next week.

Good luck! Go git ’em, Tiger!

Chris Abraham

Chris Abraham, digital strategist and technologist, is a leading expert in digital: search engine optimization (SEO), online relationship management (ORM), Internet privacy, Wikipedia curationsocial media strategy, and online public relations with a focus on blogger outreachinfluencer engagement, and Internet crisis response, with the digital PR and social media marketing agency Gerris digital. [Feel free to self-schedule a 15-minute call, a 30-minute call, or a 60-minute call with me] A pioneer in online social networks and publishing, with a natural facility for anticipating the next big thing, Chris is an Internet analyst, web strategy consultant and adviser to the industries' leading firms. Chris Abraham specializes in web technologies, including content marketing, online collaboration, blogging, and consumer generated media.  Chris Abraham was named a Top 50 Social Media Power Influencer by Forbes, #1 PR2.0 Influencer by Traackr, and top-10 social media influencers by Marketwire; and, for what it’s worth, Chris has a Klout of 79 the last time he looked. Chris Abraham started doing web development back in 1994, SEO in 1998, blogging in 1999, influencer engagement in 2003, social media strategy in 2005, blogger outreach in 2006, and Wikipedia curation in 2007. Feel free to self-schedule a 15-minute call, a 30-minute call, or a 60-minute call. If you want to know the services that Chris offers check out Services If you want to work with Chris use the Contact Form You're welcome to follow me via Social Media You can learn more about Chris over in About Chris writes a lot so check out the Blog Chris offers webinars so check Events

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