Tag Archives: duplicate content

The Right Way vs. The Wrong Way to Do Programmatic SEO (pSEO)

PSEO - the wrong way vs the right way - Google penalties vs traffic boost

If you’ve been tracking digital marketing trends lately, you’ve likely run across the phrase Programmatic SEO (pSEO). The pitch is incredibly seductive: instead of writing blog posts one by one, you connect a database to a page template, press a button, and instantly deploy thousands of pages targeting long-tail search terms.

Traffic multiplies overnight, you dominate the search engine results pages (SERPs), and you win.

Except, that’s exactly how you get your entire domain penalized and deindexed.

... Continue reading
Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Have My Indexed Pages on Google Decreased? (Real Causes + Fixes Most Sites Miss)

Google Search Console, page indexing issues and acceptable reasons pages are not indexed

Seeing your indexed pages drop in Google can feel like your website is quietly disappearing.

One day everything looks stable… the next, your index count is down - and you’re left wondering if your rankings are about to follow.

If you’re asking “Why have my indexed pages on Google decreased?”, here’s the reality:

This is common - but it’s not random.

Google doesn’t just “lose” pages. When your indexed count drops, it’s almost always the result of a decision

... Continue reading
Posted in Ask David!, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Google Algorithm Penalties Explained: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How to Recover

Google algorithm penalties, how to fix, rebuild, with trust and helpful content

Google doesn’t like surprises. Website owners, on the other hand, often get one they didn’t ask for: a sudden drop in traffic, rankings vanishing overnight, and pages that once dominated search results quietly disappearing.

In most cases, that shock traces back to Google algorithm penalties.

If you’ve ever wondered what Google actually penalizes, how algorithmic penalties differ from manual actions, or whether recovery is even possible, this guide breaks it all down - clearly, accurately, and

... Continue reading
Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Website Traffic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blocking Copy/Paste or Right-Click: Will It Hurt SEO or Just Frustrate Users?

Blocking copy/paste or right click

Many website owners consider preventing visitors from copying content or using right/left mouse clicks. At first glance, it seems like a way to protect your work - but is it worth it? Is it a good idea? And could it hurt your SEO or the user experience on your website?

How Search Engines See Your Content

Google and other search engines don’t care if visitors can copy your text or right-click on your pages. Crawlers read your HTML source code,

... Continue reading
Posted in Ask David!, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Subdomain vs Subfolder: What’s Better for SEO and Your Website Setup?

deciding between subfolders and subdomains for your website structure

Deciding between subfolders and subdomains for your website structure

When expanding your website, you might face a classic web architecture question:
Should I create a subdomain (e.g., blog.example.com) or a subfolder (e.g., example.com/blog)?

In the past, many SEO experts recommended subfolders because they were thought to inherit more SEO authority from the main domain. However, Google has officially stated that it does not inherently favor subdomains or subfolders - both can perform equally well for SEO if implemented properly. The

... Continue reading
Posted in Ask David!, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Can Technical SEO Issues Trigger HCU Penalties? Here’s What You Should Know

technical SEO

When Google rolls out a major algorithm update like the Helpful Content Update (HCU), many websites see fluctuations in their rankings. While HCU is mostly designed to reward content that is written for humans, not for search engines, some technical SEO issues can inadvertently make your site look less helpful to users - and that could get you caught in the crossfire.

After analyzing several SEO case studies and forums, and from personal experience fixing penalized sites,

... Continue reading
Posted in Ask David!, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What are “thin pages,” and how can they hurt your On-Page SEO?

thin pages, hurt SEO

"Thin pages" are web pages that provide little to no value to users. They typically contain very little original content, lack depth, and don't adequately address the user's search intent. These pages can significantly harm your on-page SEO.  

Here's a breakdown of what thin pages are and how they can negatively impact your website's search engine rankings:

Characteristics of Thin Pages:

  • Low Word Count: They contain very little text, often just a few sentences or paragraphs.
  • Duplicate or Scraped
... Continue reading
Posted in Ask David!, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Does Google have a 410 redirect budget?

webpage deleted

The concept of a fixed "410 redirect budget" for websites is not a formally defined term by Google. However, the number of 410 (Gone) responses in your .htaccess file can indirectly impact your website's SEO in a few ways:

  • Crawl Budget: While not a strict budget, search engines like Google have a finite amount of resources to crawl and index your website. Excessive 410 responses can signal to the search engine that these pages are no longer relevant, potentially diverting
... Continue reading
Posted in Ask David!, General, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Website Design | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment