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Recent Posts
- Thinking About Switching From WordPress? What Should You Consider Before You Move?
- The Airtable Acquisition Raises a Bigger Question: Do You Really Own the Software Your Business Runs On?
- How to Use Google Search Console’s New Generative AI Data to Improve Your SEO
- How to Update the Same Website Content on Multiple Pages at Once
- Discovered vs. Crawled Not Indexed in Google Search Console: What’s the Difference and How to Fix Each
- The Small Business Guide to Auditing Google Ads and Website Costs
- Do Professional Writers Still Need SEO in the Age of AI?
- Search Engine First vs. People First Content: Why Generic FAQ Dumps Harm Your SEO
- Looking for a Website Builder Without AI? Which One Should You Choose?
- Keyword Cannibalization: How to Find and Fix the Pages Stealing Your Own Google Traffic
- Why Great Content Gets Stuck on Page 8 (And How to Fix It)
- Why MySQL FULLTEXT Search Returns 0 Results (And How to Fix It)
- The Reality of Domain Speculation on New TLD Launches: Is It Still Worth It?
- The Hidden Domain Name Lock-In: Which Registrars Restrict Nameservers?
- Paying $10,000 a Month for SEO? Here’s How to Tell If You’re Getting Your Money’s Worth
- Introducing New WordPress Magazine Layouts in UltimateWB 9 (With Early Access)
- How to Fix the WordPress “Critical Error” on the Widgets Page After a PHP Upgrade
- The Hidden Risk of SaaS Website Builders: Lessons from the Recent Wix Outage
Categories
Tag Archives: internal linking
Discovered vs. Crawled Not Indexed in Google Search Console: What’s the Difference and How to Fix Each
When you log into Google Search Console (GSC) to check your site’s coverage, it can be very frustrating to find your URLs shoved into the "Not Indexed" bucket. But pay close attention to the specific reason GSC provides.
Two of the most common - and easily confused - statuses are "Discovered - currently not indexed" and "Crawled - currently not indexed."
While they might sound like minor variations of the same problem, they point to two completely different stages in
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Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Tagged backlinks, crawl budget, crawled - currently not indexed, crawler, currently not indexed, discovered - currently not indexed, discovered vs crawled, domain authority, Google Search Console, Googlebot, gsc, internal linking, internal links, seo, seo missteps, seo tips, sitemap, xml sitemap
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Why Great Content Gets Stuck on Page 8 (And How to Fix It)
You’ve poured time and effort into building a clean website. Your product is superior to what’s on the market, your articles directly answer user questions, and yet when you search for your core target keywords, you're stuck on Page 7 or 8.
When you ask for help, most SEO agencies hand you a cookie-cutter retainer proposal: monthly blog posts you don't need, broad "site optimizations," or generic link-building packages that don't address your actual problem.
If your site is already
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Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Tagged 301 redirects, authority, backlinks, bounce rates, crawl, domain authority, fast website, Google Search Console, high-quality content, indexed pages, internal linking, keyword cannibalization, long-tail keywords, mobile-friendly, pogo-sticking, search intent, search signals, seo, seo tips, site structure, target keywords, topical authority, trust signals, user experience, user satisfaction, website optimization
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Does Google still use PageRank to rate your website?
"Ask David" short answer: yes. While you can’t see it anymore, PageRank is still a "core" part of how Google determines which websites are trustworthy and important.
Related: What Makes a Simple Website Feel Trustworthy? (From Real User Experience, Not Theory)
However, the PageRank of today is very different from the simple "0 to 10" score people obsessed over in the early 2000s.
How PageRank Works in 2026
In the early days, PageRank was the primary way Google ranked
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Posted in Ask David!, Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Tagged ahref, Ahrefs Domain Rating, authority, backlinks, E-E-A-T, experience, expertise, google, google algorithm, google pagerank, google ranking, high value link, important, internal linking, Larry Page, link spam, low value link, moz, Moz Domain Authority, new york times, pagerank, reasonable surfer, seed set, stanford, trustworthy, useful, wikipedia
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Does “Test Live URL” help Google index your webpage faster?
Does clicking on the "Test Live URL" on Google Search Console after using the "Request Indexing" link make Google index your page sooner? Or was it just a coincidence?
“Ask David” answer: The short answer is no, if you experienced Google indexing your page soon after testing the Live URL, it was just a coincidence. Clicking
... Continue readingUsing a URL Shortener and Passing the SEO Link Juice
Does using a URL shortener like azipURL or TinyURL not pass on the SEO link juice of having a backlink posted somewhere?
"Ask David" answer:
Actually, using a URL shortener like azipURL, TinyURL, or Bitly generally does pass on the SEO
... Continue readingWhat Is the IndexNow Message in Bing Webmaster Tools?
If you use Bing Webmaster Tools, you may have noticed a banner that says:
“Set up IndexNow and boost your site’s visibility in search engines within minutes.”
At first glance, it looks like an ad.
It sounds promotional, it’s visually highlighted, and it pushes you to click.
But it’s not an advertisement - and it’s also not a Bing-owned service, which is where most of the confusion comes from.
Let’s clear this up properly.
Short Answer
- ❌ It’s
Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Website Traffic
Tagged authority, bing, bing webmaster tools, boost visibility, crawl, https, improve ranking, indexing, indexnow, internal linking, microsoft, robots.txt, search engine optimization, search engine ranking, seo, sitemaps, visibility
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7 Underrated SEO Strategies That Actually Drive Traffic (With Examples)
When it comes to SEO, the advice often sounds the same: write great content, build backlinks, optimize title tags, speed up your site. While those are foundational, some of the most powerful wins come from lesser-discussed tactics that deliver real results - sometimes with very little effort.
Here are 7 underrated SEO strategies that are actually working for real site owners and marketers right now:
1. Seed Backlinks Through Free Stock Photo Platforms
If you take high-quality,
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Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Tagged backlinks, boost ranking, boost traffic, build backlinks, content update strategy, faq, frequently asked questions, Google Search Console, high-quality content, internal linking, internal links, long-tail keywords, organic backlinks, organic traffic, pexels, q&a, search engine optimization, search intent, seo, seo strategies, seo tips, SEO tips 2025, stock photo backlinks, target keywords, title tag, title tag length, title tags, traction, underrated SEO, unsplash, website speed
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Keyword Cannibalization: Real SEO Issue or Overblown Myth?
"Keyword cannibalization sounds made up - is it actually a thing in SEO?"
Short Answer: It’s real - but not always harmful. Let’s unpack when keyword cannibalization matters, how to spot it, and how to fix it strategically.
🧐 What Is Keyword Cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on your website target and rank for the same (or very similar) keywords. These pages essentially compete with each other in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
🚨 When Keyword Cannibalization
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Posted in Ask David!, Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Tagged 301 redirect, ahrefs, authority, backlinks, content strategy, diluted authority, Google rankings, Google Search Console, high-quality content, internal linking, keyword cannibalization, keyword overlap, keywords, long-tail keywords, moz, ranking, search engine optimization, search engine ranking, search engine results pages, semrush, seo, SEO audit, seo blog, seo content, seo issues, seo myths, seo signals, seo tips, SERP diversity, serps, target keywords, thin content, topical authority, user intent
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AIO vs GEO vs SEO: What’s the Difference – and How to Optimize for All Three
If you’ve been online lately and you're a web dev like me, you’ve probably heard a lot of hype around AIO (AI Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). These buzzwords are being tossed around as the "new SEO" — but what do they actually mean? And how do they differ practically from traditional SEO?
If you’ve found yourself scratching your head, this post is for you. Let's break it down and get real about what AIO/GEO mean, how
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Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Tagged ai optimization, AI tools, AI-generated content, ai-generated snippets, aio, author, authority, authority signals, backlinks, brand mentions, brand visibility, chatgpt, content clustering, faq, faq sections, featured snippets, forums, generative engine optimization, geo, google ai overviews, Google Business Profile, Google rich snippets, google's ai overview, headings, high-quality content, how-to, internal linking, internal links, keyword research, large language models, llm, mobile friendly, natural language, new seo, organization, perplexity.ai, quora, reddit, responsive, responsive app, schema, schema markup, schema.org, search engine optimization, search engines, seo, structured data, subheadings, technical performance, title tag, topical authority, trust, usability, visibility, website speed, wikidata, wikipedia
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Do You Need a Lot of Text on Your Website to Rank on the First Page of Google?
When it comes to ranking on the first page of Google, one common question many website owners and digital marketers ask is: “Do I need a lot of text on my website to rank well?” The answer isn’t a simple yes or no - it depends on a variety of factors, including the nature of your content, user intent, and SEO best practices.
Quality Over Quantity
Let’s start by debunking a myth: more text doesn’t automatically mean better rankings. Google’s
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Posted in Ask David!, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Web Content
Tagged authority, backlinks, bounce rate, easy navigation, fast loading times, google algorithm, google search engine ranking, headings, helpful content, high-quality content, internal linking, internal links, long content, long-form content, meta descriptions, mobile friendly, mobile-friendly, multimedia content, on-page optimization, page experience, quality over quantity, relevance, responsive, responsive app, search engine optimization, search engine ranking, seo, SEO best practices, seo strategies, target keywords, user engagement, user intent, website speed
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