The SEO Blog from cognitiveSEO

Building white-hat links of high value and in accordance with Google's guidelines have been a pain point for years now. Algorithms and updates will keep on getting better and so should the SEO Pros.   We've deeply documented a technique that has sparked quite a lot of controversy but also delivered great result: the link reclamation technique. Within the following lines, you'll find what this technique is, when and how to use it to deliver maximum results. The broken pages and link rec [...]

We decided it was about time we teamed up with bright minds in the marketing and SEO industry and gained some exclusively valuable knowledge right out of their mouths.   Hence this is how cognitiveSEO Talks: on Search and Traffic was born. It was not born from a wish upon a star only, but also with hard work and planning.   Now everything you wanted to know about SEO, but were too afraid to ask is right here, ready to be played and listened to wherever you are. You'll definitely fi [...]

If you're a webmaster, then you love backlinks. You're all about them, saying yes to every backlink opportunity like it's your first date ever. You smile when you manage to get one, and you're always looking for new link building openings.   But I'm about to tell you a story about a link that doesn't bring you that much joy:   Someone read your article. They liked it. They contacted you, stating how interesting the information was and that they would link to it from their website. [...]

Knowing how to analyze your SEO competition is an important step in determining your overall keyword and SEO strategy. There are many factors involved in the process, and without the correct framework, it can get complicated.   This SEO Competitor Analysis Template will guide you through the exact steps you need to take in order to deploy a comprehensive analysis. Below the infographic, you can find a detailed explanation of each step.     We’ve tried to make the steps as [...]

Google is trying to change the game of the results and focus more on the user, as we’ve heard multiple times before and seen it into action with its various updates and algorithm changes. What do users want? What are they searching for? What do they need? What is the context of their search?    Search has changed dramatically over the years and that is natural. And websites should keep up with all these changes if they still want to rank in top positions; even if that means to decipher [...]

The subdomain vs. subdirectory question has been around probably ever since Google first appeared. People ask themselves if having one or another affects SEO. The popular belief is that switching from a subdomain to a subfolder of the root domain will help increase the overall rankings of your website.   But is that true?   The short answer is... it depends. But if you're asking yourself which one you should use and you want to make a very documented opinion on the subject before y [...]

There’s no better time to draw conclusions and get ready for 2018 than December, a month of celebration and reviews regarding the year that is passing away. Adopt this tactic and avoid getting cold feet in January, having already done your homework and knowing your goals.   Given that a lot has happened this year and that we also love to analyze and discuss the results, we thought there's no better way to do that than seeing the gifts Santa Google brought in 2017.      S [...]

We've got to the point where we are no longer trying to convince you about the importance of content (*hysterical applause, whistles, cheers*). But to the point where we want to show you ways to improve your traffic and rankings in just a few easy-to-follow steps. Worked wonders for us.    Everybody wants higher rankings in Google. And here, at cognitiveSEO, we want to figure out how to achieve those ranks... and of course, share with you our findings.   We've conducted an in-hou [...]

The advent of CMS (Content Management Systems), such as WordPress, has revolutionized the internet, with around 5-10 websites being built every single second. If websites were built before only by professionals, today anyone can create a website in a matter of minutes, with little to no coding knowledge.   That creates lots of opportunities, but also comes clogged up with many problems. After an easy 5 minutes install process, one of the first things most people want to do is customize [...]

Running an in-depth brand mentions audit could help you make sure that you are not overlooking any efficient strategies that might be working wonders for your competitors. There might be many ways in which you can boost your business, but the truth is that the more you can find out about your niche and your competitors, the more you can learn, adapt and ultimately flourish.   Therefore, by doing a bit of reverse engineering, let’s see how doing an effective brand audit can help you unco [...]