SEO Archives | Timothy Carter

January 16, 2025

Published by Timothy Carter at January 16, 2025

How to Beat Your Toughest SEO Competitors

Imagine a hypothetical reality in which your website was the only one with any content related to how to buy a car. Yes, it sounds preposterous. But let’s run with it. In this hypothetical reality, SEO would be trivially easy. When someone searches for “how to buy a car,” your website would be ranked one. In fact, your “rank one” […]

June 24, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at June 24, 2023

Can You Afford to Wait Months for an SEO Strategy to Develop?

One of the biggest concerns I hear from people considering launching a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is the length of time it takes to see results. Depending on when you start, the competitiveness of your industry, how much you invest, and a handful of other variables, it will likely take weeks, or even months before you start to climb rankings and […]

June 14, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at June 14, 2023

How to Choose the Right Keywords for Your SEO Campaign

With the help of a solid search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, you can optimize your website to rank higher in search engines for relevant user searches. In time, that means your website will attract more visitors, earn more attention, and generate more sales. It’s a valuable strategy, but not one that’s easy for newcomers to understand. Google doesn’t publicize the inner […]

June 10, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at June 10, 2023

Why Ranking Number One in SERPs is SO Important – Here’s How

Search engine results pages (SERPs) are a gateway to visibility, whether you realize it or not. Most of us conduct several searches every day, or even dozens of searches, without consciously thinking about it. We remember we need to buy something, or we want the answer to a curious question, so we type in a query, and bam — we’re […]

June 8, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at June 8, 2023

How to Outsource Your SEO Strategy the Right Way

Search engine optimization (SEO) is intimidating for newcomers, and I totally understand why. SEO requires your attention in multiple areas; you’ll need to improve your website, write content, research the competition, build links, and take care of a hundred other responsibilities. On top of that, you’ll need the experience to do all of these actions — well — and you’ll […]

June 1, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at June 1, 2023

Why Do So Many Companies Quit Practicing SEO?

When you enter the realm of digital marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) becomes immediately appealing. SEO is cheap, it’s relatively learnable, and it holds the promise of amazing long-term results with one of the highest ROIs of any online marketing strategy. That’s one reason why the SEO world is full of optimistic newcomers, all hoping to eventually come to dominate the […]

May 4, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at May 4, 2023

Why Focusing on SEO Keywords is Hurting Your Campaign

One of the first things you’ll need to do for any search engine optimization campaign is keyword research — at least, that’s what you’ll hear from most SEO experts. For the most part, I’m inclined to agree. Having the proper selection of target keywords can make a massive difference in the long-term success of your campaign. However, the importance of […]

April 3, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at April 3, 2023

What You Need to Know Before Trying SEO On Your Own

Search engine optimization (SEO) has something of an allure to it. It’s a kind of digital magic that allows businesses to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) and earn more organic traffic as a result. It’s also alluring because it’s ridiculously easy to learn the fundamentals of the strategy; half an hour of searching online, or even browsing […]

March 3, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at March 3, 2023

Why It’s A Good Thing That SEO Is Hard

SEO is complex, it changes frequently and even the most confident and experienced people make mistakes. I consider myself an expert in search engine optimization (SEO), but with its complexity, you have to take my statement with a grain of salt. Its difficulty often scares off newcomers, but it’s something I’ve come to embrace. SEO is hard. And that’s a […]

February 24, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at February 24, 2023

Is It Possible To Build Links For SEO Without Content?

Backlink building is, without question, the most controversial and hotly debated issue in search engine optimization (SEO). And it’s easy to understand why. It’s practically impossible to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) without ample backlinks pointing to your site; that’s because you’re ranked based in part on your perceived authority, and your authority is calculated based on […]

February 17, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at February 17, 2023

What You Should Know About ‘YMYL’ In SEO

The internet has just about every type of content you can imagine (and some you’d prefer not to imagine). But it’s pretty clear to all of us that some of that content is more important than other content. As an extreme example, information on how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on someone choking is more important than Game of Thrones fan fiction […]

February 10, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at February 10, 2023

How To Prepare For SEO That Is Local, Personalized And Hyper-Specific

Like most people in the industry, I’ve always seen search engine optimization (SEO) as a long-term strategy — something to guide my businesses for years, if not decades, in attracting new traffic and winning new customers. In the early 2000s, SEO looked very different, and many pessimists insisted that search engines and SEO were short-term fads that would quickly disappear. Instead, […]

February 3, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at February 3, 2023

Five Actions To Take If Your SEO Agency Isn’t Showing Results

Search engine optimization (SEO) is tough. There are more than 200 complexly interdependent ranking factors to learn and study — and countless tactics to try as you compete with the millions of businesses around the world who are also investing in this strategy. That’s why so many businesses turn to the help of SEO agencies for their SEO needs. With […]

January 28, 2023

Published by Timothy Carter at January 28, 2023

Does Black Hat SEO Still Work?

Thanks to the prevalence of educational online content and the built-in tools of free website builders, search engine optimization (SEO) has become more accessible than ever before. Even people with little to no familiarity with this digital marketing strategy can take advantage of it — and support their brand in ranking higher in online search results. But even in today’s […]

July 25, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at July 25, 2022

How to Avoid Link Schemes in SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) has a long history, and it remains one of the most popular digital marketing strategies in the world because of its accessibility and potential return on investment (ROI). While it’s easy to learn the basics and get started with a rudimentary strategy, some of the finer points of SEO are hard to master. How to Avoid […]

May 9, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at May 9, 2022

Is the SEO Industry Dying?

From the time of its inception, search engine optimization has faced criticism and pessimism. But lately, the voices implying that SEO is on its last legs, or that the trend is finally fizzling out, have gotten stronger. People both inside and outside of the SEO community are making bold predictions that inside of this decade, the entire industry could collapse. Is […]

April 26, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at April 26, 2022

How Do Location Landing Pages Work in SEO?

Landing pages are a common staple in most digital marketing strategies. Even if you’re not heavily invested in marketing and advertising, you might have different pages of your website designed for different target audiences. Creating different landing pages allows you to customize your content for very specific types of people, ultimately increasing your chances of getting a conversion or at […]

February 11, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at February 11, 2022

Could SEO Permanently Ruin Your Website?

Despite the long history of the strategy and the ample availability of tutorials and guides on the subject, there’s still a lot of confusion and a lot of irrational fear around search engine optimization (SEO). It’s true that your site can be penalized if you practice SEO with the wrong tactics or if you intentionally try to manipulate your rankings […]

January 12, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at January 12, 2022

Why Is Your Backlink Profile So Important for SEO?

In search engine optimization (SEO), your success is dependent on your ability to effectively strategize and execute that strategy. There are many ways you can plan incorrectly or set the wrong goals, and there are many ways you can incorrectly execute your vision. You can evaluate your progress by studying a number of different metrics. You can check your search […]

December 27, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at December 27, 2021

How Good Is Google at Detecting Rank Manipulation?

Google provides an excellent service to the world, enabling us to search the web for information, products and whatever else we’re looking for. It even does the heavy lifting of determining which results are a “best fit” for our queries, providing us only with contextually relevant entries and ranking them in order of how trustworthy or authoritative those entries are. […]

December 1, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at December 1, 2021

Should You Simply Ignore Keywords When Writing Content for SEO?

Few marketing strategies have undergone as much evolution and development as search engine optimization (SEO). It’s been around for about as long as search engines have, but the modern approach is radically different than what people were doing in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Back then, the SEO game was all about keywords. Choose the right keywords for your strategy, stuff […]

November 30, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at November 30, 2021

Is SEO or PPC Better for Your Business?

One of the most frequent questions I get from business owners is some variation of the following: “should I be spending money on SEO or PPC?” It’s a complex question, and there’s no one right answer. But I can help you understand the factors you’ll need to consider when making the decision for yourself. The basics: SEO vs. PPC We’ll […]

October 23, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at October 23, 2021

Is AI Going to Radically Transform the SEO Industry?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is working its way into every imaginable industry. With it, we’re opening the door to automation, better data analytics, higher productivity and a host of other business benefits. But we’re also seeing radical industrial transformations, with some market segments reinventing and redefining themselves in the wake of this new technology. AI is already here, at least in […]

October 16, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at October 16, 2021

Why Are Most SEO Campaigns Unsuccessful?

Open a conversation with a business owner or a marketing professional and ask them what they think about search engine optimization (SEO). Depending on the context and the experiences of the people involved, you might get a glowing review of how great SEO was for their brand. But you might also get an eye roll and an excoriation of the […]

October 8, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at October 8, 2021

Why Good Content Isn’t Always Enough To Compete In SEO

Not long ago, if you wrote good content on a regular basis, you had a decent chance of trouncing your competition in search engine results pages (SERPs), attaining a higher search ranking and therefore getting a higher share of organic traffic. These days, good content is still a major boon for your website — but it’s not enough to compete […]

October 7, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at October 7, 2021

How to Avoid Scams in SEO

Let’s be honest. Search engine optimization (SEO) sounds a bit like a scam on the surface. Google is a search engine designed to give people the best, most relevant and most authoritative results possible. SEO is a collection of tactics designed to “game the system” in a way, ensuring that your site ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). […]

September 21, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at September 21, 2021

What White Hat SEO Looks Like In 2021

If you’ve ever watched an old Western, you know the person in the black hat is the villain and the person in the white hat is the hero. The person with the white hat will do what’s right. They’ll fight for justice. They’ll speak honestly. They’ll even show restraint and mercy when defeating their opponent. By contrast, the person with […]

June 1, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at June 1, 2021

When Is It Time to Give Up on an SEO Campaign?

If you’re like most modern companies, you’ve at least flirted with the idea of starting a search engine optimization (SEO) campaign. Maybe SEO has allowed you to capture a massive stream of inbound traffic and currently represents the most successful element of your marketing strategy. Or maybe you’re somewhere in between. The appeal of SEO is pretty obvious. Rank higher […]