Welcome to the Q&A Forum

@Caroline_Ardmoor Yes, it is generally recommended to set up redirects for blogs or any other pages that no longer exist or have been removed from your site. Redirects ensure that users and search engines are directed to relevant content instead of encountering broken links or errors.

To set up redirects, you can use the .htaccess file if you're using Apache server or utilize the redirection module if you're using Nginx. Here's an example of how to set up a redirect using the .htaccess file:

• Open your .htaccess file located in the root directory of your website.

• Add the following line to create a redirect:

Redirect 301 /old-blog-url.html http://www.example.com/new-blog-url.html

Replace "/old-blog-url.html" with the URL path of the old blog and "http://www.example.com/new-blog-url.html" with the URL of the corresponding new blog or an alternative relevant page.

• Save the .htaccess file.

Regarding how long you should keep the redirect in place, it depends on the specific circumstances. If you have permanently removed the product and its corresponding blog posts, a 301 redirect (as shown above) is appropriate, indicating that the content has permanently moved. In this case, it is generally recommended to keep the redirect in place indefinitely to maintain a good user experience and preserve any SEO value associated with the old URLs.

However, if there is a chance that the products or related content might return in the future, you may consider using a temporary redirect (302 or 307) instead. Temporary redirects indicate that the content has temporarily moved, and you can specify a shorter timeframe for keeping the redirect in place.

In any case, regularly monitoring your website's analytics and traffic patterns can help you assess whether the redirects are still necessary or if any updates are required based on user behavior.

When dealing with a double filter page like "/collections/dining-chairs/black+fabric," there are a couple of considerations to keep in mind regarding indexing and canonicalization.

Indexing: If you choose to use "noindex" for the double filter page, it means that search engines won't include that page in their index. This can be beneficial if the double filter page doesn't provide unique or valuable content compared to other pages on your website. By preventing indexing, you can avoid potential issues with duplicate content and ensure that search engines focus on more relevant pages.

Canonicalization: The canonical tag is used to indicate the preferred version of a page when there are multiple versions with similar content. In this case, if you set the canonical tag to "/collections/dining-chairs/black," you're essentially telling search engines that the single filter page is the preferred and primary version of the content. This can help consolidate the SEO value and avoid dilution of ranking signals.

Considering these factors, the decision between using "noindex" or changing the canonical tag to "/collections/dining-chairs/black" depends on the specific situation and your goals. Here are two scenarios:

a. If the double filter page ("/collections/dining-chairs/black+fabric") does provide unique and valuable content compared to the single filter page ("/collections/dining-chairs/black"), it may be more appropriate to change the canonical tag to "/collections/dining-chairs/black." This indicates that the double filter page is a preferred version of the content and can help search engines understand the different variations you offer.

b. If the double filter page ("/collections/dining-chairs/black+fabric") doesn't provide any substantial unique content compared to the single filter page ("/collections/dining-chairs/black"), using "noindex" can be a reasonable option. This prevents search engines from indexing a potentially redundant page and focuses their attention on the single filter page.

When determining the best 301 destination for your old packages page, it's important to consider relevance, search engine rankings, and user experience. Here's a step-by-step approach to help you make an informed decision:

Evaluate relevance: Consider which destination aligns best with the intent and content of the old packages page. If the page was optimized for garden weddings in Vegas, it may be logical to redirect it to a page specifically dedicated to outdoor wedding packages in Las Vegas, as it maintains the thematic relevance.

Analyze search engine rankings: Check the search engine rankings for both the outdoor wedding packages in Las Vegas page and the different location's garden setting page. If the outdoor wedding packages page consistently ranks higher for relevant keywords and has a stronger presence in the SERPs, it might be a better choice for the redirect. However, if the garden setting page for the different location performs better, it could be worth considering.

Review user experience: Put yourself in the shoes of the users who would land on the old packages page and consider their expectations. If they are specifically looking for garden weddings in Las Vegas, redirecting them to a page that offers outdoor wedding packages in Las Vegas would likely provide a better user experience. If the different location's garden setting page can still meet their needs effectively, it may also be a viable option.

Monitor traffic and bounce rate: After implementing the 301 redirect, closely monitor the traffic and bounce rate of the destination page. If the bounce rate improves and users engage with the content, it's a positive sign that the redirect is effective. Keep an eye on the analytics to ensure the chosen destination is performing well.

@RichardAskew If Moz is still reporting an outdated page as the ranking page for a specific keyword, it could be due to the frequency of their data updates. Moz collects data periodically from search engines, and there might be a delay in reflecting the most recent changes in rankings.
In such cases, it's advisable to give Moz some time to update its data and reevaluate the rankings. They typically update their data regularly, but the exact frequency may vary.
If you continue to see discrepancies between Moz's reported ranking and your pages' actual ranking, you can contact Moz's support team for further assistance. They can provide insights into their data collection and update processes, and help you understand any potential factors contributing to the inconsistency.

Building landing pages in HubSpot can be a convenient option if you're already using it as your CRM. However, it's important to consider the potential impact on your SEO efforts. Here are some points to consider when deciding between building landing pages in HubSpot or WordPress:

Flexibility and customization: WordPress is a highly customizable platform that allows you to have full control over your website's design, structure, and SEO elements. With the wide range of plugins and themes available, you can optimize your landing pages for SEO and customize them to meet your specific needs. HubSpot's landing pages may have limitations in terms of design and customization compared to WordPress.

SEO optimization capabilities: WordPress offers numerous SEO plugins, such as Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Pack, which provide comprehensive optimization tools. These plugins allow you to optimize meta tags, headings, URLs, sitemaps, and more. While HubSpot does offer SEO features, it may not have the same level of flexibility and functionality as dedicated WordPress plugins.

Website performance: WordPress has a vast number of plugins and themes available, which can sometimes impact website performance if not optimized properly. On the other hand, HubSpot's landing pages are hosted on their platform, which ensures fast loading times and reliability. This could potentially benefit your SEO efforts as page speed is a ranking factor. However, with proper optimization, WordPress websites can also achieve excellent performance.

Integration with CRM: Since you're already using HubSpot as your CRM, building landing pages in HubSpot may offer tighter integration and data synchronization between your landing pages and CRM system. This can be advantageous for lead tracking, nurturing, and overall marketing automation efforts. However, if you're using WordPress, you can still integrate it with HubSpot or other CRM systems using plugins and API integrations.

Content management: WordPress is primarily known as a content management system (CMS), providing robust features for managing and organizing your website's content. If your landing pages require frequent content updates or if you have complex content management needs, WordPress might be a more suitable choice. HubSpot's content management capabilities are focused on marketing automation, so it may not be as robust for content-heavy websites

@MultiAdE Sitewide footer backlinks to your homepage hold value, but maintaining balance is crucial. If Semrush flags potential spam, assess quality and relevance. One solution is to have one dofollow backlink while making the others nofollow. This helps mitigate negative effects while still maintaining a reasonable link presence. Remember to prioritize high-quality, relevant backlinks that enhance user value. Stay updated, avoid spam signals, and craft an effective strategy for long-term success.

If you have a large WordPress blog with thousands of posts and you're concerned about duplicate content on the homepage and paginated pages, there are a few options you can consider:

Implement a "Read More" or "Continue Reading" link: Instead of displaying the full post on the homepage, you can modify your theme to display only a short excerpt of each post and provide a link to the full post. This can help reduce duplicate content issues and improve user experience.

Use pagination correctly: If you choose to keep the paginated format, make sure you're implementing it correctly. Each paginated page should have a unique URL, and you should include rel="prev" and rel="next" tags in the head section of your HTML to indicate the paginated sequence.

Set canonical URLs: Implement canonical URLs to indicate the preferred version of the page. For paginated pages, the canonical tag should point to the first page in the sequence. This helps search engines understand which version of the page is the original and avoids duplicate content issues.

Noindex the paginated pages: If you find that the paginated pages are causing significant duplicate content issues, you can choose to add a "noindex" meta tag to those pages. This tells search engines not to index the paginated pages while still indexing your individual post pages.

@RichardAskew Moz is a tool that provides insights and analysis based on the data it has collected. It does not have direct control over search engine indexing or the ability to reindex specific pages. Moz gathers data from search engines periodically and updates its rankings and other metrics based on that information.

If you want search engines to reindex your web pages, you can follow these general steps:

• Make sure your web pages are accessible: Ensure that the pages you want to be indexed are not blocked by robots.txt or any other directives that prevent search engine crawlers from accessing them.

• Submit a sitemap: Create an XML sitemap that includes the URLs of the pages you want to be indexed and submit it to search engines. This helps search engines discover and crawl your pages more efficiently.

• Fetch as Google: If you want to specifically notify Google about a page's updated content, you can use the "Fetch as Google" tool in Google Search Console. This allows you to request Google to crawl and index a specific URL.

• Internal linking: Include links to the pages you want to be indexed from other relevant pages on your website. Internal linking helps search engine crawlers discover and navigate through your site.

• External linking: Acquire quality backlinks from other reputable websites. Backlinks can help search engines discover and index your pages more effectively.

• Update content regularly: Adding fresh and relevant content to your pages on a regular basis can signal to search engines that your website is active and encourage them to revisit and reindex your pages.

Here are some potential explanations and steps you can take to resolve the errors in GSC:

Caching: Sometimes, GSC may still be using cached data and not reflecting the recent changes you made to your website. To ensure you're seeing the most up-to-date information, try clearing your browser cache or using an incognito window to access GSC.

Delayed Processing: It's possible that Google's systems have not yet processed the changes you made to your website. Although Google typically crawls and indexes websites regularly, it can take some time for the changes to be fully reflected in GSC. Patience is key here, and you may need to wait for Google to catch up.

Incorrect Implementation of Redirects: Double-check that the redirects you implemented are correctly set up. Make sure they are functioning as intended and redirecting users and search engines to the appropriate pages. You can use tools like Redirect Checker to verify the redirects.

Check Robots.txt: Ensure that your website's robots.txt file is not blocking Googlebot from accessing the necessary URLs. Verify that the redirected and fixed pages are not disallowed in the robots.txt file.

Verify Correct Domain Property: Ensure that you have selected the correct domain property in GSC that corresponds to the website where you made the changes. It's possible that you might be validating the wrong property, leading to repeated failures.

Inspect URL Tool: Utilize the "Inspect URL" tool in GSC to manually check specific URLs and see how Google is currently processing them. This tool provides information about indexing status, crawling issues, and any potential errors encountered.

Re-validate the Fixes: If you have already submitted the fixes for validation in GSC and they failed, try submitting them again. Sometimes, the validation process can encounter temporary glitches or errors.

If you have taken the appropriate steps and the validation failures persist in GSC, it may be worth reaching out to Google's support team for further assistance. They can help troubleshoot the specific issues you are facing and provide guidance on resolving the errors.

@JCN-SBWD Even if the content is factually correct and verifiable, it may still be subject to removal or deletion if it doesn't meet the guidelines for notability, reliability, and verifiability. Additionally, paying for a listing on these websites may be seen as a violation of their policies and could potentially harm your reputation.

In my opinion, it's better to focus on creating high-quality content and building organic backlinks through outreach and relationship building. This may take more time and effort, but it's a more sustainable and ethical approach to SEO that will benefit your brand or individual in the long run.

Google doesn't have a specific policy on using AI-generated content like ChatGPT for SEO purposes. However, Google's guidelines emphasize providing users with original, high-quality, and valuable content. It constantly adapts, so upcoming updates may include something about AI-generated texts. Remember that such tools don't create new information but rely on already crawled content. That's why it's a helping hand for extracting ideas. You should write unique and innovative posts based on real-life experience.

@LivDetrick The organic product listings you refer to are commonly known as "Google Shopping listings" or "Google Product listings." These listings appear as product images, prices, and other relevant information in a box format within the Google search results page, typically below the paid ads and above the organic search results.
To optimize for Google Shopping listings, you can create a Google Merchant Center account and upload your product feed. Ensure that your product feed includes all the relevant information, such as product title, description, pricing, and high-quality images. Additionally, optimize your product pages on your website by including relevant keywords, clear product descriptions, and high-quality photos.
To learn more about optimizing for Google Shopping listings, visit the Google Merchant Center Help Center or Google Ads Help Center. There are also many resources available online from industry experts and digital marketing blogs.

@RichardAskew Moz is a tool that provides insights and analysis based on the data it has collected. It does not have direct control over search engine indexing or the ability to reindex specific pages. Moz gathers data from search engines periodically and updates its rankings and other metrics based on that information.

If you want search engines to reindex your web pages, you can follow these general steps:

• Make sure your web pages are accessible: Ensure that the pages you want to be indexed are not blocked by robots.txt or any other directives that prevent search engine crawlers from accessing them.

• Submit a sitemap: Create an XML sitemap that includes the URLs of the pages you want to be indexed and submit it to search engines. This helps search engines discover and crawl your pages more efficiently.

• Fetch as Google: If you want to specifically notify Google about a page's updated content, you can use the "Fetch as Google" tool in Google Search Console. This allows you to request Google to crawl and index a specific URL.

• Internal linking: Include links to the pages you want to be indexed from other relevant pages on your website. Internal linking helps search engine crawlers discover and navigate through your site.

• External linking: Acquire quality backlinks from other reputable websites. Backlinks can help search engines discover and index your pages more effectively.

• Update content regularly: Adding fresh and relevant content to your pages on a regular basis can signal to search engines that your website is active and encourage them to revisit and reindex your pages.