Although not an SEO insider, the unnamed Web site developer writing this post takes others like him through the search-engine-optimization learning curve. He explains how he updated a Web site that had relied almost entirely on SERPs and Google AdWords for traffic. He discovered that the site had been using "Black Hat SEO" tactics, with title tags with "no relevance to the page and absolutely no description," he writes. "Pages loaded with keywords stuffed into font tags with the same color as the background."

Changing keywords can impact Web site performance and page visibility in search engine results, so take a look at results from Web analytics program before making any rash decisions, according to Allison Halter. She provides five tips to consider before changing things up and moving words around. Align the keyword with the Web site's strategy, Halter writes. Compare user engagement by keyword. Put yourself in the place of the user. Reassess content on the Web site. Analyze the competition. Conduct usability or landing page test to determine the possible feedback from the target audience.

Did your Web site recently fall in the rankings to page three after being on page one for years, or did Google stop indexing the pages completely? Tobias explains the problem could be complex or very simple. You could have simply managed to piss-off Google. Tobias runs down 10 ways to get banned by Google, providing details for each. Some of the more well-known reasons include malicious content, link spam, hidden links and text, and duplicate content. "An old black hat trick is to include text that is the same color as the background to boost your keyword density," …

Squeezing down negative search engine results for brand names has become an art. Mary Weintraub explains that Google's search engine page results mirror real-world "relevance or value," which means people buzz online about the same stuff they talk about in person. And the negative stuff typically outweighs the positive. Weintraub points to a recent powered milk recall by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that affected both Dunkin' Donuts Coffee and Kesso Foods. Dunkin' Donuts did a much better job building and keeping a positive buzz going online for the keywords "Dunkin' Donuts," compared with the negative …

If you're looking to become AdWords certified, Amber details five tips on how to pass the Google AdWords Qualified professional exam. The topics run the gambit, from using the learning center that Google provides and knowing and keeping up with Google AdWords's ad test policies, to putting yourself in the scenario of the Web site visitors and making sure you know how to calculate the return on investment. She also suggests brushing up on your knowledge of Google analytics reporting, goals, and funnels.

How you deal with changes made to competitors' Web sites is one of three factors that come into play for search engine rankings, according to Stoney deGeyter. New page additions and increased relevance can influence rankings. DeGeyter provides insight on adapting to every issue he details. Among the advice he provides: Don't worry about possible negative impacts improvements could make. Don't wait for rankings to drop before making changes to the site. And, make sure improvements are more than visual.

President Barack Obama gave love to Google, Twitter and Facebook, but called out Microsoft in a negative tone during a speech given Wednesday to school children across the United States, according to Danny Sullivan. "Competitors like Google got called out as 'good' things to aspire to, while Microsoft's Xbox was something he suggested should be turned off," Sullivan writes. He points out that of the six brands mentioned, five were technology related, and the remaining one was the Harry Potter book series.

Paid search without keywords could become reality within the next five to 10 years, according to Mona Elesseily, who cites a keynote presentation from Nick Fox, Google's business product management director for AdWords. User's greater sophistication in searches, longer query lengths, and resistance to do-it-yourself advertising are some of the reasons why keyword terms may no longer be important, Elesseily writes. Using examples from Fox, Elesseily describes what a lack of keywords in search would look like.

People who may want to link to your site are much more likely to do so if you differentiate it from the crowd. These words of wisdom come from Eric Enge, who writes that having a Web site with unique content or features is the biggest key to success when it comes to SEO. There are broader strategic reasons for a tactical link-building strategy other than looking for ways to differentiate your Web site. If you plan on being in your business for the long term, you need to plan on being a leader in your space, …

Yes, mapping and GPS services can throw even the most savvy urber geeks off course. Michael Gray learned this firsthand. He writes that every year after SES San Jose he stays a few days to take a family vacation. This year, Gray and the family went to Yosemite National Park. Following directions provided by Google maps on his Apple iPhone, Gray and his family did find their way to Tenaya and on to Yosemite, but it took 90 minutes longer than it should have, he writes.