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Hi all,We have some pages being flagged as duplicates by the google search console. However, we believe the content on these pages is distinctly different (for example, they have completely different search results returned, different headings etc). An example of two pages google finds to be duplicates is below. if anyone can spot what might be causing the duplicate issue here, would very much appreciate suggestions! Thanks in advance. 
Examples: https://www.vouchedfor.co.uk/IFA-financial-advisor-mortgage/harborne
https://www.vouchedfor.co.uk/accountant/harborne

Hi all,

A number of our pages have dropped out of search rankings.

It seems they are being marked as "Duplicate, submitted URL not selected as canonical"

However, the page Google is choosing as the canonical is totally different - different headings, titles, metadata, content on the page.

We are completely mystified as to why this is happening. If anyone can shed any light, it would be hugely appreciated!

Example URL is this one:
https://www.vouchedfor.co.uk/IFA-financial-advisor-mortgage/london

Which Google seems to think is a duplicate of this: https://www.vouchedfor.co.uk/solicitor/london

Hi all,

We recently implemented structured data for reviews, specifically aggregateRating, on a few of our pages as a test. An example page is: https://www.vouchedfor.co.uk/financial-advisor-ifa/cambridge/01740-duncan-hannay-robertson

Initially, this seemed to work well and we could see the star ratings and review number showing in Google search results. However, now it seems to have disappeared. Search console and the testing tool seem to suggest the structured data looks fine - when I posted this in the webmasters forum, the response I got was that it was because we're trying to mark what google deems a 'person' as a 'local business', which triggers their spam warning. And you can't have reviews for a person, apparently.

I guess we're unique in that we're a review platform for professional advisers (for example, financial advisers). So whilst the profile is for a person, it's also a business - the reviews are for the professional services clients receive.

Feels unfair to be penalised just because Google hasn't thought of our use case! We'd love to be able to showcase our review content, but feels like we're running out of ideas here.

If anyone has any ideas for how we can make this work, it would be hugely appreciated!!

Absolutely agree on the branding push. There needs to be a long term strategy.

In terms of working out the business case for the blog and working out ROI:

If you have a link to your product on your blog and you track it. When it converts, there is a ROI! To work out the ROI, look at the number of visitors to the blog, then number of people who clicked the link, then number of people converted and what that is worth to you.

Let's say from 100 visitors, 2 clicked the link and 1 person converted to buy our product worth £10. From 100 visits you would get £10 which means each visitor to your website is worth 10p. If you can generate visitors for less than 10p each, then I would say there is a return on investment with your blog!

Thanks for your realistic and practical answer. It is super helpful!

I will definitely share your expectations of SEO returns to stakeholders. But still well worth investing in SEO if the analysis proves there is opportunity. The recording of market share is something I haven't thought of so that is something I will work on!

If you have a good logical approach to work out market share that would be really helpful...

Thanks!

Hi Donald,

Thanks for taking the time to get back to me on my post.

They are good questions. I think the company is willing to invest strategically on SEO but at the same time we should have a good case for it. As I don't work on SEO with other clients I don't have any case studies but that is not to say I can't scan the internet for some. Thanks for your suggestion!

Hi all,

I am currently doing keywords research and matching it to our sales data.

With an input of resources, do you know if there is a good way to create a growth forecast as a result of SEO investment? How do I work out a strategy and align it to a compelling financial forecast?

Your experience on this will be super helpful!

Many thanks,

Eric

The "learn more" bit is a good point. I see it on a lot of successful blog sites. I think it makes the user experience better as it allows you to present your site in a structured way. Better experience then means better conversion rates for whatever you're trying to achieve!

Hi Christy,

I do have some successes to share:

1. Blog. I now have the ability to upload content. It has been a great way to create depth in our keywords. A long way to go but a good start. We have also seen it as an added revenue stream as a result. Key is then to build on this!

Challenges:

1. We are growing and so is the competition in our industry. It is making the SEO efforts even less effective. 
2. Creating an overall picture of where we stand in terms of SEO as a business. Then finding effective solutions to take us further!!

In conclusion, in order for us to compete, I really need to make a case to argue for development resources so we can invest in our SEO, turning in to profits going forward.

Hi all,

I'm trying to breakdown some SEO 101 tips and start from scratch. Starting with Keywords!

I would like to audit our site for main keywords, grouping them in categories and subcategories. My questions are:

1. Is it possible to see where we rank on google AND search trends of visits to our site?
2. What is a good method or structure to document (excel?) 
3. What analysis can be made from finding the results of these keywords and how can I make use of this?

As a beginner your help is much appreciated!!

Hi Roman,

Please could you explain briefly why those steps are important?

Is search queries what they search on google and then come through to our page? If so, would linking some Keywords research be really useful here?

Source of traffic is really important, how can I easily manage a large site where not all UTMs are set up? I also need to differentiate between paid and organic listings. What are your tips in doing this?

Your help is greatly appreciated!

Hi John,

Thank you for your help and suggestion of creating comments.

I do think the aim is broader. I'd love to create customer journeys and see the behaviour of our visitors to the site. Segments on those pages are indeed a start. Where should I go from there?

Then, the ability to understand what our visitors are looking for (info, guidance or advice) and come up with data backed solutions to improve customer experience. How can I effectively come up with a evaluation based of GA data?

Really appreciate your help on this!

Many thanks,

Eric

Hi Moz-ers,

I've had much help from the Moz community and hoping you can help me out on this one too.

I would like to track everyone who visits our town listing pages. We operate much like ratings and reviews websites like tripadvisor and booking.com. What is the best way to track visitors coming to our listings pages only (for example tripadvisor shows top 10 hotels in London.) I would like Google Analytics on London and all other towns including Birmingham, Southampton ect...

Is it possible to set up Google analytics to track this?

These are our highest volume pages so having an idea of the traffic behaviour is crucial for SEO and Conversion Rate Optimization.

As usual, looking forward to the advice we receive!

Thanks,
Eric

@NakulGoyal, thanks for this.

All your points are answered with a massive YES!

What suggestions do you have for a small project/tests/experiment for me to prove the worth of putting our resources towards this?

Thanks,
Eric

I do like this idea of making use of the highest performing pages. This is good because it leverages our best content and makes it even better!

Thanks for the suggestion and article too.

Thanks for the suggestion on Buffer. Seems like it utilizes all major social media in one go.

Hi Becky,

I feel you. I work in operations so I manage a lot of other things beyond the SEO and social media. In this case, I probably have an even less amount of time than you to implement these things!

A tip from me is to leverage other people's time. Have guest posts but make sure you share on all social media platforms.

I am struggling to come up with a strategy to build links for our content though. Do you have ideas/examples/blogs of how others have been successful in this area? Also, how to encourage social media shares in the public sphere. If ONE article goes viral, that is all it takes to make a huge following on the blog and twitter.

Anyway, I have so much to learn! Please share your successes with me too!

I recognise that content is king. Also, to be able to build links by connecting with websites that have a similar niche will be hugely beneficial. I will start making a plan for this.

In terms of metrics and measurements. To manage is to measure. What are some of the things I should be measuring, using the tools you have suggested? Do you have any articles or youtube videos that explain this?

The dev resource is indeed a permission issue. If there is a case for it, I can push for it to be done. In this case, measurements are the best forms of data to give to make a case! Cost vs value right.

This is a great practical suggestion that I will be putting forward!

With the ability to manage our site that comes with much more power to make a difference. Thank you.

Appreciate the myth busting and all the articles here. I am getting the sense that to be in control of SEO is to do it holistically. This is not just content creation but content amplification/promotion too!