seo basics

SEO Basics guides.

Every seo basics guide we've published — 94 articles on the tactics, the tradeoffs, and what actually moves rankings.

SEO Basics

Do Social Media Links Count as Backlinks?

Social links are almost all nofollow, so they pass little ranking value — but they still do three specific jobs. Here's what they can and can't do for SEO.

August 20267 min read
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SEO Basics

What Is Keyword Difficulty?

Keyword difficulty explained: what the score actually measures, why tools disagree, and how to judge whether you can realistically rank for a given term.

August 20268 min read
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SEO Basics

What Are Long-Tail Keywords?

Long-tail keywords explained: why specificity beats volume, how to find them without paid tools, and when targeting one page per phrase stops working.

August 20267 min read
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SEO Basics

What Are Local Citations in SEO?

Local citations explained: what NAP consistency actually does, which directories are worth claiming, and why the fiftieth listing does nothing for you.

August 20267 min read
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SEO Basics

What Is Local SEO and Who Needs It?

Local SEO explained: how the map pack differs from normal results, Google's three ranking factors, and the work order that moves a local business fastest.

August 20268 min read
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SEO Basics

What Is Keyword Cannibalization?

Keyword cannibalization explained: when two pages really do compete, how to confirm it in Search Console, and whether to merge, redirect, or differentiate.

August 20268 min read
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SEO Basics

Does Google Penalize AI-Generated Content?

Google's actual policy on AI content, why detection isn't how it's judged, what scaled content abuse means, and the line between assisted writing and spam.

August 20267 min read
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SEO Basics

What Is E-E-A-T in SEO? (And How to Actually Show It)

E-E-A-T explained: what Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trust mean, why it isn't a ranking factor, and the signals that demonstrate each one.

August 20268 min read
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SEO Basics

What Is an Orphan Page in SEO? (And How to Find Yours)

Orphan pages explained: why pages with no internal links rank poorly, three ways to find every one on your site, and how to fix, merge or delete them properly.

August 20268 min read
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SEO Basics

What Is Spam Score in SEO? (And What Number Is Risky)

Spam Score explained: what Moz's 1-100 number really measures, why clean new sites score high, what counts as risky, and how to use it when vetting links.

August 20268 min read
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SEO Basics

What Is Link Juice and How Does It Flow?

Link juice explained: what it really is, how PageRank splits across links, what dilutes it, and the placement choices that decide how much actually flows.

August 20268 min read
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SEO Basics

Trust Flow and Citation Flow Explained (The TF/CF Ratio)

Trust Flow vs Citation Flow: what each Majestic score measures, why the gap between them exposes a manufactured link profile, and how to read the TF/CF ratio.

August 202610 min read
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Showing 49–60 of 94 articles