How To: Advanced rel="canonical" HTTP Headers

How To: Advanced rel="canonical" HTTP Headers
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Posted by Kevin Graves

This post was originally in YouMoz, and was promoted to the main blog because it provides great value and interest to our community. The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of SEOmoz, Inc.

On February 12th, 2009, Google began to support the link rel="canonical" tag, which was later adopted by Bing and Yahoo, for specifying a preferred version of a URL. It wasnt until June 17th of 2011 that Google announced the support for rel=canonical in the form of an HTTP Header, giving webmasters yet another avenue to provide a preferred URL for non-text/html content-types such as PDF files, that were otherwise unable to have a specified URL using the link tag. In retrospect, this was relatively important news for SEOs, helping to minimize potential duplicate content issues, especially in wake of content penalties waged against site owners in recent years. This nontraditional method to this day is underutilized, and I believe that, now more than ever, SEOs should start leveraging and considering the power of this method for non-text/html content-types.

There are a lot of reasons that the link HTTP header has not had a ton of traction in the SEO industry:

  • SEOs are heavily focused on traditional URL consolidation for text/html content-types
  • Canonical HTTP headers are more difficult to implement dynamically than the link HTML tag.
  • Implementation may require additional access where privileges may be limited.
  • Implementation may require additional server modules to be enabled or installed.
  • Implementation can easily create server errors, if not handled correctly.

For the most part, these non-text/html content-types, specifically PDF files, add content and value to sites. They can be crawled, indexed, contain links which when shared across the web act as natural link building, and pass PageRank. Link HTTP Headers should be added to these content-types when applicable.

I recently was digging into the Apache documentation and surfing different articles for information about a more advanced implementation. I was surprised to see that there were not many advanced methods or tutorials on how to dynamically add in the HTTP header, and so I am bringing this to the community.

HTTP Headers Using PHP (Text/HTML Types):

The rel="canonical" HTTP Header can easily be added to a text/html content type that supports PHP using the header() function. Using the proper syntax shown in Google's documentation coupled with PHP will allow us to accomplish this.

 HTTP Header Response using PHP

Adding this header() function before any HTML is output will append a link rel="canonical" HTTP header to the headers before they get sent.

This minics the rel="canonical" link tag. The only difference is sending the preferred canonical URI using an HTTP header versus a <link> tag. Traditionally the <link> tag has been by far the most popular choice of implementation. This function, however, will be used in the advanced section of this article.

HTTP Headers Using .htaccess (non-Text/HTML Types):

The HTTP Header can modified relatively easily using .htaccess for all content-types, such as PDF files. This solution works great for sites that have a relatively small amount of files which you need the header added to. In this example I'm showcasing an application/pdf content-type.

Apache Files Directive

This snippet of code when implemented will add a HTTP Header to the PDF file pointing to an HTML page with the URL of /page.html.

The filename argument should include a filename, or a wild-card string, where ? matches any single character, and * matches any sequences of characters.

Regular expressions can also be used, with the addition of the ~ character.

Advanced Dynamic HTTP Header Implementation (non-Text/HTML Types):

The dynamic implementation of the HTTP Header for application/pdf content-types i'm about to show you is more advanced and does require knowledge with .htaccess and PHP, although I will provide the examples.

The first step is to create php file to control the output of the PDF. This can most easily be done by rewriting a URL.

PDF URL Rewrite

This RewriteRule, when added to an .htaccess file, simply allows us to control the PDF file from a php file named "pdf.php". Anytime a user or search engine tries to access a URL that contains the file extension ".pdf", the pdf.php file will be referenced for instructions on how to display the file. This gives us the ability to perform conditional logic to add a canonical HTTP header.

Adding a link  in PHP

This snippet of code when added to pdf.php, will check if the URL of the PDF file exists. If it does, we can then perform logic to add in the canonical HTTP header, otherwise, we want to return the file as a 404.

As you can see, the conditional logic has been commented and does not currently function although this is where I leave you in good hands to create your own logic based on your needs.

For example, you may have a csv or txt file you would like to read from. Those files could contain a list of pdf files and corresponding URLs that you would want to have the HTTP header added to. You may also have table(s) or column(s) of useful information in a database that you need to reference to find the corresponding URL to point to the preferred URL. There are many possibilities.

It is also important to note the other two additional headers added for the content-type and content-length. These are necessary for proper output. If we do not set the content-type to application/pdf, the file will be treated as a text/html file.

Check Your Headers

How do you know if the HTTP Headers have been sent? Verify them using a tool. The Web Developer Toolbar for Firefox is a great tool not for just implementing HTTP Headers. Another tool that can be used is Live HTTP Headers. You can also use a third party web-based tool for development sites that are generally not hosted locally.

Example of HTTP Headers Sent

Caution

I highly recommend testing any dynamic HTTP Headers using .htaccess on a development or local site before pushing changes live. There are potential errors that can occur, and it also gives us the chance to QA the implementation as well.

What I Used

  • PHP
  • Apache
  • mod_rewrite enabled
  • mod_headers enabled

Note: These script examples are very minimalistic on purpose to showcase the fundamental code necessary to perform the method. There are many different ways to add the canonical tag in the form of an HTTP Header. This simply showcases examples for users running the most widely used server and framework. Windows running IIS does not use .htaccess files unless third party extensions are enabled. They also are different with regards to case sensitivity using file_exists( ) with PHP.


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Are Exact-Match Domains (EMDs) in Decline?

Are Exact-Match Domains (EMDs) in Decline?
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Posted by Dr. Pete

One of the great, ongoing debates of SEO (#4 of 673) is the influence of Exact-Match Domains (EMDs) on rankings. Part of my goal in launching MozCast was to collect historical data that would allow us to put some of these contentious questions to the test, and now that we have a few months of data, I thought it would be interesting to dig into the EMD question.

Over the last couple of years, our large-scale correlation data here at SEOmoz has shown a declining impact of EMDs on ranking:

.Com EMD Correlation to Ranking

This graph is based only on .com domains and, as always, correlation does not imply causation, but the trend certainly suggests that EMDs are weakening. The MozCast data only goes back to April 2012 currently, but that timeframe covers the Penguin update and other major changes this year, so let’s see how it compares to the year-over-year trend.

Overall EMD Influence

Let’s start simple – across the MozCast data set (Top 10 X 1,000 keywords = 10K* URLs), what percentage of rankings are held by EMDs? In this case, I stuck to a very strict definition: if the keyword is “buy widgets”, then only “buywidgets.tld” (any TLD) counts as an exact match. Here’s the data back to April 4, 2012:

EMD Influence

First off, notice that this is a pretty narrow range – over 4-1/2 months, EMDs represent from just under 3.3% to almost 4.1% of total rankings in the data set. On average, EMD influence has declined slightly in the past few months, with a solid drop after the Penguin update, but that drop has recovered somewhat since June.

*Now that 7-result SERPs account for ~18% of the data, the total count is closer to 9,500 URLs.

Correlation vs. Causation

Let’s get this out of the way – just because EMDs hold less spots in the top 10, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Google has turned down the “volume” on EMDs as a ranking factor. It simply means that less EMDs are ranking overall, and that could have many explanations. What we’ll be looking at here is patterns over time, to try to tell more of the story.

Penguilation vs. Penguisation

Likewise, Penguin correlation is not Penguin causation. I don’t think that Penguin directly targeted EMDs. I suspect that, by targeting some forms of spammy anchor text, Penguin disproportionately hit EMDs. Many people who use EMDs solely for ranking purposes are also aggressive with exact-match anchor text. The EMD drop was probably collateral damage.

EMD Influence on Ranking #1

The last graph covered EMDs anywhere in the Top 10, but what about the EMDs just occupying the #1 spot? Have they fallen harder than overall EMDs? Here’s the data on #1 ranking EMDs only:

EMD Influence on #1

Again, the Y-axis is scaled to amplify differences. While EMDs in the #1 spot also took a hit after Penguin, the picture looks very different around mid-June. EMDs ranking #1 not only recovered their previous influence, but they’ve actually gained SERP-share over the past couple of months. Some of the August spike may be related to the launch of the 7-result SERPs. If the number of total URLs decreased, but the EMDs in #1 remained constant, those EMDs would account for a higher percentage of total URLs.

Overall PMD Influence

My definition of an EMD was pretty strict. What if we looked at the data for partial-match domains (PMDs)? I took a more liberal approach here – for the keyword phrase “buy widgets”, any of the following counted as a partial match, by my definition:

In other words, as long as “buywidgets” or “buy-widgets” appeared anywhere in the root or sub-domain, I counted it as a partial match. I excluded all exact matches, to separate the influence. Here’s the data back to April 4th:

PMD Influence

PMDs accounted for slightly more of the mix than EMDs (not surprisingly), but here the pattern is much clearer. Ranking for PMDs suffered a serious decline after the Penguin update and has only continued to fall.

Good EMDs Are Good

Not all exact-match and partial-match domains are created equal. Penguin hit both EMDs and PMDs pretty hard, because too many people were (and are) still over-relying on them for ranking. The problem is that Google can’t just pull the plug on EMDs. Many brands naturally use EMDs, and it’s perfectly reasonable to buy a domain that matches your name. Instead of just changing how domains impact ranking, Google is targeting spammy signals around EMDs and PMDs. For example, Penguin probably targeted aggressive exact-match anchor text. If your website is “casinoviagrarealestate.com” and 90% of your anchor text is “best casino viagra real estate”, you probably took a hit. It wasn’t because you had an EMD – it was because your EMD was part of a low-value approach.

Should You Dump Your EMD?

In a word: No. You should be careful about combining obviously keyword targeted EMDs and PMDs (“buy-casino-viagra-mortgage.me”) with other aggressive tactics, like large amounts of exact-match anchor text, but for the most part you aren’t going to get penalized simply because you have an EMD. There are some extreme Penguin cases where something as drastic as a new domain may be required, but for the most part this is a gradual change in Google’s attitude. I think EMDs are going to count less over time, but EMDs are also a natural part of the ecosystem.

Should You Buy an EMD?

That’s a bit tougher question. If you’re a brand with a unique name, then yes, absolutely, buy yourname. com, etc. If you’re simply using a domain for keyword value, then I think you have to be a little careful and consider your long-term game plan. If you over-rely on that EMD or PMD, you’re likely to pursue other spammy tactics and ultimately be disappointed as Google gradually lowers the volume. I don’t think buying an EMD carries a large amount of risk, but I’d considering your overall branding strategy. An EMD might be an SEO tactic, but it’s just one small factor of many – it’s not a strategy. You also have to weigh the costs and benefits - finding a short, unregistered .com is one thing - buy it and you can decide later how and if to use it.

As for clearly low-value PMDs, like long, hyphenated strings, I’d avoid them. Paying $ 25K for a hyphenated, seven-word .net is just throwing away money that could be spent on real marketing. It’s not just about declining SEO value – it’s also a matter of perception. If I see six-keywords-strung-together-with-dashes.net and it leads to a slapped together, $ 75 template site, I see a site I’d never do business with. The tiny uptick in SEO value you might get isn’t worth it. Invest in a brand and start building it. The benefits will go far beyond SEO.


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The Greatest Hair Solutions At Discount Prices

The Greatest Hair Solutions At Discount Prices
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When it comes to looking good, people always give added care to make themselves look better. Also a small thing can make a big differnece to an individual's appearance and hair plays a key part in it. Hence why people often search for the best hair care products to prevent hair from damage. 

There are thousands of items on the marketplace related to hair and its routine maintenance. People who have less understanding about the hair products often do not know the difference between a great product and a bad one given that they all look the same.

All products list the exact same functions and attempt to entice the individuals with vibrant advertisements and posters. It is in the hands of the customers to look for the top products in the market and purchase them instead of being cheated by artificial companies. One of the top products in the market and also a leading business in hair therapy products is Fudge Hair Products.

When it involves the hair and its related complications, it varies from person to person and also there are a number of problems connected to hair. A person who experiences hair fall could not have the complication of dandruff and vice versa. With Fudge Hair Products, you can get all kinds of hair treatments that  easily cure your problem in an extremely short space of time. The fake items that are in the market cheat the customers of instantaneous relief from the issues with the use of chemicals. But when you use them for long term, you may get adverse effects and at some point worsen the initial issue.

Fudge hair products are tested by professionals and scientists before they are let in to the marketplace so individuals do not need to worry about side effects. The business is a UK based company and has branches all over the country and sells its items throughout the entire world. You can find their products in all leading online shopping markets which make it easier to get them around the globe.

If you want to get updates and know about the most recent products and also their offers, you can always look on the official website. You can also place an order with their site and get the products delivered to you within a couple of days. The company also supplies you a three months return offer for the unused products that you buy with them and in case you receive wrong items or are disappointed, you can return them and get back your money back. The delivery costs for people within the nation are less and in some cases may even be at free of cost. If you live in foreign nations, you can examine the delivery chargers on the website and place your orders and you can get them within a week. So it is time for you now to take a great care of your hair with Fudge Hair Products and have healthy looking hair.

Taliban Using Blonde, Buxom Beauties to Gain Intel on Facebook

Taliban Using Blonde, Buxom Beauties to Gain Intel on Facebook
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In many ways, it’s one of the oldest tricks in the book, but it’s being used in a very modern way. I’d like to think that most people realize that the super hot girl you meet on the internet is likely not super hot and probably not even a girl. But apparently, the Taliban is cleverly (?) fooling Australian soliders into giving away intel with fake Facebook profiles tied to buxom blonde bombshells.

The report comes from the Australian government, who says that Australian soliders have been tricked with “fake profiles – media personnel and enemies create fake profiles to gather information. For example, the Taliban have used pictures of attractive women as the front of their Facebook profiles and have befriended soldiers.”

For the Taliban, creating the fake profile is easy. A quick Google image search for “pretty girl” and a few minutes signing up on Facebook and they’re in. All that has to be done is to send out a bunch of friend requests and hope at least a couple bite.

Of course, it’s easy to see why being Facebook friends with the enemy can be dangerous. Not only does it allow access to confidential information that could jeopardize operations coming from the solider his/her self, but also private info from friends and family members of the soldiers.

The Department of Defense report also warned about geo-tagging. Since Facebook posts (photo uploads, as well) can be tagged with a location, the chances of one soldier giving up the exact whereabouts of an entire troop is greatly increased through social media.

“Most did not recognise that people using fake profiles, perhaps masquerading as school friends, could capture information and movements. Few consider the possibilities of data mining and how patterns of behaviour can be identified over time,” said the report.

It’s not just Australians that are being warned about the dangers of social media use during combat. Earlier this year, the U.S. Army warned soldiers about geotagging, citing an actual example where geotagged photos led to an attack on a U.S. base in Iraq back in 2007.

[via News.com.au]

WebProNews » Social Media

#MacroMonday Surfaces Some Cool Photos On Google

#MacroMonday Surfaces Some Cool Photos On Google
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What an absolutely perfect morning for this week's Macro Monday theme-within-a-theme of LEAF! Sure feels like autumn out there.  It is sleeping with the windows open weather!

You know the drill!  Post your shot, tag #MacroMonday  and + mention the curators – +Kelli Seeger Kim, +Jennifer Eden and me.  We will be making the rounds!

She'd Always Been A Ginger At Heart

WebProNews » Social Media

Save Money With LED GU10 Lamps and Bulbs

Save Money With LED GU10 Lamps and Bulbs
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Did you know that the lighting in a normal house can account for up to 25% of your total monthly electric bill? By updating your lighting to a low energy equivalent you stand to save a substantial quantity of cash, as well as lowering the environmental influence of your house.

A straight switch to LED GU10 6W or LED GU10 4W bulbs can do precisely that. LED Bulbs utilize less energy than standard halogen limelights, last up to ten times longer and produce small amounts of heat. Over the life time of a single bulb you can easily anticipate to save somewhere in the region of #216. Now multiply this figure by the number of incandescent light bulb you have in your room, restrooms and kitchen. The discounts soon accumulate!

GU10 Bulbs significantly simplify the procedure of lowering your regular monthly lighting statements. Follow our straight forward detailed process and you will be saving money in no time.

1. Begin by changing all of your old incandescent light bulbs. While the in advance cost of an incandescent bulb is comparatively reasonable, their high energy usage implies that they could end up costing many times their retail price over their regular lifespan.

2. Transfer to LED lights. Buying LED GU10 for general lighting is pretty costly, however the bulbs have an incredibly long life span (over 50,000 hours) and the majority will only cost a couple of pence to run. Overtime, the integrated savings made on replacements and electrical power will validate the preliminary price of your LED GU10 several times over.

3. Pick an LED GU10. LED GU10 Bulbs are made as direct replacements for existing GU10 spotlights and are offered in an array of comparable wattages. A common LED GU10 will certainly utilize approximately 4 watts, however will still deliver the exact same quantity of light as a comparable 50 to 60 watt halogen bulb (some LEDs can  also handle 100 watts). All you should do is discover an ideal replacement for your existing light bulbs.

4. Some consumers tend to be put off by the high upfront expense of LED GU10 and are as an alternative drawn to choose typical energy saving bulbs instead. These are called CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps). CFLs are remarkable for numerous shortcomings, consisting of a briefer life span, a poorer quality of light and long start up times, and losing their full brightness long before they end. Even more controversially, CFLs consist of a harmful substance called Mercury, which complicates their disposal.

If you determine to switch to LED GU10 Bulbs, right here is just what you need to do next:

1. First, walk around your house and make a listing of all the light bulbs you should replace. Make sure the bulbs you are replacing have a mains voltage LED GU10 fitting.

2. Contrast the wattage on your existing bulbs with the comparable wattage of the LED GU10 Bulbs you propose to get. Also examine the beam angle is suitable for your purposes. If you elegant even more of a flood light effect why not try GU10 SMD Bulbs.

3. The last thing to do is get your step ladder, remove all of your incandescent or halogen light bulbs and put your brand-new Bulbs in. You will certainly start conserving cash instantly!

HootSuite Acquires Social Management Startup Seesmic

HootSuite Acquires Social Management Startup Seesmic
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HootSuite announced today that it has acquired Seesmic, a competitor in the social marketing management software space. Both companies develop platforms that allow people and businesses to coordinate and monitor their marketing across multiple social network platforms.

“We’ve always been big fans of Ryan Holmes and the HootSuite team, since the days we were all pioneering the social media landscape.” said Seesmic CEO Loïc Le Meur. “We’re thrilled today to announce that Seesmic is joining HootSuite, and we’re excited for our users: they are becoming part of the HootSuite family, and they will be able to continue to build their brand and social business.”

HootSuite and Seesmic were founded around the same time in 2008, though it took a year for Seesmic to move into its social network marketing platform development. HootSuite focuses heavily on marketing its services to its business clients, which it says includes 79 of the Fortune 100 companies. Over the past year, HootSuite has added support for many niche and business social platforms.

“I have always had a lot of respect for Seesmic’s CEO, Loïc Le Meur, and the role Seesmic has played in advancing social business.” said HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes. “We are thrilled to welcome Seesmic’s users into the HootSuite family.”

Details of the acquisition, including how much HootSuite paid for Seesmic, have not been disclosed. In addition, HootSuite was vague on what the future holds for the Seesmic client. HootSuite did, however, invite Seesmic business customers to subscribe to HootSuite Pro, suggesting that Seesmic may be shut down or rolled into HootSuite in some way. Whatever the case, its clear that HootSuite acquired Seesmic for its talent and clients, not its platform.

WebProNews » Social Media

Here’s What LinkedIn’s New Company Pages Look Like

Here’s What LinkedIn’s New Company Pages Look Like
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LinkedIn unveiled a redesign of its Company Pages today.

The pages “now offers marketers a visually-enhanced presence that makes it easier for them to attract and engage customers and prospects,” a LinkedIn representative tells WebProNews. “This product refresh is part of a company-wide effort to simplify LinkedIn’s pillar products and create streamlined experiences across all devices.”

“The redesigned Company Pages features a sleek new appearance with enhanced brand imagery, streamlined navigation, and prominent follower button, among other updates,” he adds. “Key client input informed the decisions that LinkedIn made about the newly implemented changes, which ultimately aim to ease and deepen the dialogue between marketers and members.”

Here, you can have a look for yourself:

LInkedIn Company Pages

“For members, this means easier access to the information you want about the companies you care about,” says LinkedIn’s Mike Grishaver in a blog post. “For companies, this means a more powerful way to build relationships with your target audience on LinkedIn.”

“Company Pages is the core of the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions follower ecosystem,” the representative says. “It’s through these pages that marketers identify and attract the right audience, engage them with relevant content, and spur them into action.”

“Brands who commit to cultivating a relationship see an increase in awareness, recommendations, leads, and opportunity to drive purchase intent,” he adds. “Recent LinkedIn research indicates that 69% of professionals expect companies to have a presence on LinkedIn, 64% believe it is a suitable environment for business-to-business interaction and 48% say they are more likely to purchase from a company they engage on LinkedIn.”

The new pages are launching with a handful of partners including Philips, Citi, Dell, and HP. They’ll be rolling out to all companies globally later this year (localized in all 18 LinkedIn-supported languages).

WebProNews » Social Media

Where Are My Rankings?

Where Are My Rankings?
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Posted by Thomas McElroy

Over the last 3 weeks, you may have noticed some instability with our Rankings tools through missing data and error messages stating some tools are unavailable. On Friday, we experienced a totally different, unrelated problem with our rankings data. We expect to have an updated prognosis for that problem by tomorrow, but we want to fill you in on what went down at Mozplex to cause these issues in the first place. To be as transparent as possible about what happened and how we're working to fix the issue, below is a summary of what was impacted, the work we did to get things going again, and what we’re doing in the future to make the system more resilient.

Database issues? What gives?

Our SERP data subsystem (which runs on the distributed storage technology Riak) had a couple of nodes fail. To learn more about Riak, here's a blog post we wrote when we made the switch last year. The subsystem is designed to handle such failures; however, we did not handle the failure correctly. 

In the process of fixing our Riak storage, we disrupted some of our queues for SERP data processing. Given Moz's growth over the last six months and the number of SERPs processed in the Riak cluster, Roger can no longer recover from outages in a timely manner. In late 2011, we could recover the system in 3-8 hours and be caught up on data processing in a few days. This time around, it took us six days to get the system back up and another two weeks to catch up on the missing data and the inconsistent data states that resulted.

Impacted services

Riak stores our SERP data (rankings data), so all the systems that depend on it were impacted. The impacted systems include:
  • Custom reports
  • On-page reports
  • Historical rankings CSVs
  • Rankings
  • Keyword Difficulty & Full SERP Analysis reports

Work completed to get things going again

Our dev teams have been hard at work to restore all missing and inconsistent data post Riak malfunction. At a high-level, here's what we did to get Rankings and all its dependencies going again:
  • Created scripts to heal the different broken states of jobs
  • Added more nodes to speed up processing and help in future failures
  • Improved monitoring to get information about failures and performance bottlenecks
  • Improved performance in a multiple areas

Future work

It took the team 20 days to fully recover from the cascading problems that resulted from the original issue. We know that this timeframe is highly unacceptable, and we apologize for not being able to recover quicker. We are now in the process of ensuring that the same failures do not occur in the future and to lessen downtime in the event something like this does happen again. Work has begun on multiple improvements to help us reach our goals, including:
  • Improving health checks and threshold monitoring of Riak nodes and subsystem dependencies
  • Adding more Riak nodes
  • Beefing up queue and job execution monitoring and alarming
  • Creating a dependency matrix that indicates what’s impacted when something goes down
  • Improving fault tolerance in parts of the system
  • Providing additional excess service capacity 
  • Creating system operations documentation for dealing with emergency scenarios and how to recover

So, what's the current ETA?

Unfortunately, as you can probably tell, we have a lot of work to do to get Rankings back to 100%. We don't have an ETA quite yet. However, we hope to have a solid date in place by tomorrow and will update the post as soon as we know. Again, we apologize for the failure and any issues it has caused. We are working our butts off to ensure it doesn’t happen again!

If you need an immediate alternative for rank-checking, try using the Rank Checker at SEOBook.

For status updates on this issue, please check out our Rankings page on the Help Hub.


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LinkedIn Mobile Apps Get Company Pages, More Notifications

LinkedIn Mobile Apps Get Company Pages, More Notifications
http://bit.ly/OZVHgg

LinkedIn has launched some updates for its iPhone, Android and iPad apps.

In a post on the LinkedIn blog, Joff Redfern writes, “1year, 21 days ago we launched an entirely new LinkedIn mobile experience for iPhone, Android, and the mobile web at touch.linkedin.com. It was an entirely fresh start, focused on faster, simpler, better.”

“A lot has happened since then,” he adds. “A year ago, 10% of the unique users visiting LinkedIn were using one of our mobile apps, today it’s over 23%. In April, we gave birth to an iPad app, and in May we followed with a shiny new Windows Phone App that is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars. We’ve also made it easier to sign-up for LinkedIn directly from your mobile device, which now accounts for 15% of new member sign-ups.”

New features for the iPhone and Android apps include: new real-time notifications when someone likes what you’ve shared on LinkedIn, views your profile, accepts your invitation, etc., company pages for mobile, and access to job listings from within your mobile update streams, in case you “don’t want your employer to know you’re looking.”

The iPad app is now supported in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Korean, and also gets the notifications and company pages.

While not available yet, LinkedIn says the ability to edit your profile from the mobile apps is coming soon.

Here’s a look at the new company pages that will be rolling out this year.

WebProNews » Social Media