GUIDES / 2026

The practical library

Concrete methods for deciding, building, publishing and measuring. Every guide includes a worked example, an infographic and an actionable checklist.

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96 guides

Technical 01

Noindex and robots.txt: decide what stays accessible and indexable

Preventing crawling and requesting exclusion from results are different decisions. First decide whether a page should remain available to readers.

Technical 02

WordPress crawler tracking: read logs before choosing a plugin

The historical post introduced a crawl-tracking plugin. A current method should establish what was requested, by whom and with which response, without assuming that the earlier tool is maintained today.

Measurement 03

Read search results without treating a position as a promise

An earlier depiction of the top three positions does not describe every current journey. Observe results for a specific question, device and context.

Technical 04

Google guidelines: turn reading into page-level checks

Reading a rule does not repair a page. Connect each defect to a test, an owner and observable evidence after a change.

Strategy 05

A marketing agency operating model across content, engineering and measurement

An agency’s challenge is not just offering more channels. It is completing a decision when several disciplines and systems are involved.

Editorial 06

Brand SEO: make identity and useful answers recognisable

Someone searching your name may want to check a product, find an account or solve a problem. Identity helps them recognise the answer, but it also needs to be verifiable.

Strategy 07

Long-tail search: answer a constraint instead of counting words

A longer query can reveal a specific constraint. Length alone proves neither low competition nor better conversion. Build pages around distinct, verifiable needs.

Measurement 08

Google Search World Domination: read a chart without losing its date

A search-engine map describes a territory, period and method. Before making a decision today, identify all three rather than extrapolating an old graphic.

Editorial 09

Build a business blog around decisions, not a posting quota

A useful company blog answers the questions that delay a purchase or make a product difficult to use. Begin with recurring customer needs, then decide what evidence will resolve them.

Strategy 10

Estimate an SEO budget from work, dependencies and deliverables

A monthly fee tells you little without a scope. Compare deliverables, labour, technical dependencies and acceptance criteria before comparing two headline prices.

Technical 11

Multiple domains: choose redirects, canonicals or genuinely separate sites

Start with the purpose of each address. Another domain only deserves an independent site when it offers a distinct product, audience or practical service.

Editorial 12

Page titles that connect the search task with the brand

A title should help a reader recognise the answer. The brand identifies the publisher; it should not displace the subject or become a list of repeated keywords.

Strategy 13

Keyword research starts with the problem someone needs to solve

Search volume can sort candidates. It cannot replace an understanding of the task, country, language and answer your site is able to provide.

Strategy 14

An SEO strategy begins with the service you can deliver

A useful strategy connects an audience, a substantiated offer, a library of answers and the ability to maintain them. A wishlist of positions is not that plan.

Technical 15

Paid links: separate advertising from independent evidence

A commercial link can help a reader when it is relevant and clearly identified. Treat it as an advertising relationship rather than independent proof of quality.

Technical 16

Page speed: measure reading, responsiveness and stability

A fast page becomes readable, responds to input and keeps its layout stable. A laboratory result is diagnostic; real experience also depends on devices and networks.

Technical 17

From Flash to JavaScript: make content accessible beyond the interface

Old Flash sites raised a question that still matters: does the content exist outside the animation? A JavaScript interface also needs accessible answers and stable URLs.

Measurement 18

Analytics in a spreadsheet: build a reproducible report

Excellent Analytics belonged to an earlier generation of tools. The underlying need remains: turn an export into decisions without losing definitions or provenance.

Measurement 19

Navigational traffic: serve people who are already looking for you

A branded query may mean purchasing, signing in or resolving a problem. The right destination depends on the task, not merely the presence of the brand name.

Editorial 20

Digital reputation: control what you make public

A professional presence does not require publishing everything. Focus on exposed information, its context and practical ways to correct mistakes.

Strategy 21

Local public-service SEO: reliable answers organised around tasks

Residents should not need to understand an organisation chart to find a public service. Organise the answer around what someone needs to do.

Strategy 22

Tourism marketing that helps people plan an actual trip

A destination is chosen under real constraints: transport, season, budget, availability and accessibility. Attractive imagery should lead to usable answers.

Editorial 23

Create a useful SEO glossary without a forest of empty pages

A glossary helps when it explains a term at the moment someone needs it. It should not create a separate page for every variation of a word.

Strategy 24

Niche search: adapt the answer to a specific constraint

A niche is more than a long keyword. It is a context, constraint or audience whose needs your service can address differently.

Measurement 25

Campaign economics: use contribution and full costs, not revenue alone

Revenue attributed to a campaign is not profit. A useful calculation separates spend, conversion, contribution and uncertainty.

Strategy 26

Work with an SEO agency through clear briefs and acceptance checks

A good collaboration makes work, access and responsibility visible. Ask for inspectable deliverables rather than a promised position.

Technical 27

AI search and SEO: make information accessible and verifiable

Search interfaces change, but accessible, accurate and sourced information is still concrete work. No special markup guarantees inclusion in a generative answer.

Technical 28

WordPress foundations for durable, secure publishing

A 2009 book announcement is not current product documentation. This preparation method focuses on content, URLs and responsibilities that need to last.

Editorial 29

Property listings: precise information that helps someone decide on a visit

A listing should help a reader decide whether a viewing makes sense. Accurate features, location and contact conditions matter more than a string of adjectives.

Editorial 30

Press releases: give journalists a fact they can verify

A release explains something new. A list of distribution platforms cannot replace a precise fact, evidence and a contact route.

Editorial 31

A social editorial line with a clear promise and publication boundaries

An account is useful when readers know why to follow it. Platforms change; a consistent promise and responsibility for publication remain important.

Measurement 32

SEO and CRM: connect the initial need with a relevant next step

A visit, an enquiry and a customer relationship are different stages. Connecting them can improve the response when collection is limited and events are precisely defined.

Strategy 33

Performance-based SEO: define the event that earns payment

An outcome-based arrangement needs a measured event and clear responsibilities. An isolated ranking can reward work that does not actually help the client.

Strategy 34

SEO credentials: verify the scope behind the badge

A credential can attest a particular assessment. It does not guarantee every deliverable or a position in search results.

Editorial 35

Search interfaces: suggestions, speed and reader control

Google Instant is part of search history. Its attention debate remains useful when designing a site search that lets readers understand and choose.

Editorial 36

Digital heritage: make an object findable and understandable

Digitising an object does not explain what it represents. A reliable record connects the object with provenance, dates, rights and access.

Technical 37

301, 302, 307 and 308: choose a redirect and verify the journey

A redirect describes a move and whether it is temporary or permanent. The correct choice also depends on the request method and destination service.

Technical 38

XML sitemaps: audit URLs before submission

A sitemap is a discovery list. Build it from published pages, then compare the list with HTTP responses and canonical decisions.

Technical 39

SEO migrations: acceptance checks and a rollback plan

A migration should preserve content, links and user journeys. Map destinations before switching and retain a version you can restore.

Measurement 40

Why backlink tools report different totals

A backlink total depends on an index and its filters. Compare definitions before concluding that a tool is wrong or a campaign succeeded.

Technical 41

Syndicated content: decide which version to keep

A wire story, press release and republication can share passages while serving different needs. Clarify each page’s role before deleting or consolidating it.

Technical 42

Multi-domain sitemaps: keep ownership and routing clear

A group of websites may share infrastructure. Central generation can help operations, but every URL still needs the correct hostname and owner.

Measurement 43

Compare weeks and months without misleading charts

A chart depends on its calendar. Align days, time zones and metric definitions before commenting on growth or decline.

Measurement 44

Search clicks and sessions: explain the reporting gap

Two accurate reports can show different volumes. Search-result clicks and sessions recorded after arrival have different definitions and collection methods.

Strategy 45

Seasonal ecommerce SEO: prepare useful buying journeys

A seasonal page should help people choose at the right moment. Coordinate stock, delivery information and content updates instead of publishing everything at the last minute.

Editorial 46

Video SEO: make the page useful without pressing play

Video needs readable context, an identifiable answer and reliable playback. A media file alone does not establish a useful search destination.

Editorial 47

Digitised collections: make documents discoverable and understandable

A cultural document becomes more useful when provenance, rights and limitations are readable. Build a record that helps both readers and discovery systems.

Strategy 48

Google bombing: learn from a historical case

Coordinated linking campaigns form part of search history. Their useful lesson concerns the difference between temporary visibility, reputation and durable value.

Measurement 49

Search-suggestion bias: a cautious evaluation protocol

Suggestions can reflect language patterns, data and product decisions. Investigate differences with a protocol that avoids generalising from one search.

Strategy 50

Publisher audiences: separate discovery from loyalty

An old audience statistic does not describe your publication today. Separate passing visits, useful journeys and evidence of continued readership.

Measurement 51

An odd analytics chart? Audit the data first

A suspicious curve can result from collection, calculation or display. Separate these layers before turning a visual anomaly into a commercial conclusion.

Editorial 52

Community curation: decide what a vote should mean

An editorial community needs understandable rules. Popularity, recommendations and moderation should not be mistaken for factual verification.

Editorial 53

Mobile travel sites: support decisions on the move

Travellers may have limited time and an unreliable connection. Prioritise immediate decisions: access, opening times, booking and conditions.

Measurement 55

Google Trends: relative interest is not a sales forecast

A normalised curve describes relative interest within a selected scope. It does not automatically translate a search into customers or sales volumes.

Strategy 56

VR training: make the decision with a measurable pilot

VR is useful when it addresses a specific learning difficulty. Compare it with a simpler approach before funding scenes, headsets and deployment.

Strategy 57

Before building a website: write a decision brief

A website starts with user needs, content and responsibility. A clear brief avoids discovering at handover that nobody controls the domain or can edit the copy.

Strategy 58

Choosing a web agency: compare deliverables, not slogans

Ask candidates to answer the same brief. A portfolio can demonstrate taste, but does not establish maintenance quality, account ownership or usable journeys.

Editorial 59

Visual identity: turn a brand into usable rules

An identity should remain recognisable in real applications. Define rules that help a team produce consistent interfaces, documents and illustrations.

Strategy 60

Market research: begin with a decision

Useful research reduces a specific uncertainty. Before collecting opinions, write down the decision, hypotheses and findings that would change your strategy.

Editorial 61

Podcast studios: specify the brief, rights and handover

Clean recording is one stage of a podcast project. The brief also needs preparation, editing, transcription and the files required for publication.

Technical 62

Business video platforms: compare access, export and playback

The right choice depends on private training, public communication or commercial distribution. Test the complete journey and an exit from the service before committing.

Strategy 63

Hybrid events: support people in the room and online

A camera alone does not make a hybrid event. Prepare two understandable journeys and organise questions, accessibility and fallback arrangements.

Technical 64

Choosing low-code without locking in your data

Low-code can shorten development, but access, maintenance and export still matter. Evaluate a small representative journey before building the entire system.

Technical 65

No-code: move from prototype to maintainable operation

A prototype demonstrates an idea; a production tool must handle errors, access and change. Decide what a pilot needs to teach before entrusting it with a real process.

Editorial 66

Web translation: an acceptance plan for complete localisation

Useful language versions adapt answers, units and journeys. Give translators context and verify the published page rather than approving only a translated file.

Editorial 67

LinkedIn profiles: demonstrate skills with evidence

A professional profile should explain your role and work. Replace generic adjectives with understandable accomplishments, honest limits and deliberate contact choices.

Strategy 68

Promoting educational websites by helping people learn

Discovery should lead to an understandable learning resource. Prepare levels, objectives and exercises before deciding where to promote it.

Measurement 69

Amazon advertising: attributed sales versus actual contribution

A sale attributed to advertising is not automatically profitable or incremental. Include costs, returns and uncertainty in the campaign decision.

Technical 70

Virtual showrooms: useful discovery beyond the visual effect

Immersive spaces should help people compare or understand products. Preserve a simple accessible journey when a 3D scene is unavailable.

Strategy 71

Your first sales funnel: map an honest user journey

A funnel should support an informed decision and a reliable action. Clarify the offer, requested information and follow-up before choosing a platform.

Strategy 72

SMS marketing: plan around genuine permission

SMS reaches a personal channel. Before discussing performance, check permission, message relevance and a simple way to stop further marketing.

Measurement 73

Evaluate search relevance with an explicit rubric

A useful result depends on the question and context. Define your assessment before selecting examples that seem to confirm an opinion about a search engine.

Technical 74

Business SEO audits: deliver decisions, not a score sheet

A useful audit connects each issue to a page, a possible effect and a verifiable action. A long generic recommendation list is not an implementation roadmap.

Technical 75

Quality web design: a visible, measurable acceptance plan

A website should stay readable and functional under different conditions. Turn design intentions into checks on actually rendered pages.

Editorial 76

Video production: a brief that makes quotations comparable

A video commission should describe its intended outcome and uses. Define formats, rights, revisions and acceptance before comparing suppliers.

Editorial 77

Visual communication: choose the right representation

An illustration should clarify a question. Before producing an infographic, decide what readers need to compare, understand or verify.

Strategy 78

Web marketing: connect diagnosis, action and learning

A useful plan explains whom you serve, what you test and how you will decide afterwards. Channels follow those choices rather than replacing them.

Technical 79

Marketing databases: define quality before integration

Usable databases need definitions, permissions and checks. Before connecting a tool, explain which information is necessary and who can correct it.

Editorial 80

Packaging and product pages: keep information consistent

Packaging and online listings should describe the same product coherently. Check readability, specifications, variants and claims instead of treating each format independently.

Strategy 81

Digital communication training: compare outcomes and practice

Training should make a skill observable. Compare programmes, exercises, assessment and follow-up instead of choosing only a list of fashionable tools.

Strategy 82

Paid-search campaigns: define the brief and stopping criteria

A paid-search brief should connect need, advert, destination and offer economics. An agency or platform does not replace those decisions.

Measurement 83

PageRank, DR and authority scores: what a number cannot prove

Metrics from different providers are not interchangeable. A score can help organise observations, but does not certify editorial reliability or future rankings.

Strategy 84

Promotion codes: explain the price and test exceptions

A promotion code should deliver an understandable benefit. Define eligibility, exclusions and final price so the discount exists beyond a headline promise.

Measurement 85

Barter campaigns: free of cash does not mean profitable

An exchanged service has costs and limitations. Describe commitments, estimated value and delivery evidence before presenting barter as an advantage.

Strategy 86

Street marketing: connect local activity to a useful answer

An on-site activation needs an audience, appropriate permission and a clear next step. A crowd or photograph does not establish effectiveness.

Editorial 87

Advertising careers: understand roles and deliverables

Advertising covers several responsibilities. Understand who plans strategy, writes, produces, distributes and evaluates before assembling a team.

Strategy 88

Outsourcing customer support: prepare answers and escalation

A provider needs to know what it can resolve and what it must escalate. Quality depends on the brief, information access and handling of difficult cases.

Technical 89

Digitising videotapes: preserve a file, not only a DVD

Digitisation should retain content that can be consulted and reused. Define source condition, delivered formats and checks before choosing a provider or storage medium.

Editorial 90

Human or automated search: test the usefulness of answers

Manual selection can clarify a subject while missing another interpretation. Test specific tasks rather than a curator’s reputation or the length of a link list.

Editorial 91

Google News: find a publisher and verify a news story

Finding an article and establishing a fact are different tasks. Define the scope, open the publications and assemble a verifiable timeline.

Editorial 92

Map imagery: verify dates and provenance

An aerial view is a dated observation rather than a live camera. Record what it shows and which conclusions it cannot establish.

Strategy 93

Local business profiles: align locations, services and website details

A local profile should help people verify where to go, when to visit and which service is available. Prepare accurate information before trying to expand visibility.

Measurement 94

Search volumes: interpret estimates without promising traffic

A query volume is neither a customer count nor a visitor target. Preserve measurement settings and use estimates to decide which questions deserve an answer.

Measurement 95

Calculations and conversions: check formulas, units and rounding

A calculator can give an exact answer to a badly specified question. Write down the units and calculation basis before choosing the tool.

Technical 96

Publisher archives: make older articles genuinely accessible

A sitemap does not replace editorial navigation. Build useful paths to older material and verify that each route reaches the correct document.