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domain authority is a number between 0 and 100

Domain Authority: listen up, this is important!

November 7, 2017
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Education is a big part of what Flax Digital does. When we build your next website or help you rank in Google, we want you to understand what we’re doing and be a part of it. Sure, we could just say “trust us” and take your money, but we’d rather not. One of the things we often need to explain is Domain Authority.  That’s one of the terms used for how likely a website is to rank in Google’s search results. …

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wordpress maintenance plans

Flax Digital now offers WordPress maintenance plans

October 31, 2017
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Tell me if you’ve heard this story before Step 1. You’re a small local business. You engage a web designer for a new website or a refresh. Step 2. Web design happens. New look, new content, fresh functionality. You’re really excited for your site’s (re)aunch. Step 3. Your new site is launched, woohoo! You pay the final invoice, and your designer moves on to their next project. Step 4. A year passes. Step 5. There’s a few things slightly broken on…

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SEO red flags: five signs you might be getting ripped off

October 10, 2017
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I’ve been talking to a lot of small businesses lately about their SEO.  Many of them are paying – typically – hundreds of dollars a month but aren’t clear on what they’re getting for it.  I’ve also taken a look at some of their websites with an SEO eye, and I’m honestly quite horrified at how little some agencies are doing for their money.  There are a number of SEO red flags that I can spot with just a few…

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We’re now Flax Digital

October 2, 2017
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It’s a rite of passage.  At some point, a solo consultant needs to grow up and get a real business name, and for Flax Digital that time is now. Alex Bayley started offering WordPress, digital strategy and SEO services to local and international businesses in October 2016.  A year later, the business is well established and provides world-class services to businesses from Ballarat to Silicon Valley. If you’re one of our existing clients, you’ll start to see communication coming from…

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Domain Authority tips from Eat Local Ballarat

November 2, 2016
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On June 1st this year, I launched Eat Local Ballarat, a non-commercial advocacy blog covering locally produced food in the Ballarat region. I set out to make a website that would rank among the best in town. Before I launched, I did some research into Ballarat’s top websites as judged by their Domain Authority.  Among the top ranks were Federation University, the City of Ballarat, Sovereign Hill, and Ballarat Health Services.  I also catalogued around 40+ other local sites that…

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Don’t let your website migration break your links

September 12, 2016
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Lately I’ve been noticing a lot of local businesses going through website migrations – upgrades, redesigns, or moving to a new platform – then winding up with broken links all over their site. It’s depressing to see.

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Why a new site shows “There is no data for this set of filters” in Google Search Console

April 26, 2016
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The problem: missing data in Search Console On a new website with very low traffic, Google Search Console shows a small number of clicks in the graph on the front page, but when you click through to the more detailed analytics reports, it says “There is no data for this set of filters.”  In my case, my site had page views in the low 100s, because it was nothing more than a simple “coming soon” placeholder. Still, if it’s getting…

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How to Track Instagram as Social Traffic in Google Analytics

April 26, 2016
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Although I spend most of my work time at my laptop, I love paper notebooks.  I’m a fan of the bullet journal technique, and when I started to get back online again I was inspired by Kara of Boho Berry, a popular bullet journal blogger, to set up a blog journal like hers.  It’s a pleasant, grounding way for me to keep track of all the tasks I have to do, and to celebrate achievements as they happen. When I…

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Using keyword research for concept validation

April 19, 2016
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Today I want to write about using basic SEO keyword research techniques to validate my early ideas about Eat Local Ballarat and get a sense of whether it was a workable opportunity. First, the background: I’m planning to create a comprehensive, informative, up-to-date site on the subject of local food in the Ballarat region.  To meet its goals it needs to perform well in search engine results, build a strong following on social media, and generate plenty of visitors and…

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