Monday, December 31, 2018

Surrey magistrate made MBE for 35 years of service gives insight into life on the bench

As he is awarded MBE status in the Queen's New Year's Honours list, William Harmsworth gives an insight into his 35 years at the magistrates' bench

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-magistrate-made-mbe-34-15602657

'It's about freedom' - Last chance to comment on Surrey County Council's planned service cuts

Reviews of children's centres, recycling centres, bus passes, libraries and SEND provision are all under way

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/its-freedom-last-chance-comment-15614642

Locked up 2018: The names and deeds of the most heinous criminals jailed last year

Surrey Live names the worst criminals that are serving time for the atrocious acts they committed 

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/locked-up-2018-names-deeds-15612207

Horley Bookshop and model train centre to close after 25 years in the town

The loss of a true independent business has been met with sadness by people in the town

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/horley-bookshop-model-train-centre-15613008

Man stabbed in leg in Chertsey released from hospital

A police cordon was placed around the area just after 7pm on Thursday (December 27)

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/man-stabbed-leg-chertsey-released-15614554

Six of the best - and some of the weirdest - hangover cures post New Year's Eve

We take a look at the traditional cures and some of the strangest - dried bull's penis anyone?

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/six-best-weirdest-hangover-cures-15614446

East Surrey commuters accuse government of 'lying' about plans to reduce unfair 'Redhill Hump' fares

Season ticket holders believed their tickets would be coming down in price from this month

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/east-surrey-commuters-accuse-government-15614218

Bashford and Co butchers' in Warlingham to close down due to rising overheads

The shop has been a butchers' for most of the past 100 years, but owners say making the sums work has made it too risky to carry on

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/bashford-co-butchers-warlingham-close-15605950

Scorching 2018 set to become second sunniest year ever recorded

The average temperature for 2018 may be one of the 10 warmest since records began

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/scorching-2018-set-become-second-15612863

Guildford set for first fleet of all-electric buses

Nine Stagecoach zero emission vehicles will be used in the town's park and ride service from January

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/guildford-set-first-fleet-electric-15612957

Two taken to hospital following three-car Farnham crash

The crash happened on Sunday morning

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/two-taken-hospital-following-three-15612871

Ambulances sustained £460k worth of damage in accidents last year, south east figures reveal

The figures were obtained from a freedom of information request sent to the South East Coast Ambulance Service

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/ambulances-sustained-460k-worth-damage-15613085

Shocking dashcam footage shows motorist driving WRONG WAY down M25 slip road

The dashcam footage shows the car travelling the wrong way down the slip road at Junction 9 Leatherhead on Sunday

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/shocking-dashcam-footage-shows-motorist-15612444

Renewed appeal for witnesses following 'truly disgusting' arson of elderly man's West Molesey home

Firefighters were called out to the property in West Molesey late on Christmas Day

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/renewed-appeal-witnesses-following-truly-15611666

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Some of the most popular New Year's resolutions and how you can keep them

It's not as simple as New Year, new you. You've got to put in the work too

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/most-popular-new-years-resolutions-15605357

Speed cameras planned as part of major improvements to A3 through Guildford

The slip roads on either side of the Guildford and Godalming Bypass will be widened and extended

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/speed-cameras-planned-part-major-15585912

Surrey Police ask residents not to phone 999 to 'find out trains to Clapham Junction'

Officers expect an increase in 999 calls over the New Year period and has reminded residents to use the number wisely

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-police-ask-residents-not-15611294

Male driver 'pronounced dead at the scene' after colliding with two parked cars in Cobham

A passenger was taken to hospital with 'serious injuries'

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/male-driver-pronounced-dead-scene-15610894

8 sports and fitness events in 2019 to book NOW before they sell out

You won't want to miss out on these top sports and fitness events in Surrey, London and the surrounding area

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/8-sports-fitness-events-2019-15575752

Key dates to put in your 2019 diary including Mother's Day and Easter

Got a new diary for Christmas? Stick these key dates in it before you forget

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/key-dates-put-your-2019-15564120

Three arrested over attack that hospitalised man in Ash

Police arrested three teenagers in connection with the attack after a chase

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/three-arrested-over-attack-hospitalised-15594042

How long you should wait before driving home after heavy drinking over New Year

Some people believe they are okay to drink the morning after, but they could be wrong

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/how-long-you-should-wait-15593668

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Struggling to save money? The 1p challenge could help you save hundreds in 2019

We all try to save money, but not everyone is good at it

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/struggling-save-money-1p-challenge-15604337

Man found unconscious with 'serious head injury' at Brookwood petrol station released from hospital

Surrey Police has released a renewed appeal for witnesses

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/man-found-unconscious-serious-head-15609176

Horse rider airlifted to hospital with 'head and back injuries' after falling in Crooksbury Common

The patient was airlifted to St George’s Hospital in Tooting

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/horse-rider-airlifted-hospital-head-15606231

Three women assaulted by men carrying 'baseball bat' and 'knives' in Farnborough

One of the women, aged in her twenties, was left with bruising and swelling

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/hampshire-news/three-women-assaulted-men-carrying-15607795

Public urged 'not to approach' wanted man with links to Elmbridge

Zac Alexander failed to appear at court on December 12

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/public-urged-not-approach-wanted-15607423

Friday, December 28, 2018

Planning permission goes in for four new oil wells at Horse Hill

The oil company intends to build infrastructure that will pump out 500 tonnes of oil a day for the next 25 years

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/planning-permission-goes-four-new-15601553

New Year's Honours: The heartwarming stories of the Surrey people set to receive prestigious awards

Find out why these Surrey residents have earned a spot on the New Year's Honours List

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/new-years-honours-heartwarming-stories-15581511

Related sites sharing pages: what to consider?

Many of our readers manage multiple sites, in all kinds of different configurations and setups. It’s certainly viable, for example, to manage two or several sites to support the same business. In that case, you might save some time linking between the pages of these sites. Your sites could share the shop pages, and posts relevant for both sites might be reused. If you give some thought to what content you want to rank, and which of these sites is most important, this can be effective.

But, what if one of your sites isn’t well optimized and contains thin content? Is it still OK if such a site shares pages with a well-optimized website, or will the latter suffer lower rankings by association?

Craig Hamilton Parker emailed us, wondering the same thing:

I have two websites on the same server. They’re on different topics, but need to share some pages, such as the shop and events page and related topics on the two sites. One site is well optimized using Yoast. The other isn’t well optimized and has a few thin pages. Is it safe to link between the sites without using rel=nofollow?

Watch the video or read the transcript for my answer!

Handling sites that share pages

“Yes, it’s safe. In fact, if they have the same pages on both sides, I would pick one – the well-optimized one- and canonicalize the other one to the well-optimized one, so you do not create duplicate content.

You want to show to Google that you’re aware that you have two pages
that are basically the same thing and show them which one they should index. But overall there’s not really that much wrong with having that.

It’s just better to figure out yourselves which ones you want in the search engines and which ones you don’t want in the search engines. If you want both of them in the search engines, you’ll have to give them different content. Good luck.”

The post Related sites sharing pages: what to consider? appeared first on Yoast.



from Yoast • SEO for everyone https://yoast.com/video/ask-yoast-sites-sharing-pages/

Police praise 'brave' members of public who stepped in to protect man assaulted in garage toilets

Surrey Police is appealing for witnesses of the assault that "moved to the shop floor"            

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/police-praise-brave-members-public-15604928

Man taken to hospital after being 'stabbed in the leg' in Chertsey

His injury is not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing, according to Surrey Police

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/man-taken-hospital-after-being-15604247

E-fit released after women sexually assaulted by a man near alleyway in Camberley

The assault took place at around 2am in Tekels Avenue on December 9

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/sexual-assault-camberley-efit-release-15603711

The SEO Elevator Pitch - Whiteboard Friday

Posted by KameronJenkins

What is it you do again?

It's a question every SEO has had to answer at some point, whether to your family members over the holidays or to the developer who will eventually implement your suggestions. If you don't have a solid elevator pitch for describing your job, this is the Whiteboard Friday for you! Learn how to craft a concise, succinct description of life as an SEO without jargon, policing, or acting like a superhero.

Click on the whiteboard image above to open a high-resolution version in a new tab!

Video Transcription

Hey guys, welcome to this week's edition of Whiteboard Friday. My name is Kameron Jenkins, and I work here at Moz. Today we're going to be talking about creating an SEO elevator pitch, what is it, why we need one, and what kind of prompted this whole idea for an SEO elevator pitch.

So essentially, a couple of weeks ago, I was on Twitter and I saw John Mueller. He tweeted, "Hey, I meet with a lot of developers, and a lot of times they don't really know what SEOs do." He was genuinely asking. He was asking, "Hey, SEO community, how do you describe what you do?" I'm scrolling through, and I'm seeing a lot of different answers, and all of them I'm resonating with.

They're all things that I would probably say myself. But it's just interesting how many different answers there were to the question, "What do SEOs do and what value do they provide?" So I kind of thought to myself, "Why is that? Why do we have so many different explanations for what SEO is and what we do?" So I thought about it, and I thought that it might be a good idea for myself and maybe other SEOs if you don't already have an elevator pitch ready.

What is an SEO elevator pitch?

Now, if you're not familiar with the concept of an elevator pitch, it's basically — I have a definition here — a succinct and persuasive speech that communicates your unique value as an SEO. It's called an elevator pitch essentially because it should take about the length of time it takes to ride the elevator with someone. So you want to be able to quickly and concisely answer someone's question when they ask you, "Oh, SEO, what is that?I think I've heard of that before. What do you do?"

Why is this so hard?

So let's dive right in. So I mentioned, in the beginning, how there are so many different answers to this "what do you say you do here" type question. I think it's hard to kind of come up with a concise explanation for a few different reasons. So I wanted to dive into that a little bit first.

1. Lots of specialties within SEO

So number one, there are lots of specialties within SEO.

As the industry has advanced over the last two plus decades, it has become very diverse, and there are lots of different facets in SEO. I found myself on quite a rabbit trail. I was on LinkedIn and I was kind of browsing SEO job descriptions. I wanted to see basically: What is it that people are looking for in an SEO?

How do they describe it? What are the characteristics? So basically, I found a lot of different things, but I found a few themes that emerged. So there are your content-focused SEOs, and those are people that are your keyword research aficionados. There are the people that write search engine optimized content to drive traffic to your website. You have your link builders, people that focus almost exclusively on that.

You have your local SEOs, and you have your analysts. You have your tech SEOs, people that either work on a dev team or closely with a dev team. So I think that's okay though. There are lots of different facets within SEO, and I think that's awesome. That's, to me, a sign of maturity in our industry. So when there are a lot of different specialties within SEO, I think it's right and good for all of our elevator pitches to differ.

So if you have a specialty within SEO, it can be different. It should kind of cater toward the unique brand of SEO that you do, and that's okay.

2. Different audiences

Number two, there are different audiences. We're not always going to be talking to the same kind of person. So maybe you're talking to your boss or a client. To me, those are more revenue-focused conversations.

They want to know: What's the value of what you do? How does it affect my bottom line? How does it help me run my business and stay afloat and stay profitable? If you're talking to a developer, that's going to be a slightly different conversation. So I think it's okay if we kind of tweak our elevator pitch to make it a little bit more palatable for the people that we're talking to.

3. Algorithm maturity

Three, why this is hard is there's been, obviously, a lot of changes all the time in the algorithm, and as it matures, it's going to look like the SEO's job is completely different than last year just because the algorithm keeps maturing and it looks like our jobs are changing all the time. So I think that's a reality that we have to live with, but I still think it's important, even though things are changing all the time, to have a baseline kind of pitch that we give people when they ask us what it is we do.

So that's why it's hard. That's what your elevator pitch is.

My elevator pitch: SEO is marketing, with search engines

Then, by way of example, I thought I'd just give you my SEO elevator pitch. Maybe it will spark your creativity. Maybe it will give you some ideas. Maybe you already have one, and that's okay. But the point is not to use mine.

The point is essentially to kind of take you through what mine looks like, hopefully get your creative juices flowing, and you can create your own. So let's dive right into my pitch.

So my pitch is SEO is marketing, just with search engines. So we have the funnel here — awareness, consideration, and decision.

Awareness: Rank and attract clicks for informational queries.

First of all, I think it's important to note that SEO can help you rank and attract clicks for informational queries.

Consideration: Rank and attract clicks for evaluation queries.

So when your audience is searching for information, they want to solve their pain points, they're not ready to buy, they're just searching, we're meeting them there with content that brings them to the site, informs them, and now they're familiar with our brand. Those are great assisted conversions. Rank and attract clicks for evaluation queries. When your audience is starting to compare their options, you want to be there. You want to meet them there, and we can do that with SEO.

Decision: Rank, attract clicks, and promote conversion for bottom-funnel queries

At the decision phase, you can rank and attract clicks and kind of promote conversions for bottom of funnel queries. When people are in their "I want to buy" stage, SEO can meet them there. So I think it's important to realize that SEO isn't kind of like a cost center and not a profit center. It's not like a bottom of funnel thing. I've heard that in a lot of places, and I think it's just important to kind of draw attention to the fact that SEO is integrated throughout your marketing funnel. It's not relegated to one stage or another.

But how?

We talked about rank and attract clicks and promote conversions. But how do we do that? That's the what it does.

But how do we do it? So this is how I explain it. I think really, for me, there are two sides to the SEO's coin. We have driving, and we have supporting.

1. Driving

So on the driving side, I would say something like this. When someone searches a phrase or a keyword in Google, I make sure the business' website shows up in the non-ad results. That's important because a lot of people are like, "Oh, do you bid on keywords?"

We're like, "No, no, that's PPC." So I always just throw in "non-ad" because people understand that. So I do that through content that answers people's questions, links that help search engines find my content and show signs of authority and popularity of my content, and accessibility. So that's kind of your technical foundation.

You're making sure that your website is crawlable and it that it's index the way that you want it to be indexed. When people get there, it works. It works on mobile and on desktop. It's fast. So I think these are really the three big pillars of driving SEO — content, links, and making sure your website is technically sound. So that's how I describe the driving, the proactive side of SEO.

2. Supporting

Then two, we have supporting, and I think this is kind of an underrated or maybe it's often seen as kind of an interruption to our jobs.

But I think it's important to actually call it what it is. It's a big part of what we do. So I think we should embrace it as SEOs.

A. Be the Google Magic 8-ball

For one, we can serve as the Google Magic 8-Ball. When people come to us in our organization and they say, "Hey, I'm going to make this change, or I'm thinking about making this change.Is this going to be good or bad for SEO?"

I think it's great that people are asking that question. Always be available and always make yourself ready to answer those types of questions for people. So I think on the reactionary side we can be that kind of person that helps guide people and understand what is going to affect your organic search presence.

B. Assist marketing

Two, we can assist marketing. So on this side of the coin, we're driving.

We can drive our own marketing strategies. As SEOs, we can see how SEO can drive all phases of the funnel. But I think it's important to note that we're not the only people in our organization. Often SEOs maybe they don't even live in the marketing department. Maybe they do and they report to a marketing lead. There are other initiatives that your marketing lead could be investigating.

Maybe they say, "Hey, we've just done some market research, and here's this plan." It could be our job as SEOs to take that plan, take that strategy and translate it into something digital. I think that's a really important value that SEOs can add. We can actually assist marketing as well as drive our own efforts.

C. Fix mistakes

Then number three here, I know this is another one that kind of makes people cringe, but we are here to fix mistakes when they happen and train people so that they don't happen again. So maybe we come in on a Monday morning and we're ready to face the week, and we see that traffic has taken a nosedive or something. We go, "Oh, no," and we dive in.

We try to see what happened. But I think that's really important. It's our job or it's part of our job to kind of dive in, diagnose what happened, and not only that but support and be there to help fix it or guide the fixes, and then train and educate and make sure that people know what it is that happened and how it shouldn't happen again.

You're there to help train them and guide them. I think that's another really important way that we can support as SEOs. So that's essentially how I describe it.

3 tips for coming up with your own pitch

Before I go, I just wanted to mention some tips when you're coming up with your own SEO elevator pitch. I think it's really important to just kind of stay away from certain language when you're crafting your own "this is what I do" speech.

So the three tips I have are:

1. Stay away from jargon.

If you're giving an SEO elevator pitch, it's to people that don't know what SEO is. So try to avoid jargon. I know it's really easy as SEOs. I find myself doing it all the time. There are things that I don't think are jargon.

But then I take a couple steps back and I realize, oh yeah, that's not layman's terms. So stay away from jargon if at all possible. You're not going to benefit anyone by confusing them.

2. Avoid policing.

It can be easy as SEOs I've found and I've found myself in this trap a couple of times where we kind of act as these traffic cops that are waiting around the corner, and when people make a mistake, we're there to wag our finger at them.

So avoid any language that makes it sound like the SEOs are just the police waiting to kind of punish people for wrongdoing. We are there to help fix mistakes, but it's in a guiding and educating and supporting, kind of collaborative manner and not like a policing type of manner. Number three, I would say is kind of similar, but a little different.

3. Avoid Supermanning.

I call this Supermanning because it's the type of language that makes it sound like SEOs are here to swoop in and save the day when something goes wrong. We do. We're superheroes a lot of times. There are things that happen and thank goodness there was an SEO there to help diagnose and fix that.

But I would avoid any kind of pitch that makes it sound like your entire job is just to kind of save people. There are other people in your organization that are super smart and talented at what they do. They probably wouldn't like it if you made it sound like you were there to help them all the time. So I just think that's important to keep in mind. Don't make it seem like you're the police waiting to wag your finger at them or you're the superhero that needs to save everyone from their mistakes.

So yeah, that's my SEO elevator pitch. That's why I think it's important to have one. If you've kind of crafted your own SEO elevator pitch, I would love to hear it, and I'm sure it would be great for other SEOs to hear it as well. It's great to information share. So drop that in the comments if you feel comfortable doing that. If you don't have one, hopefully this helps. So yeah, that's it for this week's Whiteboard Friday, and come back again next week for another one.

Thanks, everybody.

Video transcription by Speechpad.com


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from The Moz Blog http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/9375/10939150

HMV nears collapse with 2,200 jobs at risk as they plan administration

The high street firm filed for administration back in 2013

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/hmv-nears-collapse-2200-jobs-15603452

Thursday, December 27, 2018

When should I take down my Christmas tree and decorations?

It's nearly time to say goodbye to the festive decorations

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/should-take-down-christmas-tree-14071714

Surrey photographer's incredible images of British troops on the frontline earn him MBE

Graeme Main, 48, from Farnham, will be recognised for his services to military photography in the New Year’s Honours list

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-photographers-incredible-images-british-15594122

How many visits these fee-charging countryside car parks in Surrey need to meet costs

Parking charges were introduced at Surrey's country parks, but there are questions about whether this is sustainable

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/how-many-visits-fee-charging-15571906

Gatwick Airport sold to French investors for £2.9bn

Vinci Airports have bought a majority stake in Gatwick for a mind blowing £2.9Bn

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/gatwick-airport-sold-french-investors-15602225

110 turkeys given out for free in Dorking after power failure at Lidl

The massive surplus came as a result of a power failure at a Lidl in Brixton

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/110-turkeys-given-out-free-15600230

Two men with handgun rob cash from Post Office in Woodmansterne, police say

Surrey Police have released CCTV of one of the suspects in the hope the public can identify them

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/two-men-handgun-rob-cash-15601151

Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda and more to charge 10p for plastic bags

The doubling of bag charges comes as part of a government crackdown on plastic due by 2020

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/morrisons-sainsburys-tesco-asda-more-15599338

Desperate appeal to help mother and son living in a tent in Merstham for six months

A JustGiving page to help the pair has been set up by a  worried resident

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/desperate-appeal-help-mother-son-15594243

How Surrey's biggest food bank organisation deals with its busiest time of year, Christmas

"If I could close it down tomorrow I would"

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/how-surreys-biggest-food-bank-15594580

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Cost of clearing up large-scale fly-tips in Mole Valley increased by 45% in a year

The cost of using a tipper lorry to clean up waste rose by £2,450 in 2017-18 due to seven more incidents than the previous year         

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/cost-clearing-up-large-scale-15578854

2018 in review: All Surrey's biggest stories from the last year

Crime, politics, blizzards, a heatwave - 2018 had a lot going on

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/2018-review-surreys-biggest-stories-15574845

Female motorcyclist suffers 'serious injuries' in collision that closed A25 between Guildford and Dorking

The A25 Shere Road was closed in both directions since just after midday on Boxing Day (December 26)

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/motorcyclist-serious-injuries-a25-crash-15598267

Man pronounced dead in fatal Boxing Day collision between motorbike and tree in Epsom

His next of kin have been informed

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/police-appeal-fatal-collision-motorbike-15597864

Appeal for witnesses following Christmas Day arson at West Molesey home of elderly man

Fortunately, the homeowner was out at the time and nobody was injured

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/police-appeal-arson-christmas-day-15596808

Firefighters battle house fire in West Molesey on Christmas Day

Crews from Esher, Sunbury, Chertsey and Painshill attended the property at around 22.20pm last night

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/firefighters-battle-house-fire-west-15595842

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Family continue effort to find D-Day veterans stolen bag and photos as police close case

Stanley's family are appealing for anyone who might be able to help reunite Stanley with his photos

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/family-continue-effort-find-d-15583271

Expanded 13-metre high recycling centre in West Byfleet could see 100 deliveries a day

The expanded recycling centre, in Wintersells Road, Byfleet, could take in up to 300 tonnes of waste a day

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/expanded-13-metre-high-recycling-15582823

Monday, December 24, 2018

Call the Midwife Christmas special filmed at Leith Hill Place during the heatwave

The National Trust have just revealed that TV's favourite nuns were actually living in Surrey all along

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/call-midwife-christmas-special-filmed-15582467

rel=canonical: the ultimate guide

At least seven police forces understood to have joined Gatwick drone operation following Christmas chaos

Officers are still stationed all around the airport, with more continuing to patrol the perimeter by car

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/least-seven-police-forces-understood-15593542

Man punched in the face during knife point robbery in Thames Ditton

Police are looking for witnesses or dash cam footage

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/man-punched-face-during-knife-15593760

Five places to help you go plastic free and zero waste in and around Surrey

It beats pretending you'll go to the gym more and making a few small changes will be really good for the environment

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/five-places-help-you-go-15592190

A full breakdown of the Christmas and New Year weather forecasts for Surrey

Here's a summary of every day over the Christmas period

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-weather-christmas-new-year-15593382

CCTV released of man in connection with sexual assault of teenage girl in Burpham

The girl was attacked at 7.30pm on November 26 and Surrey Police are appealing for information

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/cctv-released-man-connection-sexual-15593024

Meet the Christmas Day hospital heroes working while the county indulges

"My gift is to give them my time and the best care"

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/meet-christmas-day-hospital-heroes-15570971

Surrey Police admits 'errors' as inquest concludes Russian whistleblower Alexander Perepilichnyy was not murdered

Hermitage Capital Management previously claimed the 44-year-old millionaire could have been deliberately killed

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-police-admits-errors-inquest-15591998

Staff member left 'shaken' after money stolen in Farnham Coral knife point robbery

Police are looking for a white male in his 40s after he threatened staff with a knife and fled the scene with a quantity of cash

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/staff-member-left-shaken-after-15575981

Morrisons looking at options to prevent non-customers from using Reigate car park for free

The company says customers are finding it difficult to find a parking space

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/morrisons-looking-options-prevent-non-15574785

Staff 'have their hair pulled' in Lightwater robbery

Police are looking for witnesses to the attack that happened at the Square opposite the BP petrol station

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/staff-have-hair-pulled-lightwater-15571039

Aldershot man jailed after 'kicking elderly man' and kicking police officer in chest

The incident took place in Aldershot town centre on Monday (December 17)

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/aldershot-man-jailed-after-kicking-15583721

Here's what happens if you don't switch off your phone while flying

Signals can cause problems for pilots and air traffic control

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/heres-what-happens-you-dont-15582638

Test your friends and family with our 50 question general knowledge quiz

Fancy a warm up for a Christmas quiz?

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/test-your-friends-family-50-15581035

Tandridge District Council approves Local Plan blueprint for 'garden community' in South Godstone

After years in the making, the council will finally submit the crucial development plan to the Government for approval next month

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/tandridge-district-council-approves-local-15584796

Godalming and Guildford Care home managers to 'spread Christmas joy' to residents on Christmas Day

“We’ve got some wonderful residents who have a lot to give and I’m excited to share Christmas Day with them"

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/godalming-guildford-care-home-managers-15589099

The Gym in Guildford Christmas and New Year opening hours 2018

This is when The Gym in Guildford will be closed over the festive period

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/gym-guildford-christmas-new-year-15571327

'Drone' spotted over Redhill and reported to Surrey Police were not what it seemed

A swift police investigation later concluded that the sighting was actually something a little less threatening

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/drone-spotted-over-redhill-reported-15591635

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Appeal for witnesses after man found unconscious at Brookwood petrol station with 'serious head injury'

Police are trying to piece together what happened that night

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/appeal-witnesses-after-man-found-15591584

Nine things to do if you are celebrating Christmas alone

Christmas does not have to be a pitiful experience just because you cannot spend it with family and friends

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/nine-things-you-celebrating-christmas-15566380

Fly tipping in Tandridge has increased by 30% over the past six years

With the fear the Warlingham Community Recycling Centre will close, residents and councillors are worried the problem will grow even further

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/fly-tipping-tandridge-increased-30-15580442

Salmonella, undeclared peanuts and pieces of plastic among the reasons behind December's product recalls

Salmonella and melting pots that actually melt are among the reasons for some product recalls in December

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/salmonella-undeclared-peanuts-pieces-plastic-15591193

Gatwick Airport offers £50,000 reward to find people responsible for drone disruption

It comes after two people who had been arrested by police over the chaos were released without charge

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/gatwick-airport-offers-50000-reward-15590603

Motorcyclist 'seriously injured' in multi-vehicle collision on M25 which closed three lanes

Three lanes were closed following a collision involving a motorbike and a Citroen C4

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/motorcyclist-seriously-injured-multi-vehicle-15590325

Five charged over series of ram raids in Surrey, Hampshire and Sussex

Five men have been charged in relation to incidents that took place between May 2018 and December 2018

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/five-charged-over-series-ram-15589739

Saturday, December 22, 2018

19 things about Christmas in Surrey that make us grumpy

We love Christmas but some things are starting to get to us

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/19-things-christmas-surrey-make-15572037

Woking builder attempts world record for most Christmas lights on house

There are around 600,000 bulbs at this home in Maybury

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/woking-builder-attempts-world-record-15570843

Pug thrown out of moving van like rubbish by puppy farmers finds loving new home

Puppy farm owners threw Peggy out as she could no longer give birth, the RSPCA said

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/pug-thrown-out-moving-van-15576630

Pixie Lott, Harry Maguire and British Airways team up to make child's dream holiday reality

Nine-year-old Mayama was given the trip of a lifetime to New York

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/pixie-lott-harry-maguire-british-15588132

Beefeaters at Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace to strike over pension dispute

Ten percent of staff at Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London are walking out on January 8

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/beefeaters-tower-london-hampton-court-15587394

Drink driver who 'practically fell out of his car' and challenged accuracy of breathalyser sentenced

Reginald Larry-Cole, 48, claimed the breathalyser police had used was faulty and denied he had been drink driving

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/drink-driver-who-practically-fell-15572166

Appeal to find 'Spencer' after autistic girl loses her favourite teddy bear while Christmas shopping

10-year-old Emma Kinsella, who has autism, lost her companion Spencer the bear while shopping in Redhill town centre

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/appeal-spencer-after-autistic-girl-15586981

Two arrests made in connection with Gatwick Airport drone disruption

The arrests were made in connection with the use of drones that caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/two-arrests-made-connection-gatwick-15586532

Friday, December 21, 2018

13 independent Surrey shops perfect for last minute Christmas shopping

From homeware to baking ideas, comics and even blinds and curtains, Surrey's independent shops have it all

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/13-independent-surrey-shops-perfect-15572036

Seven photos that epitomise Christmas in Surrey

Here are 7 little things and places that make it feel that extra bit more like Christmas has come to Surrey

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/seven-photos-epitomise-christmas-surrey-15561158

Meet Surrey boy starring in Netflix series Medici alongside 'Teen Wolf' star Daniel Sharman

Hughie Hamer, 7, has just completed filming for the third series of Italian-set drama Medici

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/meet-surrey-boy-starring-netflix-15563472

Comment systems and SEO

Allowing people to comment on your content is a great way to increase engagement and get in touch with your audience. So, it pays off to choose a good comment system that works for you. Besides the standard WordPress comment system, there are several other systems out there you can implement on your website so your readers can directly respond to your posts.

It’s good to keep some things in mind when selecting what comment system you want to use. Do you want integration with social media, for example? Do you want to be able to keep your comments if you ever need to change your comment system, and what features do you require? You may want more functionalities than WordPress’ standard comment system provides and could therefore choose another system. But are there really no downsides to that, keeping the importance of site speed in mind? What about comment systems and SEO? Let’s get into this dilemma in this week’s Ask Yoast!

Max sent us his question on comment systems:

There is no question that the Disqus service takes a little while to load on a webpage. So, do these blog commenting services, like Disqus, affect SEO in some way?

Watch the video or read the transcript for my answer!

The impact of comment systems on SEO

“Do they affect SEO? Well, yes, they do. Because, in fact, they’re so slow to load that most of the time, what you see is that Google doesn’t load the content of those comments, and doesn’t use them to rank that page. Which might be either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how good your comments are and whether your comments have a lot of content or not.

I personally don’t like these services because they slow down the page load so much and because they make it slower for people to be able to respond to your content, which is why, on yoast.com, we use the plain vanilla WordPress commenting system with some added features that are in the Yoast Comment Hacks plugin, which we’ve released for free on the repository. So that’s why we use that, and not any service like Disqus. But I know there’s a lot of fans of services like Disqus because of all the other features they have. So it’s a trade-off. We made our choice, you have to make yours. Good luck!”

The post Comment systems and SEO appeared first on Yoast.



from Yoast • SEO for everyone https://yoast.com/video/ask-yoast-comment-systems-and-seo/

Guildford council finds new pitch for couple's cart after 'Sausagegate' outcry

Cllr Matt Furniss said the German Sausage Cart would be able to continue trading for another year "in recognition of [its] long presence in the town"

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/guildford-council-finds-new-pitch-15585126

Storage Hunters star allowed Pirbright green belt site to resemble 'open mixed landfill' through illegal dumping

The 36-year-old star of Storage Hunters could face a sizeable bill for allowing waste to be dumped at the site in Pirbright

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/storage-hunters-star-allowed-pirbright-15583990

Elderly Sunbury woman tied up and gagged as burglars ransack her home in 'harrowing' attack

The victim had to cut herself free after men in balaclavas broke into her Sunbury home and stole her jewellery

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/elderly-sunbury-woman-tied-up-15581628

Gatwick Airport reopens with 'safety measures' in place but flights still cancelled after drone chaos

Sussex Police says it has been a "particularly challenging situation"

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/gatwick-airport-reopens-safety-measures-15581833

Frimley Health nurse handed three-year sanction for incorrect treatment of children

The children's nurse had worked for the Frimley Health NHS Trust for nearly 15 years

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/frimley-health-nurse-handed-three-15577895

Shocking video shows wrong-way M4 drink driver almost FOUR TIMES over limit run off road by cops

Police took decisive action as the van driver sped down the M4 in the wrong direction on Saturday night

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/shocking-video-shows-wrong-way-15582384

Date set for new Local Plan hearings on reduced Guildford housing number

Green belt campaigners were "delighted" with the possibility the borough might need fewer houses than thought

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/date-set-new-local-plan-15580184

Dorking Surrey Yeoman to open its doors for their grand opening on Saturday

There will be free Prosecco and canapes for everyone on Saturday between 5pm and 7pm

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/dorking-surrey-yeoman-open-doors-15579119

Staines Poundland displays calendars with half-naked men and women next to children's arts and crafts

A spokesman for the shop said the items, shown in the picture below, "sell extremely well" even if they "won't be to everyone's taste"

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/staines-poundland-displays-calendars-half-15581275

Major Netflix production to build medieval village near Camberley in new year

The Netflix production will tell the story of the Lady of the Lake

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/major-netflix-production-build-medieval-15573161

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Guildford councillors blame Highways England's 'ludicrous' demands for not reaching resolving deadly junction issue

The 'deadly junction' has been subject of long-running protests

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/guildford-councillors-blame-highways-englands-15570505

Sunbury mother faces homelessness after deaths of parents and partner

Despite support from more than 2,000 members of the public, Dawn Bradley has been told she must move out of her home by January 5 - the anniversary of a brutal attack on her former partner

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/sunbury-mother-faces-homelessness-after-15561843

Builder banned after continuing to take money from people despite company going bust

Government investigators stepped in after liquidators reported that large amounts of money were owed to customers

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/builder-banned-after-continuing-take-15577407

How to kick-start 2019 as a blogger with big goals

2018 is the year I took my blog to the next level: I started a blog series here on yoast.com about SEO for bloggers, I made goals, achieved a lot and failed a few as well. I tried to plan, failed miserably and tried again, with success. In short: in 2018 I found my love for blogging (again) and experimented a lot. 2019 is approaching fast though and I want to prepare properly. I don’t want to make the same mistakes I made this year and I’d like to reach the goals and resolutions I’ve set. So, here’s a plan (for you and me) to kickstart 2019 as a blogger with big goals.

Write down your blogging goals

Whether you want to grow to 50,000 visitors a month, want to launch an eBook, get more collaborations, or all three: write down each and every single one of your goals of 2019. By writing down your goals, you’re already way more committed to them than by just saying them out loud. Take that advantage! Write them down somewhere where you’ll see them regularly, for example on your blog notebook or on a memo board in your office. Seeing goals regularly and thinking about them often, will help you stay on top of them.

Please note that your goal should be realistic. If you want to grow your audience and your blog has 500 visitors now, it might not be entirely achievable to aim for 100,000 visitors by December 2019. Especially, if you’re unsure about how to reach such a growth.

Plan time to work on your goals

The biggest thing we all face, is time. Particularly, if your blog is a hobby – or just not your main source of income – it’s often the first thing you put aside when life throws you a curveball. I didn’t publish blogs for almost two months on my personal blog as I was very busy with other projects, hobbies and making up excuses why I just couldn’t spend time on my blog.

Because I don’t want this to happen again in 2019, I need blog posts written in advance. That’s why I planned a blog weekend in the beginning of January. I’ve done this back in September as well and managed to write over 30 blog posts in just three days. So in January I booked a cottage together with a fellow blogger and we’ll spend our days writing. The goal? To create flow, creativity and content.

Focus on one task at a time

If you’re in a writing flow, you should continue to write, even if your blog post is finished. Do not fall into the trap of finishing your writing to start photographing and scheduling or promoting the blog post. Continue working on other blog posts! If you combine your tasks, you’ll be much more efficient. That could mean that you first write a few blog posts, then start photographing for all blog posts and then schedule or fine-tune them. You’ll switch less between tasks, which makes your focus and the results that much better.

I’ve spoken to bloggers who link certain days to certain tasks. On Mondays they’ll create their images; on Tuesdays they’ll focus on their Pinterest scheduling; on Wednesdays they’ll write new content and so forth. Because you’re focused, you’ll get things done much quicker. You have to find out if this works for you or not, it will help you get the tasks you otherwise wouldn’t do, on your to do list.

Finish your tasks

If you focus on one task at a time, the biggest trap you could fall in is never publishing some of your post. While I was writing in a cottage back in September, the internet was horrible. This meant I couldn’t schedule my posts properly, nor find stock photos if necessary. Now, I’ve only published 12 of the 32 blog posts I’ve written back then. Are the other 20 not worth publishing? No, they definitely are! I just never finished them. I’ve never proofread them, took photos, nor scheduled them. And now, I have an issue with even looking at those blog posts, as it all feels like a waste.

Lock up that critic (or befriend it)

Two of my most popular posts in 2018, were about the inner critic we all have inside of us. The first one was about why you should befriend your inner critic, the second one was why you should quit your blog now. Both got a lot of comments. Some of you were annoyed that I even dared say you should quit your blog and with every right so.

Often our biggest critic, is within us. If we want to grow, we should befriend it and be willing to silence it every once in a while. You can’t write blog posts in advance, if you let your inner critic out too often. You’ll never be able to finish everything, if you let the perfectionist in you speak all the time. Often ‘good enough’ really is good enough.

Find bloggers like yourself

To stay on top of your goals, it’s very helpful to have bloggers to chat to. The last year I met various bloggers like me on blogging conferences. I’ve even become close friends with a few of them. We often message each other for help, tips and the likes. Are you unsure why and if networking is something for you? I’ve written a post on the importance of networking as a blogger!

Reflect each month

Whenever you set your year goals, don’t forget you should set monthly goals and maybe even weekly and daily goals that link to the bigger goals. This way, your goal stays within reach and doesn’t feel like something in the far distance. You’ll make small progress with every step you take. By the end of each month, you need to check if you made progress and if it’s the progress you aimed for. If not, find out why you didn’t reach it. Did you aim too high? Or did you neglect to do what you should’ve done? Whatever the reason is, accept that sometimes you fail. You always have a new month and a new day to try again!

I would love to hear from you what your goals for 2019 are, how you want to reach them and what you would like to learn from me in 2019!

Read more: Blogging: the ultimate guide »

The post How to kick-start 2019 as a blogger with big goals appeared first on Yoast.



from Yoast • SEO for everyone https://yoast.com/how-to-kick-start-2019-as-a-blogger-with-big-goals/

Gatwick Airport drone disruption ruining Christmas for Surrey families expected to continue overnight

Gatwick Airport apologised to all its passengers, with its CEO saying it shared everyone's anger and frustration

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/gatwick-airport-drone-disruption-ruining-15580329

Four men arrested over string of ram-raids in Surrey, Hampshire and Sussex

2018 has seen a spate of around 20 cash machine thefts in Surrey and north-east Hampshire

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/four-men-arrested-over-string-15579431

Families of Guildford pub bombing victims 'still finding no answers', coroner's court hears

Relatives of the victims of the 1974 bombings have asked the coroner to resume the inquests into their deaths

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/families-guildford-pub-bombing-victims-15578803

December babies really are special - and science has proved it

Being born in December bestows all sorts of benefits

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/december-babies-really-special-science-15579279

Surrey passengers among thousands stranded as drones cause Gatwick Airport travel chaos

One resident, Claus Norgaard from Reigate, is unsure when he will be able to fly to Denmark to see his family

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-passengers-among-thousands-stranded-15577446

Ex-Meadhurst School head fined for unlawfully transferring pupil data

He had "no valid explanation" for how pupil data from Spelthorne and The Russell schools ended up on the server at his new school

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/ex-meadhurst-school-head-fined-15570816

Teenager charged following stabbing at Weybridge train station

The 18-year-old, from West Molesey, was charged on Thursday

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/teenager-charged-following-stabbing-weybridge-15576502

Krispy Kreme reward for Staines firefighters after prizing fidget spinner bearing from boy's finger

The boy turned up at Staines fire station after his finger became stuck in a fidget spinner bearing

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/krispy-kreme-reward-staines-firefighters-15571018

Leading environmental impact monitoring firm chosen by Angus Energy

Local company aims to maintain record of environmental safety at Brockham Oil Field

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/special-features/leading-environmental-impact-monitoring-firm-15547582

BMW driver slammed for 'sheer stupidity' after parking on 'no parking' road marking

A resident in Sunbury was blocked in for more than half-an-hour due to the "inconsiderate" parking

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/bmw-driver-slammed-sheer-stupidity-15575819

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

'Dirty rat' steals Guildford bar staff's Christmas tip money at Cobbstar

Cobbstar's owner believes more than £300 of money intended for bar staff was taken in the break-in

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/dirty-rat-steals-guildford-bar-15572611

Surrey Fire and Rescue rated 'inadequate' at efficiently keeping people safe, damning report reveals

Inspectors had "serious concerns" about the performance of Surrey's fire service in keeping people safe

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-fire-rescue-rated-inadequate-15575032

hreflang: the ultimate guide

Weybridge 'going to hell in a handcart': Residents react to train station stabbing

A man has been arrested following a stabbing at Weybridge railway station on Wednesday morning (December 19)

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/weybridge-going-hell-handcart-residents-15574162

Walton man arrested after alleged assault on M25 driver who suffered 'medical episode'

The driver was assaulted before emergency services arrived on the scene

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/walton-man-arrested-after-alleged-15574404

Nursery staff urged not to refer to children as 'boys and girls'

The recommendations are intended to stop play becoming excessively gendered

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/nursery-staff-urged-not-refer-15574142

Arrest after man suffers 'hip wound' in stabbing at Weybridge train station

British Transport Police said it is appealing for witnesses who saw the stabbing to come forward

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/arrest-after-man-suffers-hip-15573377

Fire 'started deliberately' at Camberley home prompts police manhunt

Surrey Police has released a name and description of a man officers would like to speak to following the fire

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/fire-started-deliberately-camberley-home-15572458

Residents and hospital staff face parking nightmare after Surrey County Council error

"I can’t believe our tax money paid for these people!”

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/residents-hospital-staff-face-parking-15564376

Nearly 90,000 sign petition after group claims fox killed by Surrey Union Hunt hounds

An anti-hunt group shared images of a dead fox earlier this month

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/nearly-90000-sign-petition-after-15569796

Out now: Yoast SEO for WordPress plugin training for the block editor!

Yoast Academy has just released a new training course: the Yoast SEO for WordPress plugin training for the new block editor! The block editor is part of WordPress 5.0 and was previously known as Gutenberg. If you want to find out how to best use Yoast SEO in this new editor this training is for you! We’ve also added information to the course on all the latest functionalities in Yoast SEO, such as the recognition of word forms, word order, related keyphrases, and synonyms.

It is temporarily discounted at $29, so get it before the offer expires!

Get the Yoast SEO for WordPress training for the block editor $39 $29 (ex VAT) for course, certificate and badge

If you already have the Yoast SEO for WordPress plugin training, the new course will be added to your account automatically.

Refresher: What is the block editor?

You’ve probably heard a lot about it during the past weeks, but let’s freshen up our memories. The block editor, previously known as Gutenberg, is the new, cutting-edge editor in WordPress that came with WordPress 5.0 on December 6, 2018. It’s one of the most talked about new features of WordPress ever. This new editor uses the concept of blocks to offer a more visual way of organizing your content. We like to compare these blocks to LEGO blocks: they allow you to build your own content all from one box, following a standardized and straightforward set of instructions. This means you no longer need shortcodes, custom fields or external code to get something done.

Yoast SEO in the sidebar

In the classic editor, you’ve always found the Yoast SEO meta box below the post editor. However, because of the block design in the block editor, most meta boxes fit best in the sidebar. That’s why we designed a brand new version of the Yoast SEO meta box, in the sidebar, which has been part of Yoast SEO since our 8.0 release.

What’s new in the training course?

The revamped Yoast SEO meta box called for a revamped plugin training. In the new Yoast SEO for WordPress plugin training, we teach you where to find the functionalities of Yoast SEO in the sidebar, so you can use the block editor and the Yoast SEO plugin to their fullest potential.

But this isn’t all we’ve done. We’ve also updated the course so it’s now up-to-date with the newest functionalities of the Yoast SEO plugin. In the new training, we explain everything about the brand-new SEO analysis, which was introduced in Yoast SEO 9.0. We teach you about word form support, the synonyms check, and the recognition of synonyms and related keyphrases, so you won’t miss out on these awesome features.

Updated training for the classic editor

If you don’t want to update to WordPress 5.0 yet, we still offer the plugin training for the classic editor as well. When you purchase the plugin training, you get access to the training for the block editor as well as the training for the classic editor. The Yoast SEO plugin training for the classic editor is now up-to-date with Yoast SEO’s latest functionalities too.

Not sure if you want to update to WordPress 5.0? Joost has written a blog post in which he gives advice on whether you should update or not. Note that it’s still possible to try the block editor if you don’t upgrade to WordPress 5.0. Just install the Gutenberg plugin, and start working with it!

Improve your editing experience and your rankings!

The new Yoast SEO for WordPress plugin training really is your chance to improve both your editing experience and your rankings. Make sure you get the most out of Yoast SEO for WordPress and don’t miss any of the useful features the plugin offers. Get the course by clicking the button below. It is temporarily discounted at $29, so get it before the offer expires! This is your chance to start working with the new block editor!

Get the Yoast SEO for WordPress training for the block editor $39 $29 (ex VAT) for course, certificate and badge

The post Out now: Yoast SEO for WordPress plugin training for the block editor! appeared first on Yoast.



from Yoast • SEO for everyone https://yoast.com/out-now-yoast-seo-for-wordpress-plugin-training-for-the-block-editor/

Woman defends herself from night-time Byfleet alley attack with 'kick to man's privates'

A pedestrian was assaulted in Byfleet on Saturday night

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/woman-defends-herself-night-time-15565584

Traffic chaos hits Surrey during rush-hour - here's why

There was heavy traffic in areas such as Shepperton, Chertsey and Weybridge

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-traffic-m25-crash-wednesday-15570606

Nine arrests and weapons seized after police spend week at Woking train station

“We will continue to do all we can to make Surrey the safest county it can be," said the Woking borough commander

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/woking-train-station-police-drugs-15569390

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Woking youngster at constant risk of choking in urgent need of £1.2k specialist seat

The Woking family and Newlife charity are appealing for donations to help fund the seat's purchase

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/woking-youngster-constant-risk-choking-15565767

WordCamp US 2018, WordPress 5.0.1 and what’s next?

In case you missed it, WordPress 5.0 was released almost two weeks ago, one day prior to WordCamp US 2018 (December 7-9). At WordCamp US, Matt Mullenweg gave his yearly ‘State of the Word’, outlining what’s been going on with the WordPress Project. A reflection, but, most certainly also a look at the future. Let’s dive in!

WordPress 5.0.1 and what’s next?

As discussed before, WordPress 5.0 is the biggest change in WordPress in years. The introduction of the brand new Gutenberg editor into core is by far the biggest change we’ve seen in the writing experience. Since there are so many things hooked into the editor, this update has a lot of consequences. So many, that we at Yoast, in fact, recommend postponing updating to 5.0 to January. If you do decide to update now, we recommend you test WordPress thoroughly, but, again, we suggest you wait until January before updating to the 5.0 branch.

We’ve already seen the first update to the 5.0 branch in the shape of 5.0.1 which addressed a bunch of security issues. The next point release is scheduled for this Wednesday and this upcoming 5.0.2 release will focus on performance improvements. Specifically in relation to the new WordPress editor.

WordCamp US 2018

Team Yoast was present at the largest WordCamp in the United States in Nashville. We attended, sponsored, spoke at and volunteered for the second WordCamp edition in the Music City of the US. And it’s been a great one! There are a couple of talks I’d like to highlight:

  • Morten Rand-Hendriksen gave an inspiring talk about Moving the Web Forward with WordPress and introduced the WordPress Governance Project initiative. It’s an initiative that intends to explore how to effectively represent and embody the spirit of democratized publishing. With WordPress now having 32.5% market share, the project leaders’ decision-making processes need to be clearer than they are now. Anyone can sign up via this Google form to participate in future meetings.
  • Marieke and Joost co-presented an inspiring talk as well about the importance of valid business models to surround our (but any, really) open source community so it can thrive. Their presentation explained that a community becomes unstoppable when every company in an open source community gives back to it.
  • Gary Pendergast gave one of the first Gutenberg-related presentations on the first conference day with the title The Future of WordPress is Gutenberg. Gary brought up an interesting view stating that the next iterations in WordPress will move us closer to platform agnosticism. In other words, with Gutenberg, we’ll end up with true separation of content from presentation.

(As soon as these presentations are uploaded to WordPress.tv, I’ll update this post and link to these presentations directly.)

State of the Word

In his yearly ‘State of the Word’ at WordCamp US, Matt Mullenweg discussed a couple of interesting points that I’d like to highlight and share here:

  • As Matt Mullenweg demoed in a video how the new editor blocks offer a better experience, he showed a very nice example of copying and pasting from Microsoft Word and Google Docs into the WordPress editor. You should give a try if you’ve updated to WordPress 5.0.
  • There is now a dedicated section in the plugin repo where you can find plugins that provide Gutenberg blocks.
  • Gutenberg will be available in the mobile apps for WordPress, with a beta release expected in February 2019.
  • One of the goals of 2019 is to start working on optional auto-updates for plugins, themes, and major versions of WordPress.
  • WordPress will finally start updating its minimum PHP version. The proposed plan is to move to PHP 5.6 by April 2019 and to PHP 7.0 by as early as December 2019.

You can watch the 2018 State of the Word in full on YouTube.

Gutenberg phase 2

With Gutenberg now being the default editor in WordPress, you’d think that’s the last we’ll hear about the Gutenberg project, right? Well, not quite. During his State of the Word, Matt Mullenweg discussed the focus of the next phase of Project Gutenberg. Phase 2 is going to focus on Menus, Widgets and Customizer Integration.

I, for one, am very excited with everything Gutenberg already allows us to do, but this next phase makes me even more excited. How about you?

Read more: Should you update to WordPress 5.0 »

The post WordCamp US 2018, WordPress 5.0.1 and what’s next? appeared first on Yoast.



from Yoast • SEO for everyone https://yoast.com/wordpress-5-0-1-wordcamp-us-2018/

Yoast SEO 9.3: Fixes and enhancements

It’s an interesting time for WordPress users and plugin developers. Last week, WordPress 5.0 was released, one of the biggest releases of the CMS ever. Because it was such a big release, there were bound to be issues during the roll-out, mostly because of incompatibility issues between plugins and/or themes. Yoast SEO works well in the new block editor, with only some issues due to external factors, mostly plugins in need of an update. Today’s release of Yoast SEO 9.3, brings several fixes and enhancements, including a speed boost for our awesome structured data content blocks.

Yoast SEO & WordPress 5.0

First, a little recap of the launch of WordPress 5.0. We shared our concern over this hurried release and we’ve been asking users to hold off updating until the new year, when the latest version of WordPress will be much more stable and performant. While WordPress 5.0 and its new block editor are awesome, we think they are not ready for primetime yet. We’ll keep you posted on this, of course. Looking to see how Yoast SEO works in the new block editor? Read Willemien’s visual guide to Yoast SEO in WordPress 5.0.

While Yoast SEO was ready for the editor formerly known as Gutenberg since version 8.0, a lot of other plugins were not. These caused Yoast SEO to crash in the new block editor in some cases. Users reported conflicts with WPML, Pods, and the Gravity Forms Gutenberg add-on. We’re also still investigating another specific issue with a disappearing meta box. Except for the Gravity Forms plugin, all these plugins have been updated by their makers. Now, they shouldn’t produce any more errors. If you run these plugins, be sure to update to the latest versions.

Performance fixes coming in WordPress 5.0.2

The other reports we’ve received mainly concern performance issues. Using Yoast SEO in the new block editor leads to less than stellar performance due to issues on WordPress’ side. This is not something we have much influence on, but things should improve dramatically in upcoming minor versions of WordPress. You don’t have to wait very long for that, because WordPress 5.0.2 — which is due for release tomorrow, December 19 —, features some drastic speed improvements and many other bug fixes. There’s a particular focus on vastly improving the typing experience when there are loads of blocks on a page. WordPress project lead Matias Ventura said up the upcoming 5.0.2 release:

“The cumulated performance gains are around 330% faster for a post with 200 blocks. This might be even bigger for certain setups and plugin configurations — seeing the same test post be 540% faster with Yoast, for example.”

So, that’s looking awesome!

Enhancements in Yoast SEO 9.3

While Yoast SEO 9.3 is mostly about fixes, there are some nice enhancements under the hood. One of the nicest things we added is an improved marker system — you know, the eye icons — for the new block editor that automatically updates itself when you change your content. So, if you’ve marked sentences that are too long, the highlight will update itself once you shorten that sentence.

In addition, we’ve refactored our Yoast SEO structured data content blocks. These blocks are now very speedy even when adding many, many fields. Please check out the content blocks for FAQ pages and How-to articles. These content blocks make it incredibly easy to add valid structured data to your content. We’re bringing you many more blocks in the near future. We’ve also changed the output of Schema to prevent unnecessary escaping of forward slashes and this is only available on sites running PHP 5.4 or higher. Last but not least in regards to structured data, we changed the website Schema @id attribute and now include the home URL as a unique identifier.

Fixes in Yoast SEO 9.3

There are quite a bit of fixes in Yoast SEO 9.3, you can find everything in the changelog. Let’s go through a few of them. In the previous version, Yoast SEO stripped the numbers from keyphrases, e.g. [Yoast SEO 9.3], which is something we don’t want, so we’ve restored that. We can now recognize keyphrases in the URL when the words in the URL are separated by an underscore instead of hyphens. Moving on, the ‘Select primary category’ label in the primary taxonomy picker doesn’t overlap the ‘Add new category’ button and the og:description tag doesn’t stay empty anymore after setting the author description.

Update Yoast SEO now!

As always, please update your plugins to make sure you’re using the latest and greatest. Yoast SEO 9.3 brings a number of fixes that will improve the way the plugin functions. We’re always working on improving our plugins to give you the best possible experience. Remember, if you’re not ready to push an update — of any plugin or update of WordPress — to your site immediately, please test it thoroughly. We have a guide on how to set up a local WordPress test environment to help you with that.

The post Yoast SEO 9.3: Fixes and enhancements appeared first on Yoast.



from Yoast • SEO for everyone https://yoast.com/yoast-seo-9-3/

'Extreme concern for welfare' of missing man, 44, from Leatherhead

The 44-year-old has links to Box Hill, Polesden Lacey and Sutton

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/extreme-concern-welfare-missing-man-15569635

Woman, 60, arrested on suspicion of drink driving following serious Mytchett crash

Surrey Police is appealing for any witnesses who saw the collision last Sunday to come forward

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/woman-60-arrested-suspicion-drink-15569013

More than 2,000 police hours spent on Croydon cat killer investigation

The investigation concluded earlier this year with police blaming foxes for the deaths and mutilations

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/more-2000-police-hours-spent-15560830

Mothercare Guildford to launch huge closing down sale just in time for Christmas

The store in North Street is one of 60 stores across the UK set to close by June 2019

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/mothercare-guildford-launch-huge-closing-15566466

Two arrests in connection with alleged sexual assault outside Farnham library

An unconscious woman was found outside Farnham library on December 9

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/two-arrests-connection-alleged-sexual-15566755

Gatwick-based staff cancel strike after being offered better pay

The employees of Wilson James, who assist disabled passengers at Gatwick, were offered an extra £1 per hour

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/gatwick-based-staff-cancel-strike-15567498

Two arrests after pedestrian injured in car crash at Dorking bus stop

Surrey Police was called to the Dorking bus stop at around 7.25am on Tuesday morning

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/arrests-pedestrian-injured-dorking-crash-15566192

Paedophile claims he sent children sexually explicit messages and pictures because he was 'lonely'

Roger King used a pseudonym and sent messages, photos and videos of a "sexual and graphic nature"

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/paedophile-claims-sent-children-sexually-15562759

Up to four 'disastrous' waste incinerators proposed for Surrey green belt sites

The Surrey Waste Plan is set to be approved for submission to the government

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/up-four-disastrous-waste-incinerators-15563772

No train services to Gatwick Airport on GWR Guildford line between Christmas and New Year

Planned bridge strengthening work is likely to impact those travelling away for the New Year from Guildford, Dorking, Reigate and Redhill

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/no-train-services-gatwick-airport-15546514

Monday, December 17, 2018

Indexing in Yoast SEO: Show x in search results?

Before a search engine can rank a page or a post, it needs to index it. A crawler must discover a piece of content before it can evaluate if it is a valuable addition to its index. One of the ways crawlers discover pages, is by crawling XML sitemaps. After a page has been indexed, a search engine can rank the piece of content if it fits the users search query best. Yoast SEO makes it easy for you to determine what should be indexable.

Show x in search results?

Determining what has to be indexed by crawlers and what not tends to be hard to understand and it’s easy to make a mistake. You wouldn’t be the first to have unknowingly set a whole post type to noindex, making it unavailable to search engines. We’ve thought long and hard about this and drastically simplified this process for you. Now it all boils down to asking you a straightforward question: Do you want x to appear in search engines?

Search Appearance

You can find the individual settings for making your content available for indexing in the corresponding parts of Yoast SEO. You’ll find the settings for posts and pages in the Content Types part of the Search Appearance tab. Taxonomies like categories and tags can be found in the Taxonomies tab.

By saying Yes to the ‘Show Posts in search results’ question in the post settings, for instance, you make sure that your posts will appear in the XML sitemap and, therefore, in the search results.

If you want to exclude something, you can switch this toggle to No, and the taxonomy or post type will not appear in the XML sitemap. Because of that, it will not appear in the search results. Whenever you set something to not appear in search engines, it will be noindexed and kept from the XML sitemap.

Exclude individual posts

Of course, you can also exclude individual posts from the XML sitemaps from the Yoast SEO meta box in the post editor. Click on the cog icon and select No to the ‘Allow search engines to show this Post in search results?’ question.No index

View your XML sitemap

You should always check your sitemap to see if the content you want to include appears in the XML sitemap. While you’re there, you should also check if the content you want to exclude from the sitemap doesn’t appear in it.

You can find your XML sitemap by going to General >Features > XML Sitemaps > ? (click on the question mark).

xml sitemaps yoast seoWe’ve taken away a lot of the confusion around indexing content and XML sitemaps by simplifying things. But, most importantly, it is now so much easier to determine what should and should not appear in search results.

More on XML sitemaps

XML sitemaps are a kind of treasure map for search engine robots. They crawl them to discover new or updated content on your site. Every site benefits from a sitemap. Your rankings won’t soar if you add one, but it does help the crawlers to discover your content that much easier. If you need more information about the use of XML sitemaps on your site, we have some further reading for you:

Read more: What is an XML sitemap and why should you have one? »

Keep reading: The sense and nonsense of an XML sitemap »

The post Indexing in Yoast SEO: Show x in search results? appeared first on Yoast.



from Yoast • SEO for everyone https://yoast.com/show-x-in-search-results/

All the major planned and ongoing roadworks in East Surrey over Christmas and New Year

Here is a breakdown of all the roadworks that could affect your journey into the new year

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/major-planned-ongoing-roadworks-east-15548917

These are the alternative ways to get home during South Western Railway disruption this evening

Here are the replacement bus services and alternative routes you can use to get home

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/alternative-ways-home-during-south-15563853

Death of person hit by train at Berrylands station 'not being treated as suspicious'

A person was pronounced dead by paramedics after being hit by a train at Berrylands railway station on Monday morning (December 17)

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/death-person-hit-train-berrylands-15561687

Couple 'on scrapheap' after Guildford Council denies sausage cart licence despite 20 years in town

Jo and Gary Mayne have run the German Sausage Cart in Guildford High Street since 1996, but this year will be their last in the town

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/couple-on-scrapheap-after-guildford-15458403

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Petition to build roundabout in Farnham road where man was found dead rejected

Residents submitted the petition calling for a roundabout in Crondall Lane before the incident

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/petition-build-roundabout-farnham-road-15552545

'Help save a life' by reporting regular drink-drivers this Christmas, urges Crimestoppers

Let's help keep the roads safe over Christmas and New Year

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/help-save-life-reporting-regular-15558157

Expect 'significant' M25 traffic as worst days and routes to travel pre Christmas revealed

Be prepared to sit in traffic, or take an alternative route

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/expect-significant-m25-traffic-worst-15558427

Gym smashes weightlifting challenge to raise nearly £3k for hospital that saved West Byfleet baby

Sofia Joanne Sheath survived after being born with a heart defect

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/gym-smashes-powerlifting-challenge-raise-15559461

Hope for hoglets as Wildlife Aid charity gets Channel Five telethon support

“This will be the first telethon devoted to animals and we are thrilled to be part of it"

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/hope-hoglets-wildlife-aid-charity-15559095

Gang damages car after attempting to steal it in early hours Reigate raid

Get in touch with police if you saw anyone trying to tow away or load a car onto another vehicle in Reigate

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/gang-damages-car-after-attempting-15556835

Pizza Express, Bill's, Thai? Deliveroo reveals Reigate's favourite takeaways

Do you agree with these Deliveroo favourites?

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/pizza-express-bills-thai-deliveroo-15556536

Drink driver arrested after car smashes into house in Godalming

Drink or drive, not both, Surrey Police reiterated

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/drink-driver-arrested-after-car-15558641

5 top tips to avoid festive food poisoning this Christmas

"When dangerous bacteria are ingested the symptoms are enough to ruin anybody’s Christmas and New Year festivities”

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/5-top-tips-avoid-festive-15540351

Drivers slammed for ignoring lane closure signs after man in 60s seriously injured in M25 crash

Drivers faced hours of delays on the M25 after the two-car crash on Saturday

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/m25-crash-saturday-evening-traffic-15558018

M23 traffic after three-car crash causes oil spillage near Gatwick Airport

There were delays on the major road for about two hours

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/m23-crash-traffic-gatwick-airport-15557983

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Victorian two-bedroom cottage in Whyteleafe which has had a modern facelift is yours for £315,000

The home is in Godstone Road, Whyteleafe and within walking distance of two mainline railway stations

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/property-news/victorian-two-bedroom-cottage-whyteleafe-15534658

Hundreds give time to help East Surrey's homeless as winter night shelter opens for longest season yet

"Now is a time when people are starting to be with their families, and it can be hard"

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/hundreds-give-time-help-east-15553676

Seven-year-old 'superhero' raises more than £5,000 for diabetes charity

Oli Walker and a team of 30 friends took on their first park run to raise money for diabetes research

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/seven-year-old-superhero-raises-15550092

CCTV images released following serious sexual assault outside Farnham library

An unconscious woman was found outside Farnham Library earlier this month

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/cctv-images-released-following-serious-15557033

Footage shows Woking Victoria Square progress as scaffolding appears around Toys 'R' Us

The new Victoria Square town centre in Woking could be built by 2020

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/footage-shows-woking-victoria-square-15556051

Driver fined after late move off A3 to M25 in front of police car

Probably not the wisest thing he's ever done

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/driver-fined-after-late-move-15556549

Further details released of man following Camberley sexual assault

"I would just ask the community to report anything they deem suspicious”

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/further-details-released-man-following-15555850

Surrey to be battered with heavy rain, wind and freezing temperatures

A band of wet and windy weather is sweeping across the UK         

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-weekend-weather-rain-cold-15539825

Noticed police officers at Woking train station this week? Here's why

Railway users may have noticed a large police presence at the train station

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/noticed-police-officers-woking-train-15555104

Friday, December 14, 2018

Paralysed toddler given £15,000 stair-climbing wheelchair by inventor

Emerson Grant, 4, has been gifted a brand new wheelchair after the device's inventor was inspired by his story

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/paralysed-toddler-given-15000-stair-15536999

Ask Yoast: Google ranking the ‘wrong’ page for keyword

It’s one of the most frustrating problems you can encounter when working on your site’s SEO: one of your pages is ranking well in Google, but it’s ranking for the wrong keyword. You haven’t optimized this page for the keyword it’s ranking for, and the page you did optimize for that keyword, isn’t showing up anywhere in the results pages.

It can be harmful to your CTR and conversion rate when the wrong page for a keyword pops up in the results pages. But what can you do about it? First, you should make sure the page you actually want to rank for your keyword can be properly crawled and indexed. If that is indeed the case, take a long, hard look at how you’ve optimized your content. Odds are, your content and your internal linking structure aren’t as good as you think at showing Google which page to rank for which keyword. Let’s dive into this a bit further in this Ask Yoast!

David Dumdei sent us his question on this matter:

Google insists on ranking our homepage for ‘computer services’ and completely ignores the page on our subdirectory ‘computer services’ that is actually optimized for this keyword. As our home page isn’t optimized for ‘computer services’, we rank low. What can we do if we already have great site structure and keyword optimization? I’m considering creating a subdomain to fix this issue.

Watch the video or read the transcript for my answer!

When Google picks the ‘wrong’ page to rank for your keyword

“Don’t create a subdomain. I know that you think you have great site structure and keyword optimization, but if Google insists on ranking your homepage for a specific term that you have optimized another page for, then you probably do not have great site structure. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but that’s the way it is.

You probably need to interlink better and link better within your site. This is not something that’s easy. If you can’t figure it out yourself, hire an external SEO to help you do this. Because creating a subdomain will only create more problems, not less. Good luck.”

Read more: The ultimate guide to site structure »

The post Ask Yoast: Google ranking the ‘wrong’ page for keyword appeared first on Yoast.



from Yoast • SEO for everyone https://yoast.com/video/ask-yoast-google-ranking-wrong-page-for-keyword/

Site structure: the ultimate guide

Man knocked out and robbed by couple in residential Guildford street

Police are trying to trace another man who helped the victim to his home

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/man-knocked-out-robbed-couple-15554071

Shoppers flock to Guildford despite national drift from high street to internet

The town's high street put in a "robust" performance, said Amanda Masters of Experience Guildford, while the rest of the country experienced a cold Black Friday

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/shoppers-flock-guildford-despite-national-15550557

Driver dies as a 'result of injuries' in three vehicle collision on M25

His next of kin have been informed

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/driver-dies-result-injuries-three-15553541

Motorcyclist taken to hospital with injuries to shoulder after crash with car in Woking

The road was closed while emergency services attended the scene

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/motorcyclist-taken-hospital-injuries-shoulder-15551582

Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals to pay up to £26k in fees for EU workers to stay after Brexit

Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Will Forster said it "beggared belief" that the hospital trust had been put in this position

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/ashford-st-peters-brexit-workers-15548904

Surrey Police set for £14m cash boost with 10% hike to council tax bills

PCC David Munro said Surrey Police's resources were "stretched to the limit" under its current budget

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-police-set-14m-cash-15549603

Women remains in hospital five days after suffering 'severe injuries' in hit and run in Mytchett

Officers would like to speak to anyone who was in The Miners Arms on Saturday (December 8)

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/women-remains-hospital-five-days-15551949

Four hospitalised after serious three-vehicle crash closes M25 for NINE hours

Three fire engines were sent to the incident to make the scene safe

from Surrey Live - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/four-hospitalised-after-serious-three-15550232

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3 Big Lessons from Interviewing John Mueller at SearchLove London - Whiteboard Friday

Posted by willcritchlow

When you've got one of Google's most helpful and empathetic voices willing to answer your most pressing SEO questions, what do you ask? Will Critchlow recently had the honor of interviewing Google's John Mueller at SearchLove London, and in this week's edition of Whiteboard Friday he shares his best lessons from that session, covering the concept of Domain Authority, the great subdomain versus subfolder debate, and a view into the technical workings of noindex/nofollow.

Click on the whiteboard image above to open a high-resolution version in a new tab!

Video Transcription

Hi, Whiteboard Friday fans. I'm Will Critchlow from Distilled, and I found myself in Seattle, wanted to record another Whiteboard Friday video and talk through some things that I learned recently when I got to sit down with John Mueller from Google at our SearchLove London conference recently.

So I got to interview John on stage, and, as many of you may know, John is a webmaster relations guy at Google and really a point of contact for many of us in the industry when there are technical questions or questions about how Google is treating different things. If you followed some of the stuff that I've written and talked about in the past, you'll know that I've always been a little bit suspicious of some of the official lines that come out of Google and felt like either we don't get the full story or we haven't been able to drill in deep enough and really figure out what's going on.

I was under no illusions that I might be able to completely fix this this in one go, but I did want to grill John on a couple of specific things where I felt like we hadn't maybe asked things clearly enough or got the full story. Today I wanted to run through a few things that I learned when John and I sat down together. A little side note, I found it really fascinating doing this kind of interview. I sat on stage in a kind of journalistic setting. I had never done this before. Maybe I'll do a follow-up Whiteboard Friday one day on things I learned and how to run interviews.

1. Does Google have a "Domain Authority" concept?

But the first thing that I wanted to quiz John about was this domain authority idea. So here we are on Moz. Moz has a proprietary metric called domain authority, DA. I feel like when, as an industry, we've asked Google, and John in particular, about this kind of thing in the past, does Google have a concept of domain authority, it's got bundled up with feeling like, oh, he's had an easy way out of being able to answer and say, "No, no, that's a proprietary Moz metric. We don't have that."

I felt like that had got a bit confusing, because our suspicion is that there is some kind of an authority or a trust metric that Google has and holds at a domain level. We think that's true, but we felt like they had always been able to wriggle out of answering the question. So I said to John, "Okay, I am not asking you do you use Moz's domain authority metric in your ranking factors. Like we know that isn't the case. But do you have something a little bit like it?"

Yes, Google has metrics that map into similar things

John said yes. He said yes, they have metrics that, his exact quote was, "map into similar things."My way of phrasing this was this is stuff that is at the domain level. It's based on things like link authority, and it is something that is used to understand performance or to rank content across an entire domain. John said yes, they have something similar to that.

New content inherits those metrics

They use it in particular when they discover new content on an existing domain. New content, in some sense, can inherit some of the authority from the domain, and this is part of the reason why we figured they must have something like this, because we've seen identical content perform differently on different sites. We know that there's something to this. So yes, John confirmed that until they have some of those metrics developed, when they've seen a bit of content for long enough, and it can have its own link metrics and usage metrics, in the intervening time up until that point it can inherit some of this stuff from the domain.

Not wholly link-based

He did also just confirm that it's not just link-based. This is not just a domain-level PageRank type thing.

2. Subdomains versus subfolders

This led me into the second thing that I really wanted to get out of him, which was — and when I raised this, I got kind of an eye roll, "Are we really going down this rabbit hole" — the subdomain versus subfolder question. You might have seen me talk about this. You might have seen people like Rand talk about this, where we've seen cases and we have case studies of moving blog.example.com to example.com/blog and changing nothing else and getting an uplift.

We know something must be going on, and yet the official line out of Google has for a very long time been: "We don't treat these things differently. There is nothing special about subfolders. We're perfectly happy with subdomains. Do whatever is right for your business." We've had this kind of back-and-forth a few times. The way I put it to John was I said, "We have seen these case studies. How would you explain this?"

They try to figure out what belongs to the site

To his credit, John said, "Yes, we've seen them as well." So he said, yes, Google has also seen these things. He acknowledged this is true. He acknowledged that it happens. The way he explained it connects back into this Domain Authority thing in my mind, which is to say that the way they think about it is: Are these pages on this subdomain part of the same website as things on the main domain?

That's kind of the main question. They try and figure out, as he put it, "what belongs to this site." We all know of sites where subdomains are entirely different sites. If you think about a blogspot.com or a WordPress.com domain, subdomains might be owned and managed by entirely different people, and there would be no reason for that authority to pass across. But what Google is trying to do and is trying to say, "Is this subdomain part of this main site?"

Sometimes this includes subdomains and sometimes not

He said sometimes they determine that it is, and sometimes they determine that it is not. If it is part of the site, in their estimation, then they will treat it as equivalent to a subfolder. This, for me, pretty much closes this loop. I think we understand each other now, which is Google is saying, in these certain circumstances, they will be treated identically, but there are circumstances where it can be treated differently.

My recommendation stays what it's always been, which is 100% if you're starting from the outset, put it on a subfolder. There's no upside to the subdomain. Why would you risk the fact that Google might treat it as a separate site? If it is currently on a subdomain, then it's a little trickier to make that case. I would personally be arguing for the integration and for making that move.

If it's treated as part of the site, a subdomain is equivalent to a subfolder

But unfortunately, but somewhat predictably, I couldn't tie John down to any particular way of telling if this is the case. If your content is currently on a subdomain, there isn't really any way of telling if Google is treating it differently, which is a shame, but it's somewhat predictable. But at least we understand each other now, and I think we've kind of got to the root of the confusion. These case studies are real. This is a real thing. Certainly in certain circumstances moving from the subdomain to the subfolder can improve performance.

3. Noindex's impact on nofollow

The third thing that I want to talk about is a little bit more geeked out and technical, and also, in some sense, it leads to some bigger picture lessons and thinking. A little while ago John kind of caught us out by talking about how if you have a page that you no index and keep it that way for a long time, that Google will eventually treat that equivalently to a no index, no follow.

In the long-run, a noindex page's links effectively become nofollow

In other words, the links off that page, even if you've got it as a no index, follow, the links off that page will be effectively no followed. We found that a little bit confusing and surprising. I mean I certainly felt like I had assumed it didn't work that way simply because they have the no index, follow directive, and the fact that that's a thing seems to suggest that it ought to work that way.

It's been this way for a long time

It wasn't really so much about the specifics of this, but more the like: How did we not know this? How did this come about and so forth? John talked about how, firstly, it has been this way for a long time. I think he was making the point none of you all noticed, so how big a deal can this really be? I put it back to him that this is kind of a subtle thing and very hard to test, very hard to extract out the different confounding factors that might be going on.

I'm not surprised that, as an industry, we missed it. But the point being it's been this way for a long time, and Google's view and certainly John's view was that this hadn't been hidden from us so much as the people who knew this hadn't realized that they needed to tell anyone. The actual engineers working on the search algorithm, they had a curse of knowledge.

The curse of knowledge: engineers didn't realize webmasters had the wrong idea

They knew it worked this way, and they had never realized that webmasters didn't know that or thought any differently. This was one of the things that I was kind of trying to push to John a little more was kind of saying, "More of this, please. Give us more access to the engineers. Give us more insight into their way of thinking. Get them to answer more questions, because then out of that we'll spot the stuff that we can be like, 'Oh, hey, that thing there, that was something I didn't know.' Then we can drill deeper into that."

That led us into a little bit of a conversation about how John operates when he doesn't know the answer, and so there were some bits and pieces that were new to me at least about how this works. John said he himself is generally not attending search quality meetings. The way he works is largely off his knowledge and knowledge base type of content, but he has access to engineers.

They're not dedicated to the webmaster relations operation. He's just going around the organization, finding individual Google engineers to answer these questions. It was somewhat interesting to me at least to find that out. I think hopefully, over time, we can generally push and say, "Let's look for those engineers. John, bring them to the front whenever they want to be visible, because they're able to answer these kinds of questions that might just be that curse of knowledge that they knew this all along and we as marketers hadn't figured out this was how things worked."

That was my quick run-through of some of the things that I learned when I interviewed John. We'll link over to more resources and transcripts and so forth. But it's been a blast. Take care.

Video transcription by Speechpad.com


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