Search Engines

Get your Facebook Pretty URL now!

Facebook is becoming one of the world’s largest search engines. Use it as a way for your page to be found. If you have not set your username (Pretty URL) on Facebook, do it today!

Directing visitors to a business page is so easy with a URL like:

http://www.facebook.com/HostingUK

Some points to consider:

  • Facebook’s usernames will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Once you pick a name, it’s yours for life.
  • You don’t necessarily have to use your real name.
  • You won’t be able to get a ‘generic word’ as your username.
  • You’ll have to use at least five characters

While Facebook is encouraging the use of real names, you aren’t limited in that regard. The system will suggest a few available options based on your first and/or last name, but it’ll also provide a blank field in which you can type something completely unrelated.

Each Facebook account gets only one username, and you can never change it. You can’t transfer it to someone else, either. Even if you delete your Facebook account, Facebook says the name won’t go back into the pool.

So go ahead, grab your name before someone else does….

http://www.facebook.com/username

Good luck!

Five Sustainable Ways to Grow Organic Search Traffic

Updated August 2026: this article replaces an obsolete Flash tutorial with current, accessible guidance.

Organic search traffic does not have a per-click fee, but earning it requires time, expertise and maintenance. These approaches build lasting value without depending on bulk submissions or artificial links.

1. Answer real customer questions

Turn recurring support and pre-sales questions into accurate, well-structured guides. Include the details customers need to complete the task, not just a short definition.

2. Improve pages that already have visibility

Search Console can reveal pages receiving impressions but few clicks. Check whether their titles, descriptions and content match the search intent, then improve the underlying answer.

3. Refresh or consolidate old content

Correct obsolete instructions and claims. Merge overlapping articles where one complete resource would serve visitors better, preserving valuable URLs with deliberate redirects when appropriate.

4. Strengthen internal links

Link related guides, services and tools using descriptive text. This helps visitors continue their journey and helps crawlers discover the site’s structure.

5. Create something worth citing

Original data, a dependable calculator, a clear checklist or a genuinely useful tutorial can earn recommendations naturally. Promote it to relevant audiences without buying ranking links.

Measure qualified visits and completed customer actions, not traffic alone. Sustainable growth comes from being useful, discoverable and trustworthy over time.

Further reading: Google’s guidance on helpful, reliable, people-first content and Search Console.

Keywords, Topics and Search Intent: What Matters Now

Updated August 2026: this article replaces an obsolete Flash tutorial with current, accessible guidance.

Keywords are the words and phrases people use when searching. They remain useful research evidence, but modern content planning should also consider the topic, the person’s intent and the task they need to complete.

Research the language customers use

Search Console shows queries that already generate impressions and clicks. Customer tickets, sales questions and site-search terms reveal different wording and unmet needs. Group related phrases by intent instead of creating a near-duplicate page for every variation.

Choose one clear purpose for each page

A visitor comparing hosting plans needs a different page from somebody troubleshooting an email setting. Decide whether the page should explain, compare, guide or enable a transaction. Use the primary phrase naturally in the title and introduction when it accurately describes the page.

Write naturally and completely

Include relevant terms because they help explain the subject, not to reach a target density. Repetition and hidden lists make content worse. Clear headings, examples, definitions and internal links are more useful to readers and provide stronger context.

Review query and page data after publication. If a page earns impressions for a related question but does not answer it, improve the page or create a genuinely distinct resource. If two pages compete for the same purpose, consolidation may be better than adding another variation.

Further reading: Google’s SEO Starter Guide.

What Is Google PageRank and Does It Still Matter?

Updated August 2026: this article replaces an obsolete Flash tutorial with current information.

PageRank is a system originally developed to understand the importance of web pages through their links. In simple terms, a link can act as a signal from one page to another, and signals from important pages are not all treated equally.

PageRank is not a public scorecard

The old Google Toolbar displayed a simplified PageRank score, which led to years of score-chasing and link trading. That toolbar measurement is gone. Third-party “authority” metrics can be useful for comparative research, but they are estimates created by those providers and are not Google’s PageRank.

One system among many

Google says link analysis and PageRank remain part of its core ranking systems, while also explaining that the system has evolved substantially. Relevance, content quality, usability, freshness and many other systems can affect which results are served. A link metric alone cannot predict a ranking.

What website owners should do

  • Create material worth referencing.
  • Use internal links to connect related pages and make important content discoverable.
  • Use descriptive link text that helps people understand the destination.
  • Avoid buying, exchanging or automating links to manipulate rankings.

The useful lesson from PageRank is that the web’s connections matter. The unhelpful lesson is reducing SEO to a single number.

Further reading: Google’s guide to ranking systems.

How to Improve Your Search Results Visibility

Improve search visibility

Make important pages easier to understand, trust, crawl and choose

Start with the pages closest to useful customer actions. Give each one a distinct purpose, answer the main question early, remove technical barriers and use Search Console to find high-impression queries where the result can become more relevant.

Open Search ConsoleSee the steps
STARTConfirm the serviceUse the account-specific route
PROTECTRecord current settingsAvoid accidental disruption
CHECKTest the resultKeep the exact error if it fails

What is a sensible SEO improvement cycle?

Follow the sequence and stop before any step that does not match the service shown in your UKC account.

  1. 1
    Select one page and purpose

    Choose a valuable customer task and inspect the queries already showing that page. Avoid creating several pages for the same intent.

  2. 2
    Improve the answer and snippet

    Make the title specific, put a direct answer near the top and structure the page with useful headings, examples and next steps.

  3. 3
    Check technical delivery

    Verify indexability, canonical URL, HTTPS, mobile rendering, status code, internal links and structured data only where appropriate.

  4. 4
    Compare results over time

    Annotate the change and compare similar periods for impressions, clicks, CTR, position and useful business outcomes.

Where should you invest first?

Prioritise opportunities that combine real demand, business value and a page that can genuinely become the best answer.

High impressions, low CTR

Improve title and description while checking whether the page truly matches the visible queries.

Positions near page one

Strengthen completeness, evidence and internal links where the page already fits the intent.

Clicks without outcomes

Improve the journey, trust, product accuracy and call to action. Traffic alone is not success.

Several pages competing

Consolidate overlapping content around the strongest URL and redirect genuine duplicates.

AreaPractical check
ContentDistinct purpose, direct answer, current facts
Technical200 status, canonical, indexable, HTTPS and mobile
Internal linksImportant pages linked from relevant hubs
MeasurementGSC plus privacy-safe outcome tracking

Common questions

Should every page target a keyword?

Every important page should have a clear user purpose, but do not force it into an artificial phrase or create duplicates for tiny wording variations.

Are backlinks still useful?

Genuine relevant citations can help discovery and trust. Avoid paying for scaled or manipulative links.

Should I publish with AI?

AI can assist research and drafting, but the owner must verify facts, add real expertise and remove generic or invented claims.

How long should I monitor?

Use both 28-day and three-month comparisons where possible, accounting for seasonality, recrawling and recent site changes.

Choose one real opportunity

Improve a page with demand and a useful next action

Then monitor comparable GSC periods and customer outcomes before starting another major rewrite.

Open Search ConsoleAsk UKC Support
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