Avatar of Edwin Toonen

Edwin Toonen

Edwin is an experienced strategic content specialist. Before joining Yoast, he worked for a web design magazine, where he learned how to create great content.

You can find Edwin on: Twitter

In 2006, after working full time in a bookstore for many years, I boldly decided to return to school. I wanted to combine my love for writing with the lure of the internet, so I picked Digital Communication at the HAN University of Applied Sciences in Arnhem. Four years later, I graduated with honors.

In the meantime, I started working for The Netherlands’ largest monthly magazine on web design and development. As a managing editor, I wrote, edited, and translated hundreds of articles on this fascinating subject. I also made sure the magazine’s day-to-day operations went according to plan.

At Yoast, I do much of the same work, except on a bigger scale. As a content specialist, I am responsible for delivering quality content that is engaging and optimal.

In my spare time, I love rocking my 1972 Fender Precision bass with my band (Every Other Me), fiddling about with synthesizers, listening to music, watching an endless stream of – classic – movies, taking long cycling trips, and enjoying life with my sons and girlfriend.

Edwin

How to get ratings and reviews for your business

1 September 2022 | 2 Comments Edwin Toonen

Reviews or testimonials are mostly said to work based on social proof. Social proof is a psychological process in which people copy the behavior of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior. In addition, search engines are increasingly looking for that proof as well. In this post, I’ll look at how reviews work, how […]

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How to get ratings and reviews for your business

What’s technical SEO? 8 technical aspects everyone should know

25 August 2022 Edwin Toonen

In this post, we’ll go into the basics of technical SEO. Now, discussing the basics of technical SEO might seem like a contradiction in terms. Nevertheless, some basic knowledge about the more technical side of SEO can mean the difference between a high-ranking site and a site that doesn’t rank at all. Technical SEO isn’t […]

Read: "What’s technical SEO? 8 technical aspects everyone should know"
What’s technical SEO? 8 technical aspects everyone should know

Yoast SEO Premium 19.2: A new inclusive language analysis — in beta

23 August 2022 Edwin Toonen

Non-inclusive language excludes people based on beliefs, gender, sexuality, or health, while inclusive language uses better alternatives to words that people might find harmful. Making your content inclusive helps you to reach a broader audience. But while writing, it is surprisingly easy to exclude people by accidentally using the wrong words. While inclusive language has […]

Read: "Yoast SEO Premium 19.2: A new inclusive language analysis — in beta"
Yoast SEO Premium 19.2: A new inclusive language analysis — in beta

Google to launch Helpful Content Update to diversify search results

19 August 2022 Edwin Toonen

It’s probably no secret that the search results for many topics on Google don’t give you the best results. Many topics are highjacked by high-paying ad buyers and companies with big budgets to write over-optimized SEO content at the expense of readability and user experience. The result is frustration for the searcher. Google is aware […]

Read: "Google to launch Helpful Content Update to diversify search results"
Google to launch Helpful Content Update to diversify search results

Open-source software, open Schema protocol!

18 August 2022 Edwin Toonen

We’re massive advocates of using Schema structured data to help search engines understand website content. Our plugins automatically take care of anything Schema-related for you, but we know that we’re not the only ones to do so. It’s possible to use our Schema output in combination with other tools. Although, sometimes, things may not work […]

Read: "Open-source software, open Schema protocol!"
Open-source software, open Schema protocol!

Putting local stadiums, aquariums, and museums on the map with Yoast Local SEO

16 August 2022 Edwin Toonen

Public locations/venues — like art theaters, parks, bus stations, and stadiums – play a massive role in people’s lives in a community, town, or city. They are present in every community, and they are the foundational elements of a healthy and functional society. But when it comes to online presence, they may not get the […]

Read: "Putting local stadiums, aquariums, and museums on the map with Yoast Local SEO"
Putting local stadiums, aquariums, and museums on the map with Yoast Local SEO

What is an XML sitemap and why should you have one?

11 August 2022 Edwin Toonen

A good XML sitemap acts as a roadmap of your website that leads Google to all your important pages. XML sitemaps can be good for SEO, allowing Google to find your essential pages quickly, even if your internal linking isn’t perfect. This post explains what they are and how they help you rank better. What […]

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


Yoast SEO Premium 19.1: new front-end SEO inspector

9 August 2022 | 4 Comments Edwin Toonen

If you’ve been following our releases, you might notice that we’ve been pumping out a lot of new features recently. Continuing that momentum, we’re releasing yet another feature: the front-end SEO inspector. This tool allows you to quickly and intuitively view your SEO settings, without leaving the front end of your website. Besides that, we’re […]

Read: "Yoast SEO Premium 19.1: new front-end SEO inspector"
Yoast SEO Premium 19.1: new front-end SEO inspector

Page experience: a Google ranking factor

7 August 2022 Edwin Toonen

In May 2020, Google announced Web Vitals — a new set of metrics to measure websites’ speed and user experience. Sometime later, Google announced that these metrics would make their way into a core algorithm update as new ways of judging and ranking sites based on the page experience they offer. This update was gradually […]

Read: "Page experience: a Google ranking factor"
Page experience: a Google ranking factor