Category Archives: Search Engine Optimization
Google’s Algorithm Changes – Can You Keep Up?
by Sam Sudano on April 18, 2012 | 2 comments
in Search Engine Optimization, Social Media
Did you know it’s estimated that Google changes its search algorithms about 500 times each year? The website generates more than one billion searches per day, and engineers are continually altering Google’s algorithm to achieve faster search speed, more accurate results, and better relevancy.
A few weeks ago, Google released its monthly report of “search quality highlights” for March. According to WebProNews, the report included a total of 50 changes, including modifications to Google’s search engine algorithms, aimed to provide the best search results as fast as possible.
Here are some of Google’s most recent changes:
Better indexing of profile pages.
Public profile pages are indexed from more than 200 social sites. Previously, Google+ profile pages were appearing at the top of search results, even if they were not the most relevant. This change has been addressed, and now Facebook, Twitter, and other social profiles are more likely to appear ahead of Google. Speaking of social platforms…
Better handling of password changes.
If you use your Google account to log onto other platforms, such as Blogger or YouTube, you may have noticed that a password change would not automatically log you out. The new change ensures that creating a new password consistently signs you out of any linked accounts for better account security and protection.
More relevant image search results.
In the past, Google tended to show high-quality pages over low-quality, even if the pictures on the page were not the most applicable to the search. The new change tunes signals related to landing pages to make it more likely that the most relevant images will appear in the search results.
Better local results and sources in Google News.
Google is improving upon its search signals to return more pertinent and local Google News results from the best possible sources. The search engine has also improved the systems that are used to classify search terms, in an attempt to keep results more accurate to the original query.
These algorithm changes can greatly influence SEO practices, such as keyword analysis research. This practice helps companies and brands target specific market keywords and surpass competition in order to achieve the top Google rankings. Discovering a company’s best keywords and measuring how well it dominates those keywords involves detailed research and analytics, and there are several SEO tools and software available to help.
While free tools such as Hootsuite and Tweetdeck are certainly useful, we’ve found that paid services such as Raven Tools are much more robust and provide a more efficient analysis of a brand’s “big picture” on social media. Raven Tools was designed as an analytics resource by a SEO agency five years ago but has since integrated vital social media tools such as an email campaign platform; content managers for Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress; website analytics and pay-per-click advertising.
Google stays in a contact state of evolution to ensure that its systems aren’t artificially (or even malignantly) manipulated. It’s important to stay tuned in to Google’s major algorithm modifications and search engine news, as these changes occur frequently and can impact your site and your business. If all of this seems overwhelming, your best bet may be to hire a search engine optimization and social media management company to help you keep up with these ever changing services.
Photo Credit: Stuart Miles
To Apply or Not to Apply? That is the Question.
by Dana Coleman on March 27, 2012 | 1 comment
in Branding, Search Engine Optimization, Website
There are several “opportunities” on the domain name front that are important for brand managers and trademark owners to consider, particularly for global consumer brands. To understand these opportunities, it’s necessary to unleash an entire new litany of acronyms, so brace yourself and here we go…
First, you have to know that a TLD is a top-level domain, or the suffix to the right of the dot in your URL. So for http://lovell.com, .com is the TLD.
A brand TLD is a new creation, and the application window for a brand TLD or “dot brand” closes on March 29. As the name suggests, this will give brand owners the opportunity to purchase a TLD specific to their brand, such as .coke or .pepsi; and it will probably be only the major players like those examples that apply due to the hefty $185,000 application fee. For those brands that can afford the investment, proponents say brand TLDs will improve SEO (search engine optimization) results, and PC World magazine calls the availability of Brand TLDs one of the top five changes facing the Internet in 2012.
Applications are also currently being accepted for gTLDs, or generic TLDs, such as .bank or .pizza. Along with the equally steep $185,000 application fee plus ongoing registry operation costs, gTLDs come with substantial responsibility. Applying for a gTLD is applying to run the registry business for that name, just as Verisign is currently responsible for .com TLDs.
Also currently up for grabs are names in a new category of sponsored TLDs, known as sTLDs. Familiar examples of sTLDs are .edu, reserved exclusively for U.S. post-secondary education establishments, and .gov, reserved for U.S. government sites at the federal, state and local levels. The new sTLD is .xxx, known as dot triple-X. As you might expect, a dot triple-X will indicate a pornographic site. Sponsored by the IFFOR (International Foundation for Online Responsibility), registering as a dot triple-X is voluntary for providers of explicit content. Proponents say the dot triple-X sTLD will make it easier for parents and employers to block this entire category of websites. While it’s unclear how many providers of pornography are applying for their new sTLD, many colleges and businesses are busy snatching them up at the cost of $100 per year to proactively prevent others from doing so.
Some registry periods include a sunrise period in which the owner of a trademark can block their trademark from being used by others. The sunrise period for dot triple-X domains has already closed, but trademark owners as well as anyone else can still register. This serves as a good reminder, however, that you must own the trademark registration for a trademark you may seek to protect in future sunrise periods. If you don’t already own your trademark registration, this may certainly be an investment in your brand worth considering.
I’m sure I’ve barely scratched the surface of the TLD morass, but my head hurts from the new acronyms I’ve already absorbed. What’s your take on all this? Share your thoughts or teach me a new acronym!
Photo credit: http://bit.ly/GU1gtX
Use Google+ to boost SEO
by Allison Russo on February 21, 2012 | no comments
in Search Engine Optimization, Social Media
Though not everyone has quite jumped on the Google+ bandwagon yet, reports are showing that the service is experiencing significant growth, with its traffic increasing by more than 55 percent in December 2011. Now, more than ever, it is important for brands to become more familiar with the functions of Google+ and its potential benefit to businesses. Back in November, we blogged about the rollout of Google+ for businesses and brands. Now, we are learning that these Google+ pages have been integrated into Google searches results and can help boost a company’s SEO.
Below are some tips for optimizing your Google+ page for search engine results:
#1: Set up a page! It’s quite simple and should be on your business’s check list of social media to-dos. Our blog provides step-by-step instructions to get your Google+ page up and running.
#2: Get in Circles: The more followers a page has (the more circles you are in), the better it will perform in search results. The best way to increase followers on Google+ is to provide a link to your Google+ page anywhere you can. This can include your existing social media platforms, your company website, e-newsletters and email signature. Another great way to get your page known on Google+ is by adding people to your circle and hope they add you to theirs.
#3: Add Keywords: Just like you would optimize your website with keywords, it is important to do this with your Google+ page. The best places to incorporate your keywords are in the introduction and tagline sections of the page. Make sure when you are incorporating your keywords, they come across as organically placed. This is Google, after all, and they will pick up on pages that overdo it with the keywords.
#4: Google+ Badge Your Website: Adding a Google+ badge to your company website will connect your Google+ page directly to your website. This is a great way to up your followers on Google+ and potentially rule search results for your keywords. A company that is doing a great job of this is Toyota. By connecting their Google+ page to their website, their Google+ activity is shown directly below their traditional search results. This will effectively push down anyone else who was showing up in results below Toyota.
#5: Rack up the +1s: More effective than its Facebook counterpart the “Like,” the +1 shows up in search results. The more +1s your site has, the more credible it looks to Google and people potentially clicking through. Companies can add a +1 button to their website or articles they have written by clicking here.
Have you set up a Google+ page for your business? Will you take advantage of these tips to help boost your company’s SEO?
Photo by: jscreationzs
Time to get “Sirious”
by Sam Sudano on November 22, 2011 | no comments
in Search Engine Optimization
Last month’s launch of Apple’s iPhone 4S brought about a new kind of application, appealing to users young and old. Siri, a voice-activated technology developed by Siri Inc., takes the older iPhone standard voice control feature and turns it into your own personal assistant. As with any voice-recognition hardware, the accuracy of Siri depends on several factors and its responses can be volatile.
If everything works well, Siri can make reservations and appointments, set reminders, and send emails and texts. Siri can also search for data through sites like Yelp, Google and Bing – and it’s in this realm of local search engine optimization where Siri may have its biggest impact. In the video above, a woman in a mini-van says to Siri, “We have a flat tire…” Siri determines the car’s location and presents the woman with a list of local mechanics. What does this kind of search mean for your business or product? Here are a few ways for you to get “Sirious” about local search engine optimization.
- Target Long-Tail Keywords
With Siri comes a more conversational search tactic. It’s easier to say to Siri “find me a hardware store in Nashville that’s open on Sundays” than it is to type the same phrase on a small keypad. Long-tail key words, like the phrase above, are words strung together to define a good or service. Another example: If you searched for the key words “coffee shop” in Google, you would receive 102,000,000 results. If you typed “coffee shop Nashville Tennessee” you’d reduce those results by over 93%. Using more specific keywords that include your address throughout your website can increase the chance your product or service is picked up by Siri when people are on the look-out for your type of business.
- Register with Local Directories
If you ask Siri to find you a coffee shop, it’s most likely pulling information from local online directories. By registering your business and claiming your profile on directories such as Yelp, Bing, Yahoo, and Google Places, you’re tailoring your SEO to Siri’s language. Be sure to make this listing as accurate as possible with current contact information. Make sure your business name, address, and telephone number (NAP) are consistent across all directories where you register. Google has been known to drop businesses from the top of the search results when inconsistencies in NAP information is noticed. Also, encourage your customers to review and rate your business in these directories which will give your listing more weight. Assuming Siri uses these free directories to pull information, the more popular you are with these services, the better your chances of being chosen by Siri.
- Mobilize your Website
Neilson estimates that by the end of 2011, one in two Americans will have a smart phone. By mobilizing your website, you are making it easier for users to land on a mobile friendly version of your site. If Siri pulls your business or product from a search engine and recommends it to a user, they can easily check out your website without the frustration of waiting on PDF’s, scrolling issues or slow loading pages.
By following these tips, you can help Siri – and customers – find your business or product. Do you use Siri? Let us know your thoughts on it!
PR meet SEO, SEO meet PR – Now play nice
by Scott McIntosh on September 29, 2011 | 1 comment
in Public Relations, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media
As public relations experts, we work hard to secure mentions for our clients in the news and other media. I don’t have to argue that people are acquiring more of their news from online sources. And as more and more people get their information online, they do so in one of three ways:
- They read, see, or hear it on one of their favorite news, blog, video, or podcast websites
- They are referred to it by someone else through a medium such as email or social media
- They locate it in the search engines
The third way brings up an interesting question. Are PR agents prepared to help their clients be discovered in the search engines? Because if the “public” is moving online and the search engines are one of the main ways they discover new information, an expert in public relations must now become an expert in search engine results. But it doesn’t have to be a huge adjustment. In fact, many PR pros are already doing one of the toughest parts of search engine optimization, they just don’t know it. Let me explain…
There are two parts to every search engine optimization (SEO) strategy: onsite optimization and offsite optimization. Onsite optimization, or maximizing the target website characteristics so that it is properly categorized by the search engines, can get a bit technical but nothing a quick visit to WooRank won’t fix. Offsite optimization, however, can be much more difficult but is extremely important to achieve proper rankings. Offsite optimization is all about acquiring backlinks. Backlinks are those little blue links you see all over the web that take you to a new website when you click on them. The more backlinks a website has linking to it, the better it does in the search results. And not just any backlink either, as the quality of the website where the backlink is located determines the value of that link. For example, a backlink pointing to your website from a newly created blog is worth nothing compared to a link pointing back to your website from a major online property such as The New York Times online.
Backlinks are the currency of the web when it comes to high rankings in the search engines. The more you have, the higher you rank. So search engine optimizers are always working hard to increase the amount of backlinks that point to their client’s website. Therefore, SEO is all about securing content and backlinks on somebody else’s property (blogs, websites, articles, etc). Now here is something that PR experts are already good at, although they are not looking to secure backlinks so much as their client’s information in the story. But as Google becomes more efficient at defeating unethical tactics used in the previous years by SEO experts and only awards backlink points to prominent blogs, news articles, and social media accounts – SEO specialists will better understand – and value – the media pitching skills of public relations experts. The reverse is also true. Public relations agencies should ensure they know at least the basics of SEO to take advantage of the fact that major websites are already publishing their content, and hopefully, their client’s backlinks.
