Posts Tagged ‘Algorithm’

Navigating Pathways through SEO Terrain in 2012 – Panda and Penguin Updates

May 8th, 2012

Things are accelerating over there in Mountain View, California. Google’s HQ is churning out search algorithm updates faster than Wonka’s chocolate factory turns out candy bars – and under nearly as much secrecy and mystique. That’s a nice visual, eh?

In all seriousness, things have been busy on both sides of the SEO front. Month after month, Google has been updating their search products, making little improvements here and there. In the last couple of quarters, we’ve seen a page layout algorithm update that effectively governs how much ad placement can reside Above the Fold; we’ve seen the Panda Update – developed to aggressively drop the rankings of low-quality sites; and in April, Google delivered the Penguin webspam algorithm along with some 50+ other tweak launches (too varied and lengthy to list here).

Here at Sweet Spot Marketing, one of our primary jobs is to scour the updates from Google for clues that are likely to help benefit our clients. Due to the fact that our SEO, Paid Search, and Ad Campaign Managers diligently tread the straight and narrow when it comes to Google, we’re happy to see that the changes made to the Google algorithm (as well as with the other search engines) are right in step with our search engine marketing campaigns and don’t necessitate complicated program or plan reversals that serve only to confuse clients and discredit the less-reputable marketing agents out there. We’re taking on new clients of all sizes – who operate in a diverse selection of markets – allowing us to navigate new SEO terrain every day.

Our game plan: every step in the right direction.

To give you a peek at what the Sweet Spot SEO Team is doing these days, it’s easy to sum up the majority of activities by saying the roadmap is dominated by Link Building, Content Development, and much related research.

The Link Building Team is focusing on a wider diversity of growth and actual link types – researching and opting for a variety of link placements across a range of sites deemed beneficial to the specific needs of the client. Link growth is good, but we’ve become selective in link placement because we know that Google keeps watch over the types of links directed at sites as well as the frequency to which those links are added. Research is critical.

In addition, we’re also diversifying our anchor text and focusing on links that speak to “brand” and URL rather than non-brand-specific sets of keywords. In addition, we’re spending time looking through Google Webmaster Tools and Analytics, checking for any broken links. Available links are gold. Broken links are worth nothing. Making sure we redirect every broken link is a sure sign of quality web marketing campaign management.

Note: we’re also staying highly active on the social media pathways – seeking links from popular social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

The Content Development Team has never been busier. It’s a well-known fact that the web is driven by content that is relevant to search needs. Content is still King and there’s little chance for a dethroning any time soon. Sweet Spot Marketing is spending hours upon hours each month, researching and crafting fresh, quality content for clients. Great content, by the way, isn’t alchemy. Regular blog articles, along with planned press releases, new site pages, white papers, landing pages, infographics, and microsite additions are all valuable content areas that help grow site rankings and authority. Once again, research is critical if you’re planning to create value-added content for site visitors (and it’s well-worth remembering that great content builds organic links to the site).

In the end, the goal of any web marketing campaign is to encourage new and repeat visitors that are likely to share your content and speak highly about your products and services. And when it’s defined in these simple terms it’s easy to see that the SEO terrain isn’t such a wilderness after all.

Tags: Algorithm
Posted in Content Development, Google, SEO, Sweet Spot Marketing | No Comments

Google Search Plus Your World – Reactions & Business Strategy

January 23rd, 2012

Web marketers and those with online businesses everywhere just got a huge boost from Google. A kind of back door has just been opened into Google search results; although, it’s safe to say that Google didn’t intend to do such a thing, and those without plans to run an active Google+ account may not see any direct benefit.

Here’s what happened: On the 10th of January, Google made a change that has altered the type of search results that many of us are already seeing. If you’re a Google+ user, the change concerns “your world” – so to speak – and you may have noticed a slight difference in the kinds of results you’re receiving on a number of different types of searches. What’s happening is that Google is elevating information that has been shared in Google+ (or +1′d) into the upper-end of the search results pages. Google calls this new development “Search, plus Your World” (which we’ll call Search Plus).

 

google-plus-searchSearch Plus is the latest search results treatment by the folks from Mountain View, California. Some may ask “why are they doing this?” A fair question. A few experts in the industry have stated that Google is seeding Google+ data into search results because they want searchers with Google+ accounts to contribute to Google+ more often. Others claim that Google is acting on the idea that “personalized” search results are more relevant results.

Google, to no one’s total surprise, is putting a positive spin on the new development.

From Google Inside Search: “Search has always brought you information from across the web. Now, search gets better by including photos, posts, and more from you and your friends. When signed in with Google+, you’ll find personal results and profiles of people you know or follow. You can even expand your world by discovering people related to your search.”  

What this boils down to is that when you’re logged in to Google+ and perform a Google search for a product or service – those results that have been shared by a member of one of your circles or +1’d by a friend are likely to rise to the top of the search results. In other words, if you’re looking for a new messenger bag and one of your Google+ friends has +1’d products from Timbuk2 – bang – there it is at the top of your search results. That’s a significant development.

Consumer Reaction

The market is having mixed reactions. Some search users say that it’s a radical departure from traditional search: Why would Google think that I want to see search results from my circles of friends? Facebook has already told me all about what they like or don’t like.

Others have labeled it a puzzling transformation: There’s no reason to strip out all of the relevant search engine results in favor of results driven by social media.   

And while it’s interesting to hear some grumble over how search is being altered, search marketers and savvy business owners are watching how Google+ is already populating search results. As businesses benefit from social proof, there is good reason to be excited.

Already, businesses are touting their products, service, brand and corporate identity through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Pinterest. Google+ pages are the next logical add-on for any web marketing strategy. But the difference here is that the results of their marketing efforts can be seen immediately in Google search.

What happened to Google’s “Don’t Be Evil”?

Now, some would say that Google (and search as a whole) has forced the hands of many marketers and business owners alike. Let’s face it, if you’re in business today, you have a web marketing strategy (at the very least) in the planning – so that you can be in business tomorrow. That said, yes, the changes in search (including Google pulling keyword data out of Analytics) will change your web marketing plan from quarter to quarter. And this quarter is all about leveraging the power of Google+ to get your foot in the back door to the top of the search results pages at Google.

The other part to consider is the wrath of larger companies like Twitter and Facebook. Perhaps the most interesting item to stem from all this is a new website created over the weekend: http://www.focusontheuser.org/. The YouTube video (below) from the site anonymously outlines how Facebook and Twitter provide more relevant results but Google chooses their own social network first to rank.

The video is so simple to follow even a US Congressman should be able to follow it:
Focus on The User

Tags: Algorithm, Facebook, Google, Social Networking, Twitter
Posted in Facebook, Google, Google+, SEO, Social Networking, Twitter | No Comments

Too Many Ads “Above the Fold” May Result in Google Penalty

January 23rd, 2012

What is the first rule of real estate? Location, location, location. As true and unchanging as that statement may be in real estate, it’s about to change for website advertising placement. This is a good thing. Read on.

When it comes to web ads, the prime real estate, so to speak, is at the top of the web page – an area referred to as “above the fold” or “above the scroll” in some vernacular. But regardless of what it’s called, the area at the top of the website is an advertiser’s greatest attraction.

Why is this? Because we humans sometimes have a short attention span and the human brain is, therefore, programmed to skim. Any advertisement or call-to-action piece that exists above the fold – in that top-most area of the site that is visible without scrolling – is almost 7x more likely to be acted upon by page viewers. Any die-hard advertiser will tell you the area below the fold might as well be on another page altogether. In the advertising game, the value of ad positions above the fold cannot be overstated.

above fold ad placement

Great For Revenues Not User Experiance

According to the recent news item at the Google Webmaster Central blog, it’s all about to change.

Google has done a little research and made an algorithm improvement (one of about 500 expected in 2012) that examines how much of the “above the fold” area of the website is dedicated to content – and how much is covered in ads. Google has heard some complaints from searchers about how “it’s difficult to find the actual content” on some pages they’ve clicked to. And although Google claims that this algorithmic change will alter less than 1% of all searches globally, the search team has said in no uncertain terms that those sites that clutter up the top portion of their webpages with advertising may be penalized. Google has all but promised that sites with top-heavy advertising will not rank as high in the very near future.

From Google Webmaster Central: This algorithmic change does not affect sites who place ads above-the-fold to a normal degree, but affects sites that go much further to load the top of the page with ads to an excessive degree or that make it hard to find the actual original content on the page.

Although searchers are no-doubt benefited from landing pages that “get to the point” and deliver the content they expect to see, some site owners are not happy.

But it’s only 1% of all searches, Google said. Seems like a small number, but when you consider that Google handles 2 million searches every minute of every day, that’s 20,000 occurrences every minute where a typical searcher might see a reordering of search results on the page. It’s quite a bit, really. Makes you wonder who’s doing all that advertising.

But, as stated earlier, this is a good thing. Here’s why: Google’s oft-stated mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Google talks incessantly about relevance in all things related to search. Google is continuously making changes to its algorithm to favor original, quality content. Therefore, it’s no huge effort to see that Google knows that searchers want to see the content they expected to see with every search. If they give the people what they want, they’ll continue to be successful.

As web marketers, site owners, and content developers, it is our continued mission to create honest and compelling content that gains the immediate interest of site visitors and builds their trust in your brand.

Content is King. We’ve said it before and it’s not likely to change. Let’s be honest with each other, if someone walks into an ice cream parlor for a triple cone (chocolate, cherry and pistachio) and is offered a taco salad instead, they’re going to waste no time in exiting. In the end, you lose their business, your advertising dollars were wasted, and negative word of mouth begins to seep into the market. There is a place for advertising on nearly all websites. It is, however, not above your message. When adding a new ad to your page, it’s of paramount importance to consider the ad size and placement relative to your content. The focus of every content marketing campaign is to deliver the message and a positive user experience.

Tags: Algorithm, Content Development, PageRank, search rankings, Web Ads
Posted in Content Development, Google, SEO | No Comments

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