Can Better SEO Improve the Government?
Major newspapers dropped paywalls, a handful of retailers made fools of themselves in social media, and someone called Twitter a self-cleaning oven. That's a lighthearted overview of a serious event, but I'll leave the serious news to those in the news business. In our business, a timely article on Search Engine Watch talked about the federal government's current initiative to consolidate their websites, domains, and databases in an effort to improve...read more >>
Inside the Numbers of SEO and M-Commerce
M-commerce is a hot topic these days, and like a lot of things, it’s constantly changing. Christina Cheddar Berk over at USA Today reports that mobile shopping currently accounts for nine percent of online sales, but is expected to reach 15 to 16 percent by the holidays. With internet shopping on the rise, that kind of percentage is nothing to scoff at. A study by Deloitte says that “almost half of all consumers say they will shop for holiday...read more >>
Keeping it Fresh and a Turn Toward Meditation
Our good friends at Google are at it again with yet another update to their ever changing search algorithm. According to a recent article on TechCrunch, the new release is aimed at bringing the freshest of fresh content to the top of your search results. Tired of searching for current news and seeing irrelevant articles from 2006? Worry no more. Google claims roughly 35 percent of search results will be impacted (that is a whopping one out of every...read more >>
Eye-Tracking the Panda: Which Content Wins?
Take note: Google's latest Panda update seems to favor video content and big brand websites, as reported on Search Engine Watch. Conspiracy theories aside, YouTube's place as the biggest winner of the newest update (according to a Searchmetrics analysis) does suggest that video content is of primary importance for retailers (Hulu is also a big winner). Interestingly, Amazon is on the loser list; odd, considering that the site holds the position...read more >>
Video, Marketing Persona, and Another Meaning of “Facebook Sharing”
Whether You Recommend with Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, There May Be Some Secret Sharing Going On "Make no misunderstanding, when you use a service and there is no subscription fee, you aren’t the customer, you are the product being sold to advertisers." That line is from Michael Gray's recent Wolfhowl post, "Facebook and Google+ Competing for Your Attention." He's got a point. "[W]hat we really need to understand is that this is a war for consumer...read more >>
Spelling, the Secret to Copy, and “Power Moms”
What's the Sound of One Hand Writing? Robert Bruce at Copyblogger has written a brief but interesting essay on how one can create world-class content without ever "writing" again. The idea behind this Zen riddle is that strong content is best achieved by gathering, collecting, and assembling all the information you can about your industry and your product. Your natural personality and voice will then infuse itself into the copy. If, on the other hand,...read more >>
SEO Hocus Pocus
In this advanced technological age, there are those who wield SEO with the same artistry as Harry Potter commanding his incantations. Then there are those who, despite acknowledging the magnitude of its value, have only a fundamental grasp of site optimization. For the latter group, Erez Barak of SearchEngineWatch offers a quick SEO 101 lesson. New site administrators stand to substantially boost their search engine visibility with minimal effort...read more >>
More Meta Data, Keyword Suggestions, and Online Growth
SEO Book recently discussed some ways to enhance what exactly appears when your page shows up on a search engine results page (SERP). Of particular importance is the meta description, which is the text underneath the (meta) title. Any space you have the good fortune to occupy on a SERP should be considered valuable real estate, so it's vital to make sure you have robust, informative meta descriptions that exhaust Google's character-count limit. Everyone...read more >>
Love Letters, Likes, and E-commerce Attraction
Like a discerning bachelorette, Google values utmost class and trustworthiness when deciding your site's standing in the vitally important search engine results page. Way back in 2008, Michael Graywolf of Wolf-Howl.com was already stressing the trust-generating quality of strong, relevant content. Throughout the past couple of years, particularly with the recent Panda update, Google has become increasingly zealous in its standards, thus furthering...read more >>
Engine of Change: Cruising the Ever-Evolving SEO Highway
Back in January, Brian Goffman at SearchEngineWatch.com put forth several predictions regarding SEO and social media in the coming year. Commendably, one of his prophecies recently came true in a major way, with Google's new +1 feature incorporating what people "like" in the virtual world into search engine results. Goffman is careful to remind that sticking to the "durable elements of SEO," such as quality content, will remain essential to your...read more >>