Google

We’ve been hearing about personalized search since 2007. We’ve even seen some advancements from Google in 2008 with the launch of the SearchWiki. To make even more advancements with personalized search, earlier in December, 2009 Google announced that they made even more enhancements. Now, whether a searcher is signed in to Google or not, their search results will be “personalized” just for them based on their web history.

So what exactly does this mean for the website owner? Take your keyword rankings with a grain of salt. After all, what you see in search results may not be what searchers see (unless personalization is turned off). Instead, pay close attention to your analytic data to see how your website performs as a whole. The basics of search engine optimization still hold true. Keyword selection and optimized titles, meta descriptions, and website copy are still super important. But for total SEO success, website owners should also concentrate on:

1. Web design and usability.
   Create a website that uses clean, up-to-date code and easily sends your visitor to a call-to-action. If your website is old, or possibly new, but designed by an inexperienced web designer, it is in your best interest to invest in a new website.
2. Web page load times.
   Slow loading web pages could mean lower rankings all together. There are many factors that affect a page load time (too many images, large images, hosting bandwidth etc.). You should talk to your webmaster if you feel your webpages do load slowly.
3. Visitor bounce rates.
   If your bounce rate is above 50% for any given page, then look at the content of that page. Does your copy say too little, or is there too much copy on that page? What about the calls-to-action? Is your message clear? The longer a visitor stays on a website, the more apt they are to make a buying decision.
4. Fresh content.
   Is your content being updated on a regular basis? If not, your website will suffer. It’s been known for some time that Google wants to show the most relevant search results to the searcher. If your content is stagnant, well, then it’s not relevant. Keep it updated, fresh, and relevant.

In conclusion, stop fretting over that #1 spot on Google. Instead, work towards making your website the best it can be and let the visitor behavior on your site tell you if your SEO efforts are working.

It seems as if Google’s been talking about revising their search engine forever, but soon, in the next few weeks, Caffeine will be live. We’ll talk about the algorithm implecations in a moment, but first, let’s look at an example of what a search engine results page (SERP) will look like on the new Google:

What you can expect with Google Caffeine update:

1. Live search results. Notice the Twitter update in the middle of the page. Also, the user can click on “Latest” time-frame to see the most recent results. It’s going to be very important to make constant updates to your blog or website to keep relevant.
2. Universal Search features. We’ve been able to search for video and images (as well as other Universal Search items) since 2007, but now these features are easily located in a left sidebar.
3. The Updates tab. See who’s currently talking about your subject on Twitter. Your social media marketing campaign just got easier.
4. Page Previews. See a snippet of the page before you click on the result.

If you’re a website owner, webmaster, marketer or blogger, I’m sure you thinking… “ok Google’s revision is great for the searcher, but what about me? What do I need to do to make sure I rank well on the new Google?”

There are a few algorithm changes that have come to light that anyone involved with the running of a website should know.

1. Speed your website loads. Yup, if you have a slow loading site either due by old technology, too many large images, or a flash intro, then your ranking may suffer a bit.
2. Broken links. Google is all about offering the searcher relevant information. If broken links are found while your site is indexed, you may see lower rankings as a result.
3. Website design. On page factors such as meta titles, meta descriptions, alt tags, current content, still play a factor, but now the design of your site will have an effect as well.
4. Social Bookmarking. Yes, that’s what I said. Social bookmarking will be a major factor in page ranking for 2010.

If your site has been optimized for search engines, you may be in good shape. If you’re not sure if your site meets the latest standards, please feel free to ask us, we’ll give you an honest answer.

I think this question has been asked ever since the dawn of Google. Website owner after website owner have pondered over this question, while SEO after SEO have tried to give a definitive answer.

Recently, the good folks over at Search Engine Roundtable released the results to their April 1st poll: “How Long Should it Take to Rank Well on Google?” Out of the over two-hundred respondents, the largest response was 3-6 months (35%), followed by 6-9 months (19%). In my experience, a well-optimized website will take approximately 3-6 months to rank well. A website that has not been optimized at all….never!

Three to six months for a site to rank well on Google may seem like a long time to the anxious website owner who really wants to prove their site a success. However, with millions upon millions of websites trying to rank on the first page of the SERPs (search engine results pages), it takes that amount of time for Google to revisit your web pages enough times to build up the trust factor. Also, Google looks at many different factors of a web page in order to give it high rankings in SERPs. And, those factors change all the time – which can seem to be a bit unfair to even the most diligent of webmasters.

Such factors that Google takes into account include:

• Age of the domain
• Use of keywords in the Title tag
• Relevancy of keywords in the body text
• Link popularity of the site (or web page in question)
• Anchor text used in inbound link
• Relevance of inbound links
• Quality of content & freshness of content

Google also looks at factors that may negatively affect a website. These factors include:

• Duplicate title/meta description tags
• Errors in site code which distracts search engine spiders
• Duplicate content of any kind
• Participation in link farms or link schemes
• Keyword stuffing (basically overusing keyword phrases)
• Keywords in Title do not match content
• Hidden keywords
• Disobeying any of Google rules (see Google’s webmaster guidelines)

One thing that I have learned in my many years of optimizing websites. A website is only as good as those who maintain it. I’ve also learned that once you get the hang of what Google likes, they change the rules. However, with all this said, it doesn’t matter how well a website ranks on Google. What matters is the visitor.

As a professional SEO who has done optimized a ton of websites for various industries – this is what I suggest.

• Have a plan – what do you want visitors to do when they land on your site
• Know your audience and produce well-written, useful content for them
• Make it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for – don’t hide important information
• Make your calls-to-action prominent and consistent
• Maintain your content – if a product or service changes, update your site accordingly

So instead of worrying how long it takes to rank well on Google. Start thinking about your visitor and what is important to them. Afterall, your in business to get business from humans, not search engines.

Not sure if your site meets Google’s (or Patti’s) guidelines. Contact us for a complimentary website review.

Over the years we’ve all heard the over-used saying coined by the SEO industry: “content is King”. Well, it’s true. Search engines LOVE fresh content. However, I’m going to take this concept one step further by saying “beneficial content is King of the jungle” in 2009.

In today’s tough economic times it’s more important than ever to have a strong web presence. Why? Well, businesses and consumers spend more time researching a product or service before making that crucial buying decision. Consumers today choose to do business with, or buy a product from, companies they trust, and those that offer value.

Fresh website content helps increase keyword rankings on the SERPS (search engine results pages) and builds inbound links. However, beneficial fresh content will also build targeted traffic and customer acquisition too.

Here are 5 simple tips for adding fresh, and beneficial, content to your website.

1. Start a useful blog. It’s a well-known fact that blogs attract links and traffic, but a useful blog will also attract customers. Write value-added posts that give potential clients a reason to choose you over your competitors.
2. Create social responsible news. Many businesses have a News section of their site where they post their latest press releases – which is great. However, take it one step further by posting your “social responsible” news to your site as well. Has your company donated money to a charity, or organized a volunteer effort? Has your company joined the “green” revolution? Put it on your site.
3. Add tip lists or how-to articles. Whether your company offers dog sweaters or project collaboration software, there is always a helpful tip or a useful how-to to share. Free advice is not only valuable; it will be remembered by your audience as well. If your visitors find your tips helpful, they’ll be sure to share it with their friends or business associates. Make it easy for them by adding an “email this article” link.
4. Solicit customer testimonials, reviews or case studies. Your customers are your most important asset. Ask for testimonials or reviews and post them on your site. Better yet, if your product or service helped a client solve a problem, write a case study. People like to do business with companies that have happy clients.
5. Interview an expert in your field (even if it’s a competitor). With the birth of social media, collaboration has become part of the norm. Interviewing an expert in your niche not only gives your clients useful information, but also boosts your credibility as well.

Give visitors a reason to come back to your website over and over. Afterall, beneficial content sells in tough times, and in good.

Tell us what you think. Leave a comment.

Well, Google did it again. They’ve created a web browser called Chrome. Currently Chrome is available for download for Windows XP and Windows Vista users. Versions for Mac and Linux are coming soon.

So, what’s the big deal about Chrome? Well, I’m sure Microsoft is shaking in its boots worrying that Chrome will make Internet Explorer obsolete. Will that happen? I doubt it. Also, faithful users of Mozilla’s Firefox may decide to switch to Chrome if Google offers similar plug-ins and downloads. But what really makes Chrome special? According to Google’s press announcement yesterday, Chrome’s features include:

• Clean design and simple to use
  
• Each tab runs independently making Chrome faster and more responsive
• Enhanced security features
• “Fill in the blank” feature remembers where you’ve visited
• Thumbnails of your top sites
  
• Shortcuts to downloaded files appear at the bottom of the page – no more searching for your downloads in files (personally happy about this one)
• Drag and drop downloaded files to location of choice (again, happy about this one)
• Instant bookmarks, and more…
  
• Completely open-source and not tied to Google search or any other Google application

During the press conference, Google stressed that Chrome is completely open-source and is not related to Google Search or any other Google application. Google also said they will continue to work closely with Mozilla and also commended Mozilla for “re-igniting browser technology advancements.”

What does the future hold for Chrome? We’ll soon find out. I’m sure news of Chrome will not die off too soon.

As for me, I’ll give Chrome a shot. But it will take a lot to convince me to switch completley from Firefox.