All posts tagged with
Organic Search
Google Improves Border Accuracy in Google Maps
Category: Search Engine Marketing
21 Jul 2010Google has launched some improvements to its borders for over 60 countries and regions in Google Maps (coming to Google Earth soon).
“Making Google’s mapping tools as accurate as possible is a complex process, especially when a map’s accuracy has both quantitative and qualitative aspects,” says Google Geo Policy Analyst Charlie Hale. “We receive spatial data of all kinds – imagery, boundaries, place names, etc. – from a variety of sources worldwide, and we review them carefully before integrating them into the best representation of a given location in Google Earth and Maps.”
“In the case of geopolitical features on our maps, the depiction of borders is something upon which local authorities, governments and internationally recognized bodies often disagree,” says Hale. “Our goal is to provide the most legible and accurate maps we can given the information available in these oft-changing areas of geopolitical disagreement. Like most maps, ours include symbology that makes borders and other geopolitical features clearer to users.”
With the update, Google says many borders will more closely follow natural boundaries like mountains and rivers. In some areas Google has changed the symbology of the boundary lines based on political treaties and agreements. In other areas, there is simply just more information provided.
To read this article in its entirety, click here.
SEO Tips to Double Rankings, Traffic and Conversion
Category: Search Engine Marketing
18 May 2010Recently, Site Reference published an article that discusses SEO tips to achieve double rankings in the search results because, simply put, two results are better than one.
87% of search engine traffic for a given keyword is allocated from occupying the #1 position in the search engine results page.
SEO is predicated on one simple premise, rankings. In order for SEO to be effective, it must produce ranking on the first page in search engines. Not only is this the crowning achievement of search engine optimization, but once you achieve a top 10 position, then you can pull other keywords into the spotlight as a result of strategic linking.
Search engine algorithms pay particular attention to individual pages capable of offsetting all of the other inconsistencies of competitor’s web pages and deem one page worthy above all others for any given search term.
Obviously the metrics are unique for each market, keyword or niche, but the reality is the same, once a top 3 or more importantly #1 or #1, 2 and 3 positions represent in Google.
It does not matter if that link is provided from your own website or another website, rankings are by the page and there is a daisy-chain effect of linking pages together that fuses the pages through a dynamic give and take relationship (based on citation). This citation can provide the algorithmic equivalents of trust needed for the newly linked page to jump in line past others duking it out for that keyword.
Depending on the competitiveness of the keyword or key phrase and the thresholds inherent to the barrier to entry; the time required to initiate a campaign, create all of the necessary content, inbound links and citation from other web 2.0 properties, RSS feeds and social bookmarking sites divided by the amount of time you invest managing or outsourcing the various components involved determine your profitability and return on investment.
With this in mind, from a tactical perspective, it’s better to leverage the SERP positioning you already have, than look outside of your own website for off page ranking factor. If you understand the power of a #1 position, then you can replicate this next simple SEO tip.
1. Identify all current #1 positions in Google for keywords.
2. Validate they still exist.
3. Use Keyword Research to find “related keywords” based on the #1 ranking
4. Link from the page that ranks to a new page (using similar anchor text or overlapping keywords to promote the new page).
5. Let the new page get indexed, then check the SERPs
To read this article in its entirety, click here.
Google: Location Is Becoming An Important Signal When It Comes to Search
Category: Search Engine Marketing
24 Mar 2010While at a recent mobile marketing and advertising event in Vegas, Diana Pouliot, the Director of Mobile Advertising at Google, made a few interesting comments. According to Pouliot, one third of all Google searches via the mobile web pertain to some aspect of the searcher’s local environment.
In addition, Google Mobile Ads Group Product Manager Paul Feng reportedly said, “We think of location as a hugely important signal.”
So just how important of a signal is location to Google? Feng may have been talking about ad relevance specifically, but we know it plays some role in organic search. Otherwise, people would not get different search results based on where they are, which has been the case for some time. Perhaps the real question is whether location will start carrying more weight as searchers increasingly turn to their mobile devices for a greater percentage of their queries.
Location is already playing a significant role in the way people are searching on their mobile devices, and not just with search engines. WebProNews had an interesting discussion with RateItAll President Lawrence Coburn at the Online Marketing Summit last month about how consumers sharing their location has in essence become a new way of sending out a generic query, one that is becoming more prevalent with the growing popularity of location-sharing services like Gowalla and Foursquare.
“The thing about Foursquare and Gowalla, and these check-in apps, is like, a single tap of your phone is a powerful piece of data. It creates a connection with the merchant (with a bar or a restaurant) that you’re at,” explains Coburn. “It tells your friends where you are, and then in the aggregate, it tells the services like Foursquare and Gowalla what places are hot. And then you can imagine, like a local coupon or a local ad network overlaid on top, where a business is having a slow Tuesday, and they can blast out to everybody in their neighborhood, and say ‘hey, we’re doing half off beers in our place RIGHT NOW,’ and they can decide that on the fly, and reach a community that’s right around them.”
Despite apps like these, Twitter now has location features, and Facebook is expected to have some very soon. That has to be considered a whole new ballgame, not only because of the popularity of these social networks, but their relationships with the search engines. The social networks are already becoming more integrated into search results through real-time search, as well as social search (not to mention the web in general through Facebook Connect, APIs, etc.). Given Google’s fondness for delivering relevant results and an increased rate of user location sharing, it’s hard not to imagine location becoming more of a factor in search than ever.
To read this article in its entirety, click here.
Yahoo To Include Twitter Feeds On Its Web Sites
Category: Search Engine Marketing| Social Media| Web 2.0
11 Mar 2010Yahoo and Twitter have reached an agreement that will allow for Twitter feeds to be put on various Yahoo sites, including the Yahoo home page as well as search, e-mail accounts, and Yahoo sites devoted to news, finance, sports and entertainment.
The terms of the deal were not announced.
Yahoo also will include Twitter content on its sites containing complementary information. For example, a Yahoo user reading a certain news item may also see Twitter updates on that news on the same page.
Both Google and Microsoft Corp.’s Bing have similar deals integrating Twitter feeds.
To read the entire article, click here.
Use News Releases & Announcements to Promote Your Business
Category: Search Engine Marketing
4 Mar 2010Press releases are a great tool to use to promote your business and web site online. SiteProNews has recently published an article that further explains three good reasons why companies should try to create and distribute at least one press release each month.
1. Press Release Distribution is Good For Organic Search Engine Rankings
One of the most important components to getting ranked high on the Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc., search page results – is the number of external web sites that link to your web site.
Your news release appearing on an online or industry news site, a social networking site, a newswire such as BusinessWire or PR NewsWire, or even on a directory of press releases, helps improve your web site’s overall organic search engine rankings. In addition, many other sites and blogs may pick up your release and print it on their pages, further increasing the search engine results for your web site and business.
Did you know that a good news announcement could show up on hundreds or thousands of different sites?!
Most major news sites only keep their press releases online for about a month or so, you need to keep posting new press releases and news announcements every month to maintain your SEO rating and web page search results positions. By optimizing your press releases and embedding hotlinks, you can further increase how high up your web site will appear in the search results.
You should also make sure to post your press releases on your own web site. By posting your press releases on your site, you increase the amount and quality of content on your site. For most search engines, the two of the most important factors towards getting a high search page result are the amount of quality links pointing to your web site and the amount of quality content you have on your site. News announcements can fulfill both.
2. Press Releases Inform Potential Customers About Your Company & Products
Most people and businesses now rely on a web search as an integral part of their search for products, and services. Seeing your news announcements all over the web – at the magazines they read, at various blogs, and as a result of web searches, can greatly help boost your company’s brand and product awareness in their mind. It is also useful to have news announcements that inform current and past customers of what is new and that you are still successfully in business.
3. Distributing Press Releases May Increase Company Press
Press outlets that come across your press releases may be interested in your news and want to include it as a standalone announcement or as part of a trend article or column. They may be doing an industry overview or product round up. It is also useful to occasionally inform press that you are an expert in your industry and are available for comment as needed. If they don’t see press releases from your company on a regular basis, you may drop off their radar screen. You need to show ongoing, consistent news and growth or the press will forget about you.
To read this article in its entirety, click here.
Why Marketers Should Care About Your Friends’ Interests
Category: Search Engine Marketing| Social Media
28 Jan 2010A recent article found in Advertising Age titled ‘Friendsoucing’: Search Gone Social explains why marketers today should care about social network users’ friends’ interests.
The article explains how in its purest state, Google’s page rank algorithm serves up the ideal result for everyone, but it is the same ideal result for everyone. How does Google know which articles are right for each individual searcher?
But we may be on the edge of something big in the search world.
Throughout the past year there was a flurry of activity from the major search engines. Bing announced deals with Facebook and Twitter. Next Google unveiled its social search product. Google has also begun integrating real-time, public conversations with hot, trending keyword searches. Marketers have only started to scratch the surface of what these partnerships mean for them and their clients. At the very leas, there are three paradigm shifts to deal with in the future:
- What brands say and do in social media has an increasingly direct effect on how they will appear in the search engines.
- The more friends in a user’s social circle that talk about a brand, the more likely it is that another user will see your brand and become another voice.
- Social media is not just a silo in the marketing mix anymore and the lines will become more increasingly blurred with mass media, CRM, SEO/SEM and other marketing channels.
It is never too late for marketers to launch a social media campaign for their brand. Social media is not just an Internet fad that will disappear as the years pass. It has changed the way marketers promote their brand and reach their audiences. Although social media may evolve throughout the years, it is a marketing channel that is here to stay.
Meta Descriptions Now Affect Your Google Rankings…Again
Category: Search Engine Marketing
11 Jan 2010Meta descriptions were once an important ranking factor when it came to organic search, until Google announced that they were no longer going to use meta descriptions in their search algorithms. However; recent developments in Google’s search algorithm have once again decided to take web sites’ meta descriptions as a ranking factor.
Now, your web site’s meta description can significantly affect your organic search rankings. Here is how:
In December 2009, Google announced that they would be tailoring search results based on a users search history, even when users are not signed into Google.
How does this work? All of the searches that a user runs, whether on Google or not, are stored in their browser cookies. This data is referred to as ‘Web History’ and Google uses it to customize your search results.
To learn more, click here to read the article recently published on Site Reference.
Google Announces New Search Feature: Real-Time Web
Category: Search Engine Marketing
8 Jan 2010Google has announced that they are introducing new features that will bring Google Search users results with a dynamic stream of real-time content from across the web. Now, immediately after performing an online search a users can see live updates from people on popular sites such as Twitter and FriendFeed, as well as headlines from news and blog posts published just seconds before the search was conducted. When relevant, Google will rank these latest results to show the freshest information right on the search engine results page.
This real-time search will enable users to discover breaking news as it’s happening, even if it is not the popular news of the day.
To read more details on the new Google search feature, click here.
What is More Important on Your Web Site: Content or Links?
Category: Search Engine Marketing
22 Dec 2009As Google’s algorithm evolves, which is better: have a web site with exceptional links and mediocre content, or a web site with exceptional content and mediocre links?
Watch the video below for answers.
Is Over-Optimizing A Web Site A Bad Thing?
Category: Search Engine Marketing| Uncategorized
22 Dec 2009Is over-optimizing your web site to achieve better organic search engine rankings a bad thing? What can happen to visitors’ impressions of your web site if it is over-optimized?
Watch the video below for the answers to these questions.
What is Twitch?
Twitch is your source for creative happenings from all around the advertising industry. Brought to you by Stevens & Tate Marketing and Endora Digital Solutions. Find news, updates and insight on everything from print, interactive and web and social, to viral and search engine marketing. If it's happening, it's Twitch!
Categories
- Anouncements (16)
- Business-to-Business (3)
- Creative (6)
- E-Mail Marketing (16)
- Education & Training (2)
- Food Packaging (5)
- Homebuilding (15)
- Hotels Resorts & Travel (14)
- Media News (19)
- Project & Campaign News (6)
- Retail/Grocery (34)
- Search Engine Marketing (24)
- Senior Living (9)
- Social Media (63)
- Stevens & Tate Speaks (69)
- Uncategorized (3)
- Web 2.0 (18)
- What People Are Saying About Stevens & Tate (10)
- Top Resort E-Mail Subject Lines of the Month
- E-Mail Subject Lines of the Month for Homebuilders
- This Is Not Your Father’s Advertising
- Subject Lines of the Month for Consumer-Based E-Mails
- Using Social Media to Attract a Viral Campaign
- Top 10 WordPress Terms You Should Know
- Google Improves Border Accuracy in Google Maps
- Tech News of the Month – Apple iPhone 4
- Branding and the Recession
- Attraction Marketing: How Can You Do More Within Your Organization To Draw Business To You?
- JassiMostru: Hi Very nice and intrestingss story. [...]
- Tim Itano: Agreed! On both your baby boomer comment and your admiration of oval rubber coin holders. I have not [...]
- Elmhurst Erik: The Baby Boomers are unlike any generation. They revolutionized society and mass media. I love ov [...]
- Tim Itano: Good post. And yeah, re: the "last meal" involved in the asteroid attack, I'm not sure I would use m [...]
- Paul: I agree with you, technology is making it easier for marketers to reach their consumers at home, on [...]
