How Google+ is Shaping the Future of Search
Google’s latest attempt to build and grow a social network is called Google+ spoken as Google Plus. Because most people are sharing links, articles and ideas outside of the Google network mostly via Facebook and Twitter, the search giant has found itself at a disadvantage. Google has undoubtedly noticed that people are consuming massive amounts of content based on the recommendations of friends within their social networks. Because of this rate of consumption, Google has taken interest...
Is Tweeting the New Link Building?
Article Updated: Feb. 2015 A study conducted at MOZ is helping us understand how tweets influence search rankings. The study has shown that a bit.ly link tweeted by an influential user group has the ability to rank keywords quickly, without followed links and without anchor text. As time continues, the issue of social signals and how Google factors them in to its search results is beginning to take shape. While Google has been somewhat forthcoming on the key ingredients of search...
How do you know if you’ve been Panda-slapped?
On February 24th of this year, Google rolled out it’s now infamous Panda update. Throughout the year, Google updates it’s method of ranking and displaying search engine results for all queries. The goal of these updates is always to increase the relevancy of the search results as they relate to the search query. The latest update, dubbed Panda, has adversely affected an estimated 12% of US-based websites. 1. Login to Google Analytics. Need help? Contact us 2. On your Dashboard...
What Are QR Codes?
QR Codes are two-dimensional barcodes. QR stands for Quick Response and were developed to contain more data and character types then current barcodes. QR Codes can contain up to 7,089 characters versus the 20 characters for traditional barcodes. The mobile adoption rate has fueled the use of QR Codes in recent years through the use if QR Code Readers. QR Codes are currently being used to connect to a web address, compose a text message, dial a telephone number, or prompt your email client with...
How To Edit Your Company Profile on LinkedIn
At the beginning of November, LinkedIn released some new features for their Company Profile section. LinkedIn now allows businesses to add services and products to their company profiles, solicit customer endorsements for company products and services, as well as the ability to "follow" companies. Follow Company There is now a "Follow Company" button displayed on the company profile page. Selecting to "follow" a company allows you to keep up to date on when employees of this company leave...
Get Social With Ecommerce Receipts
The integration between social networks and search engines is going to start to impact traditional search engine optimization techniques. There has been more and more social influence being built into the search algorithms in order to present better search results to the end user. Just take a look at Bing's Instant Personalization program. Businesses of all sizes need to become aware of these impacts and understand how being a part of social networks can help their business succeed online...
Google Maps Adds Hotel Comparison Shopping
Noticing that Google Maps has added some additional functionality for hotel searches. I noticed at the top of the Google Maps search results a "Check In" and "Check Out" search feature. Also, beside each hotel listing there is a lowest price drop down. Clicking on the lowest price displays a list of Sponsored results with pricing information on the specific hotel. The drop down list looks to have four paid listings and the last one is the official hotel link. Here is a screen shot. This was...
Social Search Results - Facebook Friends Bing
Facebook recently announced a new partnership with Bing. Bing will now pull in Facebook "Like" information into their search result pages creating "social search". Social search will take the personal link recommendations from your group of Facebook friends and include those links within a special section of the search engine results page. In the future Bing will look to add your friend's "Likes" next to the individual search engine result listings. Bing will also be providing a "Friend...
IP Address Influencing Search Engine Rankings
Google has been using the user's IP address to serve up local results for the Google Local 7-pack for awhile now. Then back in February they added a search "Nearby" feature that would allow you to refine your organic search results as well as the Google Local 7-pack for a city. On top of this Google is now using your IP address to influence search engine rankings for broad terms. What does this mean? It means that a user in one location will be served up one set of results while a user in...
Click Through Rate Can Affect Your Bing Rankings
From the recent SMX East conference Barry Schwartz, contributor at Search Engine Land, confirmed with Steve Tullis, Sr Program Manager Lead at Bing/Microsoft, that Bing does indeed use click through rate CTR as one of the many factors in their Bing ranking algorithm. Steve Tullis made the comment that if a search result does not get clicked on Bing will likely lower the site's ranking. What can influence a user to click on your listing within the search engine result pages SERPs ? One of the...