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Thursday, April 19th, 2012
Search engine optimisation remains one of the most effective forms of internet marketing.
All good internet marketing strategies should pay attention to organic search initiatives to ensure a steady flow of search traffic to a target site.
Whilst paid search is becoming more prevalent amongst both search engines and social media networks, organic queries remain the biggest source of traffic, according to stats from Search Engine Journal.
They’ve broken down some of the more surprising SEO stats to show just how important a good optimisation strategy can be: even if it doesn’t yield results immediately, a patient, strategic approach will eventually pay dividends.
The stats show that 70% of links clicked on by search users are organic, with 70% to 80% of users saying they never click on paid ads. 75% said they never scroll past the first page of results.
Companies who post regular blogs have, on average, 434% more indexed pages than those who do not – but only 81% of businesses consider their blogs to be an important asset.
Search remains the number one source of traffic for a website – it’s a better drive than social media by 300% according to a study by Outbrain.
More than 100 billion global searches occur every month, with Google owning 65-70% of the market share.
Mobile devices are becoming a popular choice for search, too: there were 97.3 million mobile internet users in 2011. This year, that number is expected to top 113.9m. Of those users, 72.8m will be “mobile shoppers” in 2012.
The figures speak for themselves: SEO remains an absolutely vital component of online marketing.
News brought to you by ClickThrough – experts in Search Engine Marketing & Internet Marketing.
Tags: Google, internet marketing, organic, Paid Ads, PPC, rank, search, SEO
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation
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Monday, April 16th, 2012
Forget the outcry about SOPA – one of Google’s co-founders claims Facebook, not political meddling, is the “greatest threat” to internet freedom.
When the US congress began looking at SOPA – the Stop Online Piracy Act – the world-wide web went ballistic: claiming the act was so loosely worded, it could lead to political infringement which would, amongst other things, usurp the American right to free speech and shut down the “open web”. The anger spread quickly and countless sites protested about the legislation.
Whilst most webmasters may tell you they’re still keeping an eye on the political rumblings regarding SOPA-style legislature, over at Google, it seems something else entirely is causing a bee-in-the-bonnet-style headache.
Funnily enough, that something is Facebook.
According to Sergey Brin, who co-founded Google with Larry Page, the social network site is creating a “walled garden” which could lead to a loss of freedom on the net.
Brin claims Facebook’s rules are very restrictive, so much so that had they been applied to the web during the development of Google, the search engine may never have come to fruition.
He told the Guardian there were “very powerful forces” who opposed an open internet – naming Facebook and Apple specifically, and claiming “it’s scary.”
The comments came after several US employers were chastised in the past few weeks for asking prospective staff members for access to their social media profiles.Whilst Facebook was quick to point out such intrusion was against its terms of service, the debate has continued as to whether employers should, or shouldn’t, be granted access to personal information.
Brin has widened the debate, claiming Governments are trying to access, and control, public communication. In China and Saudi Arabia, for instance, this state censorship is prevalent and largely decried by the West. Ironically, the issue of such censorship is creeping into democratic Western countries now.
In the UK, several online instant messengers were hauled over the coals during UK parliamentary inquiries which followed last summer’s riots. The riots followed violent anti-government uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, amongst others, which were largely attributed to the dissemination of information via sites like Twitter and Facebook.
Brin, who was originally against Google operating in China, where the Government is renowned for censorship and propaganda, said simple shifts in online behaviour, such as people using apps in Facebook or via Apple devices, were restricting web freedom.
“All the information in apps – that data is not crawlable by web crawlers. You can’t search it,” he said, an effect which could greatly affect future search engine optimisation campaigns.
And he has a point. But then, Google has a vested interest in searchable information.
Brin’s underlying message is backed by the 14 million-member online activist site Avaaz – but his attack on Facebook has been seen as something as a cheapshot.
He claimed Google could never have been developed under Facebook’s “restrictive” rules – saying the success of Google hinged on an “open, transparent web”. Brin criticised the ‘walled garden’ effect of sites like Facebook, and said that effect would, ultimately, lead to a less open Internet.
But, oddly, he didn’t mention Google+, Google’s recently-launched, and far less popular social network rival to Facebook.
News brought to you by ClickThrough – experts in SEO, Pay Per Click Services, Multilingual Search Marketing and Website Conversion Enhancement services.
Tags: apple, apps, facebook, Google, Larry Page, open internet, sergey brin, social networks, sopa, twitter, walled gardens, web freedom
Posted in Search Engine News
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Thursday, April 12th, 2012
Google has confirmed that it is applying for the right to use branded top-level domains (TLDs), according to an article published on PCMAG.com
Does this mean that we’ll be searching the web from Google.google and browsing through videos on Youtube.youtube? It’s unlikely, but with 58 trademarks containing the word ‘Google’, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, this move will open up plenty of possibilities for Google’s own internet marketing strategy.
We won’t know exactly which TLDs Google has applied for – the search engine giant is due to announce details after applications for generic top-level domains (gTLDs) close today – but an estimated guess would point to such brand-cementing domains as the aforementioned ‘.google’, as well as domains deriving from Google products such as ‘.gplus’ and ‘.gplay’. It is also possible that Google will choose to group all of its products under the umbrella of its masterbrand – i.e. ‘plus.google’.
A Google spokesperson commented on the plan: “We plan to apply for Google’s trademarked TLDs, and we’re currently exploring opportunities to apply for new ones as well.
“We want to help make this a smooth experience for web users – one that promotes innovation and competition on the Internet.”
It’s not just Google that has access to branded domains like these – the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) began putting timetables in place for the creation of these generic top-level domains (gTLDs) last year.
So theoretically, the process is open to anyone – as long as they’re willing to stump up the $185,000 fee.
Several big-name companies such as Facebook and Pepsi have decided not to join the gTLD club, as Advertising Age noted in its report on the subject.
News brought to you by ClickThrough – experts in Search Engine Marketing & Internet Marketing.
Tags: Google, gTLDs, top-level domains, youtube
Posted in Search Engine News
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Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012
Offline marketing still has its place, although many agencies seem to forget its existence and focus almost entirely on the online space. Many companies also continue to keep separate teams for online and offline marketing, and this can lead to unco-ordinated marketing campaigns and strategies.
Understanding the value of offline marketing is essential and tying this tightly to an online campaign can lead to additional benefits in audience reach and participation, conversions, and effectiveness. For instance, it is an old marketing adage that a prospect will require up to seven exposures to marketing material to act on the message. So, blanket campaigns have always been popular to reach the prospective audience as many places as possible. However, in the offline world, this type of campaign was only available to the richest and largest companies who could splash out on TV ads, magazine advertorials, billboards, newspaper full page ads etc.
The arrival of the Internet levelled that playing field and many small businesses have realised the potential of online marketing. But often at the expense of any offline marketing. For those who are online, and even for many who do not use the Internet, well, we have all heard of Google, haven’t we? But, Google is still ramping up the amount it spends on offline advertising, year on year, focussing particularly on TV, but also advertising on other mediums too. For instance, in 2010 Google spent $56million compared to $213million last year. Of that, a remarkable $70m went on TV ads.
It is interesting to ponder why Google needs to do this. Not only is it about gathering in those people who do not encounter Google on the Net by targeting them ‘wherever they are’, but the range of products Google now has is so extensive that even the most devoted Google fan has a hard time keeping up. (Google Play has arrived in the black toolbar recently, but many of the Google innovations are “hidden” in Product Labs within the relevant app eg Gmail).
Google is not a master at offline advertising, and some campaigns have garnered flak before now, but Google (the King of online advertising) has had to learn in order to reach the widest possible audience, just as we all do. By understanding exactly who the audience are, the triggers for action (be that a sale, a discount coupon, a freephone number, or a competition), and where the audience hangs out, offline marketing can help as part of a co-ordinated campaign.
We have seen how print and TV advertising has taken a hit because of the variety of options available to advertise online, but it is not wise to cut back entirely on local and regional advertising, print ads, newspaper and magazine press releases, or even a few simple guerrilla tactics to attract attention to your business.
What offline advertising tactics do you still deploy and how do you combine them with your online strategies?
Tags: advertising, Google, media, newspapers, offline, Press Releases, print
Posted in Blog, Google
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Friday, March 30th, 2012
When we search on the Internet these days, we expect to be given a list of potential sites which will hold the answers we seek, be that a product, a specific data set, an answer to a question and so on. It is then down to us to seek the answers or research further until we find them. However, Google appears to be about to up the ante and head more towards providing direct answers to questions rather than links to sites where that answer may reside.
Potentially, this is huge.
For Google, it may mean that anywhere between 10 and 20% of all search queries could be answered directly within Google search, rather than on third party websites that currently pop up in the organic search results. This could have a drastic effect on traffic to websites, especially those who have not looked beyond the search engines to create broad spectrum marketing campaigns. Having all your eggs in one basket is never a good idea, and this change at Google may well prove it to those who have pitched everything at SEO and little to nothing at social media, mobile, PPC, article marketing, forum marketing, etc etc.
Optimising (SEO) may need to change in order to be more than just keyword rich, but also to be ‘answer rich’ ie to provide the answers that Google offers to searchers. Therefore, within the copy and content of a site, it may be necessary for the SEO expert to try to envisage more clearly exactly what answers are likely to be sought, and hence, the question(s) that may be in the mind of the searcher when entering the query.
On the plus side, trusted sites which continually create unique, quality content should have an easier time of it than those sites which duplicate other sources. Relevancy, creating author tags, correct labelling of content (as is required for Google shopping for instance), strong reasons for a user to stay within a site rather than return to Google, regular competitive analysis, and a need to co-ordinate marketing strategies towards Google all look likely to be required to ensure at least a modicum of success with Google’s semantic search.
There are likely to be some downsides in this ambitious proposal. There have been plenty of occasions where the algorithms have thrown up what could be considered irrelevant results; be these the type of results that Panda was introduced to eliminate, or inappropriate adverts, and Google will need to stick to facts first and produce consistently accurate results in that sphere (as it does now for simple search queries such as measurement conversions) or it could come under fire for losing yet more relevancy.
If you thought that the search engines’ algorithms were hard enough to optimise for, wait until you are up against AI (artificial intelligence) deciding what should show in the SERPs! Especially if/when the semantic search moves beyond factual e.g when is the full moon in April 2012? to the opinionated: e.g “Is SEO necessary?”
Tags: Google, search, semantic, SEO
Posted in Blog, Google, SEO
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Wednesday, March 28th, 2012
A report published this week by a cross party committee of MPs and peers recommended that legislation should be introduced to force Google to censor search results, particularly in relation to protecting privacy. The rise and rise of social networking and the Internet has meant that cases such as the super injunction cases last year have spread virally over social media – Twitter, Facebook, blogs etc. So, despite the law insisting that identities and personal details were not revealed, and the press bending over backwards to abide by the rulings, the news got out anyway. The Ryan Giggs super injunction was tweeted over 75,000 times before it finally became obvious that the injunction could not be made to work.
It was following this that the PM set up the cross party committee to investigate free speech and privacy. However, the recommendation to force Google et al to censor results is likely to come under fire.
The suggestion raises several issues.
Firstly, whilst it may currently be legislation regarding privacy, how easily could this legislation be amended to be more far-reaching? Censorship in any form bodes ill, and freedom of speech should be fought for. There is no reason for content that has been considered to be an invasion of privacy not to be removed, or for heartier self-regulation to take place, but attempting to prevent gossip – which appears intrinsic to human nature – is likely to continue to be an onerous task, and it is inevitable that we will see more and more online reputation management agencies appearing to protect brands and so on.
But should a search engine (or Facebook or Twitter) be forced into a level of censorship determined often only by a single judge? What if there is an appeal or what if the content should be released in the public interest? How could this possibly be policed and enforced?
As a spokesperson for Google said, “Requiring search engines to screen the content of their web pages would be like asking phone companies to listen in on every call made across their networks for potentially suspicious activity.”
The committee is arguing for protection of privacy laws to go beyond the current ‘press’ eg newspapers, magazines, TV etc and also include Twitter, Facebook, Google and so on. As we move into an age of higher bandwidth and hence more innovation, the likelihood is that new social networking sites and tools will continue to spring up on an almost hourly basis. Endeavouring to imagine or legislate for all new tools, apps, sites could prove not only burdensome but actually impossible.
How could such censorship affect businesses or brands? The vast majority of the high profile cases have concerned celebrities and many brands have had to distance themselves from their celeb endorsers after bad news has been leaked or made its way onto the Internet, where it can now spread far more quickly than ever before. Google currently offers the chance to report a page or offensive etc content, and the argument from the Big G is that no further action is required beyond the ‘victim’ (for want of a better word) requesting the removal of said content.
The vagaries of Google, as we all know, mean that frequently such requests appear to be ignored, or the process drags on interminably whilst the content just sits there in the SERPs. The protection of celebrities’ i.e. individuals’ privacy may need to come above protection of business and brands reputation but does existing legislation not already cover this without requiring to force censorship on some of the biggest sites in the world?
Do you feel that the UK government should have a say in what the search engines and social networks are permitted to show to UK audiences?
Tags: censorship, committee, cross party, Google, MP, privacy, search results, serps
Posted in Blog, Google, Social Media
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Tuesday, March 27th, 2012
A joint Commons and Lords committee has called for the Government to force Google to block certain search results, according to an article published in the Guardian today.
If the Government decides to act on the suggestions, it will mean that Google will be obliged to censor results that have been found in court to be in breach of someone’s privacy – a move that could have serious effects on SEO.
The committee – put together by the Prime Minister last year – criticised Google for its objection to requests to filter results in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) in a report published today.
The report also highlights the case of Max Moseley – who said in evidence that he had spent at least half a million pounds attempting to remove traces of a video that was secretly filmed by the News of the World – and says that Google should take a proactive role in monitoring the legality of its search results.
In response, Google reiterated its position: “This is a really important issue for which there are no answers. Particularly when balancing freedom of expression and tackling unlawful content,” said a spokesman for the search giant.
He continued: “Requiring search engines to screen the content of their web pages would be like asking phone companies to listen in on every call made across their networks for potentially suspicious activity.”
Google also pointed out that it already removes unlawful content which has been flagged up by its users.
The committee called Google’s continued refusal to filter its own results “totally unconvincing.”
News brought to you by ClickThrough – a provider of SEO Services & Pay Per Click strategies.
Tags: Google, privacy law, SEO
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation
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Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
Google has uploaded a new video to its YouTube channel describing five of the most common search engine optimisation mistakes – and six ‘good ideas’ to help internet marketers get results.
The video is presented by Maile Ohye, a developer programs tech lead at Google. A summary of the slip-ups she mentions is presented below:
The first mistake is to begin to optimise your business’ website without first establishing your USPs (unique selling points). Apart from the simple reason that conversion matters – appearing in search engine results pages (SERPs) does not mean that people will buy into your product – this could also be tied to Google’s recent innovations in social search, as effectively-communicated USPs may encourage users to share your page with others.
The second mistake is to carry out your SEO separately from your other marketing activities. By tying offline marketing into online marketing, key phrases and slogans that users have searched for after seeing them on ‘real world’ adverts should begin to rank well in SERPs.
The third mistake is related to pagination – companies must use the latest standards to help search engines index their pages rather than using canonical tags, or fail to use code at all.
Ohye’s fourth tip is to avoid getting caught in ‘trends’. She uses the example of the way in which search engines and websites were once focused on attracting users, whereas now the focus has shifted towards achieving good rankings. As she points out, a good ranking does not necessarily mean good traffic.
The fifth and final SEO pitfall is, conversely, to fail to respond quickly to changes in search engines and within your industry. This includes simple matters like regular website updates, but also being able to quickly implement changes recommended by marketing and SEO teams when, for example, Google updates its algorithm.
News brought to you by ClickThrough – experts in SEO, Pay Per Click Services, Multilingual Search Marketing and Website Conversion Enhancement services.
Tags: Google, mistakes, optimise, SEO, serps, tags, video, youtube
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation
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Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
The blogging and social sharing platform Posterous has been acquired by Twitter. This is another indication of the joining of dots between social media platforms, bringing more functionality to users and, in this instance, offering Twitter an additional strength by providing easy access to a mechanism for sharing photos, long form writing and more, which 140 characters cannot.
There are many blogging platforms – the best known are Google’s Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, and Posterous. Blogs have gone from being simple online diaries or web logs to now being difficult to tell apart from a website, and often offering advantages over such because of the evolution from social media roots.
Many companies have discovered the usefulness of blogs for engaging with website visitors, sharing information, and posting images and, as blogs have adapted rapidly to social media developments, so companies have been able to co-ordinate social media strategies and efficiencies, such as being able to post directly to a blog from a mobile or smartphone.
Whilst some may see Twitter’s acquisition of Posterous as a step towards commercialisation (the company has an avid, enthusiastic and supportive community behind the platform), it is likely that this is a shrewd move by Twitter to extend its use beyond short form. Although Posterous is not the most popular blogging platform, the opening for Twitter is obvious.
The amalgamation of Twitter with a blog can benefit any social media strategy for small and large companies, and is proving to be essential in this socmed world, as well as a presence on social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.
Posterous has made it very simple for sharing of images, which is one area where many companies still seem to be missing the opportunities presented. Images and videos are not only eye-catching but can be used to simply display information, and the rise of infographics is testament to that. By sharing images across multiple social media properties, it is possible to reach a diverse audience and this may well be one of the key reasons for Twitter’s acquisition of Posterous as well as the rise of Pinterest in recent months.
Tags: acquisition, facebook, Google, LinkedIn, posterous, Social Media, strategy, twitter
Posted in Blog, Social Media
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Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
The UK’s Internet marketing and search engine optimisation industry is now worth more than £500m, according to a report by Econsultancy.
The online marketers’ site released the SEO Agencies Buyer’s Guide on March 19, with figures showing an 18% leap in the SEO market in 2011.
Econsultancy says the year-end value of SEO in the UK was around £514m – up from £436m in 2010.
The 2012 SEO Agencies Buyer’s Guide breaks down the valuation: explaining it was calculated using payments to agencies, investment and specialist costs for PR or social media marketing campaigns.
“It’s great to see that natural search has developed into a half-billion pound industry in the UK,” said Jake Hird, senior research analyst for Econsultancy.
“This also demonstrates the shifting landscape of the SEO marketplace. Now, search practitioners have to deal with elements such as social, mobile and local search, as well as continuing to optimise for other types of content, such as videos and images.”
The Econsultancy report also drew a correlation between SEO activity and other kinds of online marketing: with SEO becoming intrinsically important for PR, social media, content marketing and on-page information.
The report also looks at trends, changes and predictions for SEO, such as the focus on Google+, mobile search and increasing integration of SEO with other marketing campaigns.
The guide is aimed at companies looking to hire an SEO agency, with a breakdown of the UK’s most successful online marketing firms, together with their costs, services and achievements.
The guide is available to buy through Econsultancy.
News brought to you by ClickThrough – experts in SEO, Pay Per Click Services, Multilingual Search Marketing and Website Conversion Enhancement services.
Tags: buyers guide, Content, Econsultancy, Google, industry, marketing, search, SEO, UK
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation
