Google Launches a New Algorithm

Google Launches a New Algorithm Change

On February 24th 2011, Google made an enormous change to the way that they rank and index websites and their associated pages dubbed either the "Panda" or "Farmer" update. Now, there are many new factors contributing to the ranking of websites all over the U.S. and soon the rest of the world. Google will no longer rely as heavily as it once did on keywords, but will now focus much of it's attention on the search behaviors of those doing the searching. If you are a usual Google user you may have noticed that the search page for Google has undergone some visual changes and functional changes.

What Has Changed

It is now possible that your website could rank higher or lower depending on many factors including:

1) Original Content: content not duplicated on your site and not obtained from another website.
2) Bounce Rate: instances where a visitor comes to your site and leaves immediately without making any selections
3) Relevance of the content on your page versus the page title and the search query that made your site show up.

It could even factor in if you have a low amount of return visitors. There are MANY more factors that go into this equation but, one things is clear; Google intends to let the way users behave when searching take a front seat to building their results.

What This Means For You

Again, your ranking may be positively or negatively affected by this change. It has been witnessed that some well established, number one ranking sites have dropped traffic by more than 50% since the Panda update, while others have started to see an increase in rankings. There are just so many factors to consider and very little hard evidence to go with. As you may or may not know, Google considers the exact factors and formulas for their algorithms to be a secret worth taking to the grave. This cuts down on people that would wish to unfairly climb the rankings.

Our Advice

So, what should you do? Our advice is to leave things in the hands of your marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialist. Not only is it their job to figure these things out so you don't have to, I haven't found anyone yet that isn't trying to stay on top of all of the search engine updates and trends. If you don't have an SEO specialist and don't think you can keep your website coming up well, get one! Lastly, if you don't want one and want to brave the storm all yourself, just look online. There are plenty of blogs, vlogs and reports that are offering advice on this new issue. Keep in mind, no one knows everything about the specifics and what is to be widely accepted as fact will be only speculation with supportive instances. As always, try some things and see what works for you specifically.

From A Web Designer: How To Be A Great Client

If you are a client wondering how to work best with your web designer, consider the following tips of "what not to say" while working with your web designer. Oftentimes there is a large gap in knowledge between a business owner and a website designer. If you knew how to build websites, you would not need a website designer in the first place. Some things can not be avoided - however, here are 5 great tips to consider before moving uttering words that make your designer want to refund your money. Also, here are some tips on how to avoid embarrassment.

1. "How should I know what it should look like, your the web designer." There are about 10,000 ways to build a website... and only you know what is in your head. Everyone has a preference in style, colors, and look and feel - but clients are often the last to communicate what that is. Most clients only know what they "like" after they see something they don't like. This starts the relationship out disappointing for both parties. If you want to be "wowed" with your website, you need to communicate before you see the first design - ahead of time. Set aside an hour or two to browse the web and find other websites that you can judge. Notice what you like and dislike about your competitors. Write that down. Tell the website designer the next chance you get. Give them examples, but let them suggest ideas too. While some designers are better at guessing what you want, it's best for both sides to have an understanding before work begins.
2. "It looks two dimensional, can't it move more or do something?" First off, great website designs don't really need to "do something". Websites are actually two dimensional - flat on your screen... no 3D glasses required.  You may be seeing a design that mostly uses flat colors and square boxes with no gradients, drop shadows, or special styling. If your designer delivered a website that doesn't look modern; tell them you want more gradients, drop shadows, and styling. On another note, each moving element on a website slows load time and is probably not very search engine friendly. The more "bling-wads" you cram into your website, the longer it takes to design and code with typically very little return on your investment. Also these bling-wads may be very tacky and not well thought out. Most clients want these things thrown in for free and may demand or expect it. Your website is designed to get you more business, not to load slowly, and possibly turn off future customers. Get to the basics - ask for a tasteful sideshow to display meaningful messages or images and make sure each element on your website actually serves a purpose. If you must have something more, make sure you ask for a quote to cover the additional cost for the work.
3. "I am going to email you a picture of my dog, can you put her somewhere on the website?" We have actually had this happen a number of times over the years. No joke. If you didn't laugh or find that request silly, please click the X button in the upper right hand corner of your screen. This request is only irritating to a web designer that wants you to succeed and also wants to be proud of their work. Even though you love your pets, your customers come in all different age groups and have different levels of tolerance. Some may have allergies to pets or maybe they are scared of dogs? Your pets do not belong as the first impression of your company - unless you are a dog groomer. Make sure all content you send makes sense for your business.
4. "I have a camera with tons of pictures on it, I don't know how to do the computer thing, can you come get them for the website?" Getting high quality images on your website is possibly one of the most important differences between having a great looking site and a laughing stalk. If your camera has birthday parties, 4th of July celebrations, and bar mitzvah's all intermingled with your business photos - please just take some new photos. Try to send just the photos you want used as to not waste their time or yours. If you really don't know how to use technology, bring your camera down to the local Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Costco, Kinkos etc. and ask them to put it on a disk and then mail it to your website designer. Then apologize heavily for the circumstance, and explain that you would have been better prepared if you had only known sooner. If you are on the opposite end of the spectrum and don't have any images at all, give your website designer an idea of the types of images you would like to have and they will do their best to find suitable matches using stock photography sources. 
5. "Just one more little quick change, it shouldn't take you very long." Each time you change something on a completed website, it can be as simple as a click, but it can also take a lot of time. The amount of time it ends up taking depends on the change, the location of the change, the type of website they have built, and sometimes the complexity of the database they have created for you. Don't assume that it's a little change - unless you know code. Just looking at your project again will typically take 15 minutes of the designers day in loading programs, logging in, finding passwords, research, locating your email, and then making sense of the change. Even fixing a comma in the wrong place can be more time consuming than you would imagine. To avoid sounding as if you devalue their time, tell them your change, then ask about how long it will take. Expect to hear a range of time back "could take between 30 minutes and 2 hours." Let them know that you are aware it could be more involved than it sounds, and you had hoped it was a quick fix. Understand they may have other projects going and don't be put off if it takes longer than a day or two to get back to you. Try to avoid asking for a status update on changes unless a reasonable amount of time has passed, or you have an important deadline that will be missed.
   

It's very important to keep your relationship solid and mutually respectful with your designer. They will automatically want to work harder, better, faster and make you proud - no matter how much money you ended up paying them. Try to stay extra sweet on charm to get the most bang for your buck. The last thing you want to do is have an uninspired, deflated, confused and frustrated designer building the most important (and least expensive) worldwide marketing tool - your website.  

The Online Social Network Marketing Craze

Online marketing has grown into many different facets as it has evolved and today we would like to talk specifically on Online Social Network Marketing. This encompasses many things, but the most notable are Facebook, Myspace and Twitter.  The key to using these marketing tools is similar to the key to properly wielding your website and that is visibility. Increasing your visibility differs from social network to social network. Today, we would like to talk about Facebook and the benefits of working at marketing on that particular social networking site.

Social Marketing with Facebook

Facebook is a good platform for getting your point across instantly to all of those friends. You can post deals or specials that you are currently offering. You can post pictures of products or events you have held. You can even message directly to specific people. The problem is that some of these options can only be achieved if you have a “personal” account as opposed to a “business” account.

Business accounts allow you to post content to your main page but they have limited access to user information. You won’t be able to view information from other users that isn’t already on your created pages. For example, you won’t be able to look at other users personal pages to see their pictures and read their personal posts. You also won’t be able to request friends for your page and will only be able to have other users click the “Like” button for your page, showing that they like your page and would like to see content that you post on your page sent to theirs. You can also post photos to be seen by users.

Personal accounts allow you to request friends in hopes that they will accept your request and you can view information on each others pages. The issue with this is that personal pages are meant for actual people and not for a business. The practice of creating a personal page for the use of advertising a business is frowned upon and some measures have been taken to deter undertaking of this practice. But, since there isn’t a law against it, there is little to no harm done to your business. With a Facebook personal page, you can post content that can be seen by people accepted as your friends and post photos.

Making Friends and Finding People That Like You

Regardless of which one you choose, your goal will first be to entice people to either become your friend of like your page. This can be achieved in several different ways. With a personal Facebook account, you can start with posting interesting content to your page and then start requesting friends. The types of friends you will be looking to attract will need to be decided by your target market. Are you trying to sell products that are hip or edgy? Then you may want to try attracting youthful and spirited people. Are you an informational website trying to educate older people about the hazards of not caring for their teeth? Try and older set of friends.

Earlier, we touched on Facebook taking steps to prevent businesses from doing this. One of the ways they attempt this is by giving users the option of saying that they don’t know you and therefore mark you as a “Spammer.” This can have Facebook ban you from using the site for an appointed time or permanently. So, be careful. Once you have attracted the users that are right for you, be sure to always offer content that will interest them and hopefully drive them to your website. Good content is always a great way of increasing your friends on Facebook.

If you decide on a Facebook business account, you are looking for the same results, only this time you will need to find other ways to entice users. This time the goal is to get them to “Like” your page. That way, your content posts will show on their main page, granting you visibility. You may have to try a little harder to get them to notice you. Our suggestion is having promotions such as, give away something or provide a discount to those that like you on Facebook. As we said before, good content goes a long way to increasing your friends on Facebook. Or, in this case, increasing your likes.

We hope that you found some information that you can use and as always, Happy Marketing!