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Tag: links

  • Five For Friday: Google Language 101 – Metas, SEO, & Link Building Without Content

    12507215604_e7408e02c4_z1. Link Building Without Content Creation  – Search Engine Journal

    A common misconception about link building is that content creation is a necessary part of it. While new content certainly helps, Jon Ball recently posted an article arguing that updating content is not always necessary, especially for small businesses that lack the resources to invest in new content. Small businesses, he claims, shouldn’t dismiss link building just because they think it is too costly or time-consuming. Fortunately, Ball offers five link building approaches that do not require content creation.

    2. Google+ Finally Lets Us Pin Posts! –  Marketing Land

    Finally, Google+ users can highlight certain posts to make them stand out. Early last week, Google+ announced that users can now pin posts to the top of their pages. Google+ is a little late on the trend, as Facebook and Twitter have already offered this feature to users. So far, Google+ pinned posts are only visible on a desktop or Android device. What does this mean for businesses? With this new feature, you can increase the visibility of posts you want your users to see.

    3. 2015: Over Half of Search Spending Goes to Mobile – Marketing Land

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    A new study conducted by eMarketer shows that in 2015, spending on mobile paid search ads and SEO is predicted to be at 50.1%. This is due to a change in consumer behavior, which has veered away from searching on desktops to show a preference for searching on tablets and smartphones.

    4. Caution: Don’t Ignore Meta Descriptions – Search Engine Land

    Google has continually stated that meta descriptions do not impact search engine rankings, which has led many people to disregard them. However, Neil Patel argues that these descriptions are still important. While the content in a meta description is not considered in Google’s search ranking algorithm, the click-through rate (CTR) is part of Google’s search ranking algorithm. Instead of ignoring meta descriptions, businesses should write optimized meta descriptions to increase CTR and overall site rankings.

    5. Five “Googley” SEO Terms Explained – Search Engine Watch

    Misunderstanding search industry terms could cost you an entire SEO campaign. Kristine Schachinger discusses five commonly misunderstood Google terms that can lead to negative implications in the long run. In Schachinger’s opinion, the most commonly misunderstood Google terms are:

    1. Robots.txt
    2. Google DNS
    3. Penguin, Panda, Penalties
    4. Duplicate Content Filter
    5. PageRank

    To avoid accidental negative SEO implications, she offers the correct definition and usage for each commonly misunderstood Google term.

    Thanks to Christopher Sessums for the blue five and Trulia for the mobile app images!

  • Facebook Engagement: How To Make Your Fans Say “I Do”

    Get more exposure to your business’ Facebook page. Incorporating these elements will enable your business to provide better and more shareable content!

    There are 30 billion pieces of content shared via Facebook every month. That’s billion with a “B”! How is your business going to get noticed in this content sharing frenzy? One way is to write great and engaging posts people want to read! If people enjoy your posts, they will be much more likely to “like” the post, comment, or best of all, share it with their network– which has potential to reach a much larger, untapped audience.

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    If you are new to social media or find yourself with writers block, see some of our suggestions to create better and more engaging posts. Below is as brief list of the many ways in which you can create great content, but remember to pick just a few ideas per post to prevent overwhelming your reader.

    1. Don’t make every post “promotional.”

    For example, only posting about your business and the products you offer may not be the most exciting update for a fan to read. Instead, post about specials, sales, or events that are happening in the near future.

    2. Use images whenever possible.

    It has been proven posts with compelling text coupled with an image will get more engagement than plain text or a link alone. Take it a step further, instead of using stock images use authentic and unique images from your business.

    3. Create a “weekly something.”

    If you are a restaurant, post a recipe of the week every Tuesday. Or, if you are a dermatologist schedule a recurring post about products you recommend. Create some consistency and give your fans something to look forward to.

    4. Share or repost other business’s updates that you find interesting.

    Sharing or reposting other business’ great articles, posts, and pictures is a great way to grow your audience and offer great content to your fans.

    5. Respond to comments that are left on your posts.

    Big or small, it is always great when a business comments back on posts. In addition, you should occasionally comment on other people’s posts as well, especially on posts created by fans of your page!

    6. Take a little extra time and create a unique meme for your business to share on your social media platforms.

    This great tool called the Meme Generator allows you to create whatever meme you like with a variety of stock images available.

    7. Lastly, share something silly every once in a while!

    Found a video of an adorable elephant sneezing, two babies talking to each other, or a great gif? Share it! This will not only get your posts more likes, but good chance it will get shared a great deal with your business’s name attached to it. People love companies that have a sense of humor. It shows real people are behind the computer screen.

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    Image Sources:

    Thanks to Pam Dyer for sharing this infographic about the “Perfect” post.

    Thanks to Steve Parker for sharing this mini graphic about Facebook for businesses.

  • 5 for Friday – Twitter and Facebook Duke it Out, Social Signals’ Effect on SEO, and the Power of Nofollow Links

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    1. Mobile Site Call Conversions Now Available in AdWords – PPC Hero

    It’s finally here! Adwords now tracks click-to-call conversions on mobile devices. This can easily be added to a specific landing page with a little bit of coding. This feature will allow you to track calls through the same venues as your other performance metrics and customize the value of the incoming call. This blog post has step-by-step instructions on how to implement this new feature on your site!

    2. Google Wallet’s 2-Click Instant Buy Checkout Comes To iOS – Tech Crunch

    This week Google Wallet released its Instant Buy API for iOS apps. This was first released for Android apps a year ago. This free service can be accessed with your Google+ login and stores your shipping and credit card information. Merchants can then use the information to complete the transaction. Google Wallet aims to eliminate the frustration of mobile device shopping and decrease shopping cart abandonment.

    3. Facebook and Twitter Want You to Talk About the #WorldCup on Their Field – Marketing Land

    Facebook and Twitter are engaged in a Battle Royal almost as intense as the World Cups itself. With yesterday’s commencement of the Fifa World Cup, these two social media powerhouses pull no stops to be become the No. 1 platform for Fifa fans to electronically engage.

    Facebook’s campaign provides fan with a Trending World Cup Page. Here fans can access the latest scores, view highlights and interact with a global map to pick their favorite teams

    Use #WorldCup and #WorldCup2014 to access Twitter’s World Cup landing page. Here you can create a Fifa-specific profile and choose a cover photo and profile picture to support your team. Don’t forget to include your HashFlag. Introduced during the last World Cup, these three-letter hashtags can be used by fans to unlock an image of a country’s flag.

    Which social media platform will reign supreme? Only trending numbers will tell. Let the games begin!

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    4. Social Signals and SEO – Blind Five Year Old

    While the power of social media seems encompassing, Google is currently not using social signals, even from Google+, in its algorithm to calculate search results. You might be asking yourself why you’re putting so much effort into social now. Fear not! Maximizing the potential of a Google+ listing and other social outlets does have benefits. The Blind Five Year Old breaks down social media activity to explain that its not necessarily the activity itself, but the result of that activity that matters.

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    5. The Hidden Power of Nofollow Links – Moz Blog

    Link building is an integral part of all SEO campaigns. They can help build your company’s brand, build public awareness, increase profit and, of course, lead to more links. Links can also help build your site’s authority in the eyes of search engines. But what about nofollow links? While they seem unfathomably dreadful, this blog posts offers a silver lining and techniques to utilize those nofollow links.

  • 5 for Friday — Links, Stories, & Posts for Your Weekend

    five1. Google Acquires Waze to Improve Local Search Experience – Brafton

    On June 13, Google announced that it had acquired Waze, a social-sharing platform that uses crowdsourcing to gather real-time information about road closures and traffic jams to give mobile searchers accurate, up-to-the-minute directions. The deal will provide new data for Google Maps that might improve local search capabilities and help fuse online content marketing with in-store sales.

     

    2. Apple Makes Bing The “Default Search Engine” For Siri – Search Engine Land

    Apple announced this week that when iOS 7 comes out this fall, Siri will have a new integrated web search feature powered by Bing. This update could go a long way toward making the voice activated virtual assistant a better web search option for iPhone users, and could potentially drive a lot of new traffic to Bing.

     

    3. Twitter Offers Free Analytics For All Users – Search Engine Watch

    New analytics are available on Twitter to help users identify trends in their accounts without having to go to a third-party tool. While the data is basic, it may provide marketers and small businesses with valuable insights into the behavior of their followers.

     

    4. Marketers See Big Data Analysis As Critical Skill for Success – Marketing Pilgrim

    A recent study shows that the “ability to use data analysis to extract predictive findings from big data” is the most prized skill for a marketer to have. You might be surprised by which skill ranked second. Overall, the list shows that some “old school” skills still have a lot of value.

     

    5. How to Build Links to Your Blog – A Case Study – Moz

    Proper link building is a key ingredient in developing a successful blog. Paid advertising and social media strategies will only take so far. This author shares the story of how he got the links he needed to get his travel blog out to a wide audience.

  • Outdated SEO: A Resource Drain Without Returns

    Apr13Keeping up with SEO tactics isn’t always easy, which is why the general rule of thumb is to build a good site and network, and wait to be found. Even still, many people are attempting quick shortcuts that have long since been proven less than useful, or even damaging. If the sole reason for doing something—submitting a press release, for example—is to drive SEO, there’s a good chance it will backfire.

    SEO mistakes fall into a few distinct categories: fishing for links, diluting personality, and failing to strategize.

    Link Cheats

    Creating a network relies on links to and from other reputable sources. Search engines analyze these links and count them as endorsements, so the more connected you are to other sites, the better you’ll be viewed by the all-powerful algorithms that control search results. The extension of this idea has led to link exchanges, article submissions, and pointless press releases—all of which are outlays of time and energy that don’t recoup their investment at all.

    Instead of trying to find back ways into getting links, you’ll see the best results by actually building the connections that earn links. Link to resources your clientele and readers will find useful, and you’ll soon find others linking to you. Writing guests posts for industry bloggers will enhance their sites and earn you credibility at the same time. There are excellent tips on building links and networks out there: start with this post to understand how it works.

    Individuality Flubs

    Okay, you think, I need to write more content and be more connected. That’s an admirable goal, but there are a few pitfalls along the way that won’t help your SEO rankings. The tendency can be to write the same description, review, or promo in just slightly different wording—it’s quick, easy, and fills the spaces that search engines analyze.

    But your content can’t just exist for its own sake—in order to work for you it must be relevant, interesting, and well written. Make sure you have a quality writer who knows how to build an audience and engage readers in discourse. And be careful not to automate too much of your social interaction. Clients can tell when they’re receiving a rote reply. Instead, highlight your businesses personality through both your content and social networking, to stand out to both customers and search engines.

    Strategy Omissions

    When you’re trying to “do all the right things” for SEO, you can miss the forest for the trees. SEO won’t get you anywhere unless you have an achievable goal, with a strategy that can be measured and reevaluated. Discovering your rankings does you no good unless you adapt your marketing plan and correlate your analytics to your aims.

    There are plenty of good SEO tactics and SEO basics a site owner should know, but they all boil down to putting the effort into a well-designed, interactive, quality experience for both the users and the search engines. Don’t be trapped by outdated methods of bumping you to the top of the list; instead, focus on genuine content that reflects your brand and your goals.

     

    Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.