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Tag: local search

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

    Number 5 Street Falmouth1. The Marketing Value of YouTube – SEO MOZ

    The author here discusses the impacts YouTube can have for your product. YouTube is a great resource if you are looking to build your brand. It is important that you put up quality videos over the quantity of videos. Check out the article for some great information if you are looking to build a presence on YouTube.

    2. Google Places Is Being Updated To Google + Local – Search Engine Journal

    This talks about the transition from Google Places to Google + Local.  The post describes how this should make the process easier to use, faster updates, and integration with Adwords (Express) and G +.

    3. SEO & Keywords: Think Conversions, Not Rankings – Search Engine Watch

    Here the author talks about how rankings should not be the ultimate goal when it comes to SEO services. The author lists 4 steps you should take to produce stronger SEO results in the long run.

    4. Indecision 2.0: Are Apps Taking Away Your Power to Decide? –  Mashable

    Are we too dependent on social media to make simple decisions we face on a daily basis? I sure hope not. This is an interesting article about different apps that can help you make decisions you are not comfortable making, or if you just want some help making a decision.

    5. Google On Developing For Google Glass – Search Engine Round Table

    This post has an informative video on how developers can develop apps for Google Glass. In this article, it lists four key developer guidelines from the video to help you better understand the process.

  • 5 for Friday – Links, Stories, and Posts for Your Weekend

    Round 1-065 Ways To Pay For Twitter Exposure – Crazy Egg

    We’re all used to the ads on Google and Facebook, but paid campaigns on Twitter are still unfamiliar for many businesses thinking about a paid advertising campaign online. Here are five different methods to get your tweets seen by more people.

    Digg Banned From SERPs (Updated) – Search Engine Journal

    Here’s a doozy for you! Last week, popular social bookmarking site Digg.com disappeared from Google’s SERPs! Read for the full report from Search Engine Journal.

    Three Easy-to-Make Content Marketing Blunders – Blue Glass

    Here are three big content marketing blunders that companies may find themselves falling into. This is a good guide if you find yourself getting stuck.

    How Quick Sprout Gets 176 Comments Per Blog Post – Quick Sprout

    This is an interesting and engaging article on how and why blogger Neil Patel gets comments on his blogs. His methods are tried and true and it’s interesting to watch him prove his points in the comments below!

    Local Search Optimization, It’s All About Timing – Search Engine Journal

    Enhancing your local search presence is one of the most important things a business can do to begin to build authority in the eyes of search engines, including Google. Here’s an easy guide for anyone looking to enhance their local search presence – no SEO knowledge required!

     

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

    Round 1-041. Who is Winning the Apple vs. Google iPhone Driving Directions Battle? Too Close to Call — Mike Blumenthal

    Even if you don’t keep up with the war between Apple and Google, you’re probably familiar with Apple Maps and it’s not-so-impressive emergence last fall. Well, since then, the app’s gotten its ducks in a row, and I know quite a few people that use it as their primary navigation tool. But how does it compare to Google Maps? Mike Blumenthal decided to find out. Check out this blog post to see how the two compare now that Apple Maps has matured a bit. I assumed that Google Maps was still the outright leader and was surprised by the results. Who knows, maybe I need to switch over to Apple Maps!

     

    2. The Woman’s Guide to Having it All — Outspoken Media

    I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the role of women in SEO and the tech industry in general. It amazes me how few women there are, and I often wonder how we can change that. There are several active initiatives to get girls interested in technology, and I truly hope that they can change the future demographics of the tech world. But how do we get women noticed right now? In this blog post, Rhea Drysdal discusses her idea of what it means to be a successful female in the industry and what she thinks needs to change. Drydal is currently pregnant, which adds an interesting twist to her view on the situation.

     

    3. How To Protect Your Home Business From A Natural Disaster — Graywolf’s SEO Blog

    Living in New Orleans, disaster preparedness is a necessary part of life. Most people have a plan for storms, whether it involves evacuation routes or a cabinet full of MREs and batteries. While life necessities are obviously the first priority when it comes to hurricanes or any other disasters, business owners must have a disaster readiness plan in place just in case. I once heard Chris Slaughter, WWL-TV’s former executive news director, speak on what he learned about disaster preparedness from Katrina, and I was surprised by what I learned. There are so many small details that are easy to forget when you’re not actually in the situation. I recently came across this blog post from Michael Gray that touches on the subject. It’s filled with some great tips on how to protect your home business when Mother Nature strikes.

     

    4. Zynga relaunches gaming site, loosens Facebook ties — Reuters

    Zynga and Facebook. What a tragic love story. It seems that the divorce process continues, as game publisher Zynga relaunched its website on Thursday after previously relying wholly on Facebook for online play. Users no longer have to login through their Facebook accounts, proving further division of the two companies. By the end of the month, Zynga and Facebook will officially just be friends again. Alas, not all relationships are meant to be! And it seems that Zynga might not need Facebook after all. In this article, Reuters’ Gerry Shih gives a report on what led to this shift and what it means for the two companies.

     

    5. Facebook Begins Rolling Out New, Customizable Timeline — AllFacebook

    I’m sure all of you savvy Facebook users are aware of the new changes taking place on your News Feed, but just in case you haven’t heard—or if you just want to learn more about the shift—AllFacebook, the Unofficial Facebook Blog, has you covered. Facebook’s spokespeople say the change makes for a cleaner page with less clutter, but what do you think? I like the new bigger images, but there’s not that much else that I’ve noticed really affecting my use. I’m also a little wary of the advertising suddenly melded into my feed. I guess only time will tell what this change means for users.

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

    Round 1-101. Top 4 Strategic SEO Trends to Watch for in 2013 – Search Engine Journal

    Don’t get lost in the mix! Take a broad look at your organization to make sure you’re producing top quality content, including social media, making your site mobile friendly, and understanding the knowledge graph.

     

     

    rss2. Google Announces Retirement of RSS Reader – The Content Standard 

    Google has just announced that on July 1, 2013 Google Reader will retire. This is part of Google’s plan to remove irrelevant and no longer useful services. If most of your audience is using this to get your updates, now is the time to transition them to a new service.

     

     

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    3. How To: Use Twitter as a Listening Station – Small Business SEM

    If being active on Twitter doesn’t seem to be producing the results that you’re looking for, then try being passive by listening first and then responding. Twilert allows you to create timed alerts for when certain phrases, handles, or hashtags are used. If that is too much, you can always go the traditional route by creating email notifications through Twitter itself.

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    4. Mobile Searchers Do It at Night – Marketing Pilgrim

    Google and Nielsen recently put together a new report using data from 6000+ mobile searches to discover how it drives conversions. Did you know that 77% opt to use their mobile over a PC? So it’s important to make sure that you’re showing up in the first few results of a search otherwise you’ll never even make it onto their mobile screen.

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    5. Deadeye Keyword Research: Advanced Tips for Choosing the Right KWs from #SMX – aimClear Blog

    The better the research, the better the keywords…even if Google stopped providing all referring keywords in analytics for “privacy reasons.”

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    Key Relevance’s Christine Churchill provides some alternatives to gathering this information because as Avalaunch Media’s Matt Siltala stressed, “you can’t skip over keyword research. You can’t get annoyed with it. You HAVE to do it.” Read on for more about keyword intent and keyword research tools.

  • New Orleans: A Growing Tech City

    For those of you who don’t know, before Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf South, New Orleans was on a steady rate of decline. However, the city we love to call home here at Search Influence is in the middle of a major renaissance. News sources across the nation have reported New Orleans is the fastest growing city in America.

    • Population in April 2010: 343,829
    • Population in July of 2011: 360,740
    • Change in population: 4.9 percent (national average 0.73%)
    • Unemployment rate May 2012: 7.2%
    • Unemployment rate December 2012: 6.8 % (national average 7.8%)

     

    With all of these growth changes and increase in jobs, New Orleans has also become a hub of entrepreneurial activity. Forbes recently said New Orleans is one of the biggest brain magnets in the country, attracting young, innovative minds. It is reported that 427 out of every 100,000 adults started up a new business in the New Orleans metro area, which is 40% above the national average.

    Many of these entrepreneurial efforts are tech-based. Companies such as Idea Village and LaunchPad have helped young tech and digital media entrepreneurs start their businesses, giving them advice, a place to work, and grants. Marketing firms, apps, and software are all being developed in this city, which is quite shocking considering this has always been a city known for being 10 years behind everyone else. Kickboard, started by Jennifer Medbery after teaching at a charter school, is software that provides a centralized location for teachers to record their students’ progress.

    Even Search Influence was founded during Katrina’s aftermath, and along with this city, we have grown at a rapid rate. In 2011 we made it on Inc. 500’s list of fastest growing companies, and we are now the largest online marketing firm in New Orleans. Digital media has many different facets, and we are proud to offer SEO, social media, and paid search services.

    New Orleans institutions such as the Audubon Institute, Naked Pizza, and Southern Costume Company have integrated the digital space into their marketing efforts. Naked Pizza tweets on a regular basis, and they have truly embraced pop-culture (I strongly encourage you to watch their Harlem Shake video).

     

     

     

     

     

    The Audubon Institute and Southern Costume Company have opened their marketing efforts to include social media promotions and building their brand on Facebook.

     

    Digital Media, online marketing, and social media have become vital factors for today’s businesses to succeed. It’s all about the conversation and being transparent with your customers. We are so happy to report that our city and businesses are flourishing due to technology and media advancements.

     

     

     

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

    1. How does social media affect your SEO? – Search Engine Journal
    Jackson 5 Michael Jackson Anthology　 Does Google really pay attention to social signals? As more and more users share content through social networks, Google is taking note to what gets shared and has even trying to capitalize on that by starting Google+. Some users may use social media to see what is newsworthy, but you definitely have to watch how your company manages its social presence. How are you taking advantage of social media for your business?

    2. Google’s Algorithms – How does it all work? – Search Engine Land
    Did you know that the web is made up of over 30 trillion individual pages? Take a look at Google’s most recent infographic on “How Search Works.” The graphic is divided into three parts: crawling and indexing, algorithms, fighting spam. Check it out.

    3.  Google releases change history in Google Analytics – Search Engine Watch
    If you logged into your Google Analytics recently, you will notice a new change. Google has added Change History in Google Analytics, which allows you to see what historical edits were made to the account. This is pretty neat and helps you keep track of what changes were made if you work with multiple admins.

    4.  Groupon fires its CEO Andrew Mason – Social Media Today
    Andrew Mason, CEO of Groupon, was let go this week after board members were questioning his role in the company. As the daily deal market becomes more competitive and oversaturated, Groupon saw its stock decline since its initial public offering in 2011. Did Groupon make the right decision to go public? What does this mean for future IPOs?

    5. Will Pinterest help Nars generate meaningful leads? – Mashable
    Nars launched an interesting social media campaign last month on Facebook to promote their new Andy Warhol-inspired collection. Now they are launching a new campaign on Pinterest to see if they can generate actual sales from the popular site. Partnering with three popular Pinterest users, these pinners will develop their own boards on each of their accounts to offer early access to its new Satin Lip Pencil collection. Nars is stepping up their social media plans. Will others follow suit?

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

    Round 1-01Google AdWords Announces Enhanced Campaigns -Search Engine Watch
    Google announced Enhanced Campaigns this month, much to the dismay of some and delight of most. The Enhanced Campaigns work to simplify mobile marketing – sounds good, right? So why are some advertisers viewing this update negatively? Check out our blog post by resident Google AdWords Expert to learn why.

    The Ultimate Guide for Monitoring your Reputation Online  -Search Engine Journal
    Here’s an infographic Beyonce might be interested in. We’ve all had unflattering or embarrassing photos taken. Reputation monitoring is something we all need to think about in these days of hyped-up connectivity online. This infographic explains the steps businesses and individuals need to take to protect their image online.

    A Glimpse into Facebook Graph Search -Search Engine Journal
    A step-by-step tutorial explaining the new features of Facebook Graph Search. Options to search include: My friends, Photos of my friends, Restaurants nearby, Games my friends play, Music my friends like, and Photos I have liked. Different filters will help you hone down the results even further, based on things like ‘Employer’, ‘Likes’, ‘Following’, and ‘Married to’. Want to find people in your area who are interested in the things you like? Here’s your chance.

    40 Important Local Search Questions Answered -SEOmoz
    Local search is increasingly playing a bigger part in search engine optimization. The takeaway from this piece? “Even though local has arrived, it’s still a mess.” In an attempt to de-mystify this genuinely confusing piece of the puzzle, Mike Ramsey has kindly compiled the 40 most important questions and their answers concerning Local Search.

    How Unique Does Content Need to Be to Perform Well in Search Engines?  -SEOmoz
    Here’s a great questions we’ve been running into a lot lately: “What is meant by duplicate content and how unique do I have to be?” First, let’s qualify that navigation, ads, footer, sidebars, etc., don’t count. This leaves us with the on-page content. Copying internal or external sources can be a problem – but as long as you’re adding unique value it’s not duplicative.

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

    High 5The Next Frontier For Google Maps Is Personalization — TechCrunch
    Google has already personalized most of its search results and Maps personalized with user interests will be next up. There’s a lot to look forward to with Google, so stay tuned over the next few months for updates.

     

    This GIF Search Engine Is Everything You’ve Ever Wanted — Mashable
    Any .GIF you’ve ever dreamed of is now easily accessible with Giphy. Find the perfect .GIF for any occasion.

     

    SEO Smackdown Round 2: Old Vs. New Search Engine Optimization — Search Engine Land
    Has SEO really changed? Here are some tips about keywords, site design, links, and search behaviors to help you find out what big picture items you should keep in mind.

    4 SEO Tasks Small Business Must Do Every Month — Search Engine Watch
    Four simple ways to increase traffic to your small business website:
    1. Identify Demand
    2. Create Great Content
    3. Tune Content
    4. Track & Promote

    How 4 Consumer Brands Are Using Visual Content To Tell Stories & Engage Customers — TopRank
    It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. The same goes for your content and how you present it. Look at how Kraft, General Electric, Sherwin-Williams, and Coach have used visual content to tell their story.

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

    • Survey: 91 Percent Have Gone Into Stores Because of Online Promotion – Marketing Land

    Wanderful Media conducted a shopping survey of over 1,000 U.S. adults and released their findings yesterday. Millennials were the group most inclined to go online to check prices or other product information. The most common online research tool used while in stores were search engines (84 percent), followed by Amazon (76 percent).

    • Google “Censors” Porn in Image Search – Search Engine Journal

    We’ve all unintentionally image-searched a questionable keyword in mixed company to embarrassing and/or hilarious results. Thanks to Google’s new censorship filter of explicit content on image search, no more embarrassment! Google Images’ latest algorithm change has replaced SafeSearch with the new options of “filter explicit images,” and “report offensive images.”

    • Combating Accidental Clicks in Mobile Ads – Google Mobile Ads Blog

    As advertisers and users alike become frustrated at the high number of accidental clicks on their mobile ads, Google is looking to combat the problem by verifying with users that they really meant to click there. They’ve found the majority of accidental clicks occur when users are trying to scroll through or click on in-app content. This update will make the user experience consistent across the majority of Google mobile ads.

    • Hands On With New Google Maps For iOS: Easier On The Eyes And Faster For The Fingers – Forbes

    After a three-month hiatus, Google Maps for iOS has finally returned, entering the Apple App Store at #1. The new UI is representative of Google’s usual minimalism and strips away unnecessary information. Turn-by-turn navigation puts the user in the turn and the layering of information is quite handy!

    • Bacon, Not Kevin: Twitter Adds Negative Keyword Targeting for Promoted Tweets – Marketing Pilgrim

    Emulating the great search engines before it, Twitter is making strides towards improving the relevancy of Promoted Tweets. Adding to exact match, phrase match, and basic keyword match, Twitter announced negative keyword targeting. Advertisers now also have the ability to hook their Tweets onto trending words or hashtags with a feature called “auto-match.”

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

    • Ranking the 100 Most InDemand Employers Using LinkedIn Data [INFOGRAPHIC] – LinkedIn

    In pulling professional data from their 175 million users, LinkedIn creates an infographic to display which companies are most attractive to potential job candidates. Software and technology dominating the top 5 positions, with Google taking the lead and Apple placing second. Makes you wonder if job candidates are willing to stick it out in hopes for landing their dream job with the top dogs of tech!

    • 5 Important Post-Penguin Guest Post Prospecting Questions – Search Engine Journal

    With Google’s most recent algorithm update, many have noticed an impact in their SEO efforts and rankings. However, having a well optimized link building approach may include guest posting or blogging. As guest posting is still imperative in SEO, SEJ explains how finding niche blogs, relevant topics, and having quality content can help your SEO in a place of Penguin!

    • 5 Ways to Improve Your Facebook Engagement – Social Media Examiner

    Promoting your brand or company on Facebook allows you to not only to engage with your demographic, but also reach potential customers. Check out Social Media Examiner as they explain the right time to post, best character count for posts, appropriate URL length, and the most engaging content to better interact with your fans!

    • Why the iPod Still Matters to Apple – Mashable

    Apple’s most recent launch of the iPhone 5 has all the Apple lovers flocking to the closest metaphorical orchard. Now the Mac bigwigs are the spotlight on one of its older products. On Wednesday night, Apple launched a new campaign featuring the redesigned iPod. With the iPod initiating the re-positioning of the brand over 11 years ago, Apple won’t be fading this product out anytime soon. Turn it up!

    • What’s The Best Time of Day To Send Emails? [Infographic] – Read Write Web

    Between newsletters, online marketing updates, and the countless emails we receive in a day how can we guarantee the recipient is actually reading our emails? This infographic illustrates when emails are opened the most, and shows at what times throughout the day people are engaging in their emails. Don’t stress if you forgot to send that email out at 5:15 PM — data shows it may be best to wait til tomorrow!