What in the World is Google Doing with Hummingbird!

Content creation, content marketing, Link Building, SEO, Small Business Marketing, Social Media Marketing

google hummingbird updateGoogle Hummingbird Update As of October 9, 2013

For those of you that have a website that was currently ranking for different keywords you may have noticed a disheartening minor or major drop in ranking. Google has recently launched 2 algorithms. One is Hummingbird and the other is Penguin 2.1. Hummingbird has to do with quality fresh content detection and Penguin 2.1 has to do with spam-filtering.

The general overall pattern seems to suggest Google likes content oriented sites and sites that regularly update their website.  Many of the sites which fell in rankings either lack text-based or video content or did not update the site regularly with unique offers/content.  On-page search engine optimization is not just about having the right meta information any more. It seems Google is actively targeting sites which do not update their on-page content since Hummingbird is designed to look for the content originator.  This means on page schema coding is more important than ever!

Me and my team do differing amounts of link building from different networks and record them just to see the effect it has every time an update gets rolled out. After careful consideration, I decided to discontinue the links from some of our partner networks and invest more on custom built blogs or blogs with high Google authority.

My team and I just made a major change to how the links are distributed during the syndication process. Instead of adding 4 links on some of the article pages with differing anchor tags, we have limited it to 2.  We are making all ‘click here’ anchor tags as no follow links.  Due to this process, you may see some link loss over time. We do strongly believe this process will help everyone in the long run. We’ve also decided to include more co-citations in the articles we create to help with the new algorithm.  What is co-citation? Read here for more.

What I am also seeing is irregular patterns which do not single out any one single factor. Some webpages and sites just seem to have randomly lost rankings while others gained traction from the same domain.

We are fighting an uphill battle since we just never know what Google will do next. There are some reports that Google will de-rank a site if almost no one clicks on the site while it stays on page 1 even though you are doing everything correctly SEO wise. All we can do now is constantly make an educated guess and deal with it. I highly recommend regularly updating your websites and adding a blog to your site and/or post articles on other sites as a guest blogger.  Thus, our focus at reelWebDesign.com will be starting to go deeper into the realm of content marketing as this is where Google is headed.
For current clients I am disappointed just as much as you are as we are at a time of such great change in SEO prompted by Google.  However, if we work together we can prevail, we’ll just need to cooperate with this giant that controls the Internet.  Content marketing seems like the most fool proof way of getting your website ranked and to add consistent traffic for the long term.  For more information and sample content marketing packages click here.

Peter MarinoA direct message from the owner of this blog,  Peter Marino.

Why The Surface Pro 2 Is The Perfect Device For Web Entrepreneurs

Business Tech, Small Business Marketing, Technology, ,

surface 2If you run a website or blog, do SEO for a living or design websites, then you are a ‘web entrepreneur’. That makes you a particular kind of person and we can thus infer a few things about the way you probably live your life. Chances are that you travel a fair amount while you work, you are probably self-employed and you probably have at least some interest in gadgets and technology.

As such, you are probably the kind of person that Microsoft is targeting with their Surface Pro line of products and you should probably be interested in the recent news of Surface Pro 2 which is now just around the corner. Unveiled at the recent ‘Surface Event’, the Pro 2 aims to be everything that a tech entrepreneur could possibly need and it would seem they might just be correct. Read on to find out why…

What is the Surface?

 

The Surface Pro 2 is of course the natural evolution of the Surface Pro. This is a tablet ‘slate’ device that runs full Windows using 4 Gigabytes of RAM and an Intel i5 processor. In short, whereas the iPad is essentially a big smartphone, this is more of a compact PC and can do anything that you would normally use a PC for.

In keeping with this aim, the Surface Pro also came with a kickstand built in and a set of attachable cover accessories with built-in keyboards for inputting text quickly. Combine this with the pressure sensitive Wacom stylus and you have a device that’s highly productive but also convenient to hold in one hand when you just want to read the news, when you want to show a client your web design, or when you’re carrying it to the coffee shop under one arm.

Pros of Pro 2

But the Surface Pro in its original form was not for everyone. Why? Well one big issue was the battery life which was only around four hours – low for an ultrabook and really low for a tablet. Another was the kickstand and cover. While these were great features they were lacking when you came to use the device on your lap on the bus, or when you had to rest it on a table much lower than yourself.

The Pro 2 however should address both these issues. The new Haswell processor that is being used will not only greatly improve performance (by 20% reportedly), but will also give the device 75% more battery life (around 7 hours). Throw in a ‘power cover’ and that goes up to around 14 hours.

Meanwhile the Kickstand has been improved to now support two separate viewing angles. This way you can comfortably rest the tablet on your lap and type or on a low down table. Throw in better performance all around and a more colour-accurate screen with better glare resistance and you have a device that’s ideal for those of us who like to work on the go, and who like the sounds of drawing our designs onto the screen with our device on our laps.

Today’s featured writer, Brady Fisher, works at 7 Strategy, a company that offers comprehensive SEO services. He owns a fantastic toolkit and uses it to do restoration work in his spare time.

4 Dodgy Digital Marketing Assistants

Infographics, Small Business Marketing

“Digital marketing” is exactly what its name implies: any marketing that uses digital media to deliver its message. This can mean distributing your message to a tech savvy audience using smart phones, emails, tablets, laptops, social media sites such as Pinterest and Twitter, and game consoles.
Perhaps the main benefit of going digital with your new marketing plan is that virtually the entire world has access to the internet these days, many readily using some form of internet device every day. Another benefit is that it can often be very cost effective: there is no need for expensive glossy printing for instance.
This happily opens up a whole new world for businesses and marketers, which now have the ability to spread their word using means that are very efficient and affordable even for a mom and pop running an ecommerce store from their garden shed.
While blogging may be one of the most popular ways to build an online following, there are far, far more ways to access a growing online audience. A clever digital campaign can result in a small home business thriving within a time frame previously unheard of. One of the keys to making that happen is using a skilled digital marketer, either you can learn these skills yourself or outsource to a freelancer or agency.
That being said there are some dodgy characters out there that you want to give a wide berth, namely people like Bulls Eye Joe, Meta Tweaker, Plugin Pete and Social Schmoozer listed here in this infographic.

4 Dodgy Digital Marketing Assistants

21st CENTURY CHANGES

The internet completely changed traditional marketing. Nowadays, people have access to your business’s information any time they want it, any time of day. Additionally, the internet allows customers to voice themselves concerning your business. Meaning, if they like it, they can show their opinion in the form of online comments and reviews. Many a customer has been issued a speedy refund after their negative tweet on Twitter began to echo ominously around cyberspace.
For a business owner, one of the major benefits of marketing over the internet, is the ability to monitor the traffic circling your site. Using analytics you can actually watch people stumbling across your site, observing how long they stay, what attracts them most, and how many of them take action on your site in the form of purchases or emails. Such information can be later used to reshape and reassess your marketing strategy, honing in on weak areas and further building strong ones.

BLOGGING

One of the most popular tools in digital marketing is what is known as “blogging.” Blogging involves writing a series of articles that pertain to your business’s products or services. The idea is that as customers search for topics related to your business, search engines will pull up your site and its info and will point the customer your way.
The purpose of a blog is to offer your customers value. Articles can come in the form of tips, how to’s, trivia, or any other information that your customers would enjoy. In doing so, you establish yourself as an authority figure in your given field. You build trust with the knowledge you demonstrate, and customers grow to like you out of appreciation for what you offer them.
Trust and likability are surefire ways to engender a loyal customer base, this encourages customers to share your business via word of mouth.
So if you do decide to embark on a brand new digital marketing campaign, please heed the warning of this infographic and avoid the likes of Bulls Eye Joe, Plugin Pete and pals .:)

Infographic courtesy of Jon Harrison

Conquering The World With Content Marketing

Content creation, content marketing, Small Business Marketing, ,

How content marketing worksHave you ever seen the movie, Finding Nemo? It’s about a fish named Marlin who was looking for his son, Nemo. One part of the movie caught my attention. Marlin was telling the turtles about his adventures while looking for Nemo. The story is so interesting that the turtles couldn’t help but talk about it to other sea creatures, passing the story on and on until it reached Nemo, who was inside a dentist’s aquarium that was half way across the world in Sydney!

That, my friend, is how content marketing will work for you.

It’s the present and future in marketing. Content marketing is creating and sharing material that is relevant to your customers and prospects. When done right, you are communicating to them without the need to sell. Although it’s basically promoting your product and service, it does not sound “salesy” as compared to other forms of marketing.

Who Can Use Content Marketing?

Everyone! From small and mid-size businesses to the biggest corporations in the world, this marketing strategy can do wonders.

More consumers favour scouring the Internet for information about products and services. TV shopping is next to dead, and so are newspaper advertisements. With the growing prices in basic commodities, spending for dailies is almost always out of the question.

Content Marketing

How Does This Work?

You create interesting and relevant material, someone reads and finds it compelling and shares it with his golf buddies, his colleagues, and his family. It won’t stop there. His golf buddy will tell more people, more co-workers. Well, you get my point.

Smart marketers actually keep their customers hungry for more information, making them feel that the company is doing them a favour by providing valuable products and services.

People talk about it and spread it around. Sounds familiar? Works like gossip, I know. But you have to those gossipers first. Or let them find you. Contrary to what you know about how big the world is, people can find you faster than Marlin can find Nemo. Seconds, in fact, if content promotion is done the right way.

What exactly is talk (and share) worthy material?

  1. Useful – You can’t expect them to talk about you and promote your brand if they feel that they don’t have any use for your products or services.
  2. Not “Salesy” – People hang up on telemarketers most of the time. If you create material that sounds very promotional, they’ll move on the next site.
  3. Relevant – Why write about water purification when your company is not selling water purification systems or even remotely involved with such? It does not make sense, right?
  4. Gives them proof – If you say you are the market leader, prove to them that you are ultimately the expert by providing valuable information, testimonials and statistics.

Where Does SEO Fit In?

I know Google will tell you that the Internet is made up of algorithms. But hey, algorithms do not look for you, people do. Google is just there to guide them in searching for you. That’s where Search Engine Optimisation comes in. An SEO and web design company can help you in this aspect. Aside from creating a remarkable website design for you, they can help you with relevant and valuable content and market your brand using effective e commerce solutions to make you Google ready and share-worthy.

Conclusion

Traditional marketing like 30-second television ads won’t work anymore. Even if you put it in print by handing out leaflets, your hard work will just end up in the garbage bin. Content marketing is becoming a must for small and big corporations because of its importance and how influential it can be. And if you publish content that’s simply arresting, you’ll have a significant number of Internet users buzzing.

By Debra Wright

Debra Wright enjoys a multi-hyphenated identity. She is an online marketing specialist, writer, cat lover, and aspiring cupcake critic. Wright’s articles about web designing and online marketing draws on her passion for learning and dedication to share her discoveries to others. Get updated on what she’s discovering now @debrawrites…