Introducing Penguin: How will Google’s Algorithm Changes Affect Your SEO?

Google will change its search engine algorithms hundreds of times every year.  Most will be minor, imperceptible tweaks, but every now and then, a major update will turn Search Engine Optimisation practices on their head.

Google’s “Penguin Update” (introduced late April) is one such update.

What will it fix?

Google openly supports SEO that falls under “white hat” optimisation: making sure the topics and target audience are addressed, providing regular, high-quality content and ultimately creating a better, faster user experience.

“Black hat” SEO, on the other hand, is optimisation aimed at pleasing search engine algorithms more than actual users.   Three major violations the Penguin update discourages include:

• Over-Optimisation
  This practice is often known as “link stuffing” – filling a page with keywords at the expense of content.  As Google’s major SEO authority Matt Cuts puts it:

The goal of many of our ranking changes is to help searchers find sites that provide a great user experience and fulfill their information needs. We also want the “good guys” making great sites for users, not just algorithms, to see their effort rewarded.

• Link Schemes
  This is the “quantity over quality” approach to building backlinks.  Google rewards pages that are linked from a variety of high-quality sources.  However, many will create links through less than savoury means, such as purchasing links specifically for a high PageRank, or by bombarding websites with too many worthless links.
• “Doorway” Pages
  Some online marketers will create entirely new, keyword-heavy websites that serve only to redirect visitors to the “real” page.  Those caught out by the algorithm update may find both websites dropping off the front page one.

Who will it affect?

Time will tell.

Major Google updates always make SEO marketers a little nervous, and for good reason.  While many low-quality websites and system abusers will find their rank dropping overnight, it remains to be seen if many “good” websites will be caught out as temporary “collateral damage”.

How much optimisation is too much?  Where is the line between good promotion and repetition?  This all remains to be seen.

It won’t be long before the ins and outs of these changes will be deduced, dissected and exploited for commercial gain.  As always, however, the less ethical advantages will temporary, and ultimately rendered useless as the algorithms continue to evolve.

Our best move forward is to continue making websites as user-friendly, easy-to-navigate and full of good information as possible.  In short, keep your standards high, create genuinely useful content and simply adapt if needed.

Online Visions will improve your Google Rank with high-quality “white hat” Search Engine Optimisation for Australian businesses of all sizes.  Call 1300 790 554 or contact us online for a free quote on your online marketing.

Using Klout to Reward Your Facebook & Twitter Followers

Klout claims to be a key authority in measuring online "influence". Opinion is divided, but its "Perks" system could potentially offer far greater benefits.

Klout is an interesting experiment; an online service that measures the combined social media activity of anybody who signs up (be it an individual or a company account) to determine “influence” for different topics.

“Influence” is calculated based not on the size of an audience, but the reaction.  If a user’s comments on a topic inspire action (being shared or “liked” on Facebook;  ”favorited” or “retweeted” on Twitter, or equivalent actions on other major social networks), that user will be considered influential.

Based on:

a. the number of people you influence,
b. the extent to which they are influenced, and
c. how influential they are

…the user will receive a “Klout Score”: their purported social media worth.

Is a Klout score meaningful?

Many marketers would love the opportunity to measure online influence in a meaningful way.  For example, a marketing agency backed up by Klout data could easily claim to be a leading authority on search engine optimisation.  In some ways, Klout is one of the closest (and more recognised) ways to give meaningful data.

However, the reliability of this data is open to debate.  One major issue is a lack of transparency.  We simply don’t know how a Klout score is calculated.

The other matter is whether or not having people enjoy or sympathise with a comment online truly counts as “influence”.  It’s is a complex human concept that cannot realistically be boiled down to a number.

Many have found it useful; others have called it into question.  Klout is an interesting curiosity either way, and well worth a look – provided all information is taken with a grain of salt.

There is, however, a more practical and direct way you can use Klout to improve your social media marketing.

The Real Benefit: Klout Perks

Klout has recently introduced a rewards system that, used well, could work wonders for online promotion.  In a nutshell, companies can offer prizes to the social media users spreading the most “influence” over their brands.

Major web-savvy brands are already taking advantage of this: Audi offers test drives; Red Bull offers free merchandise.  And as Klout’s measurement system broadly favours quality over pure quantity, it potentially encourages meaningful discussion about these companies.

It’s early days yet (and it will be interesting to see how this practice can apply to smaller businesses), but Klout’s Perks system is quickly becoming one of the more exciting ways to generate positive word-of-mouth in 2012.  Contact Online Visions today on 1300 790 554 to discuss the best social media plan for your business.

Facebook Business Pages vs Personal Profiles

Facebook Analytics - one of the many great features you'll miss by giving your business a "personal" profile.

One very common mistake for business owners entering Facebook is to give their brand a personal profile instead of a business page.

What’s the Difference?

It’s all in the name.  A personal profile is designed specifically for human beings with a real name, age, relationships and personality.

A business page, on the other hand, has been specifically created (and, in subsequent years, significantly fine-tuned) to help businesses maintain an audience and generate new interest.

Mixing one with the other is awkward at best and disastrous at worst.

Why not make a business page “personal”?

• First and foremost, it’s against the rules.  Using a personal profile for overtly commercial reasons is against Facebook’s terms and conditions.  While you can probably get away with it, there is a very real chance an administrator could stumble upon and delete your profile, losing all your hard-earned friends.

• Seasoned Facebook users tend to assume businesses who signed up as people did so as an innocent “newbie error” (which, on some small, level may reflect badly on the business).

• Some business owners will suggest a personal profile gives a more friendly appearance.  However, by most accounts, a personal profile is no more likely to get followers than a proper business page.  In fact, many users actively avoid befriending such profiles, especially those who prefer to limit their friends list to close friends and family.

• It is far easier to convince somebody to commit to a click of the “like” button than to add a new friend, even though the long-term outcomes are practically identical!  This single click has turned into a hot commodity in the last couple of years.  With a casual, split-second show of support, users are happily bringing you into their daily routine.

• Your Search Engine Optimisation will only get better with a Business Page.  Personal profiles are effectively ignored by Google.

• Easy management: You can control multiple business pages with one account, and appoint other Facebook users / staff members to update them with you.

• A business page can have potentially unlimited “fans”, but a personal profile is limited to 5,000 “friends”.

• Finally, you’re missing some of the biggest perks of business pages, including the chance to feature a “Like” button on your website (one of the easiest ways you can attract new fans).  And that’s not to mention the other perks like landing pages, customised buttons and detailed visitor analytics!

An Ideal Compromise

If you consider yourself the “face” of your own business, there’s nothing to stop you maintaining a personal profile (under your real name) alongside your business page.  You can easily encourage your friends and family to “like” your business, or direct them toward the noteworthy updates every now and then.  Provided your personal profile is not overtly commercial (thus breaking Facebook’s rules), you can easily have the best of both worlds.

Already Have a Business with a Profile Page?

If you already have a Facebook Profile with a business name, it’s not too late!  See Facebook’s guide to converting your personal account to a Facebook page to get started.

As an experienced web design and social media marketing agency, Online Visions can help you get the most out of your Facebook Page.  Contact us today to discuss the best way we can boost your fan count and word of mouth.

Google+ Business Pages

We recently discussed how Google’s +1 button can benefit your business.  It’s time to take your Google+ marketing to the next level.

Until recently, Google’s new social network has been systematically deleting business listings posing as personal accounts.  It seems they take the integrity of each user account very seriously, even to the extent of deactivating personal listings with fake names (including several “Darth Vader”s).

Happily, businesses eager to get on board early now have a proper opportunity to use the new social network for commercial marketing purposes.   Business Profiles are now active and encouraged.

Google+ vs Facebook?

This is, admittedly, a misleading title.  From a social media marketing perspective, it’s best not to see the two networks as competing options, but as two parallel opportunities, each useful in its own way.

However, if you already operate a Facebook business page, you may find the basic premise of a Google+ business profile very familiar: a place to share links, comments, photos and videos with your followers.

While Facebook Pages currently enjoy a far greater reach, Google+ Business Profiles offers several noteworthy perks over its competitor:

The ability to pick and choose who sees what

Google+ works with the concept of “circles”, allowing you to categorise your contacts into customised groups as specific or esoteric as you need, from “Immediate Family” to “Contacts from the May 2012 Conference”.  Each post can be filtered to be visible or invisible to any combination of circles.

For those willing to keep track of their audience and put in the research, the potential for intensely targeted, demographic-specific messages is huge.

The ability to follow people back

This is one of those fascinating distinctions, offering an unprecedented look into the lives of your fans, customers and contacts and communicate with them just as a “human” user could.

We anticipate this will become one of the most valued Google+ features in the coming years.

Search Engine Optimisation

Google’s “+1″ button already has an impact on search engine results.  There’s a good chance your business page will help your Google ranking in other interesting, if indirect, ways.

If you operate a local business, you can match your profile to a Google Places listing. Google greatly values the integrity of information. If your business’s name, address and contact details line up with listings on other directories, the consistency will be rewarded. If not, you may be penalised.  As a Business Page ultimately adds to the “integrity” of your listing, we predict it will play a strong role in future SEO.

As Google’s services slowly converge, and their search algorithms move more and more towards personalised and location-specific results, it’s essential to “future proof” your online presence by providing as much information as you can.  A little forward-thinking today could see you leap ahead of the competition tomorrow.

Online Visions can help you optimise your website and social media profile (including Google+) for long-term success.  Contact us today to discuss the best options for your business.

Yelp Launches in Australia

How Yelp can help your business get ahead of the pack.

What is Yelp?

Yelp is a social network that encourages users to rate and review local businesses.  As a location-based search service, Yelp is most useful and popular in mobile form, and generally used “on the go”.

Users can search for nearby shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels, bars, and trade services, often making decisions based on the experiences of past reviewers.

After years of worldwide expansion, and a recent introduction to Australia, Yelp has finally made it to Brisbane where, thanks largely to its existing reputation, it has rapidly taken off.

The Hidden Benefits

Besides the obvious potential word-of-mouth support, Yelp has several “secret” perks.

• Google recognises Yelp as a major local review website, and will factor ratings into its searches. Not only can Yelp reviews appear on your business’s Google Places profile; businesses with more reviews can also be favoured over those with none.Google’s search rules and algorithms are changing all the time, getting increasingly personalised and location-based.   The more information it has  to go on, the more likely Google will match your business with your ideal audience.
• Future Developments
  The iPhone 4S “assistant”, Siri, draws upon Yelp reviews for its local searches.  In San Francisco, a current-generation iPhone user can ask “where is the best coffee nearby?” and, in all probability, be directed to the business with the highest Yelp rating.  At the time of writing, this functionality has yet to reach Australia, but it’s only a matter of time.

Do you need to act?

You may already have a Yelp business listing without realising it.  The service will often draw details from existing Yellow Pages listings.  Alternatively, a user who wished to review you may have already added some basic information on your behalf (although you will be free to claim this listing as your own).

This raises the question: if it’s not strictly necessarily to create your own listing, is it necessary to pay any attention?

The simple answer is “absolutely”.  By starting your own profile (or taking control of your existing listing), you can:

• Make it easier for users (who are far more likely to post a review if the opportunity is immediately available).
• Make sure your images and text properly represent your brand.
• Keep track of visitor feedback and respond to any concerns.
• Offer special deals and discounts to those who publicly ”check in” at your location.

The Cons

As with any other review system, the potential for word-of-mouth can work both ways.  Negative reviews can, have, and continue to cost businesses money, both fairly and unfairly.  That said, the “user reviews” scene remains very active and will only grow stronger across countless local search websites and apps.  By taking initiative and using this to your advantage, you’re giving your satisfied customers an easy way to help you out.

It’s worth noting that Yelp will actively search for “suspicious” reviews and take action against anyone who appears to be praising their own business or anonymously criticising a competitor.

How can we help?

Online Visions can optimise your presence on any social network (including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and, of course, Yelp) to help you get the most of your online marketing.

We can also embed Yelp functionality into any new or existing website, encouraging stronger word-of-mouth.  Contact us online today to discuss the best social media marketing options for you.