Google Enhancements Place More Emphasis on Content

The latest improvements to Google’s algorithm place greater emphasis on quality content. Ori Allon, who was responsible for developing the breakthrough Orion algorithm blogs about the integration of new technology which results in a great enhancement of users search experience.

Relevant content has always attracted excellent search engine ranking. Content which is interesting, relevant and frequently updated ensures that web-pages are indexed and served in search engine results pages. Content is therefore every websites foremost SEO concern. Last week, the search engine leader Google announced two improvements to their search engine results pages, both of which place even more emphasis on relevant content.

The two improvements which have caused so much excitement in the Internet marketing industry include an expanded list of useful related searches and the addition of longer search result descriptions. Now, this may not sound like much to the average marketer or business owner but to Internet marketer's across the globe these seemingly minute details have great implications.

The announcement came from the desks of Google's Ori Allon, Technical Lead: Search Quality team and Ken Wilder: Snippets Team Engineer. Ori Allon, as a research student in Australia developed the Orion Search Engine which was considered "revolutionary" for its ability to deliver search results not only for a specific keyword but also for phrases related to the key search term. Google purchased the rights to the Algorithm from Ori Allon in 2006 before hiring him to work at their California headquarters.

In a 2005 Interview Allon was quoted as saying "By displaying results to other associated key words directly related to your search topic, you gain additional pertinent information that you might not have originally conceived, thus offering an expert search without having an expert's knowledge." At the time even Bill Gates agreed that Orion would have far reaching implications for search saying "We need to take the search way beyond how people think of it today. We believe that OrionTM will do that."

Related search results appear at the bottom of the search engine results page. According to Allon and Wilder, the technology deployed last week allows the search engine to "better understand concepts and associations related to your search". This is the height of intuitive web technology. It means that search results are now even more relevant to input queries serving up not only what you need to know but what you did not even know to ask for. The second search engine enhancement applies to longer search queries. The results returned for longer queries are now more detailed and include a longer description. Together, the two improvements are an indication of Google's strong focus on quality results.

With this move Google have once again placed themselves way ahead of the competition. I predict it will be a long time before other search engines catch up. In the mean time Google will continue to gain market share. Once again looking at this from an Internet marketer's point of view, my advice to companies whose businesses depend on the sales generated through Internet marketing is to invest in content and reap the long-term SEO benefits that it delivers.

What You Should Pay for Search Engine Optimisation

Search engine optimisation (SEO), is becoming an important marketing discipline in South Africa. Many organisations are beginning to recognise the value of Internet marketing and allocating their marketing budgets to online media. A mushrooming of new entrants to the Internet marketing industry has meant that there are many companies offering search engine optimisation services, some at very competitive rates.

As a result, when website custodians or owners attempt to ascertain whether their websites require SEO and what the possible costs will be, they are faced with an overwhelming variety of service offerings and widely diverse cost structures. One reason that costs differ so vastly is due to the nature of the Internet marketing industry. SEO is very much a natural progression for website development firms wishing to grow their business and expand their service offerings.

SEO services, on the one hand are often provided by companies who established themselves as website hosting and development agencies in the last decade. The larger more reputable organisations feel comfortable contracting with an established SEO service provider. They feel a greater sense of security in knowing that the company has been around the block a few times. They are also willing to pay a premium when contracting with a service provider who has a proven track record and offers continuity of service.

On the other hand there are a number of newcomers to the field who operate with little infrastructure and low overheads. Many of these companies are run by highly skilled SEO practitioners who are quite capable of delivering great results at a fraction of the cost.

Whilst both the larger, established agencies and the smaller up-coming practices present great solutions many marketers struggle with the choice, and wish to know what they should be paying for SEO. To compound the problem, the industry does not have a standard costing structure. Whilst many charge per hour, others charge on project to project basis and still others opt for a share of profits. It cannot be said that “x” amount per hour is the going rate as that would be a gross oversimplification. Rather, and as with almost every marketing decision the costs should be considered in relation to the benefits.

Search Engine Optimisation – A Cost/Benefit Analysis

A few guidelines could be used to determine the value an SEO campaign would have to your business. The following list is not comprehensive as each business’ needs will differ however these principles could assist with the decision making process.

Get your house in order:
Should there be problems elsewhere in your business it would be better to have those resolved before investing in an SEO campaign. If your website design and development are good, you have your operations in order and your products and services have been developed to an acceptable standard you are ready for SEO.

Goals and Objectives:
What you should pay for search engine optimisation will depend on your Internet marketing objectives. If your goals are very ambitious, you will probably require an aggressive strategy and you should be willing spend more to meet your objectives. It is important to set attainable goals and to know what they relate to in monetary terms. Then ask yourself what percentage of the expected return you are willing to spend to realise your goals.

Maintain a healthy development to IM ratio:
You should be prepared to spend three times what you spent on initial website design and development on Internet marketing initiatives which are designed to attract traffic, raise search engine rankings, increase conversion and ensure return visits. A great website alone will not lead to growth in market share. In any given period your Internet marketing budget should be allocated in a ratio of approximately one to four.

Choosing an SEO partner:
Other considerations which impact on the cost of search engine optimisation include the size of the firm you are dealing with, their years of experience and the demand for their services. A more reputable and experienced company’s rates may be higher than those of a smaller new entrant. It is important to bear in mind that Internet marketing is a process. It does take time and you should feel comfortable in the knowledge that you will be engaged in a long term relationship with your SEO service provider.

Industry specific factors:
Factors pertaining specifically to your business and website will also have an impact on the cost. The size and complexity of the website, the demand for your brand and competitiveness of your industry will all impact on the cost, time and nature of the project.

Having taken all the above into consideration, you should have a fairly good idea what you can afford to pay for search engine optimisation and with the number of service providers in this industry you should find one who meets the needs of your business. Finally your SEO service provider should offer transparent reporting on your websites current performance, SEO measures taken and the impact thereof. This will allow you to monitor your campaign and make the necessary adjustments.

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The Rise of Social Media Optimisation - Internet Marketing Trends

Some of the most visited websites include social media sites such as Facebook , Digg , Technorati , Muti , Twitter and YouTube . Each of these sites attract incredible volumes of international traffic because they allow users to interact socially on many levels. Social media optimisation is based on the theory that when websites provide users with the ability to publish content and interact with one another they attract more traffic. The idea of social media optimisation is to attract traffic from sources other than search engines and that is the essential difference between Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Social Media Optimisation (SMO).

Whilst both strategies have the same objective i.e. improving website traffic, search engine optimisation includes various techniques for improving your search rankings whilst social media optimisation utilises viral marketing or micro-sharing techniques.

SMO, however is more than an Internet marketing strategy. It has two dimensions one being Internet marketing and the other being Online Reputation Management. SMO can be used in two ways: to manage online public perception of your organisation and the products and services offered and to use social media tools to attract traffic to your website increasing sales conversion.

SMO and Online Reputation Management:

Organisations realise that they do not exist in a vacuum. The premise of modern strategic management is based on the knowledge that organisations exist in relation to their internal and external environments. Within these environments there are various stakeholders. Customers, owners, shareholders, suppliers, employees, the public, the media and competitors need to be communicated with and their perceptions of the organisation managed. Perceptions or reputations were traditionally managed under the functions of public relations and/or corporate communications. The rise of online social media has necessitated the creation of the field of online reputation management in which an organisation’s online reputation is tracked and managed.

SMO and Internet Marketing:

Cyberspace is a highly viral environment. Marketers have always used publicity to promote organisations, people, products and services. We know that a great product won’t remain a secret for long as people tend to talk about it. This is word of mouth advertising. In a digital world, the Internet serves as an incubator for publicity and word of mouth advertising. Hence we speak of viral marketing in which information travels like a virus from person to person, or group to group infecting individuals with awareness, information, and sometimes passing on value judgements. Social media optimisation mobilises the Internet’s viral potential to attract visitors by offering great content, tools and widgets, exclusive information and social platforms such as forums and blogs.

Mobilising Social Media

There are many practical ways in-which marketers use social media optimisation to attract traffic and manage online reputations. Some basic techniques include the provision of interactive features such as blogs, forums and wiki’s. RSS feeds are also useful whilst the incorporation of third party sites such as Digg, YouTube, Flikr (and locally) Muti and Laaikit are critical.

There are many different approaches to and techniques for the use of social media optimisation. Rohit Bhargava’s rules of Conducting Social Media Optimisation http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com/weblog/2006/08/5_rules_of_soci.html provides a comprehensive description of the various techniques.

Although Rohit’s original top 5 rules can be applied widely each websites social media strategy will differ based on the communication needs of the organisation and the target audience.

Personalised Search takes on new meaning with the launch of Google SearchWiki

Cyberspace has, in the past few days, been abuzz of news about the launch of Google’s SearchWiki feature (official announcement) . There is much speculation at this stage about what this move will mean for Internet Marketing in general and Search Engine Optimisation in particular.

In the last year or so, changes in search engine results have reflected a greater propensity for multimedia content. Whilst a focus on content has been the order of the day there has been talk about moving towards a more personalised search experience. Personalised search whereby the search engine uses your web history to “understand” your preferences and deliver personalised results, has been a signed–in feature on Google since early in 2007.

Google’s SearchWiki is also a signed-in feature (meaning that only users with a Google account have access to it). SearchWiki allows users to personalise their search results by moving a result to the top of the page. Users can also delete pages from the results and comment on pages within the results. Their comments can be viewed by all signed-in users and they can view comments made by other users. Take note: this feature is currently only available on Google English (US) version.

The Upside of SearchWiki

The biggest advantage of SearchWiki is greater personalisation. The ability to ensure that the page you favour appears first in your results allows you to access the information you require with greater ease and reliability. Likewise, the ability to delete those pages which add no value to your search results is also wonderful whilst the ability to comment on pages and view the comments of other users gives the search action a social dimension. Allowing users to share their value judgements with one another makes search a much more interactive experience.

The Downside of SearchWiki

Some users may find that these added features make the search results appear more cluttered although my personal opinion is that they blend in quite well.

In most cases organic search results ensure that the most desirable results appear first. It is possible that if SearchWiki is overused it will limit the user’s inclination to learn new things. If a user prefers a single source and only visits that page repeatedly in their online search for a particular term they will hamper their chances of receiving new and important data.

The no.1 complaint from users of SearchWiki is that it cannot be turned off. The only way to turn it off is to sign-out from Google and for many that is not an option.

The comment section of SearchWiki is open to advertising as well as spam, but I'm sure Matt Cutts and his team have thought about this and will find a way to combat negative comments and inappropriate meterial.

The Googleside of SearchWiki

SearchWiki will provide Google with valuable information about their user’s likes and dislikes. If they chose to utilise this information it could aid them in delivering even better search results. The question is, will data gleaned from SearchWiki affect Google Bot’s algorithm? It stands to reason that if the data could improve search results they may come to factor it in at some stage.

Regardless of Google’s next move the launch of SearchWiki, means that the editorial role of ordinary Internet users has and is growing. This shift intensifies the focus on content, and makes it that much more important for Internet Marketers to provide users with a feature rich and satisfying online experience.

The real cost of deferring search engine optimisation

Get it Right the First Time

Time and budget constraints often see clients deferring SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to a later date. Marketers faced with launch deadlines and cost issues tend to push the delivery of their website in order to meet a deadline or complete a project within budget thinking that SEO can be addressed later. This leads to a serious, detrimental and costly process error.

There are essentially two ways to design or re-design a website. One way includes SEO whilst the other does not. The difference between the two approaches is that one includes competitive analysis and positioning whilst the other neglects this essential marketing component.

When designing a website focus is often placed on the clients communication requirements. The planning phase of a website development initiative includes addressing issues of what to communicate and how to do so most effectively. Functionality is often considered during this phase with a view towards providing maximum user satisfaction. All of the above is entirely necessary with any marketing campaign, be it in an online or offline environment. However, in most cases for a marketing strategy to be effective it also needs to be competitive. You need to look to your competitors and position yourself in relation to their market position.

Consider the process you may follow if you were to launch a new product, or expand your service offering. You would typically approach your advertising agency. They would do a thorough market analysis, which would include identification of any competing products and/or services. They would also explore the product features and benefits and define your unique marketing proposition in order to play up the key selling points. They would furthermore identify appropriate media and devise an effective media plan. Similarly, competitive website design involves:

Competitive analysis: Who are the existing players in the market? How do they rank? What features do their websites contain and what works well for them?

Keyword research and recommendations: The provision of keyword statistics which allow you to make intelligent and informed decisions with regards to effective keyword usage.

Search engine friendly design: Linking, metadata, code and keywords are addressed to ensure search engine friendly design.

Internet marketing strategy: The use of pay per click, affiliate marketing, newsletters, e-mail and SMS marketing to attract more traffic to your website.

A competitive approach should therefore be adopted consciously and consistently throughout the website development process in order to avoid facing design flaws which may require costly alteration efforts.

The inclusion of search engine optimisation may drive initial website development costs up by as much as 25%. This is due, mainly to the inclusion of competitive marketing expertise, additional consulting hours, reporting, specialist programming and the creation of attractive content. However it will save you time and money in the long run.

Benefits of including SEO in the initial development stage:

• Your website will perform at optimum capacity from day one,
• You will capitalise your investment sooner. You can expect admirable traffic statistics and a good conversion rate within three to six months.
• You will not incur additional development costs for at least the first year to 18 months.

Should you choose to defer search engine optimisation to a later date, it is quite likely that you will incur three to four times the cost of an upfront SEO investment.

The real costs of deferring SEO:

• Code and design will need to be redressed for SEO,
• All website content will need to be updated for keyword optimisation,
• You will incur opportunity costs as a result of a website which does not compete effectively for traffic in your online marketplace,
• You may lose valuable market share to competitors who perform better online.
• You may loose valuable site age.

What we can do for you?:

If you are launching a new website or re-designing an existing one do not neglect the primary website concern which is search engine optimisation. Enquire about DiscoverSEO services to achieve optimum Internet marketing results.

How much business does your web site really generate?

Isn’t the purpose of your web site to generate revenue, by driving the right people to it, so that they can make an informed decision about your products & services, & then ultimately spend money with you?

This will only happen if your web site is listed in the top 20 search results of Google. – This is exactly how Discover SEO can assist your business.

Through its in depth understanding of how to optimise web sites, we will get YOUR web site strategically listed in all the related directories and search engines, crucial to getting you found under the correct searches & drive huge amounts of traffic to your web site each and every month. This in turn will mean increased sales & revenue for your business.

To find out more about this amazing service, go directly to Discover SEO & contact us right away.

The longer you wait, the more business you are losing to your competitors.